From dependable to deadly: a full-back reborn

YOU never expect to come away disappointed from an interview with the unfailingly friendly Girvan Dempsey, but it happened.

Years waiting to pin a nickname on someone, lately I thought I had it. Girvan Dempsey, Girv the Swerve; over the last couple of seasons, those of us who knew there was so much more to the Irish full-back than he was showing — safety first, safety last, safety in between, utterly predictable – were vindicated, as Girvan finally began to open up, began to trust his predatory instincts. He was always a superb athlete, tall, rangy, fast, and in his younger days with Terenure had been a serious attacking back; for years, however, in the green 15 shirt, he wasn’t showing it, was content just to stay home and mind the house.

The last couple of years, however, this year especially, the real Girvan Dempsey has emerged, joining the line, looking, probing, jinking, stepping – swerving. Girv the Swerve.