Muldoon seizing his Ireland opportunity where Eagles dare

HE’S Portumna born and bred, has the Cannings and Damien Hayes as neighbours, and was good enough to win an All-Ireland minor hurling medal with Galway in 2000.

But when the rugby bug caught him at 16, John Muldoon has quietly risen through the ranks to be on the verge of winning his second Ireland cap against the USA Eagles in Santa Clara tomorrow.

The last 12 months have been the making of the 26-year-old back-row forward. Installed as Connacht captain by Michael Bradley at the start of the season, Muldoon was a key figure when Irish rugby’s Cinderella province hit the headlines in overcoming both Leinster and Munster at the Galway Sportsground.

And only for the plethora of back-row forwards available to Declan Kidney at present, Muldoon might have found himself fast-tracked into this year’s Six Nations squad. A tireless worker from the both the No 6 and No 8 positions, Muldoon has all the attributes of a solid back-row operator; he’s one of those players who never lets his side down — even in defeat, as Connacht experienced a lot this season — and may in time edge his way into Kidney’s plans on a more full-time basis.

He describes winning his first cap against Canada last weekend as a proud moment for the Muldoon family in Portumna, but he’s determined not to allow his international career end in the Californian sun tomorrow.

“It was a very proud day for myself and my family to get a cap and I suppose it’s been a long time coming for me and it was a great day on a personal level. It was a great experience especially winning the game and hopefully I can keep myself in the frame to win some more caps in the future.”

He enjoyed the experience of packing down alongside Munster duo Denis Leamy and Niall Ronan.

“I’ve known Niall for a good few years as we played Irish U18 Youths together a long time ago (2000). And I’ve played against Denis a lot the whole way up. It was a good experience and the second half (against Canada) was a lot better and as we got a bit more continuity, we got to hold onto the ball a whole lot more so it meant we could get involved in the game more.

“The whole first half was very scrappy and there were a lot of breakdowns and unforced errors, so I am sure for the people who were watching at home it was not that pretty, but hopefully we can improve that.”

Kidney has opted for continuity ahead of the second test of his North American tour, making just one change from the side that failed to impress against the Canadians in Vancouver last weekend. Mike Ross comes into the front row with Tom Court making way. Muldoon expects a more searching test against a team coached by former Ireland boss, Eddie O’Sullivan.

“The US Eagles are another big strong physical team. Of course, with Eddie O’Sullivan there, they will be well prepared and he will know a lot of the Irish players so I am sure his team will be well briefed on us.”

He added: “The heat will no doubt be a big factor and although it’s the same for both of the teams, I suppose we are not as used to the conditions so it will be a tough game for everybody involved.

“I think work rate will be really important just as it was last week and in the second half when we upped it a bit as the combinations got used to each other, things began to flow a bit better for us. With another week’s training people know each other a little bit better and hopefully that will help us through. Come Saturday it’s a test match arena so we are all looking forward to it and obviously everybody will be giving 100% to try and hold onto that jersey.”

US Eagles (from): Forwards: C Biller, P Dahl, P Danahy, JJ Gagiano, N Johnson, W Johnson, S Lavalla, M MacDonald, C Mackay, M Moeakiola, S Manoa, S Pittman, H Smith, L Stanfill, J Van Der Giessen, M Wyatt.

Backs: J Boyd, G DeBortolo, T Enosa, M Hercus, A Malifa, T Ngwenya, M Petri, S Sika, L Junior Sifa, R Suniula, K Swiryn, A Tuilevuka, T Usasz, C Wyles.