John Hayes (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
John Hayes is an Irish rugby union
player, who plays in the RaboDirect Pro12
and Heineken Cup
for Munster
. Having spent his underage career playing with the local Cappamore GAA club, he was 18 when he started playing rugby. It was his size (6'4", 19st) which enabled him to overcome his late start to the sport. He continues to "follow GAA in Limerick very much and especially hurling
".
He first played rugby as a wing forward in a Munster Junior League match for Bruff R.F.C.
against Newcastle West R.F.C. At the start of his career, he was affectionately referred to as the 'Calf', before then being known as the 'Bullock' as his career progressed then finally the 'Bull'. He is also known for being one of the most honest and professional players in rugby union which is one of the reasons he has had such a long and successful career.
He was introduced to the game of rugby union by friends when he joined the local Rugby Club, Bruff R.F.C.
based in County Limerick
, he then moved up a grade when he joined Shannon R.F.C. before traveling to Invercargill, New Zealand. During his stay in Invercargill, he changed position from Second Row to Prop Forward. On his return, he rejoined Shannon R.F.C. and gained his place on the Munster squad. He later rejoined his original club, Bruff RFC when they joined the AIL as a senior club in 2004.
in 2000 and was Ireland's first-choice tighthead prop from then until the beginning of the 2010–11 season when he has been replaced by fellow Munster player Tony Buckley. He was a member of the British and Irish Lions
squad in their tour to New Zealand in 2005 and played in the warm up test match vs Argentina.
Hayes became Ireland's most capped player during Ireland's first Grand Slam
in 61 years in 2009 with 94 appearances.
He earned his 100th cap for Ireland against England
on 27 February 2010. He was the first Irish player to do so. Hayes lead Ireland out onto the pitch before the game to a standing ovation from the Twickenham
crowd. Ireland went on to win the game 20–16 with a late try by Tommy Bowe
. Hayes did not play against the Barbarians in Ireland's first match of the Summer Tests, and missed the Test against New Zealand through illness. He came on as a replacement against New Zealand Maori but was left out of the squad to play Australia, thereby losing his title of Ireland's most capped player to Brian O'Driscoll.
He was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup warm-ups in August, but was left out of the final 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand.
in Cardiff
's Millennium Stadium
on 21 May against Biarritz
. Earlier that year he had helped Ireland secure the Triple Crown
.
In 2008, he again helped Munster
win the Heineken European Cup
in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 24 May against Toulouse
.
He became the fifth Munster player to win 200 caps in the Magners League semi-final against Ospreys on 14 May 2011. In July 2011, Hayes was left out the 45-man Munster squad for the forthcoming season fuelling speculation that he may retire after the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
Despite the speculation that Hayes would retire, he came off the bench for Munster in their opening RaboDirect Pro12
match against Newport Gwent Dragons
in September 2011. Hayes has been contracted by Munster until the end of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
Hayes became the first person to play 100 Heineken Cup
games in November 2011 when he came on against Northampton Saints
in the 2011–12 Heineken Cup
.
squad in South Africa as a replacement for the injured Euan Murray
. He played in the final test match of the tour.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, who plays in the RaboDirect Pro12
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
for Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
. Having spent his underage career playing with the local Cappamore GAA club, he was 18 when he started playing rugby. It was his size (6'4", 19st) which enabled him to overcome his late start to the sport. He continues to "follow GAA in Limerick very much and especially hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
".
He first played rugby as a wing forward in a Munster Junior League match for Bruff R.F.C.
Bruff R.F.C.
Bruff Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby club in the town of Bruff, in Ireland.-History:The club was set up in late 1969-early 1970 by two G.A.A. players, Willie Conway and Nicholas Cooke....
against Newcastle West R.F.C. At the start of his career, he was affectionately referred to as the 'Calf', before then being known as the 'Bullock' as his career progressed then finally the 'Bull'. He is also known for being one of the most honest and professional players in rugby union which is one of the reasons he has had such a long and successful career.
He was introduced to the game of rugby union by friends when he joined the local Rugby Club, Bruff R.F.C.
Bruff R.F.C.
Bruff Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby club in the town of Bruff, in Ireland.-History:The club was set up in late 1969-early 1970 by two G.A.A. players, Willie Conway and Nicholas Cooke....
based in County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, he then moved up a grade when he joined Shannon R.F.C. before traveling to Invercargill, New Zealand. During his stay in Invercargill, he changed position from Second Row to Prop Forward. On his return, he rejoined Shannon R.F.C. and gained his place on the Munster squad. He later rejoined his original club, Bruff RFC when they joined the AIL as a senior club in 2004.
Ireland
Hayes won his first International cap against ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 2000 and was Ireland's first-choice tighthead prop from then until the beginning of the 2010–11 season when he has been replaced by fellow Munster player Tony Buckley. He was a member of the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
squad in their tour to New Zealand in 2005 and played in the warm up test match vs Argentina.
Hayes became Ireland's most capped player during Ireland's first Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
in 61 years in 2009 with 94 appearances.
He earned his 100th cap for Ireland against England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 27 February 2010. He was the first Irish player to do so. Hayes lead Ireland out onto the pitch before the game to a standing ovation from the Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
crowd. Ireland went on to win the game 20–16 with a late try by Tommy Bowe
Tommy Bowe
Thomas John "Tommy" Bowe is an Irish rugby union footballer from County Monaghan, Ireland...
. Hayes did not play against the Barbarians in Ireland's first match of the Summer Tests, and missed the Test against New Zealand through illness. He came on as a replacement against New Zealand Maori but was left out of the squad to play Australia, thereby losing his title of Ireland's most capped player to Brian O'Driscoll.
He was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup warm-ups in August, but was left out of the final 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand.
Munster
In 2006, he helped Munster win the Heineken European Cup2005-06 Heineken Cup
The 2005–06 Heineken Cup was the eleventh edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. 24 teams from 7 different countries took part, with the opening game played on Friday October 21, 2005...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
's Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
on 21 May against Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
. Earlier that year he had helped Ireland secure the Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
.
In 2008, he again helped Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
win the Heineken European Cup
2007-08 Heineken Cup
The 2007–08 Heineken Cup was the 13th edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby.The start of the tournament was delayed because of the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 24 May against Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
.
He became the fifth Munster player to win 200 caps in the Magners League semi-final against Ospreys on 14 May 2011. In July 2011, Hayes was left out the 45-man Munster squad for the forthcoming season fuelling speculation that he may retire after the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
Despite the speculation that Hayes would retire, he came off the bench for Munster in their opening RaboDirect Pro12
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
match against Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
in September 2011. Hayes has been contracted by Munster until the end of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
Hayes became the first person to play 100 Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
games in November 2011 when he came on against Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
in the 2011–12 Heineken Cup
2011–12 Heineken Cup
The 2011–12 Heineken Cup is the 17th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby...
.
2009 Lions Tour
On 18 June 2009, Hayes was called up to the British and Irish Lions2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
squad in South Africa as a replacement for the injured Euan Murray
Euan Murray
Euan Murray is a Scottish rugby union footballer, formerly playing for Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership competition before joining Newcastle Falcons. He has also played for the Scotland national team. He was a part of their 2007 Six Nations squad, and scored a try in their final game...
. He played in the final test match of the tour.
Munster
- Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
:- Winner (3): 2002-03, 2008-092008-09 Magners League-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-Week 10:-Week 11:-Week 12:-Week 13:-Week 14:-Week 15:...
, 2010-11
- Winner (3): 2002-03, 2008-09
- Celtic CupCeltic League (rugby union)The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
:- Winner (1): 2004-052004-05 Celtic League-Week 4:-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-Week 10:-Week 11:-Week 12:-Week 13:-Week 14:-Week 15:-Week 16:...
- Winner (1): 2004-05
- Heineken CupHeineken CupThe Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
:- Winner (2): 2005-062005-06 Heineken CupThe 2005–06 Heineken Cup was the eleventh edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. 24 teams from 7 different countries took part, with the opening game played on Friday October 21, 2005...
, 2007-082007-08 Heineken CupThe 2007–08 Heineken Cup was the 13th edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby.The start of the tournament was delayed because of the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
- Winner (2): 2005-06
Ireland
- Six Nations ChampionshipSix Nations ChampionshipThe Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
:- Winner (1): 20092009 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
- Winner (1): 2009
- Grand SlamGrand Slam (Rugby Union)In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
:- Winner (1): 20092009 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
- Winner (1): 2009
- Triple CrownTriple Crown (Rugby Union)In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
:- Winner (4): 20042004 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-tenth series of the northern...
, 20062006 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, 20072007 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, 20092009 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
- Winner (4): 2004