CONNACHT’S RISING STAR EYES MORE SUCCESS
Connacht’s young full-back wants to build on last year’s PRO 12 triumph and his call-up to the Ireland squad
TIERNAN O’HALLORAN won’t lie; it took time to summon courage to watch the video nasty of landing dangerously in Port Elizabeth a few months ago when he was illegally taken out mid-air following a two-handed catch reminiscent of teenage years at the Clifden GAA field.
‘I didn’t watch it for a while as I heard how bad it was but I did get around to watching it. I was a bit higher than I thought and it was quite a big fall. My mum at home was a bit worried about it (dad Aidan, the exOffaly footballer of 1982 vintage, was at the stadium). She was panicking when she saw me go down, but thankfully I was okay. It all worked out.’ Not quite. The full-back’s first Ireland start was meant to be a thing of beauty. Instead, rib damage inflicted by Willie le Roux’s foul play was made worse by the referee flashing only a yellow card to the South African instead of brandishing the red which disciplinary officials subsequently believed was warranted.
To cap it all, O’Halloran, who rejoined the action after passing a HIA test, was ultimately too roughed up to last the pace, chest pain forcing him to step aside at half-time.
He could be bitter, but he’s not. Instead, nine weeks after the incident which left him in a heap, he not only defends le Roux, whom he will soon encounter when Connacht take on Wasps in the Champions Cup, he calls on World Rugby officials to be careful if they tweak current laws surrounding the grapple for aerial possession.
‘He [le Roux] came up as I went off and he got sin binned, and then afterwards he apologised. Look, you don’t really have any bad blood over something like that. I appreciate him coming over, it was a good gesture.
‘It’s a tough one,’ he continues, sizing up the laws governing the rugby skies. ‘Two players should be allowed to compete for it.
‘When a high ball goes up you want to contest, whether you have kicked as the attacking team or are receiving. You want to jump as high as you can to get that ball and a contest in the air should be allowed.
‘It wouldn’t be fair if they change the rules to have just one person allowed to catch and the other person having to wait. Then there would be no point kicking the ball. Maybe there is a case for the way you jump, that you have to jump with two hands and go for it rather than jump with one hand and slapping it.
‘It will be interesting to see what they do with the rules. I’m sure they are looking at it. It’s a good part of the game, a great buzz when you go up for a high ball and take it cleanly. It gives you great confidence, so I wouldn’t like that to go out of the game.
‘It wasn’t the way I wanted my first Ireland start to go but these things happen. I probably should have stayed off when I had that fall but I was anxious to get back on. It’s a contact sport and there are going to be these collisions. I have jumped for plenty of high balls and it’s the first time I came down pretty badly. You just have to get on with it.’
O’Halloran has, despite the rib pain lingering for a few weeks. Holiday plans in Mauritius, initially booked before his late Ireland call up for the trip to South Africa, were rejigged and now back in harness at Connacht, his outlook for his team’s title defence about hitting the ground running instead of with a bump.
Vibrant celebrations which accompanied the province’s first trophy in its 131year history, a breakthrough sparked by O’Halloran’s try in the decider against Leinster, have been consigned to memory. The message now is one of defiance, the Galwegian insisting Connacht won’t be easily dethroned, especially as he knows club form is imperative to secure a November Ireland lookin. ‘Having got a taste of it you are hungry, but I’m under no illusions. There were a lot of injuries when I got called up, so there is still plenty of guys ahead of me there. Hopefully, I can have a big start to the season with Connacht and get back in. ‘The attitude is last year is done. It was brilliant. We all had our celebrations but now the target is on our back and people are going to want to come to Galway and win. ‘We only lost one game last season here. We want to keep this as tough a place as possible, but we’re not complacent thinking because we are the champions it’s going to just happen. ‘There is no point winning the league one year and then going back to being an average team and falling back down the table. We need to back it up.’
O’Halloran will help lead that charge. Despite only being 25, he has been on the scene since a 2009 debut in Madrid and a frustrating 18-month spell with niggly injuries sharpened the mind before last season’s tour de force.
‘I was frustrated with the way I was going and worried contract-wise. It can be pretty dark when you are in that gym at 7am in mid-December, knowing you’re not going to be back on the pitch for a few months. Playing is your currency here and if you are not it’s hard to get a contract.
‘You feel like you are stuck and not going anywhere, but when you look back you realise you got plenty of time in the gym and did extra skills. I soon copped it was time to step up and start leading a bit more because it’s a relatively young squad.’
One that wowed the nation last term. One that now intends to do so again.
We had our celebrations but now we have a target on our backs