From lineout master to MasterChef semi-finalist for former Saints lock Day

He has gone from the white-hot environment of professional sport to the searing heat of the MasterChef kitchen, all while settling into a role as player liaison officer for the RPA (Rugby Players’ Association).

It has meant meticulous preparation for wins at Franklin’s Gardens has been replaced by meticulous preparation for successes in front of the stove.

And Day, who was eventually eliminated at the semi-final stage of MasterChef, clearly used his experience as a rugby player to help him on the BBC show.

“It was different but I guess it had the same kind of pressures and demands,” said Day, who made 226 appearances for Saints during his 10 years at the club.

“The fact you’re performing on a stage and there’s no second chance and no going back, you go out there, do your best and see if you go further or not.

“As much as it was stressful, it was something I was kind of used to and in that sense I probably had a bit of an advantage.

“They interview you a lot to produce the five seconds they use on the show and they constantly say ‘what will you do if you go out at this stage?’ and I was always very matter of fact and said ‘I’ll just go home because I’ve lost’.

“I don’t think other people were used to dealing with the win or lose scenarios that a sportsman probably is.”

Though MasterChef has been shown on television during recent weeks, it was actually filmed many months ago.

And it brought back a plethora of memories for Day as he relived his impressive culinary journey.

“It was filmed about six months ago so it’s kind of distant in my memory now but the filming was very, very intense,” he said.

“Because I was one of the last heats, it meant I did my heats and a week after it was straight into quarter-finals and semi-finals.

“I had four and a half weeks solid filming before I got knocked out so it was intense and they come thick and fast once it’s rolling.

“You don’t have time to come up with recipes or to practice at home. You’ll film on the Monday and you’re back in the studio on a Wednesday.

“It was good.”

During his time as a rugby player, Day was always known as a real student of the game.

He was a key cog in ensuring the Saints lineout functioned on a weekly basis, eventually leading to glory in the sensational 2013/14 double-winning season.

And it is clear he has had to put the same sort of effort into life in the kitchen.

“You weren’t allowed to take in anything that wasn’t prepared by yourself so you turn up in the morning with nothing and they take your phone and everything off you,” explained Day, who recently posted a picture of his cooking timesheets on Twitter.

“Then you’re given a notepad where you can make notes and how you’re going to do things so you don’t turn up with someone else’s recipe.

“Some people went in there with hardly anything and others had sheets and sheets of notes, whereas for me I liked having a one pager I could glance at just to check times and things.

“It was how I did it and hopefully it brought a bit of interest for people who could look at it and see how I did it.”

While everyone was able to see life for Day and his fellow contestants in the studio, there was far more to it than just that as they all had to come through some exhausting auditions.

“It’s pretty extensive,” said Day. “I think they get about 10,000 people enter.

“Initially it’s a written submission, which I did via Twitter I think.

“Then there were three phone interviews ranging from a five-minute chat to about an hour on the phone for the third one.

“Then there was an in-person interview where I had to cook in Birmingham and it was probably half an hour in front of the cameras plating up a dish and explaining what I’d done.

“The next time I did anything was in the studio and they just throw you in the studio and you cook.

“There’s no familiarisation, they want the pressure to be high from the second you go in there because that’s what will produce good entertainment.”

And when did Day start to believe he might be able to go all the way?

“Everyone enters to win it but it never really weighed heavily on my mind,” he said.

“It was how I always worked as a rugby player, always putting process ahead of results.

“It’s pointless worrying whether you win or lose. If you perform really well and lose, it’s not really a problem.

“Once I got down to the last 10, I realised I was in with a shot and I went out sixth.

“I honestly don’t think I should have gone out that day because I don’t think I was in the bottom two chefs, but I did go out so it grated me a little bit.

“I had six months to forget about that but it brought it all back when I watched it on TV.

“You see a very short edit of what actually happens in the kitchen but as a contestant you know everything that went on and you’ve just got to accept you weren’t good enough and you’ve got to go home.

“It’s just the way it is.”

Day’s love of cooking clearly marinaded during his testimonial season at Saints, when he was involved in a plethora of fundraising events.

“I’ve always been interested in cooking,” said the former second row forward.

“I started doing some stuff for charity for testimonial prizes and things like that and that was when I started taking it a bit more seriously, which was probably three or four years ago.

“I always enjoyed cooking from 21 onwards. It’s kind of a mix of chemisty and getting to eat the results, which is pretty good for me because I was always a bit of a scientist.

“It’s a hobby that I enjoy.”

And Day is keen to continue to combine it with his day job, which sees him provide a bridge between professional rugby players and clubs.

“Undoubtedly this would open doors for me but with the country in lockdown at the moment it’s strange in that sense,” he said.

“But I think there will be opportunities to do some demonstrations and other things.

“I’m in lockdown at the moment and I can’t do my normal job as I would, I’m trying to put loads of recipes on Instagram to show people how I cook.

“Hopefully that will get a bit of interest and when we can get back out and about I’d love to do some food events and let people try my food.

“Hopefully it will give me something to do in the future - who knows what?”