Interviewed for Topman

Rugby Star Chris Robshaw Chats Goals

"I must be the only man to own a coffee shop and not like coffee," Chris laughs. It turns out the ex-England Rugby captain and current Harlequins player is full of surprises, one of those being that his engagement ring to now-wife Camilla got stolen in the Hatton Garden heist. But we'll get to that later.

They say chuck a ball and get rid of your frustration. Playing sport as a form of stress relief is not unheard of; for a self-declared ‘stubborn pupil,’ rugby was the first funnel for Chris Robshaw's fury.

He's a cheery guy, really. Not that we expected anything less. His life has consisted of some pretty good turns: playing his favourite sport professionally, making a name not just in rugby but in the media world too (note his latest judging of the GQ grooming awards), eating as many stacked pancakes as he pleases in his coffee shop chain Josie's and, recently, marrying his wife Camilla in the South of France where he shared a magazine cover with the Duchess of Sussex.

"At school, rugby allowed me to express and control my anger. It taught me to behave a lot better because I always had something to vent my frustration on," he admits.

It's Robshaw's lighthearted, persevering attitude that sets him apart from the crowd. Converting school-pitch rugby to an 82,000-capacity stadium can't be easy… it's certainly a trying one.

"I loved my run as the England captain - it's definitely one of the high points of my career."

What about Eddie Jones? we ask, intrigued to hear the inside verdicts of one of Rugby's most loved coaches. "I'm a big fan of Eddie; he knows how to get the best out of players to ensure everybody functions as efficiently as possible. He treats people differently for their needs and has enough time for every single player."

So, the ring. Can you laugh about it now? we pry. They can, just about.

Robshaw and wife Camilla Kerslake designed their dream ring together. The jeweller had kept the ring in Hatton Gardens when along came "the old guys." Fortunately, they were amongst the lucky ones. "It came back to us with the police - lucky since we had our hearts set on it." We queried what Camilla thought of the ordeal. "Camilla did know about it... I had to propose to her with a smaller ring, though." Their engagement, however, went off without a hitch.