Ronan O'Gara: Can anyone match the legacy Tommy Kiernan has bequeathed to Irish rugby?

'I cannot think of anyone in our game who had the same impact and success and carried the same authority off the pitch as he had on it'

WATCHING BRIEF: Head coach Tom Kiernan watches from an unusual vantage point during Munster's historic 1978 win over the All Blacks at Thomond Park. Picture: Des Barry

It wasn’t then or anytime soon afterwards that I properly appreciated a sage piece of rugby advice from the great Tom Kiernan, who passed away, aged 83. 

In the bar in Temple Hill after Cork Constitution All-Ireland League games, there was a gentle but unmistakable air of mayhem about, punctuated only by Tommy’s quiet bon mots in your ear.