They did things differently back in 1997…
Back in the day, rugby players finished up for the season and tore it up for a few weeks before returning back to sweat it all out over preseason.
For the most part, players were left to their own devices. You might hear stories of yer man getting up to this, that or the other but social media was not around to chart every sunset or dew-glistened beer.
Here we go Ibiza @NikkiBeachIbiza pic.twitter.com/o1AK94SdM3
— Chris Robshaw (@ChrisRobshaw) July 11, 2017
Life seemed simpler back in 1997 when the Munster squad got together to hit up Santa Ponsa, off the east coast of Spain, for a team-bonding summer jaunt.
Ronan O’Gara joined us on The Hard Yards rugby podcast and [from 4:40 below] told us all about a trip he’ll never forget.
“In the team I was in,” he began, “we were so tight at Munster that we ended up going away together, lots of years.”
“In 1997, I had just done my Leaving Cert and I went away with the likes of Mick Galwey, Brian Walsh… about 13 of the Munster fellas. And there were about eight of the fellas I had just finished school with.
“It was like basically the whole Munster team together and was like, Jaysus! I remember watching the rugby [Lions vs. South Africa Test Series] and I was on the next tour, in 2001.
“If I’d even have thought back in 1997 that I’d be on the next tour with the carry on that was going on over there! It was literally going solid for 14 straight days. A 1 o’clock start. keep going and rollover.
“That was the way it was. When we played Heineken Cup rugby in Limerick, it was usually a Saturday night. Sunday was a day off so it was a bit of a party. Monday was recover.”
We can’t imagine the current crop would take such serious, prolonged commitment to shaking off the dust of the old season and going on the rage.
They don’t make ’em like the used to.
