Rugby star Tadhg hopes to 'shoot the breeze' with Limerick legend ‘The Bull’ Hayes

IRELAND and Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong has been likened to a rampaging bull on the field but there will only ever be one ‘Bull’ – John Hayes.

The Wexford man and the Cappamore native have a lot in common. Both grew up on farms, played Gaelic Games in their teens before going on to have stellar rugby careers for their respective clubs and provinces, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions in the number 3 jersey.

Tadhg has played against some of the modern greats of the games – Antoine Dupont, Beauden Barrett and Eben Etzebeth to name but three. But the one he’d most like to meet off the field is John Hayes.

Tadhg sat down for an interview with Christina Mahon for a video made by World Rugby called The Open Side. It has been viewed over 360,000 times.

The front row forward said he was skinny as a child but the combination of a diet of black pudding and sausages and hours on end playing Crash Bandicoot on Playstation resulted in “getting as big as a bull”. Gaelic football, hurling and rugby were his other pastimes.

School community bids farewell to long-serving Limerick principal on her retirement

“I loved Keith Wood, I loved Peter Clohessy, I loved Mick Galwey - I’ll get killed now because I am naming all Munster players but back then that’s who it was.

“I loved John Hayes because he was a farmer too and a tight head prop too. I’ve never met John Hayes. He’s the one person in rugby I’d love to meet,” said Tadhg.

“He’s here,” joked Christina.

“I’ve always loved to meet John Hayes and shoot the breeze,” said Tadhg.

“I’m sure he would like to meet you too,” said Christina.

“I’m not sure. I can’t speak for John,” said Tadhg.

We here at Limerick Live bet that they would get on like a house on fire.

Another thing John and Tadhg share is their path to the Irish jersey wasn’t the well trodden archetypal path of attending a private school in Dublin.

“Years ago maybe there wasn’t a pathway but I would have came through a pathway – if you were good enough you got picked up and you got a chance,” said Tadhg.

And maybe in 2023 John and Tadhg’s paths might finally cross.