FORMER Jersey RFC player Matt Banahan openly admits he has provided a tale of the unexpected this season.
But at 6 ft 7 in and almost 17 stone, there was never going to be anything predictable about the juggernaut Bath RFC wing.
Banahan will arrive in Sunday’s European Challenge Cup final against Worcester after finishing the Guinness Premiership campaign as second top try-scorer behind Leicester speedster Tom Varndell.
He scored more Premiership tries this term than England wings Paul Sackey, Lesley Vainikolo and Tom Voyce – not bad for a former Channel Islands hockey player who began his rugby career as a forward.
‘Last season, I was a bit wayward – I didn’t concentrate too much on the rugby – so I had to knuckle down before pre-season last summer when I went home to Jersey.
‘I carried on training, then came back to the club as fit as a fiddle before hitting it hard ready for the new campaign.’
Banahan, ten Premiership tries in the bank and a further six collected during Bath’s march to the Challenge Cup final, knows his next major challenge will be to build on this season’s performances.
He will be on England Saxons duty in the Churchill Cup next month, and he admitted: ‘It is now about consistency and transferring it on to next season.
‘This season, I suppose there was a bit of the unexpected and unknown about me. Now, it is about coming back and doing it again.’
Article posted on 23rd May, 2008 - 2.59pm
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