Leinster Rugby v Cardiff Blues

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“WE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT DAYS BACK THEN. WE PROBABLY CELEBRATED THE BIG WINS MORE THAN WE SHOULD HAVE…” From The Ground Up | 62 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Where are they now? By Des Berry John McWeeney THEN: JOHN MADE HIS DEBUT AGAINST CONNACHT IN AUGUST 1997, EVENTUALLY WINNING 66 CAPS FOR LEINSTER OVER EIGHT SEASONS, AND PLAYING ONCE FOR IRELAND, FROM 1997 TO 2005. NOW: NOW 44, JOHN LIVES IN TERENURE WITH HIS WIFE AVRIL AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN, OLIVIA (8) AND ALEXANDER (5) AND WORKS AS HEAD OF THE PRIVATE CLIENT LENDING TEAM AT INVESTEC. It was the summer of 1997. Old school buddies escaped the city for Brittas Bay where all subjects were up for discussion. Daragh Coleman, Stephen Molloy, Karl Jennings and John McWeeney taking it in turn to slag off Denis Hickie about the possibility of facing Jonah Lomu in the Autumn. By the time November 15 came around, Hickie would have to deal with Glen Osborne and McWeeney was on the other flank coping with Jeff Wilson in what turned into a 63-15 smashing at Lansdowne Road. It was a whirlwind time in the life of 21-year-old McWeeney for he had made the outrageous climb from debuting in the All-Ireland League in March to facing the world’s best in eight months. “What happened was I played my first senior AIL game for St Mary’s in 1997, scoring six tries in six matches. This prompted a call from <strong>Leinster</strong> Manager Jim Glennon and the offer of a development contract. “At that time, Mike Ruddock had just come in and there was the semblance of a professional set-up. I spent that summer as a professional for the first time. I had never lifted a weight, never been to a gym to workout properly. “I was enthusiastic and kept my head down and I think Mike liked my rawness as a big wing. This led to my debut against Connacht in Donnybrook. I went straight from there into Europe where I played against Toulouse for my Heineken Cup debut and then we beat Leicester in Donnybrook which was a phenomenal achievement at the time. “I will never forget that match against Leicester. No one gave us a chance. They were a force at the time and they had all those big English names. That win stands out from my time at <strong>Leinster</strong>. “I had a really good game on the wing and, somehow, found myself in the Ireland squad a few weeks later. From March to September, everything happened so fast.” www.leinsterrugby.ie | 63 | From The Ground Up
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