Evergreen Hayes coy on his future

JOHN HAYES popped up on the outside, five metres from the Leinster line and with the clock running deep into the second half as Munster went in search of a final try to land another piece of silverware for the province.

It could have been Twickenham, 11 years and a day ago, as Munster tried to win their arm-wrestle with Northampton in their first Heineken Cup final. But this was the 38-year-old Hayes at Thomond Park on Saturday, putting in yet another titanic shift to help his team win the 2010-11 Magners League title.

“Absolutely incredible isn’t it,” Munster head coach Tony McGahan said following the 19-9 win over Leinster. “For him to keep going the way he does and what he has done for Munster and Ireland for so long (is amazing). For him to finish off the game and get a pushover try against a quality scrum like Leinster’s was fantastic.”