GAVIN CUMMISKEYwas there as the legendary World-Cup-winning All Black blew away a few cobwebs and opposing locks on his debut in blue
“BE READY there, Rhys,” bellowed the distinct, raspy Kiwi baritone. Brad Thorn seemed happy again.
A sprinkle of students and local rugby men with free time on their hands came to see the great All Black’s first game as a blue at Old Belvedere RFC yesterday.
There were brief, yet encouraging signs of what may come. For certain, the power remains.
Thorn’s voice instantly emanated from the huddle. All simple stuff. But he realised the need to be chirping away. There were kids everywhere. The combined age of the opposing locks – Mick Kearney (20) and Conor Kindegren (20 today) – was just two years older than him.
“Okay, I felt another 10 years older because everyone out there was so young but it was a good game of footy.”
How did it compare to the World Cup final?
A booming laugh.
“Ahhh, the World Cup final seems like half a lifetime ago. I’ve had four months in Japan, which has been a great experience.
“Today was just about getting a hit out. I thanked the boys for allowing me to play 40 minutes. Got to hit a few rucks. Make a few rusty tackles. A bit of scrummaging . . .”
Hang on a second. A bit of scrummaging. Let’s revisit the moments leading up to the second try in this 50-0 whitewash of a hapless Connacht A side.
Rodney Ah You – the Kiwi tighthead initially hailed as a “special project” as he would become Irish qualified if Connacht bother to persist (Unlikely considering Nathan White has been signed for next season) – was sin-binned for almost lopping the head off scrumhalf John Cooney.
Leinster immediately upped the tempo. Thorn flipped Kearney in a ferocious tackle then scooped the kid back on to his feet. They rumbled five metres shy of the line. Scrum. Connacht were horsed backwards. Reset. Connacht crumbled. Reset again. Connacht were completely mangled as number eight Leo Auva’a flopped on the ball.
Thorn trotted back to halfway, not bothering to fist pump the air, in a Tiger Woods-on-amphetamines moment, like we witnessed after the pivotal scrum in the World Cup semi-final when he broke the Wallabies.
“Tighthead lock doesn’t change that much no matter where you go in the world. Just get in amongst it. I’m not really flashy. I hope the people who came down here today weren’t disappointed. I’m not really one who scores 50 metre tries.”
There were plenty of father- son combinations in the 400 or so gathering and they showed their satisfaction with a healthy ripple of applause after another Connacht scrum was mashed.
Steven Sykes is already forgotten.
Others were at play yesterday. Brendan Macken cut loose in midfield, while Mat Berquist and Dominic Ryan looked keen to make up for lost time after injury-disrupted seasons. Ryan is growing, both in size and as a disruptive number seven.
But everyone came for a glimpse of Brad Thorn. And he seemed happy again.
“I came to help out. It’s a great opportunity for me, my wife and family to experience Ireland. I have goals that I want to achieve. But we’ll see what happens.
“Today was a start. I’ve been training but I hadn’t played since February 4th.”
Really, he conceded, he hasn’t been playing since October 23rd.
“In Japan (with Fukuoka Sanix Blues) there is not as much tight play so I enjoyed today. Probably back to my natural game.
“My philosophy is that I am here to serve the team. If that’s on the paddock, scrummaging or whatever, or if it’s off the paddock, if a guy wants some advice or a few extras after training, I am here to serve.”
