Trevor Brennan: ‘Rog? Here he’s seen as a bit of a loose cannon, but he backs it up'
AN IRISHMAN ABROAD: Trevor Brennan outside Brennan’s Bar in Castelginest with the Bouclier de Brennus and Hika Elliot, the former Chief’s hooker, and former All Blacks legend and former Toulouse player Jerome Kaino (right). ‘After games, I’d have a reception and stuff and they’d flock out to the bars. They know they don’t get hassle,’ says Brennan. Pic: Facebook
On the blower from Toulouse, Trevor Brennan is still chuckling at that viral Ronan O’Gara quasilingual “L'opportunité c'est fucking énorme!” motivational speech for his La Rochelle players. “Ah for fuck’s sake. I thought it was a sketch. I didn’t think it was actually real.”
More than two decades in France has seen Trevor lose touch slightly with the thriving Irish impressionist scene, but he still has the air of it.
“I thought it was Tommy Tiernan or Hector or something. In fairness, he does speak excellent French but the fact that he kept throwing in the cúpla focail…”
A legend of the club and city that now regards O’Gara and La Rochelle as their chief rivals for the big prizes in France, Brennan has another perspective on the Rog phenomenon.
“He is seen here as a hot head and a loose cannon. Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson, you name it, Rog is up there. He’s off the charts. He likes to be on the pitch, screaming and shouting at touch judges, at players, at coaches.
“He walks a tight line sometimes, let’s call a spade a spade, but at the end of the day, he backs it up with results. Won two European Cup finals, been in two French finals, lost two to Toulouse, should have won this year. He’s done amazing things with La Rochelle.
“I admire him, he left Munster, he went off to New Zealand, to Racing, he served his time. He could have easily gone into a job with Munster and possibly with Ireland. But he went off and did it the hard way. Hats off to him.”
No chapeau for the Cork French though. Trevor has held on tight to the Leixlip accent, but he can let it magically melt away mid-sentence. “Ah, I’d go full French. I could barely speak English before I came over. Now me Franglais is trés bien.”
O’Gara’s spirit of adventure would have to appeal to a man who left Leinster and Ireland to become a central figure in Toulouse’s three Heineken Cup final appearances from 2003 to 2005, winning twice.
He never went home, living in the village of Castèlginèst, close to one of his two bars. “Leixlip to Dublin,” is how he describes the place’s proximity to Toulouse. Distant enough from the riots that made sections of the city a no-go of tear gas and burnt-out cars and fast food shops this summer. August brought holidays and relief. He hopes it’s not kicking off again just as the World Cup does.
He may live outside Toulouse but even 16 years after retirement he remains central to its rugby fabric. The English flanker Jack Willis recently described how Trevor and his son Josh — a regular lock for Toulouse last season — made the transition to French life so much easier. And how Brennan’s Bar has become a gathering point for Toulouse players.
“After games, I’d have a reception and stuff and they’d flock out to the bars,” Brennan says. “They know they don’t get hassle, they’ll have a few pints. They bring their wives, girlfriends, kids.
“My young fella has been rooming with Jack all season. He’s a lovely fella, I know how hard it was myself when I first came over here. You play a match and it all looks great. You’re winning games and winning European Cups and playing in French finals. But on a Saturday night when you go home to an empty flat… even going to the shops or the local pubs and not being able to speak the language. It was like Chinese to me. It can be a lonely place.
“So I suppose, over the years, whether they are South Africans or Kiwis, English, Welsh, I’ve always tried to help guys integrate into the system. Whether it be organising a barbeque or bringing them out for a meal or a few pints.
“If they need anything, helping them move a bit of furniture, helping them set up a house or an apartment, all that kind of thing. I’ve been here so long, I have so many contacts for everything, whether it be an electrician or a plumber or a bricklayer. The simple things, it makes a massive difference to these lads that they know they have someone they can pick up the phone to. ‘Listen Trev, can you help me with this or that’. It’s always just a pleasure.”
He’s optimistic about France’s prospects at the World Cup. “Home advantage is a huge thing. Go back to New Zealand when they won in 2011, the only reason they won that game is because the referees gave them every single decision. And I’m sure the same will happen.
“France have played three World Cup finals and lost them all. They feel as if this is their year, they have the quality of players, they have the strength in depth, they put in all the infrastructure in place to put out their best team. It probably is their best chance to win a World Cup.”
We talk the day before Ntamack did his ACL. But with rugby, it scarcely needs psychic ability to fear injury. “You never know, if France lost a key player like Dupont or Ntamack or Marchand… Like Ireland, they have three or four players for every position, but it’s not the same quality. With Ntamack, they’d have Jalibert but it’s not the same.”
He still ranks France number one, Ireland two, but if paths cross, loyalty is no longer divided, despite his 13 caps.
“Whether Ireland are in or out of it, I’ll be shouting for France. I’ve been here for 22 years. My young lads have played for France underage. I’d know more of the French players than I would the Irish players. When I first came over here, I was 100% Ireland, but you earn your bread and butter here.
“The guys all come into the bar, the Ntamacks and Flaments and Cheslin Kolbes, (Dorian) Aldegheri, François Cros. They become friends. You always like to see friends do well.
“Saying that, if France are knocked out at any stage and Ireland are still in it, I’ll be wearing a green jersey in the bar every day. I’ll be the proudest Irishman in France and I’ll let everyone know it.”
Trevor Brennan went off and built a life in rugby and beyond the hard way too. But conversely, there is a sense it is in France he found his comfort zone.
“I was the proudest Irishman ever. I loved putting on the Irish jersey. Leinster gave me my first chance in Ireland, but the French welcomed me with open arms. They gave me my second chance, but not just myself, my kids, my family. I don’t think my kids would have got the opportunities in Ireland that they got in France. In France, it’s everyone, the milkman, the binman, the butcher, the bricklayer, the electrician. Rugby is for everybody. I just think they accept you for who you are, not what you are, and what your education is, where you come from.
“I think things are changing massively in Ireland. But in France, it’s just the person, the man, whatever. That’s what I loved about rugby in France, you know what I mean?”
There’s an endearing pride in how Trevor Brennan can rattle off the vital stats of the three sons who follow in his footsteps.
“I’d say the second fella (Josh) is the best so far, he’s already won the European Cup, he won a French Top 14, I think he’s the only Irishman to win the Bouclier. I lost two finals.
“He’s still only 21, six-foot-seven, 120kg. He’s going to get a lot of game time this year with so many players away for the World Cup.
“The first fella (Daniel) is 25, six-three, tall for a prop, 125 kilos, playing with Brive. He’s had a few good seasons.
“Unfortunately, he had a couple of bad injuries, but he’s worked pretty hard over the last year and he’s back to full strength, he’s going to have a big year this year.
Trevor Brennan : « Si un jour on m’avait dit que mes deux fils disputeraient un match de Top 14 l’un contre l’autre, je ne l’aurais pas cru »
— Benjamin Pommier (@BenjaminPommier) November 29, 2021
Rencontre avec la famille Brennan qui a vu Daniel et Joshua être sur la même feuille de match, samedihttps://t.co/Ue9P0KJ3GM pic.twitter.com/EpFSXLJtL0
“They all try to put pressure on the youngest fella (Bobby). He’s a big unit, six-foot-four, 210 kilos, only 16.
“I tell him just take it one game at a time. He’s one of these kids. Something clicked in his head in the last year and he wants to do what his brothers did and play for France U18, U20, win a World Cup, win a Six Nations,” he added.
“He knows that you don’t get them things without hard work and he’s putting it in at the moment.
“I hope one of the three will play for France (seniors) one day, if they get the right exposure. But there is such talent over here.
“If you make a French team you need to be a damn good player.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
