RUGBY INTERVIEW WITH MIKE McGURN:MIKE McGURN arrived at a career crossroads, of sorts, last weekend. Turn right to Cardiff and witness the Ireland team he played such a central role in conditioning battle for a Grand Slam against 12 students currently under his gaze at the Ospreys.
Turn left and take a flight to Dublin to be in Bernard Dunne’s corner for the world title bout against Panamanian champion Ricardo Cordoba.
“I was ringside,” said the renowned strength coach from Fermanagh. “I had been over and back quite a lot recently as my wife and child are still based in west Belfast, on the Glen Road, 800 metres down the road from Bernard’s trainer (Harry Hawkins).”
These days McGurn’s expertise is visible in the background at every conceivable sporting arena, ever since his reputation shot through the roof, primarily due to word emanating from the Ireland squad during the Eddie O’Sullivan era.
Former Cork hurling manager Gerald McCarthy procured his services a few months ago but he opted to steer clear of that mess, while the most progressive Welsh franchise signed him on a full-time basis last summer.
In the wake of the Kiko Martinez 86-second knock-out in August 2007, manager/promoter Brian Peters and Hawkins realised that, if Dunne was to survive a world title fight, then an expert physical trainer was essential.
After only linking up with Dunne last August, equipping the WBC super bantamweight champion with the tools to outlast Cordoba is barely half the job.
“There is a 30 percent margin for improvement in both power and strength still to come out of him. We have only just scratched the surface. One of the first things I did was cut out the long runs as boxers traditionally believe in pounding the roads.
“But it actually blunts his speed and power in the ring. I made him do short, sharp stuff to gain strength. The more time between fights the fitter he is going to get.”
The McGurn philosophy is “to make training so hard that fighting seems almost easy” but admittedly, “Saturday was one hell of a fight.” That he compares Dunne’s work ethic to that of his most prized pupil is a massive compliment.
“During the Six Nations I got a break and came home to work with Bernard. We devised an “over-reaching” programme that was four sessions a day for four days. Mentally, I took him to the hole, where he had nothing left. I didn’t think he would do it.
“At the last session in the afternoon on the fourth day he came in and for the first time admitted he was really tired. I said ‘right, let’s go.’
“Other than Paul O’Connell, I have never come across someone with such an appetite for the work load.”
McGurn was stunned by the ferocity of negative vibes directed towards the boxer leading into the fight. “I hit it off with Bernard right away. I had admired him from afar anyway for some time and saw him as an icon in Irish sport. It has been an honour to work with him.
“People were saying he was useless and he would be knocked down in the first round. Even in the taxi on the way over to the fight from my hotel when I told the driver where I was going he ripped into Bernard, saying he was useless and didn’t have a chance.
“I bit my tongue. I was so high from watching Ireland win the Grand Slam that I let it go.”
Last Tuesday the Welsh internationals, and a beaming Monaghan chap, trudged into the Ospreys gym to begin preparations for Saturday’s Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final against Gloucester.
“Yesterday was tough. The Welsh boys came back fairly dejected, while Tommy (Bowe) was over the moon. We addressed it and moved on. The EDF is big over here as it is a chance to play the final at Twickenham and as defending champions, the club are very serious about it.”
There is no time for reflection. Tomorrow week they are up in Ravenhill before reacquainting themselves with most of the Ireland pack at Thomond Park. This time they will be wearing red, of course, with a European Cup semi-final on the table.
Having lived in both camps, how does McGurn differentiate the Irish and Welsh professional rugby environments? “Rugby being the national sport over here there is a higher skill level but they are nowhere near as fit as the Irish boys. They are improving but there is a bit still to go to match the Irish aggression and passion.
“We have 13 or 14 Welsh internationals here so it can be compared like for like. It is just the Irish way; we are a passionate nation. I was talking to the former Ireland manager Brian O’Brien about this and he blamed Maggie Thatcher. It was her government that broke the strikes (shutting down the coal mines) that led to such a low self-esteem for a generation in this part of the country.”
As the sociopathic hitman Anton Chigurh was wont to say when tossing a coin in the film No Country for Old Men, ‘call it’: “It’s one thing knowing how to beat Munster, everyone by now knows how to stop them, but it is another thing actually doing it in Thomond Park.”
