JOHN HAYES’ last appearance for Munster was my first game, and there was a great buzz around the place before kick-off. It was against Connacht on Boxing Day in 2011 and there were over 20,000 people packed into Thomond Park. It was a nervous Christmas dinner the day before, I can tell you that! It went as well as I could have hoped, scoring our first try, and we got a win. I think my mates were even happier than me because I found out later that they’d put money on me to be the first tryscorer.
I’d played with some good players in my youth, at the very first World Rugby U20 Championship in ...