Hayes hungry for more Irish caps

PROP John Hayes is set to continue his record-breaking international rugby career for another season at least.
Munster star Hayes, who turns 36 in November, has won a stunning 94 caps for his country. While the majority of his international colleagues are in Canada this week preparing for a Test match in Vancouver this Saturday, Hayes and fellow international prop Marcus Horan have been given the summer off.


Hayes, who attended the wedding of his rugby-playing brother Tom to Irish international Rachel Tucker on Friday last, is eagerly looking forward to the season ahead. The Cappamore man’s appetite for the game remains as strong as ever despite his demanding playing schedule.
The former student at St Fintan’s CBS, Doon was an integral part of Grand Slam and Magners League-winning campaigns for Ireland and Munster.
“I’ll go for another year anyway,” John Hayes confirmed.
“If I stay injury free, stay enjoying it and as long as the managements for Munster and Ireland keep picking me. It’s a great opportunity. I love doing it and I’ll try and stay doing it for as long as I can. From an Irish point of view, for those of us who have played for Ireland for a number of years, to win the Grand Slam this season was huge. We had been trying for years. But from the Munster point of view, to be caught at the semi-final stage in the Heineken Cup was disappointing.
“If you look back over the whole year, the Grand Slam was brilliant. I’m still hugely disappointed over the semi-final, but that’s the way it goes.”
John Hayes is fiercely determined to help Munster regain the Heineken Cup next season: “It would be good to get another crack at the Heineken Cup again next year. We’ve played so much in it over the years and put so much into it to try and be successful. We’ve had some great years, two great wins in finals, but we’ve had some other disappointments. That’s all part of it.
“It would be great personally for myself and for the whole Munster squad to get back and have a go at it again next year.
“It’s a great competition, it generates huge interest in Ireland and Europe.”
Hayes was called into the Ireland squad for the summer tour to South Africa in 1998, after helping Shannon to the 1998 AIB League Division One title.
However, the Limerick native had to wait until February 2000 to make his debut against Scotland in the Six Nations Championship.
Hayes started all ten of Ireland’s internationals in the Triple Crown-winning year of 2004. The 2004-05 season saw him score his second Test try against Scotland and earn a call-up for the Lions.
He beat Phil Orr’s long-standing record (58 caps) as Ireland’s most-capped prop by starting against Italy, France, Wales, Scotland and England in the 2006 Six Nations - winning his 60th cap against Wales.
In his 94 games for Ireland, he has only ever been a replacement four times making for an incredible tally of starting games.

Colm Kinsella