Beno Obano: Bathtub and England prop brings gamers’ eye to rugby union documentaries | Rugby Union Information

Impressed from watching sports activities documentaries since his teenage years, Bathtub and England prop Beno Obano is now combining his personal private tasks with a top-level enjoying profession

Beno Obano has been combining his enjoying profession with making documentaries

From the age of 18, Beno Obano has been a voracious shopper of sports activities documentaries. When he began watching them although, little did he know it might result in him someday making his personal.

The Bathtub and England prop took his first steps into directing and producing in 2020 with the discharge of Everyone’s Recreation, which examined discussions round perceptions of race and sophistication in rugby union, and the way the game ought to be open to all.

Obano, who cites the 30 for 30 documentary Unbelievable Lies on the Duke College lacrosse scandal as a selected favorite of his, has now gone behind the scenes together with his membership’s Gallagher Premiership rivals Harlequins to doc the reigning champions’ preparations forward of the 2021/22 marketing campaign.

“As I turned an grownup, I fell in love with sports activities documentaries and thought ‘I might do this’,” Obano instructed Sky Sports activities on the premiere of the primary episode of his three-part mini-series Prep To Win: Harlequins.

“Once you play sport you might have a little bit of confidence and also you assume ‘I will do this’ – and it labored out.

“All of us have these conversations on the facet saying ‘this seems like rugby has a narrative to inform’. All the gamers say it amongst themselves, so I simply thought ‘somebody has received to do it!’.

“I simply assume there’s loads of content material left on the desk for rugby normally, so it simply made sense to do it.”

It’s as a lot of a private challenge for Obano as Everbody’s Recreation was, lifting the lid on the extraordinary and demanding coaching skilled rugby gamers undergo off the sector to allow them to carry out in entrance of hundreds of spectators each weekend through the season.

The collection doesn’t shrink back from tackling the hot-button problems with concussions and excessive tackles that are two of the foremost speaking factors in rugby in the intervening time both, with Obano keen to offer a gamers’-eye view of these.

“I feel it is vital to have individuals within the recreation doing stuff,” Obano mentioned.

“Once you make that content material and also you’re within the recreation, you simply have a distinct method of viewing issues and I assumed that was fairly vital.

Once you make that content material and also you’re within the recreation, you simply have a distinct method of viewing issues.

Beno Obano

“The tales you inform, you’re feeling genuine – otherwise you attempt to be, no less than, and that is actually the thought behind it.”

Obano has performed a hands-on position within the modifying and manufacturing facet of the collection, a lot of which has been carried out whereas he recovers from an ACL rupture – which, in a merciless coincidence, was sustained in Bathtub’s match in opposition to Harlequins again in October.

However whereas he’s eager to get again enjoying as quickly as attainable, seeing the uncooked footage come to life to type the collection has not had him hankering to get again to the rigours of coaching.

“Coaching is a vital evil to get higher, however I do not miss it after I’m not coaching,” Obano mentioned. “I miss video games and I miss enjoying, I wish to play, however coaching is so you may play properly and luxuriate in enjoying.

Beno Obano received his first England Check caps in 2021

“In a roundabout method, I used to be lucky I used to be injured this 12 months. I began it not being injured, however then loads of stuff began to construct up in direction of the discharge group.

“If I used to be enjoying it possibly would have gotten somewhat bit busy, however hopefully now what you’ve got carried out places you in good stead to do it whilst you have time to do it.”

Having received his first England Check cap final 12 months as a alternative within the 2021 Six Nations conflict with Scotland and adopted that up with additional appearances of the bench within the mid-year wins over the USA and Canada, Obano nonetheless has a lot to sit up for his enjoying profession.

He admits he has not considered whether or not he will likely be embarking on one other documentary challenge any time quickly, though it might not be a shock to see him behind the digital camera once more quickly.

“As a result of there’s a lot work to it I mentioned ‘I am not doing one other one’ – and that is what I mentioned about this one as properly,” Obano mentioned with fun. “So, we’ll discover out if I find yourself doing one other one or not.”

PREP TO WIN: HARLEQUINS will likely be out there completely on Prime Video on Thursday, April 28 within the UK and Eire. Prime Video is obtainable on Sky Q and Sky Glass through the app.