
La PolicĂa Nacional intercepta a ultras del LeganĂ©s en Riazor
La PolicĂa Nacional intercepta a ultras del LeganĂ©s en Riazor antes de un partido de alto riesgo.

Alfie Barbeary, a 25-year-old Bath rugby player, is nominated for the Champions Cup player of the year award alongside established stars. Known for his playful personality and memorable trophy celebrations, he aims to make an impact against Bordeaux BĂšgles this Sunday.
The shortlist for this yearâs Champions Cup player of the year award is an eye-catching one. There are five contenders and four of them â Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Finn Russell, Matthieu Jalibert and Caelan Doris â are established world-class operators. So who is the fifth Beatle? An uncapped Englishman who eats only toast on matchdays and is arguably most famous for parading around in his budgie smugglers.
Step forward Alfie Barbeary, the shaggy-haired Bath colossus looking to smash a few holes in Bordeaux BĂšglesâ title defence at the Stade Atlantique on Sunday. The 25-year-old Barbeary might not yet be a connoisseur of the regionâs celebrated wines â âI know thereâs red and white but thatâs about itâ â but he makes up for that in other respects. Some people are born entertainers and the big No 8 is definitely one of them.
Take last yearâs exuberant trophy celebrations after Bathâs Premiership and Challenge Cup title double. For better or worse the images of a topless Barbeary, clad in his skimpy blue trunks, cavorting on an open-top bus the next day were beamed around the world. âNo one told me I took it too far except for my mother. I got a few texts from her saying: âPut your clothes back on now.â Everyone was waving at their families in the crowd but when I made eye contact with my mother she was just shaking her head.â
The partying continued for several more weeks afterwards, including at the Glastonbury festival. As the fun-loving Barbeary says now: âIf you put beer in me at any point in that off season the budgies were on. And if they werenât on I got asked why not. When I came back from holiday last summer Iâd walk down the street in Bath and nine or 10 people would say: âGood to see youâve got your clothes back on.ââ

Alfie Barbeary in his infamous budgie smugglers at Bathâs Challenge Cup trophy parade last season. Photograph: Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images
There was only one snag, which he eventually chose to acknowledge. If you are a pro rugby player hoping to catch the eye of your national coach it helps to be in half-decent nick. The last time he sat down with the Guardian he freely admitted to not being a natural gym bunny. On this occasion, though, even he accepted some of his life choices needed recalibrating. âI didnât want everyone to think I was just on the piss for the whole off season. I just thought: âI need to get my training in.ââ
The contenders include Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Finn Russell, Matthieu Jalibert, Caelan Doris, and Alfie Barbeary.
Alfie Barbeary is known for his entertaining personality and memorable moments, such as his exuberant trophy celebrations in budgie smugglers.
Alfie Barbeary reportedly eats only toast on matchdays.
Alfie Barbeary is preparing to face Bordeaux BĂšgles in the Champions Cup.

La PolicĂa Nacional intercepta a ultras del LeganĂ©s en Riazor antes de un partido de alto riesgo.

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Accordingly he reported back early for extra fitness at Bathâs stately home base in Farleigh Hungerford, even resisting the temptation to arrive in his budgies to wind up the conditioning staff. âI didnât have the bottle to do that. I was more like a shy dog. Head down and looking through the eyebrows.â
And guess what? It has paid off handsomely, as demonstrated by his player-of-the-year nomination. When Bath need to break open a game they know precisely who to call. Barbeary, once known as the âBeast of Banburyâ in his rampaging youth, was named the player of the match in the quarter-final win over Northampton and earned similar recognition against both Castres and Exeter in January.
Gone, finally, are the injury problems that dogged his early Bath career after his arrival from Wasps in 2022, replaced by a revitalised force of nature with much still to aim at. You can see why he might not automatically be Steve Borthwickâs type of player but, equally, England need more ball-carrying turbo-thrust than they frequently showed in this yearâs Six Nations.
And if nothing else Barbeary asks some unique questions with an upright carrying technique that is deceptively hard to stop. Several coaches have previously urged him to adopt a more orthodox body position â âIâve struggled over the last couple of years with everyone saying that to be dominant in the carry you have to be lowâ â but this season he has reverted to his old style. âI was trying to play in a way Iâd never really played before. It was unnatural for me to carry the ball at a low body height. So I went back to my roots. There are obviously occasions when you benefit from being low and powerful but I couldnât play how I wanted to play.â

Alfie Barbeary celebrates after scoring against Saracens in March. Photograph: David Davies/PA
All of which makes this weekendâs game a sizeable one. Bordeaux away is as close to international rugby as it gets and Barbeary knows a defining test awaits on assorted fronts. âIf Bath want to be the best weâve got to play in games like this and really test ourselves.â Borthwick will be watching closely â âI spoke to Steve around the start of the Six Nations period when he said I was doing wellâ â but Barbeary believes that craving England recognition too much can be counter-productive. âI try not to think about it. Iâve had this problem before when Iâve been chasing England [selection]. It gets into my head, I start overthinking stuff and I donât play well. If you focus on yourself and play well then hopefully everything falls into place.â
Sitting amid the wood-panelled splendour of Farleigh House, resembling an off-duty Obelix from the Asterix cartoons, he certainly seems in good spirits. This week he even found time to head to London to watch Olivia Dean in concert, the sort of night out that will be logistically easier when he relocates to London to join Saracens this summer. Barbeary smiles when asked if he is moving in with Owen Farrell â âNo, I donât think heâll be too keen on thatâ â but there are clearly mixed emotions. âIâve got nothing but love for Bath. Iâve really enjoyed the last four years. I just thought it would be a new challenge.â
Before he goes though, he is determined to win some more silverware with Bath. âWeâve almost won everything in my time here so it would be nice to go out on a bang.â Another tour de force on Sunday might even earn him the aforementioned Investec player-of-the-year award, despite his unusual dietary preferences.
âI donât really eat much on the day of a game. Some toast or maybe a toastie. I like a big bowl of pasta and meatballs the night before ... theyâre my favourite. Tom de Glanville didnât like it when I told him I liked my meatballs raw in the middle but a bit pink is good.â Soften up Bordeauxâs grand fromages and propel his side into the final and he can eat whatever he wants.