Rugby World Cup: Matt Stevens bounces back after ban

Happy to talk scrums, Matt Stevens (centre) says it's important to retain good shape low to the ground. Photo / Getty Images

Matt Stevens could be excused if he viewed the past two years of his rugby life as a waste.

After all, he copped a two-year ban in February 2009 for cocaine use while at Bath and only returned to the England side in their warm up programme.

But the impression now is that it was time well spent, certainly in emotional terms.

He returned to rugby with a new club, Saracens, and was part of the side which won the English premiership title, beating Leicester in the final last May. Now it is full steam ahead helping England progress deep into the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Stevens, who turns 29 on Saturday when England play Scotland in a clutch Pool B match at Eden Park, doesn't shy away from the most high-profile aspect of his career.

"It was a very good experience in hindsight to have those two years off and reflect on what's important to me," he said yesterday. "I'm definitely a better person for it."

Stevens was part of England's front row operation at the 2007 cup, but much has happened in the Durban-born prop's life since then.

"It's very different now. I'm a dad, so I feel older," he quipped. "In rugby years, it's like dog years, like 15 years ago. But I definitely feel a lot more grounded. I know what I want and I'm really happy with the way things are going."

Now free of an ankle sprain which counted him out of the 67-3 tonking of Romania in Dunedin, Stevens is preparing for his 38th test.

A Springbok representative at age group level, Stevens headed for England in 2002, picked up a BSc in politics and economics from the University of Bath and raised £125,000 for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund by appearing on Celebrity X-Factor.

His test debut came off the bench at Carisbrook seven years ago. He has faced the All Blacks six times.

Stevens talked yesterday of every match taking on knockout importance from now on.

England can still miss out on the quarter-finals. For that to happen, two things must occur this weekend: Argentina clean out Georgia, taking a bonus point (quite likely) and Scotland beat England by more than seven points while conceding less than four tries (less likely, but don't discount it).

"They are all cup finals up until the end of the tournament," he said. "That's how you win World Cups, take it one game at a time. Not that I've won a World Cup, but that's how I'd imagine you do it."

On which topic, Stevens recently opined that the 2007 England squad, which reached the final in Paris "wasn't nearly as good as this one".

Time will tell on that, but when a front rower is talking, the chat inevitably turns to matters up front. Try and get a lock, whose head is adjacent to the action, to talk scrums and you'll get a "don't ask me, mate".

But Stevens warmed quickly to the subject of what England are trying to achieve in that set piece.

"You want to retain really good shape. You'll notice some props buckle on the hit. If you buckle it's quite difficult to get your bind at tighthead.

"You've got to be low, but you can't head for the floor. You've got to be able to keep your shape, but low to the ground.

"If you hit together as a front row and you're in good shape, you're always going to be a more stable front row and that's what we're looking to do."

Simple, really.