Poet or fool; madman or genius: managers and coaches tend to be wary of such extremes because therein exists danger - the unpredictable and, more pertinently in their eyes, the uncontrollable. But the public love it and two years ago rugby was abuzz with the name of Iain Balshaw, Bath's blond-haired, blue-eyed fullback who played with such a joyous, uninhibited zest for club and country. Then, unaccountably, the diamond was bereft of its lustre; the falcon's wings were clipped.
A shocking loss of form on the Lions tour preceded a wretched domestic season when the torrent of tries was reduced to a trickle. There followed a double injury to left ankle and left shoulder, both needing operations in the early spring.
"Maybe there was a touch of fortune about that. I could take a few steps back," he admitted this week, during preparations for his club's Powergen Cup sixth-round tie away to Wasps tomorrow, a match live on the BBC.
But two recent comeback matches against Bridgend in the Parker Pen Cup, together with three tries, have rekindled the excitement. Now, from Clive Woodward downwards, the hope is that the magnesium brilliance will burn again and that this time it will not be short-lived. "Iain is an extreme talent - as good an attacking player as I have ever seen," said his club coach Brian Smith, the former Australia and Ireland international.
Balshaw, who is 23, is not big on analysis, although the word "massive" constantly punctuates his conversation. The Lions tour was "a massive wasted opportunity" while over the past year Woodward has gone on providing "massive encouragement" during the bleak days. Now, albeit a touch tentatively, his thoughts are turning towards the Six Nations and the World Cup. Once again, as in the pre- Lions tour days, he is enjoying his rugby and enjoying it "massively".
Smith is convinced Balshaw is a different player now, more mature and perhaps less precocious: "The challenge is to make sure he can tap into that brilliance, that genius, but also to make sure he keeps up a high standard for the bread-and-butter stuff. It's no good having a genius and madman, somebody like David Campese who could win you lots of games but lose a series. Iain is very passionate about his rugby and by his nature he will have times of frustration. But I think his injuries will harden his resolve and make him mentally tougher. Having him back is good for Bath and good for English rugby."
Balshaw's ability to make something happen out of nothing with his phenomenal acceleration draws parallels with Michael Owen, for in the modern games of both soccer and rugby exceptional pace is the most prized of assets. It was not that the Blackburn-born Balshaw was suddenly shorn of his natural speed, rather that everything he had done before suddenly and bafflingly no longer worked and his confidence was shredded.
"Last year I went out on the pitch thinking I'd got to do this and I'd got to do that - pre-determining situations, which definitely isn't me. I couldn't think what I was doing wrong. I was trying to analyse every performance, when really I should have been doing the total opposite and just getting away from it all. Instead I spent too much time in the video room and that was the worst thing for me." Worse still, the enjoyment went too.
Because he knew he had underachieved on the Lions tour he tried even harder to make things right; but the harder he tried the worse it became. "It's the enjoyment of playing that makes me tick. If I'm doing anything I don't enjoy then I don't show any interest. I tried everything to make matters right and it didn't come off. In the end I was taking everything too seriously."
There will be those who will wonder, given the startling nature of Balshaw's loss of form, whether he really possesses the temperament to succeed in anything but the short term. However, it would be a mistake to confuse his obvious thirst for enjoyment with any lack of self-discipline or commitment. At times during his rehab he was bored rigid but he never wavered or skimped and now he believes he has returned stronger and quicker, mentally as well as physically.
"Lively" is the best word, he says. "I'm back to how I felt when I first began playing. Enjoying it." Both England and Bath will hope it is a joy shared by them for much longer this time round.
