Flannery: time to get hunger back

ON the first week of September, Jerry Flannery was one of 30 excited and expectant Irish rugby players who set out for France and the World Cup firmly believing that the team was capable of going a very long way in the competition, if not actually returning with the trophy.

The debacle that ensued continues to bewilder the 29-year-old Limerickman. As we chatted during the week, Flannery frequently referred to the need to draw a line under what happened at the World Cup and move on to the next challenge, the Heineken European Cup, which begins today. Try as he might, though, his mind kept returning to events in France as he sought reasons and explanations for Ireland’s dismal performances.

FLANNERY ON THE WORLD CUP