Leinster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby

In those early days, I had Jim
Glennon behind me in the second
row. It was like scrummaging
in an armchair.
“Like every rugby-playing kid then, if I
had a dream it was to play for Ireland,
not Leinster,” he declares.
“At that stage, if you were aspiring to
play international rugby, the pathway
was through the province, trying to shine
in those derbies, culminating in an Irish
trial based on what happened in those
games.
“Leinster wasn’t the be-all and end-all.
It was an avenue to test yourself at the
next level. The Interpros became a way
of ticking off players ahead of me in the
pecking order, men like Tom Clancy and
‘Paco’ Fitzgerald.”
In fact, the glamour lay with the All-
Ireland League where great rivalries were
stoked on a weekly basis.
“Tactics back then were slightly different.
I remember Greystones went down to
play Young Munster in a crucial All-
Ireland League match.
“We went there the night before to let
the young fellas on the team soak in
the atmosphere. There were three fire
brigades putting water on the pitch and
they narrowed the pitch by five metres.
No better tactic than that. It was an epic
three-all.”
“Really, your club was Greystones. It
wasn’t Leinster. It was a ‘Brucey bonus’
on the avenue to playing for Ireland. It
was a process that took up six weeks of
the year. The window for the Interpros
was tight. The club was the priority.”
When the game turned professional
in 1996, Nick was already in London
playing for Wasps.
“I was the first to go. I would have made
more money if I was the last to go,” he
laughs.
“I left Greystones in 1995 to move to
London to play for Wasps, but not as a
professional. I had an office job in the
city.
“At Wasps, I met Dean Ryan, Rob
Andrew and Steven Bates, all England
internationals. When Rob left for
Newcastle Falcons, he called me and I
became a professional for three seasons.
“Work and career were never a priority
for me. I am not hugely motivated by
money. As long as I had enough to live
on, I was happy to follow my instincts.”
Those instincts eventually took Nick back
to Wexford where he settled down with
his wife Rachel and raised his family.
You sense he wouldn’t change a thing.
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