Quinlan grasps Premier chance
But Nicky was wrong. “Quinny” will bestride the GAA’s majestic headquarters this evening, and jokes aside, you know English will be as proud as any Tipp man to see it happen. There are several good reasons for that; primarily, it’s probably because Quinlan has only been on the fringe of things at national level for four or five years and is now 34.
And given the fickle nature of the way the Irish team is currently going, there mightn’t be too many other opportunities in the future.
To cap all that’s happening for him on the pitch, he and wife Ruth Griffin are expecting their first child in January.
Quinlan has also suffered the bad times on the pitch, however. There’s no need now to recall the shoulder and knee injuries that might have ended the careers of many another good man. But he battled through that and it’s one reason why so many admire him for his grit and determination and, need it be mentioned, his massive talent and skill.
“It’s been a while since I started a Test match for various reasons, but I still have a lot of confidence and belief in myself,” he said, soon after getting Declan Kidney’s vote of confidence to take on the All Blacks this afternoon.
“I’m getting an opportunity on Saturday and it’s not an easy one — but nonetheless it’s great to get the chance to play in Croke Park. It’s nice for me as well, coming from a GAA background. I had Nicky English on to me slagging me, he thought I’d never get to play in Croke Park so it’s nice.
“I never really felt my international career was petering out. I don’t throw the towel in easily and I try to stay positive. I never lost the ambition to play for Ireland. I’ve played for Munster and have been successful and I want to maximise my time in the professional game as much as I can for as long as I can.
“I’ve treasured each of my 26 Irish caps and it’s great to get this opportunity. It’s big pressure, it’s something I haven’t been used to for a while. I’m probably still a bit shell-shocked by the whole thing and I have to sit down and think about it for a while and prepare well because this is a big test for me and I hope I won’t be looking back on it next week with regrets.”
Quinny, shell-shocked? It didn’t ring entirely true because those who know him would never suspect a lack of confidence would be part of his make-up.
“Ah, I suppose it’s just because you’re not used to your name being called out,” he said quietly. “I’ve been in a lot of rooms with Irish squads over the years and it’s a terrible thing to say but I had got used to my name not being called out in the team or even in the 22.
“I’ll try to do the best I can and not to put too much pressure on myself. The All Blacks are a fantastic team and when you play against players of that quality you have little room for error. So I’m going to try to embrace the situation, enjoy the week and look forward to it as best as I can — and just hope to wake up on Sunday and be happy I gave it everything.”
Quinlan maintains he wasn’t expecting a whole lot when the squad gathered in Limerick’s Castletroy Park Hotel on Tuesday to hear the announcement of the team. So you can only imagine the mood change on hearing the words that meant more to him than any other.
“Number six,” intoned Declan Kidney, “Alan Quinlan.”
“I would have sat in the room and hoped and wished and prayed that my name would be called out but I have had a lot of disappointments with that. I owe the coaches a lot for the chance. They have put their trust in me.
“There is a lot of competition in the back row. Stephen Ferris had a fantastic game last Saturday and to be honest, I didn’t think I’d start. In fairness Stephen came up to me and a lot of the lads came up this morning, like it was my first cap, and wished me well. They were happy for me and that was really nice.”
QUINLAN has battled back to form after an early season groin injury.
“I struggled a bit at the start of the season because I had a groin injury and it certainly hampered my preparation,” he accepts. “So it took me a few games to get going.
“I have learned over the years that there’s lot of ups and downs, you could do everything in your power some weeks to prepare for games and it can just go wrong on you. Things can change very quickly as a professional rugby player. You can be a hero one week and a villain the next. But as for Saturday, I’m just going to try and enjoy it.”
Quinlan doesn’t blanch when the matter of his only Test appearance against the All Blacks is raised.
“It was in New Zealand in 2002 when I came on as a replacement and got sin-binned almost immediately,” he recounted, before adding ruefully: “For overzealous use of the boot.”
He’s also forthright on the Declan Kidney influence in the Irish camp.
“Everyone needed to be refreshed a little bit,” he says of the World Cup during which he never even got to sit on the bench.
“Certainly the coaches that Declan has brought in are fantastic — Les Kiss, Gert Smal and Alan Gaffney have all brought different ideas and his own strengths are well documented.
“I don’t know how Declan does it sometimes, he tries to create a place where people want to be.”
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