John Wells interview: I can die happy after finally getting my England cap

It was in December 1988 when it all began. John Wells, six years into a career as an abrasive flanker at Leicester, the club at which he would go on to make 367 appearances, was in the final trial for full England selection. Opposite him on the blindside was Mick “The Munch” Skinner. Feeling optimistic, one of Wells’ best mates and his former captain at Newark, Alan Swain, gifted the Tiger a bottle of Dom Pérignon to pop in honour of his first cap.