Having announced his plans to retire from rugby at the end of the season, Sale Sharks and England veteran Mark Cueto could be forgiven for switching to nostalgia mode in the coming weeks.
A career which saw him leave his roots in the rugby league stronghold of Workington, putting aside his love of football to focus on a sport of a different variety, will come to an end in May when he hangs up his boots for one final time.
The 35-year-old has plenty of fond memories to look back on when that time comes, though, including his accolade of being the Aviva Premiership's highest ever try scorer, Sale's all-time record appearance holder, earning a British and Irish Lions cap a decade ago, and representing his country on the grandest stage of them all - a World Cup final.
But before then Cueto has one target in mind to see out his career on a high, and as the #CheersCuets campaign gathers momentum on Twitter with a minimum of three games left to play at the AJ Bell Stadium this term, Sports Mole caught up with the winger to discuss his short-term goals, future plans and how he believes England will fare in the World Cup later this year.
You are just two games away from reaching 300 appearances for Sale. When you first started out in the game did you ever feel that was an achievable target?
"It's funny really. You never tend to think about these sort of things, but I was informed on Twitter that I'm reaching that tally. It's all pretty mad. You never set out to play a certain number of games, you just ride a wave, but it's awesome to look back on when it's all finished."
The Aviva Premiership table is looking congested at the moment, so at this stage what is your target for the remainder of the season at Sale?
"Well we are currently seventh but sitting just five points off fourth place, and with it being such a tight league this year we can realistically finish anywhere from third or fourth down to eighth or ninth - that's the way the league is at the moment. Our goal was always to finish in the top six and qualify for the European Rugby Champions Cup again next year.
"If we do that it will be the first time the club has achieved that - qualifying for Europe - in back-to-back seasons. That remains the goal and hopefully I can help the club to do exactly that in what is my final season. It will be nice to go out in my last campaign having done that."
You were critical of Stuart Lancaster's squad selections earlier this year, claiming that a few of your teammates at club level had been somewhat overlooked. Do you stand by those comments?
"I still think that [Danny Cipriani] should have been given more time. Over the course of four games he's probably had about 15 minutes, which isn't a lot. So I stand by that, because under those conditions you need your second-choice guy to get as much game time under his belt as possible.
"It is similar to last year's Six Nations when George Ford was starting on the bench and given very little time as well. That means when an injury comes along you're throwing your second choice into the mix who is very limited on action, which is not ideal. I still think a player like Cipriani should be given more game time."
The days are fast ticking down towards this Autumn's World Cup on home soil, with less than six months to go before the big kickoff. Is Stuart Lancaster the right man to lead England into that showpiece tournament?
"We will soon see. England are always going to be competitive because of the forwards that they have got. They have finished runners-up for the past few years in the Six Nations and are in with a real chance of winning it this time around, so in terms of the Northern Hemisphere sides they are certainly there or thereabouts. With the tournament being on home soil that will also be a huge boost for them, whether or not they can win it we will have to wait and see."
Certain sections of the media have suggested that winning the Six Nations this year is simply not enough, insisting that England should have landed a Grand Slam. Do you agree with this?
"Ultimately I don't think it matters. In terms of my own personal experience, back in 2011 we won the Six Nations but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. In 2007 we had a terrible Six Nations campaign but went on to reach the final of the World Cup.
"Essentially you simply have to take out whatever you need to from the Six Nations. Ideally you win the Grand Slam and then win the World Cup like we did in 2003 - that is the perfect option, but it doesn't always work out like that. You could finish second or third in the tournament but there will still be plenty to take away from it. There are always perfect scenarios, but it rarely ever works out that way."
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Speaking of the 2007 World Cup final, that must surely rank as a standout moment in your career? That said, is coming so agonisingly close only to miss out at the final stage something which marred the occasion slightly?
"It's a funny one really because I don't look back at it as a low point as such. It was a massive part of my career and things could have been very different, of course, but you have to deal with these things in life.
"It was not meant to be on that occasion, but certainly that whole period during the World Cup stands out for me as one of the best experiences I've ever had not only in the sport but in my life as a whole. It was ridiculous and incredible at the same time and provided great memories that will stay with me."
It has been a couple of months since you first announced your plans to retire, have you started thinking about life after rugby yet?
"I have a few things in the pipeline. I'm going to continue working at Sale on a matchday basis as well as a few things outside of rugby. The World Cup will obviously be a busy time and something that I am looking forward to also."
Mark Cueto was speaking at QEGS Wakefield School, 2015 NatWest Schools Cup Finalists, who will battle it out for the prestigious trophy at the Home of England Rugby, Twickenham Stadium, on Wednesday 25th March. Watch the action live at englandrugby.com/natwestschoolscup
Daniel Lewis
