British & Irish Lions
• British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2013
Ireland Rugby
Ireland keeping it in the mix!
- Pops down the supermarket in a hoodie (O’Driscoll)
- National fastest schoolboy swimmer (O’Connell)
- Helps disadvanted children in India (D’Arcy)
None of them dress the same (other than on match days), you couldn’t find a more different bunch (even in most of the pubs in Ireland!) but throw an oval shaped ball at them and the Irish magic might just begin, the green machine drives into action!
Fortunately, they’ve spent a lot of time together since the year 2000, now seven years (and two managers) on they have a few advantages to count on as well: O’Driscoll, Munster’s status and what is rapidly being labelled as the Croke Park effect. “When you’re playing with friends it helps a lot,” says Munster’s coach, Declan Kidney. “When you spend a lot of time together, some things become intuitive. There’s a group of Irish players who know each other well, have grown up together in the international arena and play well for one another.”
The Munster pack and half-backs and the Leinster backs – playing week in, week out together has to cause some “group thinking”. But they are all still so different!
- Peter Stringer is “married to his computers”.
- Ronan O’Gara will more than likely be out practising his goalkicking.
- If Donncha O’Callaghan is left sitting in a hotel for four hours he is more than likely to attempt a practical joke. (he once smuggled some ducks into a Munster team meeting; as a young man on holiday he bought a pet lobster and took it for walks down the road).
- O’Driscoll, as captain and national pin-up, is normally keener to get home and shut out the limelight.
- D’Arcy is more than happy to hang out in a friendly coffee shop – he travelled to India last year with the aid agency GOAL, “I was particularly affected by the red light district in Kolkota. As we approached we saw probably 200 girls lined up on either side of a narrow little street, a 400-strong guard of honour of prostitutes. Some of them couldn’t have been 14 years old, as young as my little sister. Girls that age should be enjoying being a kid … of all the things we saw that left the biggest imprint on me.”
Some team members have built up relationships all of their own.
Remember Inspector Clouseau’s man servant (and martial arts expert), Cato? It might as well be Murphy and Horgan, “I’ve roomed on and off with Shaggy over the last couple of years,” says Murphy. “Our relationship is based on me trying to frighten the life out of him. It started on an away trip when I saw him walking down a corridor talking on his phone. I hid in a doorway and grabbed him as he passed. He screamed this unbelievably high-pitched scream, just like a girl. We’ve all grown up a little since then but it’s still fun to scare him occasionally.”
Mostly, though, Irish eyes are gleaming. “Any coach in the world would enjoy having the players they have in that backline,” said England’s coach, Brian Ashton. Wood is apprehensive for other reasons. “Winning all your matches is bloody hard and it rarely happens.” But Munster conquered Europe last season through collective will and Ireland crave a grand slam just as badly.
Take a look at how long some of these playes have been in the squad!
Jan 2000
Hayes, Sheahan, O’Kelly; Dempsey, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer.
Jan 2001
Hayes, Sheehan, O’Kelly, D Wallace; Dempsey, Murphy, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer.
Jan 2002
Easterby, Hayes, Horan, O’Kelly, O’Connell, Sheahan, Wallace; Dempsey, D’Arcy, Hickie, Murphy, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer, P Wallace.
Mar 2003
Hayes, Horan, O’Kelly, Sheahan; Dempsey, Hickie, Murphy, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer.
Jan 2004
S Best, Easterby, Hayes, Horan, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, O’ Kelly, Sheahan, D Wallace; D’Arcy, Dempsey, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer.
Jan 2005
S Best, Easterby, Hayes, Horan, Leamy, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, O’Kelly, Sheahan; D’Arcy, Dempsey, Hickie, Murphy, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer.
Jan 2006
R Best, S Best, Easterby, Flannery, Hayes, Horan, Leamy, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, O’Kelly, D Wallace; D’Arcy, Murphy, B O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Stringer, Trimble.
Jan 2007
Forwards Neil Best, Rory Best, Simon Best, Simon Easterby, Jerry Flannery, John Hayes, Marcus Horan, Denis Leamy, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Mick O’Driscoll, Malcolm O’Kelly, Frankie Sheahan, David Wallace. Backs Isaac Boss, Girvan Dempsey, Gordon D’Arcy, Denis Hickie, Geordan Murphy, Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace.