Thames Ditton resident and London Irish forward Ben Franks is one of only 20 people ever to have won the Rugby World Cup twice. Not only that, but he did it as a part of what is widely recognised as one of history’s greatest ever sporting teams – New Zealand’s All Blacks. He’s a man who certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to rugby, sport, and anything that requires a ‘winning mentality’.
It comes as no surprise that there is a secret behind Franks’ success – the only true surprise is that, according to the man himself, it has nothing to do with the vast quantities of talent that he clearly possesses. “I’m still not really sold on the idea of ‘talent’,” he told me. “Once you get to a certain level, everyone’s got talent. When push comes to shove, it’s really about who wants it the most, who’s prepared to fight the hardest to be the best. If I had a talent, then it was that I knew how to work hard and set goals.”
Franks, now 33, is an adamant believer in the benefits of setting targets – and in all walks of life, not just in rugby. “That is the best advice I could give to youngsters, not just in rugby but approaching life in general. Just keep setting new goals, and don’t stop until you’ve achieved them. Then, don’t just sit around feeling pleased with yourself – set new ones.”
This determined, driven attitude is one that Ben Franks has employed throughout his own rugby career. “While the goal was always to be an All Black, and to put on that famous jersey, I realised early on that there were several stepping-stones to achieving that. First of all, I wanted to join an academy, and after that it was all about hitting each age group, slowly moving up the tree until you finally get that call-up. Fortunately for me, that happened.”
One of the most remarkable things about Ben Franks is that he was not alone in his rise to the top – his younger brother, Owen, made his debut for the All Blacks just a year after his own. In fact, Owen played prop, the same position as Ben, in both the 2011 and the 2015 World Cups – meaning they are the only brothers ever to have won the prestigious golden trophy twice. Naturally, this led to a good amount of rivalry and competitiveness between the brothers – a competition that Ben feels made him a better player. “Training with my brother helped a lot,” Ben admitted. “That competition and that extra motivation to push each other and to be better than each other really took us both to the next level. When I trained with Owen, I was training with a world-class athlete, and so was he. I think that’s why we both made it in the game. We pushed each other to the limits of our ‘talents’ – and beyond.”
That early period of Franks’ life, as a child getting to love the sport by playing constantly, with his brother and friends, is a time that “every young athlete should experience.” He believes that “as a young sportsman, or woman, you have to be given that time to just build your love for the game – that is more important than anything else. Before matches, or anything properly competitive, you need to love the game you play. Once you’ve got that passion, you can push on, but loving the sport is essential for success.”
“When I first joined up with the All Blacks, it was just a dream come true. You hear a lot of people say that, but genuinely for me that was all I’d ever wanted. As a kid in New Zealand, I remember visualizing myself putting on that jersey. And I worked and I worked and I pushed myself until that visualization was reality.”
He says that all young sportspeople should approach their game with a similar approach. “Find a dream you can get behind, and then do everything you can to get there.”
By Joseph Helm, Hampton School
