Rugby Firsts

Following his boyhood side Leicester Tigers has taken a backseat over recent years due to Simpson's success with pop-punksters Busted, and later as part of alternative rock four-piece Fightstar.

But the Suffolk-born strummer, who releases his new solo EP 'Farmer & His Gun' next month, still enjoys the occasional trip to Twickenham and was more than happy to regale skysports.com with his earliest memories of the sport in our inaugural Rugby Firsts.

First team

I've been a rugby fan all my life really because my family are into rugby and my uncle, Colin Simpson, used to play for Harlequins back in the 1970s. I played rugby from a young age and it's the only sport I've ever really enjoyed playing and I love watching it. I liked football when I was younger but always preferred rugby as a sport. I don't follow league rugby as much as I did because I don't see as many games but when I was growing up I actually saw a lot of Leicester Tigers games, so they're probably my team. I went to school in a place called Uppingham, which is in Rutland (near Leicester) and so on weekends I'd sometimes go and see the Tigers play. I also went to school with Dan Hipkiss, who played for Tigers and who has actually just gone to Bath.

First match

Simpson attended his first game at Twickenham in 1997

I think it was a Royal Air Force versus the Navy game at Twickenham and Rory Underwood was playing for the RAF team. That was the first time I went to Twickenham as well as the first professional rugby match I saw. I would say it was in either 1997 or 1998 so I was quite young. I then saw Northampton Saints play and then it was my first England game, which I think was a Test match.

First heartache

My uncle played a couple of games for England and anyone that plays for England gets a certain reservation of tickets, so I'll often go to Twickenham with my dad. We went to the Six Nations last year and I actually had tickets to see the 2003 World Cup final but it was so frustrating, I couldn't go because I was working. I watched it in the pub and I remember when Jonny Wilkinson kicked the last drop goal the camera actually panned to my dad and my brother and I was like, 'you are joking me!'. I met a lot of the England players after we won the World Cup because I got invited to a benefit dinner. It was timed really well because I think it was literally two weeks after we won and so it basically turned into a World Cup celebration dinner.

First hero

The Tigers fan admires the work Martin Johnson did in charge of England

I was a big fan of Rob Andrew, who was at the 1995 World Cup when Jonah Lomu was playing for New Zealand. I've always been a big fan of Martin Johnson, I think he's brilliant. I think he did a great job managing England and I think it's a real shame, actually, that he left. I don't think he lived up to his potential as he perhaps could have done. It's a real shame (the 2011 World Cup) happened that way. You look at people like Jonny Wilkinson and there were a few players who retired their international careers after that and it just seemed like that World Cup wasn't about rugby. It ended up being about what was happening off the field. It's a shame because I really hold rugby in high regard for the way people conduct themselves, it really is a gentleman's sport. But it ended up being a bit of a joke with all the media stuff surrounding what was going on off the field. What about a villain? I can't think of any player that I had a real issue with. I much prefer to make heroes of players than not like them.

First junior club

I used to play a lot when I was younger. Woodbridge Rugby club had a senior team and we played in a mini league, which I think is still going on. It was in its starting phases when I was playing. You'd start as early as eight or nine. I played all over the place; I started as a number eight and then when I was 14 I shot up and was quite lanky so I moved up to centre. I've also played on the wing and full-back, so I've covered all positions. I was never good enough to go professional and my passion was always music from a young age. My brother was thinking of going professional at one point but then he changed his mind, because it takes a lot out of your life to do it at that level. I played all the way through school, right up to being 16 or 17. It's the kind of thing I'd like to play now but it's not so easy to play rugby with your friends as it is with football.

First kit

One of my prized possessions is a signed, official World Cup 2003 top given to me by Lawrence Dallaglio, which I'm going to get framed. It's not one that you can buy in the shop, it was an actual team shirt. I wear it down the pub to watch rugby sometimes but I don't want to get beer on it or anything, I want to keep it in good condition. I think I had a Tigers shirt when I was younger and a Wasps one. I think I even had a Northampton Saints shirt.

First album

It was Metallica's 'Ride the Lightning' and I bought it from my local Woolworths. I loved it. I don't know where all my tapes have gone now, I'll have to dig them out. Both my first tape and CD were by Metallica because my first CD was 'Load'.

Following the incredible success of his top 6 debut solo album 'Young Pilgrim', Charlie Simpson is to release a brand new EP - 'Farmer & His Gun' on March 25th.