Will Stuart interview: I didn't watch the Lions announcement as I was doing DIY

Telegraph

16-05-2025

'Andy Farrell would've thought I was a t--- straightaway, so I politely declined that request,' was the frank conclusion of Will Stuart, the Bath, England and now British and Irish Lions tighthead, when asked why the world never saw the prop's reaction to his call-up to the famous touring side last week.
The reason why Farrell, the Lions head coach, might have thought that Stuart resembled something that rhymes with bat was because rather than watch the announcement, as most of those in contention did, the tighthead instead opted for an alternative approach, in keeping with his laid-back, idiosyncratic mien. Stuart opted to do some DIY in a house renovation; so, when the England social-media team asked the 28-year-old to react to the good news on video, he declined due to his face being covered with a mask and his body with dust.
'I missed all of the announcement,' said Stuart, who won his 50th England cap in the Six Nations destruction of Wales. 'Obviously, I knew what day it was on and I was pretty nervous the day before. I'm semi-renovating a house at the moment so I was on the circular saw outside, just chopping some panelling. I heard my missus shouting inside. She said she wasn't watching – I think she was pretending to do something – but that's how I found out. It was a conscious decision to be outside… I thought maybe I'd finish the job and then sit down and watch it. When I start any DIY stuff, I get into a full flow state and let the time slip by. It was quite a nice way to find out in the end. I didn't have any of the preamble.
'We moved into our house last September. We've done one side of the house and my missus is pushing for the builders to come in and do the kitchen. We've been putting up some panelling in the hallway. I got a message from Joel Stocker [part of England's social media team] straight away asking if we could go to a Zoom link but I had a mask on, covered in dust. My mum came around and we went to a restaurant in town. I treated myself to a little tiramisu. My mum was fairly emotional, she said she'd been crying.'
The building work will have to be put on hold this summer, however, as Stuart returns to the scene of his 2022 tour with England, one of his 'favourite rugby memories'.
In just 30 minutes of Stuart's company, it becomes clear that the tighthead is one of the game's quirkiest, most bubbly characters. But those who follow him on Instagram, where he recently announced his engagement to partner Nancy, might well have discerned that anyway. The former Wasp's biography description on the social-media platform reads 'Trap 2 Stu', while one caption reads: 'God gives his funniest battles to his silliest clowns.'
'I've had a telling off from my agent about that,' Stuart said, giggling. 'Not a 'telling off' maybe, but he asked if I wanted to make the most out of newfound performances by trying to commercialise it. No, not at all. That would be fake from me. 'Can you at least put my email in your bio?' he asked. No. I don't want any commercial opportunities, it's fine.
''Trap 2 Stu' was the part that my agent really was not happy about. It's actually not that bad. I'm not sure why he wasn't happy? It's the nickname I was given at Wasps, mainly from [James] Haskell, as I became the scapegoat for whenever anyone left marks in the toilets. Completely unfair, but I ran with it.
'If I see Hask or any of the older guys from Wasps, it's instantly 'Trap 2'. He had a few nicknames for me: Big Hero Six – it's a good likeness but it's not the most complimentary. Super King Mattress was another – I have no idea why. It's not the catchiest. At Bath, I'm just Stu. There are a couple of others we definitely should not talk about. Johann [van Graan, the Bath head coach] has transitioned from Will to Stu. But it's mainly Stu – or Spew. But that's by the by.'
Stuart's zaniness belies his drive, however. He might enjoy playing the court jester, but this year the prop has developed into one of England's – and Bath's – most vital assets. The tighthead's Lions call-up could not have been more deserved, emerging during the Six Nations as, in propping stakes, a veritable star of the championship; granite at the scrum but balletic with the ball, too. Stuart moves with almost impossible athleticism for a man weighing north of 120kgs at his lightest.
This was not always the case. Eighteen months ago, Stuart was England's third choice and the concern was that the tighthead would never fulfil the potential demonstrated while at Wasps, or seen for England in 2022 where he came off the bench to score two tries in a draw against New Zealand at Twickenham. Then came a metaphorical kick up the proverbial in the form of the Lions carrot, chats with England scrum coach Tom Harrison, and the respective arrivals of 'unbelievable' duo Thomas du Toit, Stuart's fellow tighthead at Bath, and the club's set-piece guru, Stevie Scott.
'Every player thinks about the Lions,' Stuart said. 'Around last year's Six Nations, I knew I could get to a point where I was in contention but at that point I knew I hadn't done enough. I sat down with Tom Harrison a few times last year and I was pretty consistent that this was a big thing. I didn't want there to be any missed opportunities so I threw everything in it for England and Bath. There was a lot to do.
'At the World Cup, I had the opportunity to start a few games but I didn't play that well and missed that opportunity. I found myself in that third-choice spot, playing a couple of group games and the third-fourth play-off. I found that whole period pretty difficult, and the following Six Nations, I just wasn't enjoying my rugby that much. The environment here at Bath is the best environment I've ever been in. I've just enjoyed coming into work and then it's easier to push yourself. Johann and this squad coming in has been a huge part of it.
'Coming into that World Cup, pre-Johann, I'd had a run of games where I was playing a lot of 70 or 80 minutes in a row for Bath. My body broke down a little bit and I basically had a year and a half where I'd play for a little and then get different injuries. With the squad we've got here now, rotation-wise, I know I'm not going to be playing 70-minute games non-stop. Thomas, Archie [Griffin], Billy [Sela]; it's a very shared workload. That hopefully has put years on my career. I had a conversation with the Team England guys about the match limit. I'm quite close to it but I have no worries. In a different environment, I might be worried about getting flogged. Here, they plan everything out, so you know when you're going to get time to step back.'
Another facet of Stuart's management which is far more reasonable now is his weight. Even if he still has recurring nightmares about erg rowing sessions – 'I still sometimes wake up like 'f---!'; I've got PTSD from doing it' – the heaviest player in both England and Bath's squads now knows exactly what both club and country desire.
'I had a few years where I was fairly heavy and now I'm finding a bit of a sweet spot,' Stuart said. 'I bounced in between it. When I was first with England, I was quite light and I was given very strict parameters coming into camp that I would be sent turning if I was above that. With Steve [Borthwick, England head coach] at the start, I was very heavy.
'Under Eddie [Jones, Borthwick's predecessor], my lightest was probably 124kg. Bath always wanted me heavier, pre-Johann, so I'd come back and get to like 134. I was bouncing up and down between this 10kg swing. Now it's very aligned with the club and the national side, so I'm not eating dust and sitting in a sauna for two weeks before I go into England camp. And then I'm not stuffing my face as soon as I get back. That's been pretty good. I'm trying to figure out if I can out any lads who are lying about their weight – but I might still be the heaviest.'
Rivalling Stuart for England's heaviest must be his fellow front-rowers. Fittingly, therefore, it was from two of those and Harrison whom Stuart heard from first after his Lions call-up last week. The scrum coach created a WhatsApp group immediately to congratulate his front-row trio of Stuart, Ellis Genge and Luke Cowan-Dickie.
'I can't tell you what was on it,' he laughed. 'But everyone was really happy. 'Well-wishing' sums it up. It wasn't quite 'they're letting anyone in, nowadays', thankfully. I think there's a day at some point over the next few weeks where we'll all meet up.'
So long as there is no pressing building work, Stuart will be present and correct; this time, a Lion.