Lydney RFC had a solid pre-season and we won our 1st game of the year comprehensibly and we proudly looked down at the rest of our competitors from a perch at the top of the league.
Unfortunately, since then we went on a 10 game losing streak! We managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on several occasions losing several of our games by literally 1 or 2 points.
The squad at Lydney is very thin and we have had to recruit as many new faces as possible after losing at least 12 players from the squad that played last season.

Thankfully the last few weeks have been much more promising and have started to turn round for us both on and off the field. We made 2 or 3 new signings in key positions and these guys have helped change our fortunes from a 10 game losing streak into a 2 game winning streak!
It’s not all down to the new faces though. As a group we decided to change practice a little. The pitch at Regentsholme is pretty decent but geographically Lydney is a low-lying area but also has the added complication of a river running behind the stand. With the recent onslaught of rain from the heavens we have had plenty of flooding and even though they have dissipated the result has been quagmire training sessions.
We had to change something to save the pitch for Saturdays so we’ve come up with the novel idea of forwards and backs training alternate Tuesday nights. With this new concept the carrot has been firmly dangled in front of their faces so that they get every other Tuesday off. However, they also understand that when they turn up for their respective training session they are prepared for a tough, abrasive and very competitive 2 hours.
I firmly believe this has given us a harder mental edge which, undeniably, helped us grind out our 2nd victory of the year against Dings Crusaders.

As you can tell, coaching has been a little bit of a roller coaster ride at times. Yes we have struggled for numbers at training, yes sometimes we haven’t been able to cover all playing positions and had flankers playing on the wing for example, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge that has presented itself this season.

As a player I always questioned my ability to play at the top level and only looked at the negative aspects of my physical attributes and playing performances. I believe this held me back from reaching my full potential. Even now when I occasionally dust off the boots and run out for Lydney I get nervous and often think, “I’m not good enough for this”. Demons I have had to fight off throughout my career. In fact, if I’m honest, the same demons I’ve had to fight off outside rugby too.

Strangely, however, these same demons do not get to me when I’m coaching. I relish every training session (something that NEVER happened as a player! Just ask David Flatman!) and love being able to pass on any help and knowledge to my players. I’m very passionate about it – this comes from a man who until the last season of my playing career swore blind that I would never coach!

This weekend we welcome Shelford to Regentsholme who are flying pretty high in the league this year. It’ll be a stern test for our newly invigorated and confident squad. I’m even getting my old size 11’s out and trotting out to see if I can get my 4th try of the year!

I think a synopsis for the year so far would read, “started well, got no luck and went south quickly, now on the rise, throwing the cat amongst the pigeons and taking the league by storm!”
We’ll see Saturday!

My mortgage business has mirrored my coaching career in a pretty similar way.

I was proactive enough during my rugby career to get myself qualified and find several years experience working as a mortgage advisor. With this in mind I set about my new business venture with much vigour and enthusiasm.

I was soon hit in the face by a wall of bureaucratic red tape. With any financial services company you have to comply with the FSA’s guidelines. Believe me there are many! Thankfully I foresaw many of the hurdles that rapidly approached and I managed to do pretty much everything in my power whilst still playing rugby to make it a smooth transition so that I could ‘hit the ground running’ when my boots were finally hung up.
I have also tried to generate business from various different financial sectors. For instance I am now the mortgage advisor for Fidelis Estate Agents and Knight’s of Bath Estate Agents, Balance Accounts Accountancy and Nick Gwilliam Financial Advisor at the Jelf Group.
This, I thought (and still do), was a great little network to receive business from. Conversely any of my clients who need advice in their respective fields then I cannot recommend them more highly.

At the start it was great and if I had had any more to do I would have probably fallen behind on my work. But with the nature of the financial services industry things have dried up a tad and there are peaks and troughs. 4 or 5 years ago all you needed was a name, address, date of birth and a pulse and you could pretty much get what you wanted from a mortgage. Now? Not so much!

Having said that if you do manage to get yourself a mortgage you could be looking at a cracking 2.49% fixed over 3 years or a 2.28% fixed over 2 years. Rates have never been so low.

I know that the lead up the Christmas will be relatively quiet and am thoroughly looking forward to the new year and Spring time when people start to look to move or finally get round to looking at their current mortgage.
My advice, for what its worth, is don’t let yourself hang around on the bank’s Standard Variable Rate. They are normally much higher than introductory rates. The banks want you there, however, because they are making more money from you!!!
If you think you may need help then get in contact. I don’t bite! And you never know, I may save you a tidy sum…

With the old financial services company it’s been mortgages, mortgages, mortgages with the odd insurance application thrown in. Believe it or not banks are actually lending at the moment and it’s nice to see that some institutions have been lowering their rates.  As well as this some banks are only asking for a deposit of 5 to 10%, which is fantastic news for 1^st time buyers!

In the evenings I have been dragging myself away from the financial office straight into the rugby office (same place just different box files!). Having been appointed Lydney RFC head coach at a comparatively late stage of pre season I have spent the majority of my time headhunting and recruiting for the upcoming season.

Unfortunately the club lost both their head coach and director of rugby towards the end of last season and with them went some of the senior players, either into retirement, relocation or to other clubs.

As part of my new position I’ve had to overcome the difference between professional and amateur rugby. Obviously in the professional environment squads are generally already in place and as a coach you know you will have a 1^st team squad of 35 players with an academy underneath.

In the amateur game all members of the squad generally have a job from 9-5, which means that some players may not be able to make practice. This week, I had a player train for 45 minutes before walking off because his shift was about to start. I thought this was a sign of genuine commitment and was very impressed, after all, he could have decided not to turn up at all.   It is very hard to tell who is going to be on your books for the year as there are no contact details for people and with the school holidays coming up some people may just be on holiday for a few weeks.

Getting a squad together is proving to be a massive mission. We lost around 6 key players over the off-season and getting the remaining players to turn up to practice is even worse!

I have painstakingly come up with a new game plan, introduced patterns of play, new calls, new lineouts, put them all together, printed them out and put 20 pages into a presentation document. This is where my other half is proving to be very useful PA!

Lydney are steeped in history and have traditionally been 1 of the strongest sides in the south west. Unfortunately, there is no getting away from the fact that it is a club in transition. We need more quality players. It is still pretty early in preseason and hopefully players will filter back in the coming weeks but the squad is still very thin on the grounds.

The long and the short of it? We need more quality players to add to the ones we already have and we desperately need everyone to turn up to practice!

Practically all my time is spent either securing mortgage applications or rugby coaching but I have managed to pull myself away for a couple of hours mucking about on the cricket pitch.

My good friend Martyn Ball was a professional cricketer for Gloucestershire Cricket Club longer than I was a professional rugby player for the whole of my career. So pretty damn long then!

He is heavily involved with the Lord’s Taverners charity and recently asked me to dust off my cricket whites and play a couple of matches.

Baring in mind I haven’t played regular cricket for around 7 years my 2nd ball duck in my first match was no real surprise! The captain was Jon Lewis (ex Gloucestershire now Surrey) and he asked me if I wanted to bowl. If my batting was anything to go by my bowling would be equally as rusty so my answer was short and sweet, “No”

So my first game back after retirement consisted of 2 balls batting, no bowling and plenty of bruises on the shins from misjudging fast travelling cricket balls. Why’d they make them so hard anyway!!! God knows why they put me at cover. For a joke probably!

My 2^nd outing was a 3 game 6 a side tournament at the idyllic Wormsley in the grounds of John Paul Getty’s estate.

Here I faired little better. I managed 4 not out in the 1^st match, dropped for the 2^nd and not required for anything in the 3^rd!

Luckily I was in the presence of celebrity and was happy chatting away with Jason Leonard, Mike Gatting and Chris Tarrant. Not sure they were as happy with me however!

You can tell I’ve been busy. I nearly forgot about my debut at American Football! To put it mildly I have always loved the game. I remember when it was 1^st broadcast on Channel 4 circa. 1984 and I was instantly hooked.

Obviously, I have been a professional rugby player since I was 20 but right at the back of my head I always said to myself that when I retired I would play at least 1 game just to see if I enjoyed it.

Even when I was 18 I had regular meetings with a careers advisor and actually applied to a few universities in America. At the time rugby was an amateur sport and my theory was I could give American football a try in the States and if I didn’t make it then rugby would still be waiting for me when I returned around the age of 21 or 22.

But I never quite had the conviction of my thoughts to carry this dream out even though I had positive correspondence from the universities. I always thought the odds were too heavily stacked against me.

Last weekend, I played my 1^st game for the Bristol Aztec against the London Olympians in a narrow 10-6 loss. I played Defensive Tackle and managed 6 tackles, ½ a sack and a fumble recovery. Not bad even if I do say so myself!

Maybe I could have made it after all?

In my last blog I announced I was to be scrum coach at Clifton RFC. Well, regrettably, that is no longer the case.

Ever since retiring at the end of the last rugby season my goal was to get myself a coaching position at a local club. I was hoping to be a Head coach somewhere so when Clifton came knocking at my door I jumped at the chance.

The position, however, was never ideal as the coaching was to be in a more limited capacity due to Matt Salter already having the position of Head Coach/Forwards coach.  Nonetheless, it was a good opportunity and I relished the chance to work with with such an experienced coach.

I have been coaching at Clifton for the last 2 weeks and really enjoyed it but I was contacted by Mike Burton, who was my agent way back when (1997), who told me that Lydney RFC wanted to interview me for the position of Head Coach. I have always been very loyal during my professional rugby career and I was initially very hesitant about a meeting as I had already decided to coach at Clifton. Having said that, I felt that I couldn’t pass up the offer of a meeting, as the position I had always wanted was Head Coach.

I turned up at Lydney for an interview with the Chairman and senior committee members at the start of the week. I was shocked and surprised when I looked out at the first team pitch. Low and behold who were training there? None other than Bath Rugby (they have been staying locally for their pre-season training camp) “This is a sign” I said to myself.

All joking aside, following the meeting I realised that this was an opportunity I could not possibly turn down in terms of my potential future as a rugby coach. Do I feel guilty and a little embarrassed for joining and leaving Clifton RFC so quickly? Yes of course I do. In no way did I want to do that. Having said that if I had received both offers simultaneously then there is no doubt that Lydney would definitely be the right option for me.

The remaining and ongoing problem is that Lydney and Clifton are in the same league this year so I hope there will be no sour grapes and I’m looking forward to a couple of good old ding-dong matches in the year ahead.

For a start, I have found that retirement has reinvigorated my patriotism as a proud Englishman!

I say this, as supporting the England football team during Euro 2012 was always a ‘no brainer’ for me. Every 2 years (if we qualify!) there’s either a World Cup or European Championship and watching the English football team through their highs and lows may be unbelievably torturous but I always find myself heading to the pub with my mates hoping that one day England will lift a trophy again.

In the past, my loyalty for the England rugby team has never reached those dizzy heights. It’s quite hard to explain the reason for this, but fundamentally I believe it boils down to that old green-eyed monster jealousy.

As a professional rugby player if you play regularly in the Premiership there are, generally speaking, only a maximum of 11 players that could possibly be ahead of you in the pecking order. Realistically though most teams have overseas players so the ratio falls down to 4 or 5. This means that at any given time you could potentially be only 2 or 3 injuries away from a call up!

When you are only 1 or 2 rungs down on the ladder there is always a natural tendency to want your competition to either do badly or tweak a hammy so that he might be kept on the sidelines for the rest of the International match series! Failing an injury if the team wins you know there are unlikely to be many changes so you know you won’t be playing and another cap has slipped away from you.

I have been very fortunate in my career to get 5 England caps but the ecstasy of playing international rugby can be drowned out by the times of not being picked; the feelings of jealousy for the poor chap playing in your position, hatred for the coaches for not picking you and wanting the team to play badly enough so that you get the nod!

If most professional players are honest with themselves they probably think in a similar way to this. Happily though, now I’m retired I have no hidden agenda.  I watched Stuart Lancaster’s new England team with pride and enthusiasm.  I may not have nipped to the pub to watch it, but I was glued to the telly screaming at every dropped pass and missed tackle.

For the record I’m glad Lancaster got the national job. Although he was a relative unknown before he took over the reins he is a top class coach with a strong work ethic and old school values.

This month has also seen the retirement of my great mate and future best man David Flatman. Some say he refused to take the pitch again if I wasn’t there and that he boycotted Farleigh House canteen in honour of my gargantuan appetite but, truth be told, he succumbed to a very nasty hand injury.

I almost feel guilty now. Almost.

The last few weeks of the season he was complaining about his ‘hurty’ hand. Foolish. At every given opportunity in training I was looking for him and trying to slap his hand. I like to think I made it worse and had a hand in his retirement… (I’m here all week)

The last of the news in this blog is the announcement that I shall be coaching next season. Although retirement was the right option for me I certainly never wanted to wash my hands completely from the game. Having looked at a few local clubs I was overjoyed when Clifton RFC approached me to look after their forwards during the 2012/13 season and shall be working closely with the head coach, Matt Salter.

Although the blog picture is a mock up I have (reluctantly!) agreed to dust off the old boots and take the field again albeit under the proviso that I shall only play if we have injuries. We will see!

For me, the fit with Clifton is absolutely perfect. There is a strong ambition for the club to climb the leagues and I hope to be instrumental in this. Training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday nights, which is perfect for me, as I will continue to run Bell Financial Services the rest of the working week.

Although, banks lending policies are still pretty stringent there are still some great rates about and it’s up to me to find them for you!

If you are out of your tie in period, buying a house, looking to consolidate debts, making home improvements or just looking to see if there is a better rate with lower payments then please call. I would love to help and all advice is FREE!

It was a shame that I wasn’t needed for either match but it would have been a very early “comeback” from retirement!

You never know, other opportunities may pop up in the future; maybe a ‘vets’ game beckons.  Who knows what the future will hold?

It was a great experience being surrounded by world-class players again and being involved for all intents and purposes in a test match week.  The only downside was that it put my progress in the start up of my business back by at least a week.

I’ve had 4 years experience as an advisor already and I can honestly say that with the economic situation the way it is, this is probably the worst time to be getting a mortgage.  As a result of this it is even more important to seek the advice from a professional who knows their way around the market.

I’m not trying to give the hard sell but I find it frustrating when people come to me saying “but money supermarket says there’s this rate…” Especially as I know I can often get them a better deal and some sites aren’t always accurate with hidden fees thrown in for good measure. With me you’ll get the personal touch; No hidden fees, Free no-obligation-to-buy advice. Instead of a call centre you’ll get a real person at the other end of the line and someone who will drop in to see you at your house (especially if a cup of tea and a biscuit is on offer). Not only that but I get updated rates by the banks on a daily basis. If I can’t get the rate you want then the likelihood is that it isn’t out there!

Although it is really tough in the minefield that is the house-buying market presently, especially for 1^st time buyers, there is some relief that banks are actually lending. Maybe not as much as they were but it’s nice to know that there are a few 95% Loan to Value (LTV) mortgages around, (although you will end up paying over 5%). The Newbuy scheme has started to enable 1^st time buyers the ability to get on the property ladder again.

If you have a little more saved up you might be able to afford a 10% deposit. You see some good interest rates around 4.6%.

Obviously it is not only 1^st time buyers that might be looking for a mortgage. Many people have gone past their ‘tie in’ periods and are now on the banks standard variable rate (SVR). This is fine. There are some SVR’s that have relatively low percentage rates and switching to a fixed or new tracker rate may actually put your payments up slightly (this is by no means always the case).

However, the question is, when do you decide to tie yourself into a new mortgage with a different bank? If I had a crystal ball I think I’d be a millionaire! The problem is going to be when the inevitable rise in interest rates occurs.  This means that if you don’t act soon, then there may come a time when you are forced to get an 8% mortgage as opposed to the 4.5% rates that are available at the moment.

Basically, it’s a balancing act. Sit on your rate when it’s low but if you get a feel for rate rises, QUICK tie yourself in! *cough* call me!

Moving back to rugby. I am currently in negotiations with clubs for coaching roles. Maybe not at Premiership level but I am looking to cut my coaching teeth at a decent level. I’m desperately trying to only have my coaching boots on next season and not my playing boots! Although, I’ve decided to try my hand at American Football! 1^st session is on Wednesday night. I’ve got a feeling I maybe cannon fodder.

It's all over!

After announcing my retirement a few weeks ago I have now played my last few matches of professional rugby.

It was a very emotional day down at the Rec when I played my last home game for Bath Rugby on Saturday April 21st. Fortunately we ended up winning and I managed to (just about) keep myself and my emotions together and trot about for the last 25 minutes of the match. I absolutely loved the occasion and the send off from the crowd after the final whistle was something that will live long in my memory.

I successfully retained my position in the squad for the final premiership match against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. Again, it was a very special occasion and although we ended up 2^nd best I came away safe in the knowledge that I had given my all and I could end my career having played at one of the best supported grounds in world rugby.   Rather poignantly, my first ever professional game in the premiership was also played at Welford Road against the Tigers so it was a particularly suitable end for me. I was rather pleasantly surprised to be asked for my autograph by quite a few Leicester supporters whilst I was there! I should have retired at this ground every year! It makes a nice change to getting booed!

This then took me to the final professional game of my career. Throughout 17 years, hundreds of 1^st class games and 5 England caps there was 1 match that had always eluded me. The Barbarians!

I had only previously received 1 invitation to play for the Baa Baa’s way back in 2002 when they played a London Irish invitational side in a benefit match for Jarrod Cunningham after he was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease. Unfortunately I was injured for the match and couldn’t play.  I had regretted this for my entire career until finally I received another invite to play. This time it was against Loughborough University in the ceremonial opening of their new stadium.

One of the reasons I started playing rugby was because of my Dad. Not only because he was my hero and I wanted to do whatever he did but also because he had shown me a recording of ‘that try’ in the 1973 game played by the Barbarians against New Zealand. The commentary still rings in many rugby fans and players ears when Cliff Morgan spoke of the Barbarians. “this is Gareth Edwards. A dramatic start. What a score” To this day, I still get Goosebumps watching it.

To play for the Baa Baa’s was special enough but to play for them in my very last top flight professional game was, quite simply, the icing on the cake!

It was also very poignant that Andy Robinson was the coach. He was my schoolteacher and my school rugby coach, he gave me my 1^st cap for England and he was the coach in my very last game.   A truly shared history

The game was a blur but I know we won! Somehow, I stayed on the pitch for the whole 80 minutes, but, oh my word, did I feel it the next day and I barely moved from the sofa.  It’s been a while since I played a whole game and I developed aches and pains in places that I had forgotten existed

Now, here I am 2 days after finishing my last rugger match and I’m already ploughing on with people’s mortgages and insurances.  They do say that ‘As one door closes another door opens’ and I guess it is now time for me to move on with my new career.

At least it gives my poor old knees a rest!

I have had some fantastic experiences at Bath Rugby and I am very proud to have played for the club I supported as a boy, especially as it’s where I started my rugby career when I played for the Mini’s in the Under 9′s.

Bath Rugby is without question the greatest club on the planet and I shall support them to my dying day. It is with great regret that, during my 9 years here, we never quite reached our potential and didn’t win as many trophies as I believe we should have.

I have been very privileged to not only play for the Blue, Black and White but to have also played alongside some of the true greats of rugby. The list is a long one but packing down with the likes of David Flatman, David Barnes, John Humphries, Danny Grewcock, Steve Borthwick, Simon Taylor, Luke Watson, Andrew Beattie, Lee Mears and Stuart Hooper has been unbelievably humbling. I consider myself to be one of the luckiest players around as over the years I have received the ball from people such as Mike Catt, Mike Tindall, Olly Barkley, Nick Abendanon, Butch James and Michael Claassens.

Whilst one door closes another door opens. Four years ago I started up Bell Financial Services as a way to provide myself with work experience before my rugby career finished. During this time I have provided friends, family, fellow rugby players and members of the public with both mortgage and life insurance advice. Up until now it has been a hobby but the time has come for me to devote myself to my new passion and I will be throwing myself into the business full time when the time comes at the end of our final match against Leicester on May 5th.

I cannot write this piece without mentioning the issues that have reached the press this morning. This is a very personal and private subject that I have found very difficult to open up about especially as I am not the sort of person who feels comfortable in the limelight at the best of times. I am hoping that talking about my personal experience of a mental health illness will raise awareness of its prevalence within the sporting world and in doing so will empower people to speak more openly about it. If I can give just one other person the strength to talk to someone about their own struggle with this condition then it will all be worthwhile. I have received massive support from Bath Rugby, the staff, players and medical department and I will be personally supporting the RPA with their LPP program in providing confidential support for Premiership players.

I would like to thank Bath Rugby and the players for a wonderful 9 years at the club and trust that the glory years are, once again, only just around the corner.

Duncan Bell