Lunch Box

Ever since Joe Worsley claimed he ate 20 chicken breasts a day, part of me has always wondered what your average professional rugby player chows down on.

According to Twitter, the overwhelming answer seems to Nandos: up and down the country, players just can’t get enough of the Portuguese peri-peri spice-fest with a side order of disappointment. I mean, is it just me or does a trip to Nandos invariably end in spending about £20 only to come home still feeling slightly peckish?

Not that hunger pangs would ever be a problem for a well-paid sportsman. They probably eat a whole chicken in one mouthful then rack up the Lemon and Herb chicken-wings and get balls deep in an epic grease-fest. Oops, there goes my overly active imagination again.

But what does a peckish prop-forward do when there is a severe lack of overpriced Portuguese poultry in the vicinity?

Well, today I found out.

I was minding my own business on my daily pilgrimage to the northern mecca of supermarkets, Kirkstall Morrisons, when I chanced upon not one, but two Leeds Carnegie prop-forwards.


Gomez: Ravenous

Juan Gomez and Miguel Alonso were happily chatting away in Spanish as they picked up their lunchtime goodies.

Naturally, being a Leeds Carnegie fan, I decided to go and wish Juan all the best for Sunday’s Premiership clash with Saracens. The fact this gifted me the opportunity to eyeball his shopping was an added bonus.

But what was in Juan’s basket?






Quiz time:

a) Three cheese and pickle pork pies, a pint of milk, two jars of gherkins and a coconut macaroon.
b) A chubby ham and cheese baguette, a bunch of grapes and a BabyBel cheese multi-pack.
c) A large salad box containing two boiled eggs, savoury rice and some grated carrot.
d) A whole chicken and a bottle of Nandos peri-peri sauce. Extra hot.




The answer is c.  I was pleasantly surprised/a bit disappointed there were no pies involved.