Ahead of the Magners League Grand Final between Ospreys and Leinster, the Irish Independent's David Kelly profiles Welsh No.9 Mike Phillips.
"There's a lot of Mike Phillips. Quite a lot, in fact. Sixteen and a half stone of beef that scrapes the sky just a tad below six feet and three inches. In a position -- scrum-half -- where exponents are marked by their diminutive size and rapid delivery of both ball and invective, Phillips stands out. Extremely so.
"The apparently true story of Phillips' first meeting with Welsh coach Warren Gatland is instructive. Gatland told the 28-year-old that he was one of the most intimidating scrum-halves in the game. The player's response was instantly delivered with deadpan poise. "And the best-looking." Yes, this boy's got game.
"Much of the trumpet-blowing is justified; he was one of the outstanding tourists on last summer's Lions tours and, as Gatland rightly surmised, he remains one of the game's most intimidating forces at No 9.
"But just like the Galacticos whom he represents, it is fair to say that the narcissistic element of Phillips' character has often undermined, rather than underlined, his prowess as a rugby player."
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