“Tommy Bowwwwwwwwwwe!” Ryle Nugent serenading the Irish winger has long since become something of a signature roar for the RTÉ commentator ever since Bowe’s try against Wales in the 2009 Grand Slam winning finale in Cardiff. And it invariably can only mean one thing; another try for the supreme Irish finisher around right now.
Whether it’s running those trailers of his, finishing off in the corner, gathering a crosskick from Ronan O’Gara at the Millennium Stadium to help clinch the Slam, or checking his stride to give himself every chance to read the bounce from Conor Murray’s crosskick a fortnight ago, the winger’s timing is usually immaculate. He simply has an uncanny knack for scoring.
That was his 27th try for Ireland in 55 Tests, and in 256 competitive games for Ulster, the Ospreys and Ireland, he has now scored 111 tries. That said, it has been a while since Nugent was afforded the opportunity to hail Bowe as he did in the 72nd minute against South Africa; virtually two years since his last try for Ireland, the second of a brace against Argentina in the November 2012 win.
Then again, it had been almost a year since his last appearance for Ireland, in the epic defeat to New Zealand last November. Bowe has since missed a second successive Six Nations through injury, and was absolved duty from last summer's tour.
But it felt good to score a try for Ireland again, not least as it pushed them three scores clear at 26-10.
“If felt good to be back playing, first and foremost. Just to be out on the pitch, and to get that try. To score: great. To give us that comfortable lead was brilliant.”
“The last game I played was New Zealand and it just felt like no-one sat down in their seats that whole game, and I thought the atmosphere was right up there against South Africa,” he adds, noting how supporters are now seated before kick-off. “It does make a difference. I remember my 50th cap, against South Africa [November 2012] the last time they were over and the whole middle tier and some of the top tier was empty. I thought it was super this time.”
Missing playing
Watching Ireland win the title last March must only have made him miss playing even more. Bowe recalls going to a mate’s house with five other friends to watch the Parisian finale. “Nail biting. Cracking game. The last 10 minutes were heart stopping. You just turn into a full-on Irish supporter, and that’s the beauty of it. You forget about wanting to be there. At the start, of course you do but we all want to see Ireland do well, and it’s great for all of us and the Irish team going forward, and one hopefully that I’m going to be a part of.”
When returning to Irish camp Bowe says he expects a step up in intensity and quality, in such things as crisper passing, simply by dint of this being the cream of the provincial crops, but also because Joe Schmidt demands it and, along with the coaches, will miss nothing.
“That bit of fear drives your standards up and drives the players around you. I think it’s very easy to go through the motions in rugby sometimes. You go on and think ‘ah, it’s just another training session.’ I mean, you’ve done thousands of training sessions. And maybe lose focus and drop the ball once or twice, but I think whenever you come to Irish training, we’re only together a short period of time, and I think that’s what makes a difference,” says Bowe, who cites Leinster’s accuracy in the red zone in rarely coming away without scores.
Two weeks ago, he clearly relished playing for Ireland again. Bryan Habana did little or nothing wrong, yet was eclipsed by Bowe, who made some superb tackles, chased and competed superbly in the air and then took his one chance to seal the deal.
Confidence
This won’t count for much come the 4.30 kick-off today, yet to come through a long-awaited return with such a strong performance under his belt ought also to strengthen his confidence.
“I think it’s probably the best I’ve felt since coming back to Ulster,” says Bowe, who attributes this to the IRFU’s emphasis on player welfare. Toward the end of last season “my groin just wasn’t where it needed to be. I’m a winger, but I couldn’t sprint.” With Dave Kearney joining a raft of injured wingers, Bowe might easily have been taken on tour. Instead, he was rested, resolved his groin issues and Ulster afforded him what he reckons was his first proper pre-season in six years.
No surprise therefore that Bowe recently committed to a new three-year deal with Ulster and Ireland. With David Nucifora in situ, and lessons learned on all sides from the Johnny Sexton saga and others, now deals are renewed smoothly. As a 30-year- old winger, the Union’s player welfare programme also affords Bowe his best opportunity of becoming a three-time Lions tourist in 2015. All in all, the system works, and seemingly like never before.
Third Lions tour
“If I want to have any chance of making a third Lions tour I think that Ulster and Ireland is the place to be, The negotiation process was by far the easiest I’ve ever been a part. It was addressed early. There was no stress over it. I had been part of negotiations which took a while, like when I moved away [to the Ospreys] or negotiated to come back. One time it didn’t happen, one time it did happen. It is stressful, and for it to be happening before autumn even starts as opposed to lingering through the Six Nations when you’re trying to concentrate on your game is super.”
There's also a lot of "unfinished business" with Ulster and having been overlooked for the 2007 tournament, remarkably he has only played in one World Cup, namely 2011. That quarter-final defeat to Wales in windy Wellington remains the biggest disappointment of his career, not least as he was playing with the Ospreys at the time.
So next year’s World Cup remains a huge target not least, as he accepts, it will probably be his last. “We’ve got a tough group but a group we can definitely go well in, and if we can get a win this weekend what a great lead-in to a massive year ahead.”
Today Bowe faces the Fijian-born debutant Henry Speight, the grandson of a former Fijian president who became eligible for the Wallabies last September.
“A hell of a player. Tall. Lightening quick. Good feet. A tough man to read; he can easily take you on the outside or step inside. But I think the strength of the performance against South Africa was not giving players opportunities.
Attack being the best form of defence, the best way of doing that would be, as Bowe stresses, for Ireland to retain possession more. “Listen, to get a win against South Africa, you take whatever you want, but there was a huge amount we saw from looking back on that game that will need to be improved on to beat Australia.”
Bowe also has one eye on life after playing rugby, notably with his own clothing range, XV Kings, to augment his Lloyd and Pryce shoe range. “I see it as an outlet outside rugby and I enjoy working with the guys I work with,” says Bowe, who is particularly enthused by Paul O’Connell “picking up a couple of pairs of size 14 shoes. He’s always a happy man when he gets some size 14 shoes, and he got a XXL jacket. He’ll be hopefully swanning around Grafton Street later – and get him out of that Ireland tracksuit top he’s always wearing.”
Move clubs
Bowe was also engaged last Easter to his Welsh girlfriend Lucy, and now that he’s 30, it all helps. “You hear of a lot of players who have to move away or move clubs, and that definitely gives you a lift and a new enthusiasm, but I think also, knowing that I’m comfortable where I am at the minute, is great for me, that I can enjoy my rugby and push myself even harder.”
He looks a nailed on certainty to finish his career as Ireland’s second highest try scorer of all time. Currently a clear third in the all-time list, recent tweets have notified him that he’s within two of Denis Hickie’s haul of 29, with Brian O’Driscoll beyond the horizon on 46.
“Jeeze, Denis Hickie was always a hero of mine, so that would be pretty amazing. Hopefully, maybe, this weekend. Sure. Run over for two tries,” he says, laughing. “I’d be happy with that.”
Happy out indeed.
