Slam heroics just reward for the gentle giant Hayes
Before the England game in the Six Nations of 2005, Christy Moore and his brother Luka Bloom played a private concert for the Irish squad at our base in Citywest.
The previous week John Hayes had scored a try against Scotland in Murrayfield that triggered three days of slagging from the players. Not because he had scored a try, but because he had scored one standing in the wing position.
John's slagging was complete when Bloom sang a new song he had written for the occasion called 'Bull Hayes is playing on the wing'. As the squad joined in the chorus with gusto, the gentle giant from Doon, Co Limerick just laughed quietly to himself.
You see, John Hayes came to rugby late in life from Bruff RFC and eventually thrived under the guidance of Brian O'Brien and Niall O'Donovan at Shannon, playing at flanker and second-row before moving to tighthead prop.
'Bull' is the consummate professional. He has quietly and meticulously applied himself throughout his career to the point where he is now hugely respected by his peers.
His abilities have not always been universally acclaimed. For a lot of his career he has been doubted; it once being said by a certain commentator that, as part of a "crap" Irish front row, he would never make an international-standard tighthead.
decorated
Now, as the most capped player in the history of Irish rugby he has a Grand Slam, four Triple Crowns and two Heineken Cup medals to his name. Not a bad resume for a guy who would never make a tighthead!
On Saturday, Hayes gave one of his greatest performances in an Irish jersey. In doing so, he fittingly epitomised everything that was good about Ireland's Grand Slam-winning performance. A selfless commitment to the cause, coupled with a relentless appetite for work.
Ireland's tactics were spot on. The game had to be played at our pace. It didn't have to be pretty, just effective. We knew we had the beating of the Wales pack and, based on that knowledge, Ireland created collision after collision at close quarters. Initially, Wales seemed to be coping but, over time, it would take its toll on the Welsh forwards.
Also, something that Niall O'Donovan said to me last week came to fruition. He reckoned Ireland would do a number on the Wales line-out. And did they ever! Paul O'Connell's speed in the air caused mayhem, denying Wales their favourite platform of attack. As the game progressed, Wales lost a huge amount of confidence in their line-out and by the end, seemed to dread the ball being kicked to touch.
At half-time, Ireland had to feel hugely frustrated by the scoreline. They had dominated possession and field position for most of the 40 minutes, but amazingly trailed 6-0. Wales must have felt they were half-way home to victory.
No doubt, the half-time team talk was calm and collected. There was no need to panic. Ireland knew they had played well, they just squandered some opportunities. But it was vital they scored first in the second half. Because if Wales had, their confidence would have soared.
As Ronan O'Gara's second-half restart floated high into the Cardiff sky, what followed would have to rate as one of the most bizarre beginnings to any second half in Six Nations history. Because Wales never really touched the ball again until Ireland had scored two unanswered tried.
It started with a piece of sublime footwork from Brian O'Driscoll that fixed two defenders, putting Tommy Bowe away on a clean line break. Once field position was established, Ireland went back to the game plan of relentlessly pounding the Welsh into submission. Inch by inch, they ground their way up to the Welsh goal line.
Then with an almost exact replica of the try he scored against England, O'Driscoll, the initiator of the attack, once more became the finisher. He picked the ball at the base of the ruck and touched it down on the whitewash. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Less than two surreal minutes later, Bowe was in under the posts for another seven points. Off a kick-pass of slide-rule precision from O'Gara, the ball bounced up perfectly and Bowe showed all his qualities as a finisher.
One might have expected Ireland to kick on from there and really put Wales to the sword. But, under the circumstances, that was never likely. No question, Wales were rocked to their foundations, but a team of their quality was never going to roll over and play dead in their own back yard.
Also, for Ireland to throw caution to the wind and abandon their game plan would have made no sense. With almost 35 minutes still on the clock, and just an eight-point lead, opening the game up would have been a recipe for disaster.
As the clock ticked towards the 80-minute mark, it was hard not to suspect that the players were feeling the weight of history. And a sickening sense of fatalism took hold when Stephen Jones dropped a goal with just three minutes remaining.
But Ireland knew they would always get one last shot and, once again, their game plan -- built on forward domination -- brought them back up to the Welsh line. As always, O'Gara, with ice running through his veins, dropped the goal that gives this special group of players a unique place in Irish rugby history.
As President Mary McAleese presented O'Driscoll with the Six Nations trophy, the gentle giant from Doon, Co Limerick once again must have laughed quietly to himself.
No one deserved the honour more.
- Eddie O'Sullivan
