Baugh 'to dump Sarries in trash can'

It is unlikely that a more colourful character has ever taken Europe by such storm. For a start, Baugh (pronounced Bore as in Steve Waugh) had never touched a rugby ball until leaving school at 16. In between carting off all that rubbish, he spent two years bouncing at a nightclub in Victoria, useful preparation for a make-or-break cuptie against such rough handfuls as Danny Grewcock and Kris 'Jonah Lomu' Chesney.

The nightclub in question was called The Drawing Room.'I had an absolute blast there,' he said. 'The occasional scrape goes with the territory, I guess, but I had a great time. I've done all kinds of odd jobs and now here I am.' His game may be all blood-and-guts but Baugh is no one-dimensional rugby pro. After leaving school to work for a restaurant in hometown Edmonton, he worked his way up from setting tables to fully-qualified chef.

'I love the restaurant industry but I don't want to be cooking in a kitchen again,' he said.'You're always working when everyone else is playing.' Baugh's progress on the rugby field was even more rapid, from his initiation with the Edmonton Clansmen to the Canada team and a fully-fledged British professional in a matter of seven years. At 26, his philosophy on the raw intensity of the flanker's trade is based on a fairly primitive concept.

'There are two choices when someone runs straight at you: hit him or get run over,' he said. 'I love the physical side of the game. That's why I got involved in the first place and this return against Saracens is sure going to be physical.

'We've poked them and they're in a corner. There's nothing more dangerous than a team in that position. I think they underestimated us in the first game. They were riding a wave in England and weren't expecting such a big challenge.' Baugh's signing by Cardiff arose from their need for a back-row reinforcement following the spinal injury which finished Gwyn Jones' career three years ago at a time when he was captain of Wales. Mercifully, Jones is up and about again, making a new career as a TV analyst in his native tongue.

'It's great to be at a club where the people are so crazy about rugby,' said Baugh. 'I like being in a city where you can walk down the street and get recognised.' The only problem the locals have is over pronouncing his name. 'I've heard every version - Bow, Boff, Baa,' he says with a laugh. 'Never mind, at least they know who I am.'