Flannery fearless whenever ‘The Bull’ is by his side

JERRY FLANNERY yesterday paid tribute to his front-row partner, John Hayes, praising his longevity as a prop, enduring professionalism and attention to detail in a remarkable career for province and country.

On Saturday, Hayes wins a record-equalling 92nd Ireland cap, and with each passing season his appearance statistics are becoming more impressive: not only is the Cappamore, Co Limerick native moving closer to becoming Ireland’s first centurion, the Croke Park Test against England also marks his 47th successive Six Nations start since his debut against Scotland in 2000.

But there has been a duracell-quality to Hayes’ performances this season, particularly at international level where he has started and finished the last two Test matches. All of this being achieved, remember, at the ripe old age of 35.

Media days in Killiney are never graced by Hayes, who’s long-recognised by the press as the reluctant interviewee.

A quiet man by nature, he prefers to retreat into the background when the media machine on Test week cranks into fifth gear. The last time he was spotted sharing his thoughts with the Fourth Estate was in the mixed zone in the Millennium Stadium following Munster’s Heineken Cup final triumph over Toulouse last May.

Perhaps if he reaches 100 caps, he’ll replace reticence with a few thoughts but, as the well-spun cliché goes, he prefers to let his actions do the talking on the pitch.

Ask his front row colleague, Flannery, about Hayes’ favourite conversation piece, and the reference has an agricultural feel: “Anything to do with tractors,” is the reply! But honest and hard-working are other words his team-mates broadly associate with ‘The Bull’, who also runs his own farm in Cappamore.

Maybe it’s from there where the work ethic stems.

“He’s straight up,” said Flannery. “What you see is what you get. He’s a very honest, hard-working fella. He just does his job very well. There are no frills about him at all.”

Flannery revealed that the team’s confidence levels are lifted when Hayes’ name is in the starting XV. “When you’re preparing for a game and when you know you’re playing with John, there’s a massive confidence in the team. This guy has got every single thing covered. He’s a model professional and his physical and mental preparation is first class. Going out on the field, you’ll never have to worry about him; he’s always beside you, always hard-working.

“People talk about Ireland lacking depth in tighthead, but I don’t necessarily agree with that. Tony Buckley is a huge player – he’s pushing hard but it’s testament to how well John is playing and the service he has provided to Munster and Ireland over the last few years that he’s still number one.”

For the first four to five years of his international career, Hayes has been an easy target for criticism. In defeat, the scrum is often the first point of scrutiny, with the tighthead the first to get it in the neck from critics. When Hayes arrived home from the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand – where he was given few opportunities by head coach Clive Woodward — he was written off.

“I can’t tell you whether John Hayes was ever down after that tour,” says Flannery when questioned on how Hayes dealt with the fallout of that event. “All I know is his performances have always been steady any time I’ve played with him. So I didn’t notice there was any difficulty with him.

“One thing I noticed about him, however, is that he doesn’t stand still with his training. He’s a huge man but he’s unbelievably professional about his diet and his recovery. Also with small things – you see him working on his footwork, and even bringing in a new drill into training.

“With rugby, you can’t stand still and I think that John keeps evolving and becoming better and better as a player. And with either Munster or Ireland this year, he’s probably had more carries than ever before. At his age and given the workload tightheads are getting through, I think that’s testament to how well he prepares physically.”

At the weekend Hayes faces another huge test against the man-mountain that is Andrew Sheridan, a prop he has faced down, in Munster’s Heineken Cup clashes with Sale over the years. That experience will help, says Flannery.

“It’s always helpful when you have experience of playing against fellahs beforehand. Sheridan came on against us in Thomond the last day. He’s a fantastic player, he’s got incredible strength, is immensely powerful and you have to give him a lot of credit when he comes on the field.

“And you have to watch him because he’s another one of these very, very powerful scrummagers and a very dangerous ball carrier.

“We have experience of playing against him. I’m always confident John Hayes can do his job opposite him. So it’s just going to be a good battle. But I’ve no fear of the fella on my side.”