MOST lads would be happy to play rugby with a top team or to play guitar with a successful pop band.

But one man tells us how he blew the whistle on a promising Saints career to follow his dreams of playing in a rock 'n' roll band.

Now enjoying success and having toured with iconic mod rockers The Who, Slydigs lead guitarist Louis Menguy told the Star he has no regrets about his decision to risk it all for his true passion.

Louis, 29, who started out playing rugby for Leigh East before being picked up at school for Saints, turned his future around while in college by pursuing music over sport in a life-changing career switch.

The former St Aelreds pupil, who has played before thousands of people and supported acts such as Pete Doherty, Catfish and The Bottlemen, as well as his favourite band The Who, may have had a different life entirely had be not "followed his passion".

He said: "I wasn’t actually a massive rugby league fan - I just happened to be good at it and kind of got swept along with it. I trained all the time and I was even working at Knowsley Road, as it was called then, too - so I was there all day. But it wasn’t really a passion. Not like it was with some of the other lads there."

"At 19 I started a band with my mates and went from doing sport full-time to following the music career."

He says: "I never feel like I wish I was doing rugby. I have thought it over quite a lot since. When I started the music, I was just happy doing what I wanted to do. It was a bit of a struggle at first, but we’re doing really well now.

“I never really looked back and now we’re touring the world with The Who."

He says it is surreal meeting and chatting with his idols.

“Pete Townsend would come into the dressing room for a chat before gigs and so would drummer Zac Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son)." he said. “I have to pinch myself because we’ve toured Europe and I’ve seen the world with my mates doing something I love.”

Louis says music never feels like work to him and that when he was signed to Saints he didn’t recognise the players.

He said: “I wasn’t an avid fan of rugby like some of the other lads – when I got to play with the first team, I didn’t even know who the players were.

“I didn’t have posters on my walls like some of the others and even now I don’t really watch rugby unless I’m in pub."

He added: “We did a half-time gig at Langtree Park two years ago which was really nice. All the staff there were really supportive and it was good to see them again.

“Being on that pitch with a guitar was yet another surreal moment.”

The Slydigs describe themselves as a Warrington band, as, according to Louis "that is the centre point of where we all live", but they all met at high school in Newton-le-Willows and Louis is from Lowton.

Slydigs have just released their single 'How Animal Are You?'

For more on the band or to buy their music visit slydigs.co.uk.