Right Hook

"THANK you for asking,” George Hook tells an autograph seeker who has just interrupted this interview. The man looks at him quizzically. The unspoken question — ‘Is this guy for real’ — is not far from his lips.

And the answer is, yes, he is for real.

A giant of a man who plied his trade as a coach for many years here and in America, amongst other places, Hook is now one of the country's foremost media personalities, recognised wherever he goes and back-slapped or vilified depending on whether people agree with him or not.

It doesn't really matter to George, he just likes speaking his mind, even if people don't like what he has to say.

David Humphreys is one who does not like Hook, or his opinions.

Recently Humphreys refused to do an interview with RTE because he took exception to Hooky's view that Ronan O'Gara should be the incumbent Irish out-half.

George is not unduly worried about Humphreys' petulance, rather that RTE are being penalised because George is simply doing what he is paid to do.

"You cannot play rugby without being able to kick the ball and if Humphreys plays we don't kick it well enough," he asserts firmly. "I am astonished by the number of people thought he played well against France and the fact he was man of the match was an outrage.

"But I think that Humphreys diminished himself (by refusing that interview with RTE after another withering fusillade from George). I mean who's George Hook? It's irrelevant. But people think I'm thick-skinned because I'm so outspoken, but in truth that sort of thing bothers me no end. It probably bothers me more than it should. We walk a very narrow line in what we do particularly when you consider that the people we criticise have families children, wives, girlfriends, parents and so on.

"But, if they are being paid a substantial amount of money to entertain, they have to take criticism. I am part of the same entertainment package and when I get criticised, it goes with the territory. I cannot imagine saying it any other way than the way it is.

"What other way is there of saying it? The alternative doesn't merit consideration that you would go out and say it isn't the way it isn't.

"Is it controversial? Maybe it's only controversial because someone else didn't say it. It is not controversial because it is meant to be controversial. I have never ever, ever, ever, made a point in print or on the airwaves for the sake of controversy. I have believed it. I believe I have a role in helping to make things interesting and so do Popey (Brent Pope) and McGurk and therefore what we try and do is make it as interesting as we can but not at the price of being controversial for the sake of it."

So that's off his chest, but what of this weekend's crunch Grand Slam game and, more importantly, should O'Gara be picked at out-half.

"In essence," he says, "this match is a contest between Clive Woodward and Eddie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan has done an extraordinary job with this Irish team in terms of its organisation, professionalism and its focus.

"O'Sullivan is a professional coach and is the first in Irish rugby he is educated for it and he is genetically built for it. Gatty (Warren Gatland) was not a professional coach, he just sort of fell in to certain jobs when he stopped playing. Technically, I would think that O'Sullivan is one of the best coaches in the world. The problem is that, being Irish, we automatically assume he isn't. Some of the stuff he did in Connacht was extraordinary and some of the stuff he did in America with a very poor team was extraordinary too.

"The problem with working in Ireland is that you can be very successful coaching a very good team. I mean, no disrespect to a number of Shannon coaches, but a lot of coaches would have been successful with that team. it's much harder to coach, say, UL/Bohemians. That's also the problem for O'Sullivan. Technically he's a very good coach, but he faces huge challenges for the English game and the biggest single challenge is at out half. I think he has to play O'Gara he may not.

"I am absolutely certain that O'Sullivan thinks O'Gara is the best option he's not told me and I've never asked him. I also think he has to play O'Gara and his big problem is that if he doesn't and they lose to England, then I'll certainly be one of the ones asking could we have won with O'Gara playing."

George has other worries though, not least the "travesty" of the scheduling of the Six Nations this year.

"The scheduling has all the worst elements of television-dominated professional sport. They are treating these players as totally expendable items. Can you imagine Ireland and England for the Grand Slam without O'Driscoll and Wilkinson? That's not going to happen now, but imagine if it did. It would be a nonsense Hamlet without the Prince. The coach has to be lucky to get a side through a campaign like this."

However, the focus is now firmly on Ireland and England. So what's going to happen?

"The back three will be determined by the availability of Horgan and I was surprised by Bishop's selection against Wales because I think he's a very average player. The other thing is that Denis Hickie has been playing like a drain and he is an excellent player, but just has not been playing well.

"The problem at full back is does O'Sullivan pick the best defender (Dempsey) or the best attacker (Murphy). I think that if he wants to beat England, he'll pick the best attacker, but he probably won't if he has to pick either John Kelly or Bishop on the wing.

"The worry with Dempsey is that he is breaking down too often and that's symptomatic of the schedules the players are having to cope with. I don't think England are that great. They have an unbelievable record at Twickenham, but they're very beatable. They have a great back-row, but not a great scrum. They haven't delivered under Woodward and they've particularly never delivered a performance on a par with their physical advantage over most teams.

"They have a good line out, a smashing back row, good half backs and Jason Robinson. That's a reasonable start, but they've never really delivered a performance of quality back play. OK they've put Lewsey in at full-back and Robinson in the centre via the wing and that's the bad news because the thing is that Woodward is finally finding the right answers that's a worry.

"At this remove, I think Ireland will win. There are certain moments in sport where there seems to be a chemistry or a momentum and I believe that's the case here and that it will bring Ireland home despite the fact that 25% of the tickets are in corporate fists."

George has his detractors all over the place but that, as he says, is part of the territory for speaking your mind.

"It's quite interesting because Ulster is 100% against me, Munster is 100% against me and Connacht is 100% against me because I took the IRFU's side in the recent spat about Connacht. They presumed because I was a former Connacht coach that I'd take their side, but I took the side I believed in.

"The Munster thing is incredible because of the humour mainly. In Thomond Park we are at crowd level and at the end of the match hundreds of people gather around us and start chanting at us it's unbelievable.

"It takes me 40 minutes to get out of the ground because everyone stops me and talks to me. It's wonderful. There is a relationship there and ultimately the fans and I share the same passion. At one stage I was quite vitriolic about Shannon and Shannon were quite vitriolic about me. But two years later I was the guest speaker at their annual dinner. That's what it's about."

Whatever about the outcome of the Grand Slam, George has worries about how Ireland might go in the World Cup and he is especially fearful that we will not make a quarter-final.

"I actually still think getting to the quarter-finals will be an achievement. The big worry for Eddie O'Sullivan is going to be injuries. Leinster and Munster are still involved in the Heineken Cup and I think Leinster can go all the way. But Leinster supply 11 or so of the national squad and if any of them get injured then there's going to be problems.

"Everyone is telling us how much cover we have, but I don't think so. We are on the edge of an abyss in the front-row. Justin Fitzpatricik was not considered a front-line option this season, but suddenly he was sprung from the bench against Wales. But who's the tight head if John Hayes doesn't play?

"Everyone says 'Oh we have Paul O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan' fair enough, good cover in the second row. But who plays open side if Gleeson goes? Wallace hasn't played football all year and isn't even a natural open side. What happens if Stringer goes? Easterby is not an international scrum-half. We have big problems in certain areas. In certain areas we are down to the bone and that will be key to our World Cup."

George is now rattling the cages of many established radio stars, as well as his other media interests, but it is something that he reckons he always had a yen to do.

"The radio thing is a labour of love. I grew up with radio the great voices like Eamonn Andrews and Raymond Glendenning and I remember getting up at three in the morning with my Dad to listen to heavyweight title fights and I used to go to the Mardyke with a stick with a tin can on top of it and I used to do pretend commentaries of Cork Athletic's matches. So, I always wanted to be on radio and I adore it. I have to say though and it is the only time I'll admit it that in terms of radio, Dunphy and myself have a lot in common. He proved that it was possible for someone with a sports background but with an interest in politics, economics, history and things, to do radio successfully.

"I would not have got the opportunity I have if he had not broken the ice as far as people with a sporting background were concerned and every day I pray: 'Dearest Jesus, don't let it stop'."

His outspoken nature has been an undoubted help to George Hook's second career and he is not afraid to take on nay-sayers of any hue. And certainly not the entrenched wing of the GAA for whom Croke Park has become such a massive symbolic focal point.

"Look," he says, "I'm not trying to make a crass political point, but the fact we are considering spending money on a second massive stadium in Dublin when there are people being turned away from hospitals, is ludicrous. We have a state-of-the-art stadium that will only fill its capacity on a small number of days and it should be there to showcase all games. The taxpayer has played a large part in building it and the taxpayer pays taxes regardless of whatever sport he or she plays or supports. Croke Park should be opened to all sports and Lansdowne Road developed into a 35,000-seater at a very low cost. It's simple."

George has received correspondence that would frighten an INLA member on the back of such comments, but it washes off him because it only highlights the work he feels he has to do to change public opinion for the better and make Ireland a better place for everyone. Even David Humphreys.

He's working on it and he's determined to succeed.