Court reaps benefits of unlikely transition

IT seems a lifetime ago since Tom Court was a loner on the athletic fields of Queensland making his name as a champion shot-putter and chasing a place on the Australian Olympic team.

Last Saturday he celebrated his 30th birthday by making his 10th appearance for Ireland — coming off the bench against South Africa — and he will further highlight a remarkable sporting transformation by starting tomorrow’s clash with Samoa at the Aviva Stadium.

Amazingly, Court’s switch to rugby in 2004 was sparked by nothing more than a desire to lose weight, but within months he had played for Manawatu in New Zealand and moved back to Queensland to play for the Reds before deciding to grasp an offer from Ulster.