Why did you never play for Australia?
It was difficult – I ended up feeling I had no choice. Australia asked about my availability when I was 18; they wanted me to go Down Under and play against the likes of Fiji and Samoa. I went to see Tony Barton, the Aston Villa manager, and explained all of this to him and said I’d love to play for Australia. He basically told me, “No, you’re not doing it”. The international calendars weren’t aligned and there was no legal requirement for the club to release me. The power wasn’t with the players then. I was really disappointed, but I simply got on with my job at Villa Park.
How did you feel about playing for England when you had no family ties to the
