Height: 5 9
Weight: 18 stone
Clubs: Fivemiletown High School, season for Enniskillen u16s, then Clogher Valley RFC 18 years &
3 seasons with Jnr Ulster.
Honours:
We won the Junior Interprovincials for Ulster, 1998/99. Victories over Ballymena II XV & Dungannonn II XV at home in Bohatton lane before our new club house and pitches at the Cran were built in 2000.
When did rugby begin for you?
At the age of 13.
Who were the best props you played against?
During my first season on the Clogher Valley I XV, he was Toady McCaffrey an Omagh Prop like Omagh know how to grow them! Also I remember a Munster Prop (they called him the bear) for the juniors. His mixture of technique and strength was a good learning process for me! Also Chikky Henderson a fellow Clogher Valley man and also a former Junior ulster player, he taught me alot about how to prop.
Most memorable prop incident?
Definitely holding out against Munster the year we won the interprovincials. They had four or five SCRUMS in the dying minutes on our 5 metre line in Armagh– “It was hard going, I was glad to hear the whistle”. Another time I broke 2 bones in my foot against Ballymoney and I’ll not forget that in a hurry, was out for a season and a half so you can imagine the pain. I was in a maul and ripping the ball off their player, someone was on my foot and I was tackled but the foot could not move in the tackle and was broken. After I got out of hospital we ended up in Coleraine that night, and I lost my crutch!
What does it feel like to prop?
I love it, I have never considered playing any other position, its the srummaging, your up close and personal! A prop needs technique, a bit of ignorance helps, your trying to get in on the opposition before he gets in on you, you have to play the ref as well with the odd we thing, I always like to get my shoulder on the kneck of the loosehead and put pressure on the hooker. – Thats enough secrets for one day! You can’t beat the feeling of a ball against the head or a push over try – Achieving that is brilliant.
Who is the biggest bandit on the clogher Valley Team?
Well, they call me Willie the Druth & i’ve had that nickname since I was in the u18s. Might have to take that title myself, but if I had to name someone else it would have to be Jimmy Bates a true Bandit!
Shaved or unshaved?
Unshaved.
Beers, wines Or Spirits:
I like a few pints at the start of the night!
