Tom Hayes in at deep end with Shannon

By John Keogh

After five years in the second tier of the All-Ireland League, Shannon return to life in the top flight of Irish club rugby with a visit to old rivals Cork Constitution this afternoon.

‘The Parish’ were the dominant side in the AIL in the early years of the competition with nine titles but have been in the doldrums since their last crown in 2009.

The appointment of former club captain Tom Hayes to the head coaching role almost two years ago saw an upturn in fortunes and they are now looking to regain their place at the top, starting today with a visit to Temple Hill.

“It’s a tough one obviously to start with,” admitted Hayes on the eve of the season opener at Con.

“Without wanting to trot out clichés and say what everyone might say in these circumstances, the games are all going to be tough for us anyway.

“Stepping up a level with the physicality and all that is going to be tough but we are going to dive straight in to see where we are at.”

“Going back 18 months, Shannon were looking at the trap door (from 1B). It was a big thing at the time to avoid relegation and now it’s a bigger boost to step back up to the top level.”

Hayes, however, isn’t getting ahead of himself when it comes to Shannon’s chances of earning their 10th AIL title.

He says the squad have enjoyed pre-season and that expectations aren’t high but there is an air of positivity running through the club.

“There has been a good old buzz around the place and that’s as much as we can ask for. Everybody has been really keen and I think there has been a different application and they have relished the work a little bit more this summer in terms of looking forward to the season.

“I think there is just that extra level of excitement about what they are about to embark on.”

In terms of his own coaching career, Hayes is doubling up the head coach position at Shannon with a forwards coaching role at last season’s Munster Schools Senior Cup champions, Glenstal Abbey.

Despite success at both levels, Hayes isn’t sure whether his future lies on the sidelines or away from the game.

“I don’t know is the honest answer. I kind of ended up immersed in it a lot quicker than I thought I would have.

“I had finished the green cert for farming when I came home but then I just thought I’d get into rugby a little bit with Shannon and help out there.

“It was a case then of an opening coming up in Glenstal. It was only a few minutes from my door and it made sense logistically to go up and just do a small bit there as well. The way things went with Shannon then, I ended up as head coach a couple of months down the line. It went from having no rugby involvement at all in early 2016 to ending up as head coach inside at Shannon and coaching in Glenstal in January 2017.

“I just maybe ended up in a bit deeper than had been planned. I’m still going at it anyway and we will see how long it lasts.”

Shannon’s trip to Cork Con isn’t the only big Irish rivalry being played out today. There’s also the small matter of Munster’s clash with Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. Hayes doesn’t hide his provincial allegiances.

“I would guess that a lot of them (Munster players), maybe subconsciously at least, wouldn’t be overly enamoured with the fact that Leinster have been the flagbearers over the last couple of years. I would imagine the Munster guys would be more than willing to have a cut off them and knock them off their perch and use it to launch them into a big game over in Exeter the following week.”

Having captained Exeter Chiefs for several years during his playing career. He expects them to provide a huge test for Munster, despite the loss of key players Jonny Hill and Sam Simmonds to long-term injuries.

“It’s a big test. Definitely. Knowing the way things operate over there, they have always been well able to wear the loss of a couple of players.

“The likes of Dave Ewers can certainly do a huge amount of damage. They will still be operating within the same framework.”