Max Malins

What follows a 28-5 half-time lead, and a personal haul of three tries in a semi-final, is usually a final. But that wasn’t the case for Max Malins. He still doesn’t have closure, but you wouldn’t know it. A try-scoring record of 34 tries in 33 games doesn’t exactly give the impression of a man with worries.

For some, the first half of last year’s Premiership semi-final between Bristol Bears and Harlequins is long forgotten, overshadowed as it was by the drama that followed in the second half and into extra time. 

It had taken just seven minutes for the first Saracen to score for Bristol, Ben Earl dotting down after Charles Piutau and Semi Radradra had torn through Harlequins’ cannon-fodder-like defenders. 

Fellow loanee Max Malins then scored the first of two first-half tries that would help them to a 28-0 lead. The script for the end of Max’s Bristol Bears chapter was being written, and it was going just the way he’d planned.

Even when it went all awry – with ‘awry’ admittedly being a huge under-statement given the collapse of Bristol, as the game went 31-31 and into extra time – Max was able to add a third, but only after Harlequins had taken a lead they would never relinquish as they earned themselves a final against Exeter Chiefs. 

Bristol, who had topped the league table with ease, despite the presence of perennial finalists Exeter, were out. For Max – scorer of some thirteen tries in fourteen appearances during his Bristol tenure – and his team-mate Ben, their time as Bears had come to an end. “That game still haunts me to this day,” Max tells Rugby Journal, “I’ve not been able to watch that back. 

“It was definitely a tough one to take at the time,” he says. “I don’t know how or if it would ever happen again. The changing room was very quiet afterwards, very quiet, I’m not sure anyone could sort of believe what just happened.”

Neither could those watching the 36-43 capitulation. “I think we had got it into our heads that there were two more weeks of the season left,” explains Max, “a semi-final and a final, so for it to be taken away like that...

“It was quite a sad ending to my time at Bristol too because after that, I had [England] camp the next day and so that was me done with Bristol. There were no goodbyes or anything like that. It was a very sharp and sudden exit.”

With his Bristol form having already grabbed the attention of England boss Eddie Jones, earning him his first cap the previous autumn against Georgia, Max was instead heading for more international duty and a place in the squad for the summer series against USA and Canada. 

But what should have been a welcome distraction turned into an opportunity to mull over that semi-final for even longer. “Yeah, I did dwell on it [the loss] because I then went and played that USA game for England and got injured within five minutes,” says Max, “so I had a lot of time to think and, being honest, I still couldn’t understand it. It’s taken a long time to put it to the back of my mind.

“The following week when I was in camp, everyone at Bristol was in on the Monday, they had a barbecue and farewells to all the players moving on to pastures new, and a piss up, but there was no real closure from that game or for my whole Bristol experience really...”

The July injury during the 43-29 England victory meant Max was away from the field for four months, giving him a chance to reflect on a whirlwind eighteen-month period that came off the back of Saracens’ relegation.  “Having that injury probably helped me,” he admits, “because I needed some time away from rugby, otherwise I’d have gone from Bristol to England to Saracens, and it was good for me to get some head space, before getting back into it. It meant I was then refreshed to go again in the new season.”

That reflection would have allowed him to at least move on, knowing he was now an England player, a Challenge Cup winner [he’d scored when Bristol beat Toulon 32-19 in the final], and a far more versatile player too. He’d joined Bristol as a fly-half who played fifteen and ended as a free-scoring back-three player who could cross the whitewash against the best in Europe. 

That Max even found himself in the professional game, he puts down to his brother Will. One of four Malins siblings – eldest brother Sam and younger sister Saskia complete the quartet – Max’s rugby took him first to Saffron Walden minis, and then to Bishop’s Stortford, where he would balance club rugby with school rugby at Felsted. “I boarded three nights and absolutely loved it,” he recalls. “I was one of those who never wanted to miss a day of school – I had serious FOMO – whereas my brother [Will] would cry off sick whenever he could!

“He was a bit of a rebel,” continues Max on the topic of Will, “but he loves his rugby – he still plays too – and he was in the first team at Felsted when I was there.”

Will, together with Charlie Kingham and Will Brown, were all signed to Saracens junior academy, which brought the coaches to watch Felsted matches. Two years Will’s junior, Max got his chance early because Will [also a fly-half] got injured, and the other ten option – Rory Hutchinson [now with Saints] – left, opening an opportunity for the younger Malins. “I think Will persuaded the coach to give me a go, so I guess I owe him that one, at least that’s what he told me,” says Max.

As with virtually every fly-half ever made, Max was handy in several disciplines: hockey, tennis, cricket, football, golf and even horse riding. “My mum [Amanda] was an equestrian teacher, we actually have stables at our place, so I was riding from about six,” he says. “She pushed us all to ride, but I stayed away from dressage, more of a cross country, show jumping man. We were all in the pony club, Puckeridge Pony Club, where my mum was a teacher. 

“It didn’t work out though,” he adds. “My sister actually ended up being
allergic to horses.”

Academically, he was no slouch either. “Yeah,” he admits, “probably some would say I was some sort of golden boy. I worked hard, tried hard, and got on with my teachers. I wasn’t too much of a rebel, back in the day.”

The influence of his dad, Paul, who played scrum-half for Cheshunt, included coaching him at age-grade level. “He was always my biggest critic when I was younger,” says Max. “As I’d walk off the pitch, before I could think it, he would tell me what I’d done wrong. It was probably something that I needed, but I didn’t realise at the time. As I got older though, he took more of a step back and let me get on with it.”

At Saracens, Max followed the familiar path of National League rugby apprenticeship, spending two seasons on loan at Old Albanians, helping them get promoted to National One in his first campaign. “It was a bit contentious at the time in the family,” says Max of his move to Old Albanians. “They have a huge rivalry with Bishop’s Stortford who my grandparents watch every weekend, so they couldn’t understand why I couldn’t go there instead. But to be fair, Tom Coleman was always their regular fly-half [at Bishop’s Stortford] so I probably wouldn’t have got much time anyway.”

Ironically, at Old Albanians he would also get blooded at full-back for the first time. “For that play-off game [to National One], we had a player-coach, James Shanahan, that played fly-half and he obviously backed himself in the play-off game, so he put himself at ten, and then put me to full-back, with Matt Gallagher [fellow Saracens loanee] going to the wing. That was probably my first experience at fifteen, I’d played fly-half all the way through my rugby up to then.”

They won, as often happens wherever Max has played; his sides win, including a World Championship with England under-20s in 2016, defeating Ireland 45-21 in the final at Sale’s AJ Bell Stadium. 

Bramley Road, Southgate, north London. The former home of Saracens, and still home to their amateur side, minis and juniors, is a fitting place to meet Max. “I played my first game for Saracens here,” he says. “It was a pre-season friendly against Worcester in 2015 and they’d given a load of us young lads a run-out.”

Then just eighteen, it was very early doors in his Saracens life, just before he’d be shipped out to Old Albanians. And just after he’d moved into the Manor. “Two days after I finished school, we got put into an academy house,” explains Max. “It was an eight-bed house in St Albans and they call it the Manor; every player who comes to Saracens goes through the Manor. 

“When I first moved in, it was me, Dom Morris, Matt Gallagher, Billy Walker, Ralph Adams-Hale, Tom Whiteley, Max Wilkins and one other, can’t remember who, but he was in and out with uni.

“The kitchen was an absolute mess,” he continues. “We had a cleaner come in every Monday, but by Monday night, it was exactly back to square one. 

“It got to the point where people were having their own pots and pans, so they’d cook their dinner, wash-up the dishes, then take them back to their room. Cutlery was something else, you’d have to search everywhere to get a bit of cutlery to eat your food. It did get pretty out of hand.”

Luckily, Max hadn’t quite left home completely. “I hadn’t fully readied myself into moving away full time,” he admits, “so I was regularly back home to my parents, getting meals cooked for me and taking meals back.”

Another place he knew he wasn’t likely to make home anytime soon, was the Saracens’ number ten shirt. “You’re not wrong,” he says. “I was only playing ten at the time and you had Owen [Farrell] there, he’s going to be there for a long haul, and they brought in [Alex] Lozowski, who played ten when Faz was away, then [Alex] Goode could cover, and even Charlie Hodgson was there in my first year, so I knew I had a lot of biding of time to do.”

After sporadic appearances in his second season, Max slowly gained the confidence of his coaches, enough to start at ten against Exeter Chiefs in 2017 – his first league start – gradually increasingly starts, minutes and, of course, tries scored. 

He also slowly integrated himself into the first team changing room, which featured some of the biggest characters in World Rugby, none more so than Owen Farrell. “When you’re that young kid you can be scared or intimidated,” he admits. “But he’s one of those who grows to like you. You’re scared of having too much conversation with him when you’re younger, and it takes time to sort of build your confidence around him, because he’s a big character you know, an alpha male.

“But when I started playing with Saracens and earning his respect, and the right to play, it’s definitely a friendship that developed but, at first, yeah I was definitely a rabbit in headlights.”

What’s he like? “He’s actually a very, very nice bloke,” says Max. “There’s a lot of misconceptions about him, because of what he’s like on a field, but off it, he’s laughing and joking. He loves to have a good time with the guys. 

“And I think having a kid has probably...” he pauses, choosing his words, “...I wouldn’t say ‘softened’, he wouldn’t like that, but he’s definitely got a bigger perspective on things. Even so, when he gets on the field, he’s the ultimate competitor, he drives standards and there’s no one better for it.”

Much of this friendship was, however, to develop later, as barely had Max started to get a foothold in the squad than Saracens were hauled over the hot coals – several times over – for financial irregularities.

Max was in a position that meant he was too young to be directly involved off the field, but also needed to keep maintaining his progress on it. “It was obviously a bit weird when the whole thing came out originally,” he recalls. 

“Everyone was taken aback by the whole thing and, when it broke, the club called off training for the day and said, ‘go off to town for a coffee or do whatever you need to do’. 

“I was still young at the time,” he continues, “but, I mean, we’ve now taken our punishment and now we’re back fighting again.”

Like every player, Max had an individual meeting with Mark McCall, Phil Morrow (performance director) and CEO Ed Griffiths. “In my head, and I’d spoken to my agent, I didn’t feel like I could afford to go and play in the Championship,” admits Max. “I’d played well that season, and had this England dream in my head. It didn’t feel that going into the Championship would develop me as a player, and, luckily, they completely agreed, so thankfully, we were both on the same page.”

There was a stumbling block. “Originally, loans weren’t looking too promising,” he recalls “and I don’t know if that’s because clubs didn’t want to help Saracens... but thankfully Pat Lam was the one to take the leap and say that he wanted the strongest squad for the next season and therefore he took me and Ben [Earl].”

The presence of Ben, who had been a resident of the Manor in Max’s second year, ensured Max settled in quickly. “Going to Bristol with Ben, and moving into a two-bed flat meant that there was always kind of a safety blanket there, having someone you know in a new environment, and we’re still friends after that too, so...”

It also meant they could both try and work out the infinite detail that goes into Pat Lam’s coaching philosophy. “Yeah, there is a lot of structure,” says Max. “And the first time I saw a play sheet for just one game, mine and Ben’s eyes were [wide open]... it was very much, ‘oh my god, there’s a lot of detail here’.

“And it is driven home,” he continues “you’re expected to know your stuff, and while not everything changes week to week, there is a lot of stuff you need to know. 

“It was definitely a different play than what we were used to, but it certainly worked that season.”

Ben did, however, struggle at times. “I don’t know how to put this across,” begins Max, “but Ben had habits in his game that went against the system at this time. There were just some small things in the system that Ben would naturally go against – whether it’s just a running line or something like – but he ultimately played unbelievable for Bristol, and he did enjoy his time. 

“But,” adds Max, “I think Ben was looking forward to getting back to Saracens.”

Max also had the opportunity to play alongside two of the game’s biggest stars, Charles Piutau and Semi Radradra. “They’re ridiculous,” he says. “Semi opened my eyes on professionalism, he’s massive on his recovery: huge on stretching and just getting his body right for training or for a game or whatever it was. 

“On the field, you can be outside them and just know that the ball is going to get to you somehow,” explains Max. “They’re going to get an offload away, one way or another, all you need to do is get on their shoulder. 

“They are freaks,” he concludes. “Unbelievable players. We’ve got world-class players here too, but it was awesome to play with them.”

Ironically, for all of his lack of closure from last season’s Premiership semi-final, it’s Max who’s going to another semi-final, whereas Bristol have been nowhere to be seen this campaign. “I don’t know whether it’s dragged on from last season for the Bristol players,” he muses on their predicament. “But for me, being there at Bristol has probably been the making of me as a player; I guess it’s kind of turned me from boy to man.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better season really,” he starts, before quickly adding, “well, I mean I could...”

Eddie Jones picked up on Max early. “Mark McCall had had a meeting with Eddie, before the [2020] Six Nations,” says Max. “But then I did my foot – fifth metatarsal – and that was that. I think there was talk about being involved back then. Either way, I kind of knew I was there or thereabouts – that’s why I couldn’t afford to go and play in the Championship.”

And so he had to wait until the autumn for his first meeting with the Australian. Does he remember the first thing he said? “He actually asked me a question,” remembers Max. “I can’t recall it exactly, but it was something like ‘what are your strengths?’. I think I said, ‘attacking the gain line’, and he disagreed, saying, ‘I don’t think you attack it enough’.”

The early caps saw Max gain glimpses of international rugby. “I think I definitely found it quite hard early doors because I was only getting ten or fifteen minutes off the bench,” he says. “But then I got my first start against France and it was such a mixed bag because the one half was good and solid, but the other made you feel like you weren’t quite on it.”

Nonetheless, he did enough to earn a second start, almost. “I was meant to start the following game against Ireland but then had to pull out during the week because of an injury.

“But then the Six Nations that has just gone certainly helped my confidence, especially starting four out of five games. If someone told me that before I would have taken that and felt like I did a good job.”

For many, missing the final game – against France – would’ve been a bitter blow. But while this is surely the case for Max, he hides it well, looking at the bigger picture. “It’s a big confidence boost [to have started four],” he says. “Because if you said a year and a half ago that I’d end up being a winger for England...

“I’ve never played wing in my life, but now I have that extra tool. And I’ve definitely improved my wing skills – like chasing after balls, and getting balls back in the air and stuff.”

Does Eddie give a lot of feedback on his performance? “Not all the time,” he says. “But after I was dropped, I got some clarity around what he wanted to see and he just gave me three simple things to work on and show in my game.”

Is there a preference between wing and fifteen? “Personally, I’d prefer to play fifteen rather than wing, but I think to have both is crucial, especially for my chances. Just look at the amount of high calibre wingers there are at the minute, and then obviously with Freddie [Steward] at full-back, I need to prove I can play both positions.”

The ‘winger skills’ are helping him cross the line more, even if he’s playing elsewhere. “I got four at fifteen at the weekend,” he reminds me of his haul against Worcester. “But there are easier tries [from the wing], like the four against Wasps – a couple of them were balls over the top and all you’ve got to do is dot it down. But I’m definitely getting there with the winger mindset now of wanting to get the ball over the line...”

If 34 tries in his last 33 club games is ‘getting there’, God help defences when he finally reaches his destination. From becoming the first player to score back-to-back Premiership hat-tricks, to scoring seven tries in seven days – over two games, against Bath and Wasps last October – Max is a try-scorer that will surely finish his days troubling, if not toppling, Chris Ashton’s ongoing all-time count of 95 Premiership tries. 

But he’s too level-headed to talk of such things. Instead, he’s got another semi-final to play; a living situation to solve – he’s living on his own, and ‘hates it’; a fifth year of an open university business degree to complete; and, more immediately, comments about his horse-riding background to backtrack on. “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that, should I?” he says, as we wrap up. Consider it gone. 

Story by Alex Mead

Pictures by Oli Hillyer-Riley

This extract was taken from issue 18 of Rugby.
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