HE MAY NOT be a Fair City actor but Jack McGrath will, no doubt, tell his grandchildren all about the day he scored a try in Brian O’Driscoll’s final home game. The Leinster prop came off the bench to score his first Test try on the afternoon Irish rugby fans gave O’Driscoll a rapturous Lansdowne Road send-off.
“I’m delighted to be honest,” said McGrath. “It’s nice to get on and try and make an impact. The other lads on the bench got a few tries as well, so it’s nice to get on and make an impact. That’s what Joe [Schmidt] wants; he wants us to fit in, be disciplined and just know your stuff.”
McGrath paid tribute to O’Driscoll’s talent and will to win, noting that the centre achieved the Test caps record of 140 despite serious shoulder and ankles injuries in the past decade. Asked for his memories of the country’s highest try-scorer, the loose-head said, “Obviously him scoring the [three] tries in France was a massive one. His tries against England for the Triple Crown the year after they’d won the World Cup, stuff like that.
“When you come into the senior squad with Leinster and Ireland initially, he’s a very easy guy to approach. He’s quite funny and he’s got a bit of humour, so you can have a bit of craic with him. That kind of breaks down barriers as well.” McGrath added:
I suppose there’s a lot of hard work that went into [getting here today]. If you dwell on it too much, the occasion will pass you by. You have to step back and enjoy those times as well. This is a time you’ll look back on for the rest of your life. It’s a pleasure to have been part of it. I don’t think there has been anyone like that in Irish sport.”
The 24-year-old praised teammates Sean Cronin and Cian Healy for their second-half tries and admitted the loss of Italy’s talismen, Martin Castrogiovanni and Sergio Parisse, had aided Ireland on their way to a 46-7 win. “I think losing Castro early definitely did [give Ireland a psychological boost], because he’s the cornerstone and went off early. It was probably disappointing for them and when we saw him come off, we know his scrum power and his work around the field is a massive thing for them. When they lost him I’d think they worried a bit.
“But they’re still a quality side without those guys in it,” McGrath continued. “Guys coming on like Cittadini, he’s a very experienced guy. Losing those two guys [Castro and Parisse] was bad, but they’ve come so far in the last two seasons that it shouldn’t really bother them.”
There is a strong possibility that McGrath may be drafted in from the start against France next weekend following Healy’s 52nd minute withdrawal for an ankle injury. The French pack, he declared, would be a tough Parisian prospect.
“As I said, Italy was a stepping stone. They were a big, tough pack so it was good to get stuck into them and they really worked our maul today. There’s a few parts we can work on in that, and our scrum as well. There’s always a things to work on after games like this, but we’re just happy with the win. We’ll go back to the drawing board on Monday.”
– Additional reporting by Murray Kinsella.
Great young talent.
One criticism thou
The mini mullet hair cut
HAS TO GO
Sick of this BOD crap…. in fairness he was a good player but that is all. A lot of great players have worn tje green with pride and a lot less bulls##t