Sunday Night, October 3rd
Struggle to sleep, due to the incessant snorts, snores and grunts of my roommate for this week. The Claw. I try to reflect on the week gone by, on the attitude in training leading up to our victory.
Monday September 27th
Still to come was the gruelling scrummaging session. Dick Best at London Irish used to liken us to piano players and piano shifters. Piano players on this occasion had a tactical back-play session, whereas the piano shifters (the front five) faced a battering against the formidable rhino scrum machine.
The ground was so wet it was impossible to get a grip. Eventually determination and a series of cursing speeches from Fester focussed us to overpower the machine and it slid slowly back. It would be some time before Finnstown Orchard, where we actually scrummaged, would recover from the ploughing it took that day.
Tracks all over a beautiful garden. After the session I was hoarse, my back ached, my head throbbed, but the work was done. After showering I relieved myself...doh, I'm supposed to be drug-tested in half an hour.
That evening we listened to our last session with our positivity guru. Committees of players were then set up and duties were broken down. Entertainment, Music for the Bus, Laundry, which is obviously an unenviable task - 30 people training, bags and bags of manky kit. Somebody has to break it down, make sure it's all numbered. Not a pleasant thing at all. The three are Wally, Dawson and Fitzie. Phew.
There's also Room Listings, Fines Committee, and myself, I'm on Special Events. It's very much an underground organisation, in line with Entertainments. We're going to set up a fishing tour, and maybe something special for after the World Cup. All the committees are subject to random investigation or interrogation, as to what they are actually doing, by the Director of Rugby, Mr Peter Clohessy. He's the overlord. If you're not putting it in, then you pay your £10 to the fines committee.
Tuesday - September 28th - Selection Day
Fingers crossed. It was always going to be a 50-50 choice as to who the management would choose in certain positions, especially my own. Not hearing my name in the starting line-up was a sickening blow.
Being involved in a team sport, it is vital however to have the team interests first, and set aside your own disappointment as secondary. Maintaining a quality session is imperative and is a good way of venting your frustration.
Wednesday - September 29th
We trained in King's Hospital. A rake of teenyboppers molest Bish, asking him for his autograph. The afternoon was our own so myself and Corks headed for the Liffey Valley Experience. In search of a pair of shoes.
Thursday - September 30th
Lie in for the afternoon, scrummaging session cancelled. Joking with Woody about the scrummaging session, I said second-rows do all the pushing. And he said that the harder the secondrows push, the harder the front-rows have to push otherwise your discs are popping out. Which is true, especially with the rhino machine, because every time you let off on the machine the whole weight of it comes back on top of you.
Indoor afternoon is an optional session, where we can learn the national anthem. We were in knots listening to Dion trying to sing. Dion is completely tone deaf, and he hasn't got a word of Irish. We were all handed out the lyric sheets, and under each line was the phonetics for all the bleedin' foreigners in the team. It actually looked Welsh.
Then over to Donnybrook for a practice run at 7 p.m. under lights. A brilliant session. It worked perfectly.
Friday - October 1st
One day and counting. The big stage has come, it's showtime and the talk is almost over. Time to take the opportunity. Warren and the management had been to the launch of the book charting 125 years of Irish rugby. It makes you realise the history of Irish rugby; the great players of the past. The amount of supporting faxes we have received is incredible and are posted up in the team room. There was one from Young Munster that just said "Good luck." I got one from my solicitor! A lot of them say we look forward to seeing you in four weeks when you lift the World Cup. There was also a personal one for Bishy.
Today was a day of relaxation and focus on the task ahead. It is a true test of a man when an opportunity comes that he is prepared to take it. Roll on tomorrow evening, 'cos I'm ready, I'm bullin' to go and this one is a payback for the Ryder Cup.
Match Day
We met at 12, and went for a walk in the grounds to stretch the legs. The next four hours are spent visualising the game positively, like catching a kick-off, catching a lineout, making a run, scoring a try. Just build yourself up.
No matter who you play the butterflies are still there. The players have promised the country a performance and today had to be the day. We met at 5.15 p.m. for a police escort; always a treat. Lucan to Lansdowne in 15 minutes on a bus. The cheers for the bus as we approach Lansdowne Road are well appreciated.
Something we decided during the week was to grab the crest of our jersey, to symbolise our unity and to look to this as a lift when we're under pressure. The aura of Lansdowne is fantastic. The American National Anthem focussed me as to what exactly we were facing. The great USA. It could be a backdrop to a film. Rocky or something like that. Even the chants of the American crowd: "U.S.A. - U.S.A."
Ambhrain na bhfiann is always a very patriotic moment for me while Shoulder to Shoulder is almost like our intent to the nation, as it is our specific anthem.
I watched the first 40 from the stand, which is hard to do as you want to be in there and involved. We made good use of our chances and controlled the game, bar some American break-outs. Dion came up to me at half time as we entered the tunnel and told me that I was coming on, that Jeremy couldn't play on.
To run on in Lansdowne Road to Karma Biami will always stick in my mind. It was pretty special. I felt like a million dollars, but the last 20 minutes belonged to the Millionaire from Clare. He put on a show, showing the world his amazing talent to be in the right place and to do the right thing at the right time.
On the bus back to the hotel he performed one of his little numbers From Clare to Here. We got Bishy's Lady in Red and then Dion's Leaving on a Jet Plane. He completely destroys it. There's one thing he definitely can't do. He can't sing. He's completely tone deaf. I can reveal: he's not perfect.
The general feeling was one of relief and anticipation of the next match, which will be much more difficult.
Sunday October 3rd
Headed to the depths of West Cork - to I'd no idea where - which included a bumpy ride in a plane much too small for my liking and a tortuous bus journey on windy Cork roads. Having arrived and tasted the luxuries of this hotel, including an array of salt water spas and massage practices, and having a view of the beach, the trauma of the journey faded. I lay down to an evening of rugby on the TV.
Monday October 4th
Probably the hardest session so far, but it really needed to be. The spirit we've engendered has just built up. The intensity of the sessions have increased and sharpened.
Tuesday October 5th
The same story in training again. It's the Costa Del Cork here. I went for a swim today. Luckily I only went in about waist high. It was just so cold, my legs went numb. I dived into one wave, jumped back up and ran back to the hotel. But I'd fought my fear and gone back in.
In an interview with Gerry Thornley.
