The day Gary Halpin had to move his car during a scrum sums up his lighthearted approach to life

The versatile sportsman was much loved for his sense of fun

Thu, 25 Feb, 2021 - 12:59

Larry Ryan

The late Gary Halpin was a versatile man of many talents, not just sporting.

A highly regarded educator and coach, as well as his top-level careers in rugby and track and field — capped 11 times for Ireland, having also represented his country at the hammer in the World Championships — Halpin was also a fine writer.

He wrote a rugby column for the Irish Examiner for several years after he retired from playing.

Sports editor Tony Leen recalls bringing him on board early in his tenure on the sports desk.

“Alongside Mick O'Dwyer, I think Gary Halpin was one of the first columnists we introduced to enhance our Examiner Sport offering in the late nineties.

“He was such a natural communicator — bright, witty, informative, irreverent. Just what you required from a good column.

“His was one of those reads you enjoyed dropping every week. Looking back at the pages now, we probably should have given Gary a broader canvass. Easy to read, easy to like.”

In the many fond tributes paid to Halpin yesterday, as news emerged of his death, there are constant references to his good humour and sense of fun.

“An hilarious storyteller and the life and soul of any team he was part of,” said Brian O’Driscoll.

“He was a barrel of fun,” said Keith Wood. “The best sense of humour and the funniest man I have ever coached,” said Matt Williams.

Halpin also wrote occasionally for the Guardian, and a piece from 2010 captures perfectly his lighthearted approach to life and ability to spin a yarn.

In it he recalls the day in 1996, playing in a Pilkington Cup semi-final for London Irish against Leicester, that he had to take a short break from the rigours of a scrum to see about moving his car.

Let Gary take up the story.

“We were being coached by Clive Woodward, so he was up against his former club. Sunbury was packed – it had a capacity of maybe six or seven thousand, and wasn't really up to these big occasions. I'd arrived late and the parking was so tight. I had this big Volvo estate, so I'd parked illegally if truth be told. Because of the time I assumed there would be nobody coming in behind me.

“We started pretty well. We were winning when it happened, so it was a really crucial stage in the game. I think there had just been a minor injury, so there was a bit of a lull in the crowd. We were given a scrum, and just before we got started there was this announcement over the Tannoy – an ambulance needed to get through and a car was in the way. I just caught the words "green Volvo", and I froze. That was my car.

“I remember Graham Rowntree was giving me a funny look, because he could see I was somewhat bemused. So I said to Graham: "Could you just hold on for a minute there?" And off I went. I remember Dean Richards sticking his head up from the scrum and saying: "For God's sake what's going on now?"

“I ran over to the touchline. The manager was up in the stands, and I had to tell him to get my keys from the dressing room and get the car moved. So I was shouting up at him, and he couldn't hear. He was just going: "What? What?" In the end I had to shout up: "It's my bloody car!"

London Irish will pay tribute to Gary Halpin in Saturday’s Round 11 fixture against Wasps. Players and staff will wear black armbands in tribute to the former London Irish captain.