Leinster vs Toulouse

“As a pro, you might go in early in the
morning for a weights session at 8am,
finish by 10am. Then, you are twiddling
your thumbs, hanging around all day
waiting for a pitch session in the evening
because some of the players had to put in
a day’s work in between.
“You are still training in the dark in the
middle of winter even though you are a
professional,” he adds.
Ciaran’s greatest moment for Leinster
came against a galaxy of Wallaby stars
in a tour match at Lansdowne Road in
1992.
“I never played against Australia in my
five internationals for Ireland. So, I won’t
forget the day we played them when they
had Michael Lynagh, David Campese,
Jason Little, Tim Horan and John Eales.
“I do look back with pride on the fact that
I played for Leinster.”
One year later, Ciaran was at full-back
for Ireland when Mick Galwey’s famous
try sealed a 17-3 win over a multitalented,
bruising England side looking to
complete a Grand Slam.
However, the appearances for Leinster
and Ireland were limited due to suffering
a ruptured cruciate ligament playing
for Terenure against Sunday’s Well in
October 1993, months after his first three
Ireland caps.
“I played seven years of rugby with no
cruciate in my right knee which sounds
ridiculous now. I had my knee replaced
18 months ago because of it,” he reveals.
“When it happened, I had seen players
who had opted for an operation. Some
had better results than others. The
surgeon told me I had to have surgery. I
said: ‘No’.
“There was no guarantee of getting
back. I just didn’t fancy it. It wasn’t like it
is today when a player could be back in
eight months.
“It had a drastic effect on my game. I
wore a big brace. I kept tearing bits of
cartilage. I would plant my foot, turn
quickly and the knee would wobble.
“I played a lot of my Leinster caps and
my last two Ireland caps in that condition.
You didn’t announce it back then. There
was no social media. The scrutiny wasn’t
the same. I never really talked about it
publicly.
“I worked incredibly hard to keep my
right leg strong and stable. But, over time,
it got worse and I had to retire at the age
of 30 in 1999 at the end of my first year
as a full professional.
“In fact, that was probably the death
knell because I was on my feet much
more. It began to deteriorate rapidly. Bits
of bone began to break off and it just
became too sore.
“You would be running a line at training
and be hit with this unbelievable pang
of pain in your knee and it would go as
quickly as it came.”
It was an enduring experience that had
to be handled by myself, alone for quite
some time.
“It was only when Liam Hennessy and
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