1.What was your first ever job? – Grave Digger

2. What’s in the headphones when your building up to a game? – JLS

3. You have to choose a team-mate as a son in law – who and why? – michael keating, the boy is gonna be a superstar and I’d get free tickets to Irish games

4. You’re hosting a dinner party: what would you cook? – fillet mignon 

5. Who would you invite? – Kelly Brook

6. Why has Dedlan Kidney not called you up yet? – He knows not to be bothering me with such calls, I’m too busy

7. Does he know you exist? – Exist?? He wont stop pestering me to attend squad sessions

8. Best match you ever played in? JCT, won in the 8th minute of injury time

9. Best thing that ever happened you on a rugby field? Scoring 4 tries in a game

10. And the worst? Broken Jaw

11. Your first sporting memory? Getting hammered by willow park

12. Where do you stand on schools rugby: a hothouse that discourages risk takers or the ideal stepping stone for adult rugby? It’s a good breading ground for players but there is no way it should be on the telly

13. Why and when did you start playing the game? – when I was 9, it was compulsory in school

14. Enormous popularity has you installed as Taoiseach - so what do you do with all this power? – tax the high earners, make michael o’leary tanaiste and outlaw strikes and unions, both are an utter waste of time

15. Do you cope well with pressure on the pitch? – depends on my mood

16. You’ve been sentenced to 50 hours community service of your own choice: what would you opt for? Manager of a college girls swimming team

17. You’re buying a car – which is the biggest factor: price, power, eco friendliness? Whether or not my head fits in it

18. What would you change about rugby in the morning? – a clear and concise set of rules for referees on all areas of the game, its a hard enough job for them as it stands!

19. Your favourite gadget? my walkman

20 Best bit of advice you ever received – if you think you will succeed or fail you are generally right

The 3rds played into a gentle wind in the first half. The game was always going to be close but with the visitors needing 4 tries, a bonus point win as well as overhauling a 14 point points difference the Tarf side were not going to shy away to easy. In the end it was to big a mountain to climb for the visitors as Tarf claimed the title missing from the cabinet for too long.

What do you do when after finishing the job, after completing the herculean task , against the odds , and you are standing in front of your beauty , your fantasy , gleaming, rumbling and ready for the road and looking down you notice, lying at your feet, taunting you , are two large shiny , important looking , bolts. Bolts that should have been part of the structure but somehow have missed their calling and are here at your feet.

How do you drive your fantasy with that little niggle in the back of your mind that those bloody bolts are, somehow crucial; that you will be taking a corner looking magnificent, sexy even, and suddenly, for want of those two little shiny bastard bolts the car will take the bend and you, sitting smugly in your unbolted seat, will carry on straight through someone’s garden wall and on to their patio in a pile of mush.

Clontarf are a better team than last weekends result but they are playing in a state of tension that happens to teams in a relegation battle. For large parts of Saturdays game Clontarf had Cork Con by the throat but did not have the composure to put them away.

Invariably, if you play like a team expecting something bad to happen, it will. For the home side , a crucial error in the second half gave Con a scrum on the Clontarf line. Clontarf competed well but were unable to deal with the ball squirting out of the side of the scrum and the Con scrum half got the touchdown. That try plus the conversion put Con 20 8 ahead with 20  minutes to go.  The home side finished with a sterling effort from substitute Martin Dufficy who landed a penalty and converted his own try to drag home side to a two point deficit but unfortunately Clontarf ran out of time.

2. What’s in the headphones when your building up to a game? Newstalk

3. You have to choose a team-mate as a son in law – who and why? Hugo Nolan – FREE groceries for life!

4. You’re hosting a dinner party: what would you cook? Home made burgers

5. Who would you invite? Warren Buffet, Nigella Lawson(to do the cooking)

6. Why has Declan Kidney not called you up yet? He has but I told him that I won’t leave my job at the Carphone Warehouse to play for anyone

7. Does he know you exist? Yes, he coached me in Leinster

8. Best match you ever played in? Leinster League Final 2001 when I was in 6th year in school. We won and I scored a drop goal, conversion, penalty and a try.

9. Best thing that ever happened you on a rugby field? See question 8

10. And the worst? Getting taken off in croke park while playing for the Meath Minors vs. Dublin in 2000.

11. Your first sporting memory? Playing GAA with my brother on the ‘Green’ in front of my house.

12. Where do you stand on schools rugby: a hothouse that discourages risk takers or the ideal stepping stone for adult rugby? Schools rugby is the ideal stepping stone for adult rugby, most of the best players have come through this system

13. Why and when did you start playing the game? As I was over age for JCT, I started playing rugby in 4th year in school as I was able to play with my own year at that stage.

14. Enormous popularity has you installed as Taoiseach – so what do you do with all this power? Reinstall stability in the banking system. Tax chewing gum. Attract foreign direct investment

15. Do you cope well with pressure on the pitch? Pressure is for tyres!

16. You’ve been sentenced to 50 hours community service of your own choice: what would you opt for? This will never happen as I am a model citizen

17. You’re buying a car – which is the biggest factor: price, power, eco friendliness? Resale value

18. What would you change about rugby in the morning? Make it compulsory that AIL level and above referees have played rugby.

19. Your favourite gadget? My TV

20. Best bit of advice you ever received? To Join Clontarf RFC!

THE FINEST U2 TRIBUTE BAND ON THE PLANET (REF: HOT PRESS)

Put four guys together add the mix of being from Dublin, being U2 fans and excellent musicians together with a carbon copy of Bono (vocally and visually) as their front man and you have the excellent tribute band Rattle and Hum.

Rattle and Hum not only sound exactly like U2 but have an uncanny resemblance to the band and despite individual visual theatrics, become one powerful unit onstage, much like U2 themselves.

Having played in such prestigious venues as the Olympia Theatre and The helix in Dublin together with The Ulster Hall and the Limelight in Belfast (to name just a selection) as well as touring the US, Caribbean Islands and Europe it is no wonder that Rattle and Hum have got imitating U2 down to a fine art.

From U2’s first album “Boy” right up to “No line on the Horizon” Rattle and Hum cover every era from the bands catalogue.

Having been to a Rattle and Hum concert you will witness the closest thing to U2 that you are ever going to see and you get the added bonus of seeing a U2 show in a smaller venue.

In a very hard fought match Clontarf won the deciding game of the under 18 league. At the end of the league campaign this final match was a “winner takes all” situation with both teams undefeated.

Clontarf started strongly with some very powerful forward driving play lead by captain Gordon Brennan. After ten minutes man of the match scrum half Alan Gibbon took full advantage to dive over for the opening try which he duly converted. ‘Tarf continued to dominate the opening period. Credit to the Tarf scrum, and in particular the front row of Sean Flynn, Stephen Lawless and Barry Whelan, which won six strikes against the head in the opening period.

The pressure told off resulting with a blindside move that saw winger Stephen Lamb go over in the corner. Several players were involved in the lead up to this try including both wing forwards Rob Kearney and Joe Murphy.

Bective came out strongly in the second half and opened the scoring with a breakaway try. They now had the momentum but a planned move between Brennan and Gibbon put centre Sean Bulman through on the halfway. He executed a lovely chip and chase to gather and score the try.

Bective upped the ante and came right back. Some very strong defence by winger Colm Coffey and centre Luke Murphy kept them out for a long period. Good lineout work by second rows Kevin Prout and Aaron O’Toole kept us in the game. However the pressure told and Bective scored their second try, but missed the conversion. This set up nail biting last eight minutes.

Bective piled on the pressure but the Tarf defence stood firm. Jeff Whyte at fullback did a lot good covering and last line of defence tackling. Replacement flanker Cian Keogh pulled off some crucial ball wins. Outhalf Craig Wilson put in some strong clearances and crucial tackles- he showed very good control under pressure. The forward effort, especially the maul work of Aaron O’Toole, was top class. The back row did not miss a tackle. The spirit of the team told allowing the Tarf team to celebrate at the final whistle.

Well done to coach Paddy Lee- he set the standard for the lads. The support of the U17 coaches Karl Cagney and Damien Wilson was also key. A special mention also to Derek Brennan and Kevin Bulman- parents of Gordon and Sean- who have been running extra fitness sessions for the squad.

Team; Jeff Whyte, Colm Coffey, Luke Murphy, Sean Bulman, Stephen Lamb, Craig Wilson, Alan Gibbon, Sean Flynn, Barry Whelan, Stephen Lawless, Aaron O’Toole,Kevin Prout, Joe Murphy(C Keogh HT), Rob Kearney, Gordon Brennan.
Replacements. Cian Keogh.Jimmy Oliver, Ben Kidd, Vincent gavin, Brendan Ryan.

Other panel members who played in league. Niall Twaddle, Daragh Collings, John Gibbon, Conor Kelly, Jamie Buckett, Karl MacKenna, Colin Ryan, Daniel Fanning, Nick Bett.

Club Chairman at Ballymena RFC, Ray Buchanan, said: “This is a very exciting development and one which will show the true nature of rugby. Our Youth teams will be given the opportunity to join with boys from Clontarf and demonstrate the inclusive nature of rugby at all levels”.

“As a club, we are determined to widen our community base to young people from all communities and the partnership with Clontarf will add a significant element to our work in this area.”

The proposal will initially work to a three-year plan. The plan is that by year 2, the boys will play as a joint team for a fixture against local opposition in both Ulster and Leinster.

Year 3 will see this extended to two fixtures against opposition in both provinces. The players will also have the opportunity of staying with their counterpart’s families and experience the cultural and social aspect of each other’s clubs.

The idea was the product of a meeting between Ballymena RFC’s Tom Wiggins and his counterpart in Clontarf, Rory Ryan.

From the outset both agreed that the concept of ‘twinning’ their Youth sections was an exciting prospect. The idea of a joint team to play selected fixtures in both provinces seemed a natural progression and a plan was soon established.

It is hoped that boys from both clubs will better understand the inclusive nature of rugby as a sport and that the project will allow them the opportunity to sample the culture and traditions in both provinces.

Ballymena and Clontarf are firmly of the opinion that rugby plays and will continue to play a significant role in community and cross border relations.

This initiative will highlight the inclusive nature of the game at all levels and will be an example which other clubs can easily follow.

The clubs believe the prospect of a joint team playing selected fixtures may be a first in Ireland. The project has also the backing of no less a person than Dr Syd Millar CBE, the former Chairman of the International Rugby Board.

Syd was delighted when he heard that the project was being considered and was even more delighted that his own club Ballymena were at the forefront of developments.

He and others involved hope this will be seen by others as a very worthwhile endeavour and that clubs in all provinces follow this lead to further enhance the experience provided to young rugby players throughout Ireland.

To kick off the initiative, the boys played a match at Eaton Park and then enjoyed lunch in the Ballymena clubhouse where everyone had an opportunity to chat and make friends.

Ballymena and Ulster full-back Jamie Smith was on hand to watch the boys play and to answer questions from many young players who wish to follow in his footsteps into provincial rugby.

The Ballymena Under-14s will travel to Dublin later in the season for a return fixture to conclude phase one of the project.