The Mick the Munch of England's late 1980s pack, flanker and folk hero
RugbyMicky Skinner played rugby with the grin of a man who genuinely loved the contact, and he gave English supporters some of their favourite moments of the amateur era.
A Geordie-born flanker who made his name at Harlequins, Skinner earned his nickname 'Mick the Munch' and 21 England caps across the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was part of the squad that went to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, won a Five Nations Grand Slam in 1991, and featured in the England side that reached the final of the 1991 Rugby World Cup at Twickenham.
He will forever be associated with one tackle in particular, a bone-shuddering hit on France's Marc Cecillon in the 1991 World Cup quarter-final in Paris that turned the match and lit the blue touch-paper on a famous English victory. Every English rugby fan of a certain age can still describe the moment, and the grin that followed.
Since retirement Skinner has remained one of the most popular figures on the after-dinner circuit, trading on the authentic camaraderie of an amateur-era dressing room and a willingness to laugh at himself that professionals sometimes lose. He brings the smell of the changing sheds with him.
At Steam he delivers the pure stuff: big hits, bigger characters, and a love of the sport that never quite left the field.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Micky Skinner or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
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