Des O’Donnell (Instonians and Ulster) died at a nursing home on Sunday 24 October 2010 aged 76.
Des played his rugby for R.B.A.I and on leaving school he went straight on to Instonains 1st XV where his older brother Don was already playing. Like Don, Des went on to play for Ulster as scrum-half to both his Instonian out-half John Hewitt and the great Jack Kyle.
He enjoyed great success with Instonians 1st XV including scoring 7 tries in the 1957-58 side which went through the whole season undefeated (a side captained by his older brother Don) before going on to play for the Instonains “Golden Oldies” , a side made up primarily of ex Ulster players.
It was in the area of mini rugby and also youth rugby that Des left his mark however. When fellow Instonian Ronnie Lamont returned from the British Lions tour of New Zealand in 1971 he and fellow teacher Willie Gribben decided to start mini rugby in Ulster. They approached Alec Redpath, another Instonian who was teaching at Inchmarlo (the prep school for RBAI) and had the first ever game on Inchmarlo’s football pitch at Osborne Park in 1973.
A year later in 1974 Alec and Ronnie identified Des as the man to take the game forward. As Ronnie said at Des’s funeral on Thursday 28 October 2010 “Willie and I were just school teachers, we needed Des to take mini rugby out in to the wider rugby community”. There began Des’s 34 year association with mini rugby with Inchmarlo and Instonians and the Ulster Branch.
Des’s son Keith was Inchmarlo’s first captain at the Mini Rugby Schools Tournament at Ravenhill when they lost in the semi-final 1-0 to Ronnie Lamont’s Springhill in 1974. Springhill won the tournament that year and the next in 1975.
Des’s youngest son Roger was Inchmarlo captain in 1979 when they won the tournament for the 3rd year in a row. Under Des Inchmarlo won the tournament a record 16 times.
It is ironic that Des’s grandson Rhys won the tournament when in P6 at Strandtown in 2009 which was the last time you were allowed to have winners. Des , like the vast majority of mini rugby coaches was dismayed at the non-competition element brought in by the IRFU.
Along with his able assistant , the late Brian McConnell, Des introduced several thousand boys to rugby football. Des was without peer in his ability to communicate to his young charges. His skill teaching both the basic techniques of the game and an understanding of the importance of being part of a team was discernible to all those who saw him work. Many players who started at mini rugby have gone on to play representative and international rugby but it was possibly more important to Des that there were many more of his former charges who went on to play rugby at all levels of school and club simply for the enjoyment of the game.
Des also spotted that there was a gap to be bridged between the school game and the club game, so in 1980 he ran an Under 20 Easter Tournament at Instonians, an event now in its 31st year, which has ultimately seen youth rugby grow into today’s , Branch maintained, league and cup competitions at all levels.
It is fitting that another of Des’s grandsons Ross (the CIYMS 1st XV scrum –half) will play in this year’s U20 tournament at Instonians and also that Des’s son Keith is taking the Instonian U13 side which includes Des’s grandson Rhys.
Amongst the tributes to Des at the funeral was a comment that Des had made a real difference to the world and his legacy was his rugby enthusiasm which has lived on through his sons and grandsons.
The best comment however was from Ken Keane, an Instonian stalwart who said “I do not know if God has a mini rugby section but if he does not the I am sure Des can get one started !”.
1 Nov 2010
