Bruff’s finest goes back to his roots and fits the frame

JOHN HAYES was back at Bruff RFC yesterday, trying to blend in with the other spectators by the tree at the carpark corner of Kilballyowen Park.

The blending in wasn’t going very well, but it doesn’t help when you’re 6ft 4 and beleaguered by young autograph seekers.

As Bruff tussled with Wanderers in AIL Division 3 (losing 3-9), their most famous player chatted about the Sale match. The Sharks are probably still stunned, but for Munster, last-gasp-against-the-odds wins are as regular as the Angelus. Hayes explained how experience helps.

“First, the most important thing on Saturday was the win. That was what we were hoping for, not the bonus point - that was always going to be extra. It was the win we needed first.

“You see it in the other final group games - the teams playing half-know their fate, so they’ll be chasing tries, chasing bonus points, whereas if you just go out and try to win the game first of all, then maybe that bonus point will come - not the other way round. That’s the way you have to approach these games.”

All week Sale’s pedigree had been trumpeted, particularly that of their front row. Hayes was satisfied with the Munster showing in that area.

“I think we were happy enough with how that went. It’s always going to be huge up front against a big English team like them, and they have a massive pack, particularly with Sheridan and Bruno in the front row. We were under no illusions about what was going to happen up front. It was going to be won or lost up front so we knew we had to get a good start and get stuck in.”

The prospects of that crucial fourth try looked dim as the minutes ticked away, but the men in red kept the faith.

“We were trying not to give them a score because first of all they’d have come right back into it, and then try counts might have started to come into it. The aim was to keep them out and hope we’d get a chance of a try ourselves. It did come, but it would have been a lot better if it had come a bit earlier.

“It’s great to come out of a maul or a scrum and see the boys making ground down the field. There’s nothing more enjoyable than getting up off the ground and running forward onto the ball. That was brilliant, but it’s been coming for a while. Against the Dragons, home and away, for instance, we were making loads of breaks, but the last pass didn’t stick. Away against Castres, when we scored a few tries, was the first time those passes stuck and we got the few tries. That was coming for a while and we got there eventually.”

Hayes was in Bruff for a presentation. His club had framed a team photograph featuring the prop in his early, long-haired days; a match programme; and a snap of Hayes in the green of Ireland. For anyone looking to identify the ingredients in Munster’s magic potion, here was a dash of local pride seasoned with a pinch of continuity.

“This is where I started, back in 1992,” said Hayes while signing another red-and-blue fleece. “It seems a long time ago now, but this is what rugby is all about. Every player on the Munster team comes from a club like this, where you’ve youngsters out on weekend mornings running around. They’re going to be the Munster players in 10 years’ time, so it’s great to come back today and see everyone. It’s what Munster is all about.”