TONY "Biff" Handley, who will be leading Waterloo out for their biggest match of the season against Birmingham/Solihull on Saturday is that modern rarity, someone more interested in his club than the actual game, than in making money out of it.

Ten years ago he toured Australia with the England Under 21s alongside such fine players as Austin Healey, Paul Grayson and Will Greenwood all of whom have accumulated numerous honours.

Critics said he more than held his own, with one or two even labelling him the best back on tour, but he never wanted to cash in on his ability and become an international star.

"I enjoy playing rugby as a game, a great form of relaxation," he said. "That was how it was 10 years or so ago, but now all the emphasis seems to be on money, and that leaves me cold.

"I have a job in pharmacy, and I like to play rugby at Waterloo as a form of relaxation.

"I have lots of mates at the club and I enjoy every minute of it. Obviously you always play to win, but defeat isn't the end of the world.

"The game has changed enormously since it went professional, as I realised when I watched a video of one of our great matches of the past against Harlequins the other day.

"We were much better known nationally then than we are now, but I honestly don't think I have played in a better side than our present one and I have certainly never played under a better coach than Phil Winstanley, who is quite outstanding."

So how does he feel about Saturday's Powergen Cup Tie with Division One leaders Birmingham/Solihull, who are two divisions above Waterloo?

"It's obviously a great challenge and a wonderful opportunity to find out how good (or bad) we really are. Cup-ties are always a bit strange, in that they are one-off occasions which can be very satisfying but don't matter too much in the long run.

"In a sense, it's more important for us win at Blaydon on Saturday week, because that would help out bid for promotion, which is obviously vital to the club in the long term.

"On the other hand, this will hopefully be a great occasions of a kind that doesn't happen very often and one that represents a huge challenge, which is what sport is all about." Quite apart from the problems that come with playing opposite a former British Lion in Craig Chalmers, Handley has two other huge responsibilities. He is the Waterloo captain, the man to whom the whole side looks for leadership and is is also the front line goalkicker.

"To be honest, I usually don't have to do much as captain," he says with considerable modesty. "Our team are very well prepared and it's only if things start to go wrong that I have to have much of an input.

"There's not much that needs saying when you are winning. Almost the only time I had to do much last season was early on, when we had a blip, and I had to try and make people really focus on what they were doing.

"Perhaps I should have done a bit more before our key match against New Brighton. The problems then was that we had a couple of easy games beforehand and lost our concentration."

So what about the goalkicking? Last season Handley not only ended as easily the highest points scorer in the Divisions, but the highest points scorer in the Powergen Cup involving the whole country.

"I don't believe I'm all that good," he said. "I have kicked reasonably well for quite a long time, but recent results have looked good because other people have scored so many tries.

"Funnily enough, I find that difficult kicks tend to focus the mind and I probably land more of them than the easier ones nearer the posts.

"If I feel I've lost my touch, I come down half an hour early and practise from bang in front of the posts, until I've found my rhythm again.

"Unfortunately, I usually have two or three stinkers a season. I had one the other day against Macclesfield and I just hope I don't have another one against Birmingham because I don't suppose we'll have too many chances to snatch points," he added.

"I still haven't kicked a single penalty in the league this season, because we tend to go for touch instead and hope to score a try from the resultant line-out.

"I don't know quite what will happen if we get any penalty chances against Birmingham, but I imagine I shall probably try to convert them."