Niall McCague Footnote, Presentation College Bray, Co Wicklow.
IT'S FRIDAY AFTERNOON and after 10 days of rain, the clouds have nothing more to offer. Reggie Corrigan comes bounding through the cafeteria, flashes a wink here and there, and looking nothing like that bustling, irreplaceable titan we see on TV. You'd never think this was Big Reggie, the lightning rod in the Leinster front row.
He recently opened a sandwich bar in the school. It's early days yet, but the business looks to be flourishing. Large numbers of students gather daily, cashing in for lunch and flashing a glance at the big man. He has shaped rugby here in the school for 20 years. Around these parts he's like the tooth fairy. Bling! Bling! Problem solved. A ham roll should do the trick.
He sits back and discusses how life has changed in recent times. His best and worst stories come from this place. It was back in 1988, when Pres reached the Senior Cup semi-final. Reggie was captain that year. Even in his schooldays the seeds were beginning to fruit. That day the lost pride in Pres's history of rugby was restored.
When Reggie finished school he graduated to a Greystones senior team that included established internationals like Nick Popplewell and Brian Rigney.
"Ah it was brilliant playing with the likes of Nick and Brian. Poppy was a superstar at the time," says Corrigan. "He took it very seriously. He was very professional about it. When you get out to the club, just to see the difference in his fitness and his size and everything else, it was amazing".
The break arrived shortly after the arrival of Norman Quilton into the Greystones backroom team. At the time Reggie was plying his trade at lock forward. Quilton wanted him in at prop. A colossus was born.
In sport, the biggest men run the slow. He was always motivated through success. His playing days in Greystones are still as vibrant and apparent as ever, and as a close source said, "When he kicked into life he oozed authority". His
towering presence always brought a touch of panache to proceedings.
Deep down, every man like Reggie suffers the long wait. It was shortly after his 26th birthday when he got the call. After an unsurpassable career with Leinster and Ireland, he finds himself back at his former alma mater. The idea of the shop came about one night sitting over a pint with Breffini "Bubbles" O'Hagan (his business partner). After the beery talk, "Bubbles" brought up the idea of taking over the shop in the school. He spoke of the problem, stating that something needs to be done, as the lads are not getting anything decent in terms of rugby and everything else. Being
involved in rugby he's learned over the years how important nutrition is as opposed to pure crap. One thing led to another, and soon the two men were in business.
After all these years the love affair won't end here. He's driven by the fear of success. It's late now and his dark eyes scan out across the fields. Reggie, you see, is the master of his own fate.
