ben cohen testimonial

S U P P O R T I N G

The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance

Ben Cohen Official Testimonial Brochure 2007 - 2008

WELCOME

patrons letter by Rt. Hon.The Earl Spencer 07

air amBulance charity A Helping Hand 08

orchid fighting male cancer charity Extra Support 09

chairmans welcome by David Foster 11

george cohen mBe A Credit To Our Family 13

SA INT S ACCOLADES

keith Barwell 15

paul grayson mBe 17

wayne smith 18-19

lenny newman 21

tim rodBer 23

harvey thorneycroft 25

matt dawson mBe 26-27

ian mcgeechan oBe, ma 29

tom smith 31

phil pask 32-33

steve thompson mBe 35

IN T ERNAT IONAL ACCOLADES

Jonny wilkinson oBe 36-37

richard hill mBe 39

keiron Bracken mBe 41

will greenwood mBe 42-43

lewis moody mBe 45

mike catt mBe 47

doug howlett 49

Jason leonard oBe 51

martin corry mBe 53

sir clive woodward oBe 54-55

martin Johnson cBe 57

austin healey 59

neil Back mBe 61

F R I ENDS & FAM I LY

aBBy cohen 63

lana cohen 65

Justin cohen 67

Bill conisBee 69

hugh nichols 71

stephen Jones 73

photo alBum 74-75

testimonial merchandise 77

autograph opportunity 89

events calendar 95

career statistics 97

24th November 2003

Northamptonians - Manly, Australia

9th November 2002England 31 v New Zealand 28

November 23rd 2003

World Cup Final Victory

“BEN COHEN

IS A TRUE

CHAMPION IN EVERY SENSE

OF THE WORD

”sir clive woodward oBe

“I LOVE HAVING HIM TO PASS TO ANDWATCHING HIM FINISH TRIES LIKE NO ONE I’VE EVERPLAYED WITH

”Jonny wilkinson oBe

“THE JEWEL IN

NORTHAMPTON’S

CROWN

”wayne smith

www.bencohentestimonial.co.ukAll sporting images kindly provided by www.gettyimages.com

Designed & Produced by

www.blayneypartnership.com

01604 671714

Patron: The Rt. Hon. The Earl Spencer Chairman: David Foster Secretary: Ros Hargreaves Treasurer: Ian Wake

Committee: Maggie Barwell, Austen Blayney, Rob Blayney, Jane Robertson, Paul Robertson, David Williams, Mark Heath & Darren Briers

Ben Cohen Testimonial Year 2007 - 2008 Supporting Orchid - Fighting Male Cancer. Charity Registration No.1080540

& The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. Charity Registration No.1098874

Printed by Avalon Print

01604 590095

I N T E R N AT I O N A L A C C O L A D E S

I have spent a lot of my best times side by side with

Ben Cohen. He is always one of the first to come and

chat to you and ask how you are when you arrive at

England camps or when you play against Northampton.

Always one of the very best at poking fun at himself and

making you laugh when you need it most, but more

importantly always the guy you want next to you when

you are about to take the field. Most of the time in

painfully pressure-filled situations when tries need

scoring.

Ben and I shared many good experiences but I’m

going to talk about a strange one. After playing

Argentina in 2001, the England team found themselves

on strike. That day, Ben joined me at my family home,

which was near to the hotel that we had just been told

to leave. We tried to relax but it was a terrible situation.

The next morning we were heading for a team meeting

at a new venue to discuss where we stood in

negotiations.

I took a call that morning from Matt Dawson to say

that an agreement had been reached and it was safe to

go back. Coincidently, BC and I were just passing the

team hotel at that point so we turned round and drove

right in. It didn’t dawn on me until we reached the

reception car park that we were the first players back to

the hotel by some margin, and that the press probably

hadn’t yet been made aware of the new developments.

The official RFU line, up until that morning, was that

anyone who wished to play for England again should

be present at the hotel ready for training at 10.30 am

that morning.

one of the very best

Ben Cohen Official Testimonial Brochure 37

10.25am Ben and I

were about to get out of

the car and face the

media, looking like the

two guys who had stabbed

their team mates firmly in

the back. I told Ben to sit

tight, that I’d get his bag

out of the boot for him, then I promptly bolted for the

physio room leaving him and his bag to be quoted under

the Teletext Headline “Cohen arrives back for training”

which ran all morning. What a scab!

He never officially got me back, but I always wondered

why he left me hanging out to the right for the match-

deciding conversion instead of scoring under the posts

in the last minute of our 2002 autumn international

against Australia.

A frequent room-mate of mine even, when he is

constantly bickering with Steve Thompson or

having a go at my cross kicks during training, I love

his sense of humour and his take on life. But most

of all I love having him to pass to, and watching

him finish tries like no one I’ve ever played with.

Think Australia, summer 2003 and you’ll get an idea of

what I’m talking about.

An incredible career to date and everybody who

understands top flight rugby knows that he has still so

much more to show us. I can’t wait to see it! Thank you

for supporting me Ben and for making me look way

better than I am. Good luck to you and your family mate.

Have a fabulous year, you all deserve it.

Your friend and team mate

Jonny wIlkInson obe

Buckingham Palace26th Oct 2004

“ I love havIng hIm to pass

to and watchIng hIm

fInIsh trIes lIke no one

I’ve ever played wIth

”


S A I N T S A C C O L A D E S

What can I say? Since the day we teamed up for Old Scouts

at under 16’s he's always been one step ahead of me at every

level - Northampton, England and the Lions. Always that one

season before me! There's one place however where I've

always set the pace - in the bar! Let’s just say there is a

reason that Ben's nickname 'Jew Boy' has stuck! Whenever

it’s Ben's time to buy a round a barrage of excuses or a

disappearing act usually follows. He is definitely a family

man, preferring a cosy night in with his pipe, slippers and

Abby, than a night of cutting some shapes on the dance floor.

If I had to think of the

most embarrassing thing

Ben has ever done in his

career, surprisingly it

would neither be on the pitch nor in the

bar.....the phrase "pull a pig night" definitely took on a whole

new meaning when I saw Ben straddling a pig in one of the

images from his new calendar!

Ben's always been a great mate to me through the ups and

downs of the years, the celebrations when we reached twenty

one, our first caps for the Saints then England and the Lions

tour, the sad loss of his father: we’ve been there for each other.

I saw Ben’s dad, Pete, as a father figure and Ben has the same

aura about him. Pete would have been so very proud of Ben.

As my room mate Ben has had to put up with a lot. My

favourite story about Ben was during the pre-World Cup training

when after two weeks of my solid snoring Ben had finally had

enough. Needless to say, I found myself on a mattress in the

bathroom for the rest of our stay!

Have a great time during your Testimonial Ben.

steve thompson mBe

always one st epahead

“the phrase ‘pull a pig night’

definitely took on a whole new meaning

”

Mr. March 2005

I N T E R N A T I O N A L A C C O L A D E S


For 40 odd games,

Triple Crowns, Grand

Slams, Southern

Hemisphere junkets,

and of course World

Cup finals, Benny

Cohen was my go-to

man. He was built to

be a decathlete, an

American footballer, a supreme physical specimen. He

was there as a fall back in many a difficult situation.

When we needed some go forward, when we needed

some power, when we needed to close out wins, or

generate some momentum I never looked anywhere else.

We made an unlikely couple - not in a homoerotic sense,

although I have to say he is a good looking man. It was

more the contrast in our styles, physiques, speed; the list

goes on. My goodness I loved what he brought to my

game. Great teams achieve their potential by creating

mini partnerships across the board and my partnership

with Benny was as tight and as productive as any I know.

I used to stand flat on the gain line, there were some

giants waiting to pulverise me, and I would hear his call

from 30 yards away, the cavalry riding to the rescue. He

was like the heavy artillery raining down on the

advanced enemy position, a steam train at full throttle. It

was only later when I discovered that part of his intense

volume derived from what he called his partial deafness.

Although, I am convinced it is selective deafness, most

often being used as an excuse at sponsor's functions,

autograph sessions, or times of financial testing.

But I digress. I used to stand flat on the gain line

knowing my buddy was coming to cause mayhem in

opposition defensive lines.

His try against Australia in the summer of 2003 was

his best. Lacerating the defensive line, leaving Latham

grasping at thin air, and then accelerating away from

Roff as though the Australian was running in sand. That

is why I love rugby so much because it has given me the

honour and the privilege of playing alongside such

quality.

At the time of writing Benny and I are stuck on 31

tries each for our country, a source of great competition

down the years. I hope he gets the opportunity to go on

and add to this tally. I feel honoured and privileged to

have contributed to some of those amazing scores and

know my tally would be nowhere near as high without

the try-hunting defence-busting ally that I found in Mr

Cohen. Benny, I hope you and your family have an

amazing year and I thank you for looking after a

skinny, slow centre for all those games.

will greenwood mBe

as productiveas any i know

“ He was like tHe Heavy artillery raining

down on tHe advanced enemy position

”

‘Shaggy’Will Greenwood


“Ben Cohen is a true Champion

in every sense of the word

”


One of the expressions I have lived by in sport has always

been "If you're good enough, you're old enough!" Ben was

21 when he made his debut for England, in a winning start

to his England career against Ireland in 2000. It was Matt

Dawson who really pushed Ben hard for selection,

confirming to me what my eyes could see that we had a

special player here and there was no need to worry a jot

about putting him in . He was joined that day by Mike

Tindall and both would go on to start for England in the

Rugby World Cup final three years later. Coaching should

always be about being excited when you pick your team, and

to see the team develop with world class players,

supplemented by young players such as Ben, was just

fantastic.

Ben has not only been a prolific try scorer for

Northampton Saints and England, he's also enjoyed the art

of scoring a try. His swallow dive scoring against New

Zealand at Twickenham in 2002 is an image many of us will

always remember and cherish and it underlined the fact that

not only did I want my team to win, I also wanted the

players to enjoy every minute of being part of the England

set up. Another try of Ben's which stands out is his excellent

finish in the 2003 tour match against Australia in

Melbourne, which helped give England their first away win

on Australian soil. I had a close relationship, despite what

the media said, with Eddie Jones the Australian coach and

he confirmed to me after that game, arguably England’s best,

that the player they feared most was Cohen.

When working so closely with players over so many years

you also see how they handle everything both inside rugby

and outside rugby. The tragic death of Ben’s Dad shattered

us all, but his strength and his wish and will to move on

quickly in order to support his family was just inspirational

and a lesson to all of us, and one I will never forget. You see

true champions at their best often at times of extreme

adversity – Ben Cohen is a true champion in every sense of

the word.

It's perhaps a bit hard to

believe that we are celebrating

a testimonial for a player who

is still only 28 years old, but

it just shows how much he

has achieved in his career so

far: Fifty Seven caps for his

country, a British & Irish

Lion in 2001 and in the top

three try scorers of all time

for his country. With those credentials,

and what I hope are several more years left in the game, I

think there are several more chapters to come before Ben

writes his autobiography.

All the best Ben for a thoroughly well deserved

testimonial.

sir Clive woodward oBe

if you're good enoughyou're old enough!

November 23rd 2003World Cup Final Victory


It was a chasing tackle. Not many saw it. It was barely

perceptible. But to me, it represented character and

saintsmanship. It was a glimmer of hope, a light at the

end of a dark tunnel. And it would guide me in my first

season at Franklin’s Gardens.

The tackle happened in November 2001 at a

premiership game in Newcastle (Saints against the

Falcons). It was my first view of Saints, a team and club I

would come to love over the next 3 seasons. It was also

my first contact with Ben Cohen.

The club was in trouble, sitting at the bottom of the

table. I had decided when accepting the Saint’s coaching

job that the club needed its big players to be selected on

merit, not on reputation. I was determined to make the

stars earn their jersey. Ben was one of these players, but

what I saw that day convinced me that here was the jewel

in Northampton’s crown. It wasn’t the two tries he

scored. It wasn’t his size and pace or ability to win the

collisions.

It was that tackle. Epi

Taione was like a runaway

train when Ben took chase,

hauled him down, got up

and won the ball on the

ground allowing Saints to

clear the pressure. This was

the character and spirit I

would be seeking in my

team.

From 2001-2003, Ben was the best winger in the

world. I remember Lote Tuquiri saying before the

Sydney test in 2003 that he was just hoping to learn

from playing against someone as good as Ben.

The thing that’s amazing about this is that at the time

Ben was going through some dark times after the death

of his Dad and during the subsequent trials. Instead of

folding under this pressure, it steeled Ben up. He

showed a toughness and resoluteness that was a

guiding light for others at the club. I know of few

others with this strength of character.

Ben is different to many other professionals I’ve

coached. He’s not your archetypal rugby player,

consumed by the game. He’s not one to hang around

after training or to spend a night on the booze with the

boys.

He’s certainly a professional but is able to keep the

game in perspective.

I have nothing but good thoughts about Ben. He is

disarmingly up front. He’ll tell you how it is, even if

you don’t like it. He let his feelings be known to me

when I told him I would be coaching the All Blacks

with Graham Henry.

The jewelin norThampTon’s Crown

November 2001Saints V Newcastle


He will always let you know how he thinks things are

going. I like that in people. It keeps things simple and

direct – a bit like how rugby should be.

Some of my best moments in rugby these

days are when I come up against old mates

on the international field. I always

cherish the battles against Ben, as do

our players.

He’s a fierce competitor. I’d

rather be with him than against

him!

wayne smiTh

“ From 2001-2003, Ben was The BesT winger in The world

”

"Hi Ben, I said Hi Ben! Ben stop ignoring me! Hello,

anyone home?!!!" Sound familiar to anyone reading this?

So many endearing qualities ooze from Ben Cohen’s

pores, however hearing is certainly not one of them. In

fact there are a handful of world-class rugby coaches and

fly halves who, if asked, would without doubt claim that

Ben was one of the greatest communicators in world

rugby. I’m sorry to shatter the illusion but more simply,

he is as deaf as a doorpost. I said, he’s as deaf as a oooh

forget it. Just read it Ben!!

Way back when even I had a full head of hair there was

a tall, speedy, local lad strutting his stuff around

Franklin’s Gardens. To a man we all agreed that this kid

had the most talent we’d seen since the likes of

Ian Hunter, or Nick Beal. He trained religiously and

now and again listened (or lip read) for any shred of

advice he could grasp in order to fulfil his aspiration of

international rugby football. Indeed he was the first real

full time professional the club had regards to attitude

and physical attributes.

Now those who know

Ben would hopefully agree

that he is not backward in

coming forward, a trait I

admire. Northampton

needs players such as Ben

to maintain the real ethos

behind Saints’ rugby. It’s

often too easy to stay

below the radar and let

others stumble whilst you drift along in comfort and

therefore mediocrity. He pushes himself beyond the

possible on and off the field, which is probably why

success will always sit easily on his shoulders.

Of course it’s not all been plain sailing, as losing a

father would rock the sturdiest of vessels. We all deal

with bereavement differently, however to merge that

grief with the national media whilst at the height of

your international form would without question have

dented many a man. Not Ben. With fond memories,

desire and an amazing amount of support from his

family and friends he showed me, and Peter, what an

incredibly strong and compassionate human he was

and still is. You truly inspired me buddy, having led me

through an extremely difficult part of my life when,

unselfishly, you were hurting deeper than any of us. I

am eternally grateful Benjy and will always be there for

you and Abby.

as deafas a doorpost...


21st June 2003Cooke Cup Melbourne Australia


“ You trulY inspired Me BuddY, having led Me

through an extreMelY difficult part of MY life

”For a lanky Northampton lad he’s not doing too

badly at the moment, but mark my words there is

plenty more to come from BC. Whether it’s flying

helicopters or building houses there’s one guy we

could all depend on for quality. (Sorry, don’t

include his cooking in that!!). But most

importantly, what’s paramount to Ben is

the quality of his and his family’s life. A

lesson we could all absorb.

Joanne and I send all our love and

best wishes for the benefit year. You

and Abby both deserve the

plaudits as you make such a

fantastic couple/team.

Matt dawson MBe



The arrival of Ben Cohen on the International scene in

2000 and England’s fantastic playing record for the next

4 years are not a coincidence. Ben’s arrival was one of

the catalysts for the team to become the Number One

rated side in the World and ultimately World

Champions.

I missed his debut in 2000 as I was injured and had to

watch on TV as he scored his first Try against the Irish

but it wasn’t until later in the year I became aware of

how good and important a player he would become.

It was after the South Africa game and I was talking to

a few members of the opposition. To a man they all told

me what a handful he had been to tackle and the

problems he had caused them. This was music to my

ears because as good as our backs were it’s always nice to

have a real physical presence in your backline and for

the opposition to be worrying about your players rather

than the other way around.

Three years later, we were playing Australia in

Melbourne, our last game of the 02/03 season, and after

“

JohnoEngland’s Finest Captain 1999-2004

a fantastic first half we needed to put away the Aussies

with one more score in the second half. Ben burst

through their backline and only had one man to beat,

their fullback Chris Latham who in the press that week

had stated his aim of becoming the best Fullback in the

World (he thought he was 3rd best at that point). Ben

left him on the floor as he scored and we left our marker

for the upcoming tournament in great style.

Have a great Year Mate.

Martin Johnson cBe

Musicto My ears”

ben cohen testimonial

Documents

george cohen mbe

greenwood mbe

matt dawson mbe

paul grayson mbe

martin corry mbe

lana cohen

justin cohen

withben cohen