Frank O’Driscoll and 16 other Irish players who bureaucrats have insulted for anything ranging from 34 years to 77 years will win big today.
They will be recognised as having represented their country at international rugby, enrolled on the official, permanent ledger and be formally presented with the cap they should have always have had.
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The idea that there were two ‘tiers’ of international rugby players, those who played in what were deemed ‘superior matches’ and got caps and those who were playing in ‘inferior matches’ who did not, borders on despicable.
Of these, O’Driscoll has been thanked before by a grateful nation if only figuratively — he is, after all, the father of Brian O’Driscoll.
In his case, the IRFU have finally conceded to awarding caps for games on an official tour to Argentina in 1970, playing two tests against a nation that has since finished third at a Rugby World Cup; Ireland have never got past the quarter-final.
For Frank O’Driscoll, it’s momentous, thrilling, exhilarating, a bit late but evocative, and besides you only get one cap (sure Brian only has the one too!).
“It was the thing that kind of haunted me all along, that I never got capped,” he says of playing for Ireland in Buenos Aires tests where the hosts were certainly capped.
“You know you are good enough to get capped, got capped, and somehow it wasn’t recognised.
“I played in several final trials, might have played three, four, five, not sure — they were disheartening things for me.
“The selection process back then was very geared towards provinces, who were the best provinces and who had the strongest selectors.
“I wasn’t selected but that’s the way of the world but here and we are here 53 years later and it’s turning around which is great.
“John Birch who was from the north of Ireland and whom I haven’t met since we played together in Argentina, will be similarly honoured today. Isn’t that a great thing?”
Malice and intentThere was a certain malice and intent about Argentinian rugby in the 70s.
“A lot of it was very dirty, I was marking a guy called Alejandro Travaglini who was six foot five and the only thing that I could do was get him around the ankles and he came down on top of me every time!
“I remember I tackled a guy a little bit early in one of the matches and for doing so I got punched in the face.
“They were always quick to retaliate on the pitch, ‘get your retaliation in first’ stuff.”
It was one hell of an Ireland squad.
“Barry McGann was out-half. I thought he was one of the greatest Irish rugby players I had ever seen with a rugby brain that was absolutely phenomenal and a really, really nice guy with a great sense of humour. I often think he didn’t get as much credit as he deserved.
“He may have been known for that but I loved playing with him, absolutely loved playing with and I always thought he had a phenomenal rugby brain.
“He could see ahead, two or three moves and as I said, I loved playing with him, although I didn’t get too many chances to play with him.”
Yet there was no doubt, even with Willie John McBride in the team, who the leader was.
“Tom Kiernan was captain, a household name in Ireland, very dedicated and a big, big Munster man.
“Willie John McBride wasn’t quite the legend he would become but he had the makings of it.
“He was playing in the second-row with Mick Molloy.
“Willie John was great in his own way, a big man.
“I remember playing in a final trial and I think Kevin McGowan was at out-half and I was centre and Willie peels off a line-out and I shouted ‘you take him’ and I ran away into centre-field!
“Tom Grace who was on my UCD club team was, as yet uncapped, but big, fit tall and looking like the brilliant winger he would become.”
There were others who went on to make their mark provincially and internationally.
“I’d say Johnny Moloney was the most dedicated player on the tour.
“We’d all finished training and Johnny would be off doing an extra bit of training, practicing passing or something. Another radiant rugby player, one of the cleanest rugby players I ever played against, his skill was terrific, he was a lovely guy.
“I still meet some occasionally, he is smashing guy, Billy Brown, the winger, was another from the north on that team, Sean Lynch, Terry Moore, Ronnie Lamont all played for Ireland.
O’Driscoll played at out-half in one game in Argentina but the other five at centre.
“It was like everything else, they were trying to use all the players for the seven matches on that tour. Mick Hipwell and myself played six of them, I played in the two tests.”
“I enjoyed every minute, it was a happy time for me anyway, I was only 23 the new kid on the block and it was the one and only time I toured with the national side.
“They were gentlemen, the fans were great, the steaks you would need two plates for them, I have nothing but fond memories of that tour.
“And it probably wasn’t as bad as everyone thought, they were absolute gentlemen off the pitch, no problem whatsoever.”
Extra holidayThere is a last tale.
Having originally set out via Portugal, there was an unexpected extra day’s ‘holiday’ in Rio on the way home.
“That’s the really funny part, there was some sort of a problem, maybe overcrowding or we were overbooked and ended up hanging around the airport in Buenos Airways.
“There was a lot of high spirits and the authorities were getting a bit narky with us and suddenly we had to come home, I think, in two flights, because there wasn’t enough room to re-book us. We ended up in Riode Janeiro for a day ahead of an Air France flight home.”
IRELAND TOURING PARTY TO ARGENTINA 1970
Backs: Barry Bresnihan (London Irish), William Brown (Malone), Alan Duggan (Lansdowne), Tom Grace (University College Dublin), Liam Hall (Garryowen), Tom Kiernan (Cork Constitution), Barry McGann (Cork Constitution), John Moloney (St Mary’s College), Henry Murphy (University College Dublin), Barry O’Driscoll (Manchester), Frank O’Driscoll (University College Dublin)
Forwards: John Birch (Ballymena), James Buckley (Sunday’s Well), Padraig Cassidy (Corinthians), Mick Hipwell (Terenure College), Ronnie Lamont (Instonians), Sean Lynch (St Mary’s College), Willie John McBride (Ballymena), Paddy Madigan (Old Belvedere), Syd Millar (Ballymena), Mick Molloy (London Irish), Terry Moore (Highfield), Phil O’Callaghan (Dolphin)
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