Kevin Maggs showed perseverance above and beyond the call of duty last Sunday week in his efforts to attend the two-day Ireland national squad training in Limerick. The Bath centre's magical mystery tour began at Bristol Airport where he hoped to board a flight for Dublin. Bristol Airport is probably closed more often than any other airport due to fog.

It was therefore no surprise to Maggs that Bristol was fog-bound. Undaunted Maggs headed for Exeter where he finally managed to board a flight for Dublin. Unfortunately by the time he arrived in Dublin he had missed the connecting flight to Shannon.

He headed for the Forte Posthouse Hotel where he spent Sunday night and made the same journey back to the airport for the first available flight . . . it was to Cork which would ensure he would miss morning training. He flew to Cork, grabbed a taxi to take him to Limerick. Sadly the taxi driver had not been in Limerick for 20 years and got lost on the various ring roads.

As the taxi pulled into the University of Limerick Maggs saw the team coach carrying the Irish squad. His remarkable journey had seen him arrive on time for training. There was a postscript to his heroics. While playing for Bath in their twice postponed pool match against Newport on Tuesday, he suffered a kick to the face, leaving him with a black eye, four stitches in a head wound and a gashed mouth. And how was your week!