A rugby career that saw its earliest steps taken on the uneven long grass of the Old Rifle Park pitches back in the late 1980s passed another massive milestone when Rory Best led Ireland out on St Patrick’s Day at Twickenham.
Having matched Keith Wood’s record as Ireland’s most capped hooker against Scotland last weekend, Rory went one better when he claimed his 59th against England on Saturday.
Rory’s path to top the list of Irish international hookers started with Banbridge’s mini and youth sections, and was followed by schools rugby at Portadown College. He featured for Banbridge in the All Ireland League and played at Newcastle University after leaving school, before he returned to the province to sign a development contract with Ulster and joined Belfast Harlequins.
Best’s leadership capabilities were quickly recognised at Harlequins where he took over the captaincy whilst still in his early twenties. And his break through into the Ulster team soon followed. And having established himself as first choice, he took over the captaincy of his province from brother Simon in 2007.
Best won his first International cap when he came off the bench to pack down against All Black veteran Kevin Mealamu in the 2005 Autumn Series, and he has been an everpresent since.
A neck injury looked to have sidelined Rory for the entire 2009-10 season, but typical of the man, he recovered much quicker than his medical advisors would have predicted. He returned to action in January 2010 playing for Banbridge against Barnhall in the All Ireland League. A week later he faced England Saxons at Bath for Ireland A, and his value at International level was made clear as he was brought back into the full Ireland squad for the 6 Nations the week after that.
He displayed similar determination and resilience in the 2011 World Cup to recover from a shoulder sprain that looked to have ended his tournament. Instead he defied all expectations to start in the quarter final against Wales, putting in another top class performance in what was an excellent tournament for the Poyntzpass man.
At 29 years old, and playing the best rugby of his career, Best can expect to add plenty of more caps in the coming seasons. But his focus this weekend will be on the result rather than records.
Rory remains a great inspiration for the club, in particular for the mini and youth players who aspire to emulate their hero who has charted a path to international rugby ahead of them.
At 5pm on Saturday, the Rifle Park clubhouse was packed as Banbridge once again got behind Rory.
