A scrum-half and a half

PETER STRINGER wins his 75th cap for Ireland at Murrayfield this afternoon.

It’s another significant milestone in the career of a man the entire nation has come to love in a very special way.

Many men and more women speak of him with undisguised affection and more than a little awe, uncertain in their minds as to how a guy standing 5 ft 7 ins and weighing less than 12st 4lbs can look people twice his size more or less in the eye, refuse to take a backward step and somehow win both the psychological and physical battles with lots to spare.

Ever since his youngest days at Temple Hill among the nippers at Cork Constitution through his first cap in 2000 until this latest significant milestone in a glittering career, Stringer has commanded the deepest admiration and respect of friend and foe alike.

Scotland, ironically, have played a pivotal part in Stringer’s rise, if that’s an appropriate term. It was after the debacle of Twickenham 2000 that Ireland coach Warren Gatland decided to Munsterise the Irish team and Stringer was one of those to get the call.

Remember how Mike Galwey paternally wrapped his arms around Peter and Ronan O’Gara on that fateful millennium afternoon as the anthems rang out around Lansdowne Road and the two Corkmen — alongside Simon Easterby, Shane Horgan and John Hayes — made their first appearances in the green jersey. Ireland won 44-22 and the half-backs were on their way. After this afternoon, they will have 145 caps between them.

Even so, there were a few stutters for the scrum-half with the dynamic pass, the tactical nous without peer, the courage of a lion and the hand trip without parallel.

Like in 2001 against Scotland when he was dropped for the one and only time — the Scots won that day. He has been rested for less significant games and missed a few through injury, never more significantly than for the recent defeat by France at Croke Park.

“When you start out, you look at your first cap and never even dream of getting this number,” he says. “Of course it’s a great honour and I’m very proud of being able to represent my country so many times. Each time you go out, you do so with the attitude it could be the last time you pull on the green jersey. You never take your foot off the pedal because there’s always someone there to take your place. I’ve always gone out with the attitude of giving it everything I have and if that’s good enough, then so be it.”

Which brings us on nicely to the inevitable question … of the previous 74, was the England game the biggest of them all?

“In an Irish jersey, it would be hard to pick out any that stood out more”, he agreed. “It was built up in the media for so long because it was Croke Park. It was all that people could talk about for months before. There was so much spotlight on the game and the preparation that went into it that when the day actually arrived, guys were actually itching to get out on the pitch and to experience what the Croke Park crowd could offer us.

“I must say it was an atmosphere I’ve rarely come across at stadia across the world. The anthems were something special. It was very emotional. Looking at the video and seeing the faces as the camera panned across, to see how much it meant to the lads still sends shivers down the back of the neck. Everybody is different in the way they react to situations and the way they feel inside.

“You try to keep your head the best you can. There’s a good bit of hanging around on the pitch with formalities so it’s about managing your time and composing yourself and keeping a cool head as best you can and thinking about the first ten minutes. Inside, you are very emotional and if it comes out on the day, well and good, it’s passion and emotion that you’re not afraid to show and it’s very special.”

And the game itself? “It stemmed from the way the pack took it to England. Their platform was based on the forwards, and if we managed to hold on to the ball, to get quick ruck ball and move them around the place, that was the key. We took them through phases, we knew our fitness would come through and we’d disorientate their defence.”

Now Peter and his team-mates find them themselves in a totally different situation. Instead of the drama of Croke Park, they are faced with an old fashioned, almost humdrum, up-front battle with a Scotland side badly stung by what happened at Murrayfield a fortnight ago. The disgrace of those opening six minutes won’t be erased easily, even if they were to beat Ireland. But it would be a pretty good start, a fact not lost on Stringer.

“We’ve gone to Murrayfield in the past as favourites, found Scotland a very unpredictable team and come away as losers,” he argued. “They put in a good performance against Wales (but) they remain unpredictable. It’s a game they’ll see as a good target with a view to getting stuck into our forwards.”

Stringer is annoyed by an apparent feeling that the Triple Crown doesn’t mean that much any longer, that it’s only the championship that counts.

“We grew up in an era of Irish rugby in which we saw very few trophies come Ireland’s way”, he declared. “The Triple Crowns of ‘82 and ‘85 remain very much to the front of my mind. To win two in three years was a tremendous feeling for this team and is still very much one of our goals although obviously we want to go one step better and look to the championship and the grand slam. But this is still massive for us.”

Stringer won’t reach 30 until December by which stage his number of caps will almost certainly have soared well into the eighties. One hundred?

“Obviously it’s a goal”, he nods. “Once you’re in possession of the jersey, you go out and try to give it everything and then it depends on injuries, selection, coaches and things like that. Looking at the number of games in a season, it’s possible and would be a dream of mine. But it’s a good bit off and I’ve just got to keep playing and thinking about today.”