Saturday, March 20, 2010
HUNGER for success motivates most sportspeople and separates the good from the great.
A lot of rugby players come up through the schools and under-age systems as the stand-out talent, the best of their generation — but ultimately they fail to live up to the billing. They’re the ones discussed in wistful terms in the late hours in dusty pubs.
"He could have been the best but he just didn’t have the dedication."
Rubbish. They could never have been the best because they lacked desire. Roy Keane always liked the motto that talent is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. And Ireland scrum-half Tomás O’Leary embodies this philosophy. He has raw talent, but it his desire for success and his willingness to work harder than anyone else that has elevated him to the rarefied position as Ireland’s first choice No 9.
The first time Tomás O’Leary made a significant impression on me was in 2004. It was pre-season and some of the Munster Academy players were drafted into the senior squad to join a speed session. We were doing one-on-one speed drills. The usual competitive edge was enhanced by the gung-ho attitude of the young guns. They were keen to impress and would be happily humiliate an ageing veteran to do so. I was drawn with Tomás. The drill involved me starting a metre behind Tomás. He would start when he wanted and that was my signal to try to run him down. He had to complete 10 metres without being caught.
I had some idea of Tomás’s pedigree, remembering his father’s prowess with the Cork hurlers. This should have been a warning to me that there was some substance behind this awkward, ungainly young fellow, but I still underestimated his power. Tomás crouched into the worst starting position I’ve ever seen and then exploded out of the blocks. I was burned, much to the amusement of my senior colleagues.
Next it was my turn to start in front and attempt to outrun Tomás. I took two steps and he was on top of me. The slagging really kicked off. Fortunately I wasn’t the only person humiliated by Tomás’s raw power that day. We all concluded that he was definitely going to be a contender for a senior contract.
The following season, Tomás was rewarded with his development contract. His potential was glaringly obvious, but he was far from the finished product. His pass was always highlighted as a weakness and other areas of his game appreciation as a scrum-half needed improvement. Unfortunately, Tomás’s versatility meant that he ended up filling gaps on the pitch as injuries demanded.
In that 2006 season he played every single position in the backline, including 10. He ended finishing the year with a Heineken Cup medal thanks to his ability to cover so many positions. But the following season that versatility resulted in a massive sense of frustration at not getting enough game time at his favoured position at nine. His contract was up for renewal and he was hesitating to sign. Money wasn’t an issue. He wanted guarantees that he would be given specialist coaching, to develop his abilities as a scrum-half.
He eventually signed and sourced his own personal scrum-half coach in Limerick. When the rest of the Cork contingent were flying down the N20, eager to get home, Tomás remained on for another hour or two, practising his passing and box-kicking. His hunger for improving his specialist skills began to pay off. It was obvious there was a new zip to his pass and his out-half usually received an accurate service.
Then came the big breakthrough. The quarter-final of the Heineken Cup against Gloucester at Kingsholm was the culmination and vindication of all of Tomás’s hard work. He bossed the game and guaranteed his starting position going forward. He was a vital cog in Munster’s second Heineken Cup success. An Irish call-up followed in the autumn. The introduction of the ELV’s suited Tomás’s rugged physicality at the breakdown and the new five-metre defensive gap at the scrum meant a breaking scrum-half could be a lethal weapon in attack. Box-kicking has also become a vital part of a scrum-half’s armoury and Tomás has the ability to put extended air time on those bombs.
Last Saturday, O’Leary took the Welsh apart at every opportunity. His ferocious tackling, lofted box-kicks and lightning break resulted in a fantastic try and a man of the match performance.
But that inherent hunger and desire will ensure he continues to improve. I expect another outstanding performance from Ireland’s scrum-half before he returns to Munster red.
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