MANGER'S LEAGUE - LEINSTER v CONNACHT: Gavin Cummiskeytalks to former Connacht hooker John Fogarty who is eager to make an impact for Leinster in the absence of Bernard Jackman
THERE WAS an interesting little individual battle at the breakdown during the recent Leinster A versus Munster A encounter at Donnybrook. You see, the two hookers were quite familiar to each other.
Munster's Denis Fogarty may be six years younger than elder sibling, John, but the sight of him in Leinster blue would have surely boiled the blood and eradicated any brotherly love. They never actually came to blows, that anyone witnessed anyway, but there were plenty of kamikaze torpedoes into rucks.
"Brian Blaney played against his brother (David, now at Bristol) in a prior A match," said John Fogarty yesterday. "It doesn't happen that often, obviously, there are not too many brothers out there playing professional rugby, I don't think (except Irish frontrowers, see also the Best brothers). It was strange, yeah, but we both did our best. We didn't hold back. It was a very enjoyable . . . to come out on top as well. Got the better of him. He is out with a shoulder injury now. Christmas dinner was a small bit standoffish."
Christmas dinner down in Tipperary, one presumes. Born in Cork, John Fogarty appears to be a native of the Premier County, judging from his accent and education at Rockwell College.
The road to the Leinster set-up has been via all the right channels, coming up through the age-grade ranks, including that still-famous Irish schools tour of Australia in 1996 when the Barry Gibney-captained team swept aside all-comers including a Test-match victory.
A Munster contract came next but after three seasons in the queue he signed for Connacht. Five seasons out west led to recognition at Ireland A and the provincial captaincy before Michael Cheika came calling last summer.
The chance to play high-level European rugby and the shop window that comes with it to gain that elusive senior Test cap was too good an opportunity to turn down. The only problem was Brian Blaney and Bernard Jackman, arguably Leinster's main ball carrier, who just happens to be in the form of his career.
Jackman's exposure to the international set-up actually provides Fogarty with his current opportunity. The November internationals meant the incumbent Leinster hooker had to postpone a knee operation until recently, leaving a straight scrap between the youngest Blaney and middle Fogarty brother (or Terenure versus Rockwell) for the vacant jersey.
Fogarty started in the win over Ulster so he's in pole position and the arrival of his former team-mates to Dublin on Friday must have him foaming at the mouth, especially considering the number they did on Leinster last October. Fogarty started in the 19-18 defeat.
"We lacked physicality on the day," he candidly admitted. "We've looked over it a couple of times. Set-piece was good and we had a good bit of possession but we lacked a small bit of physicality and they took advantage of that. They seemed to come out a hungrier side and we lost. Simple as that.
"When I was there these are the games you pick out. You want to show yourself well. Sometimes you are playing with a chip on your shoulder because you might feel hard done by because of whatever reason when you are down there.
"They prepare for this match as Leinster would a European Cup game, is how I could explain it to you. You are competing for everything.
That's their mindset going into it.
"We need to start well and we need to be very, very physical. Maybe we weren't as cynical in that game. They do keep themselves in games very well. They scramble very well."
Jackman is expected back in a fortnight. That leaves Fogarty just enough time to make an impact. Funny to be saying that about a 31-year-old, seasoned professional but that's the stakes this week.
"Any time you get an opportunity it is a good thing, obviously. There is great competition with Brian there as well. All I can do right now is fit into this team if selected at the weekend and show what Im about. Hopefully give Cheiks a nightmare when it comes to pick the team."
