Ihave
a painting that sits on the wallabove
the door to my living room. You can see it as you
enter the house. It depicts a legendary moment in the
annals of Ulster Rugby's history and frames just one legendary
moment in the career of Dr. David Humphreys MBE. The painting
shows 'the Humph' as he is sometimes affectionately
known, diving over to help seal a famous win against Stade
Francais in the semi final of the Heineken Cup nee European
Cup.
In the background a billboard proclaims the Bank of
Ireland, the team’s sponsors and behind it fans stand
to acknowledge the try. The original photo was a marketing
man’s dream, it was used for years by the Bank of Ireland
to promote their sponsorship of Ulster rugby.
The act of try scoring was not a seminal moment because
the Ulster team went on to greater things in winning the
Heineken Cup. For many who like me, were there, it was
a legendary moment that will live in the memory long after
the Ravenhill spotlights no longer cast their spell over
the man who has graced it’s playing surface and who in
turn enthralled and occasionally infuriated us the humble
supporter...
There are many more legendary moments and memories than
that cold January afternoon but it perhaps encapsulates
everything that made Humphreys such an enthralling player
to watch was in the build up to the try from nowhere.
Humphreys stood in his own 22 as I remember it, to kick
to touch. Positioned I think almost directly behind an
Ulster scrum. I would challenge anyone, least of all his
own team to say they had a premonition of what happened
next. As he shaped to kick to touch, the Humph controlled
the kick transforming it into a chip up the blindside.
Sheldon Coulter I think it was, on the right wing followed
the kick up, caught it on a neat bounce and found Humphreys
on his inside to offload and beat whatever Stade Francais
cover that had actually managed to recover their senses.
The rest is history as Humphreys dived over unopposed.
I would suggest he was the antithesis, as this try showed,
of the modern day professional, pre programmed outhalf
who works within team patterns, plays to structures and
has a play book in his head. Humphreys was in my eyes
an ‘off the cuff‘ player who played it as he
saw it in front of him. He was blessed with a natural
turn of speed and superb footballing skills.
Of course it could all go horribly wrong, as I remember
sitting at Kingsholm behind the deadball line and watch
him have an absolute mare as he was intercepted, I think
twice, once at least for a 7 pointer before he was subbed
for Paddy Wallace. You could forgive all those wobblers,
when the confidence was drained from him and the burden
of carrying an underperforming team in front of him became
too great. Always there was some redeeming game and magic
moment that made it worth the price of an admission ticket.
That he might retire this season, not in the blaze of
glory but in the flicker of dying candlelight is a shame.
Not the fanfare of a try in his last match, or a cameo
from the bench to remind us of what we are about to lose?
No, it increasingly looks as though there will be a long
drawn out stutter of the flame extinguishing in a slow
death. The curtain will close on a prolonged period of
injury after nearly a decade playing in the pro rugby
arena draws to a close. Amen.
Yet there is too much to savour for to mourn the loss
of a rugby hero because there are many times when one
can look back at moments that are sublime. Of course there
was the frustrations too because Humph could show a fragile
side to his playing psyche that meant his confidence appeared
to shatter in a prolonged moment of indecision that could
result in a missed tackle or an intercepted pass.
He was, as the cliché went, a confidence player. Jim
Stokes writing prior to the 99 final said,
“Humphreys is like one of those Christmas tree
lights that flick on and off… until this season that
is”
Nevertheless he continued to have the
odd crisis of confidence long after the ‘99 season. Indeed
he faced an almost continuous barrage of criticism at international
level despite his 70+ caps for the standard of his defending.
This at times to me appeared to be the result of an orchestrated
campaign fuelled in some quarters by the media with an agenda.
If that sounds too strong, one only had to look at the continual
carping of George Hook who set the standard in player vilification
that others dared to follow. Yet the defence issue could
teeter from the ridiculous to the sublime.
For example he came second in the tackle count to Keith
Gleeson, Ireland’s openside in the match against Italy,
during the last 6 Nations he played a full part in. Humphreys
not only run the show but raced round the pitch tackling
like a demon. During an Autumn international against Australia,
Stringer missed a first up tackle on Mortlock and Humphreys
covering behind struggled to lay a hand on the same player.
Yet the reaction was one of Humphreys having missed the
tackle and no mention of Stringers poor effort which caused
the gap in the defensive line in the first place.
Humphreys could be culpable. Run between him and the
12 and uncertainty set in and without the defensively
reliable Johnny Bell outside him Humph could struggle.
Yet O'Gara the man who fought hard to usurp Humphreys
in the Ireland no.10 jersey could be equally culpable.
Ultimately though after a good career as an international
no.10 for Ireland Humphreys recognised he was no longer
required by Eddie O'Sullivan and quit.
There are many moments to savour... the 30 odd personal
points haul against Wasps in the Heineken cup at Ravenhill,
which I believe still stands as a record. The moment in
the Scotland match at Murrayfield when he tapped a drop
out to himself and set off down the pitch with only Ireland
no.8 Dion O’C for company from his own team. Dion mishandled
on the Scottish 22 to foil what would have been a piece
of rugby try scoring bravado.
There was the little feint to kick to touch and then
the ball would be pulled back and off he'd run. It was
breathtaking at times to watch him operate right up on
the gainline, living off his skill amongst the bone crunchers
of the game. The sidesteps, the swerve, the sleight of
hand and the tactical string pulling when he had the Edinburgh
back three in a tangle as he lorded his patch with chips,
with long punts, then the run to mix it all up, uncertainty
made defenders pause that vital second that allowed gaps
to open in defences.
It may be that the cameo against Leinster this season
will be the last time he has graced Ravenhill. His 20
minutes on the pitch transformed an Ulster team, galvanising
them to draw with Leinster who now look like this season’s
Magners League Champions.
My personal view is we will not see the likes of this
kind of ‘fly by wire’ rugby player ever again in the modern
game. For me, he was old school, it mattered not a lot
that he sometimes missed tackles. I never came to watch
a fly half tackle but I sure thrilled to the attacking
finesse of a ten who could occasionally destroy a team
almost single handedly. Humphreys was that sorta player,
my kinda player.
David Humphreys, is a worthy successor in my eyes, to
the legends of Ulster rugby. Oh how they roll off the
tongue, Gibson, Millar, McBride, Kyle…..Now Humphreys
can be safely added to that pantheon of greats, as someone
who it can be truly said, graced the game with skill,
self belief and brought a smile to the faces of even the
opposition supporters.
It’s why that painting of the Stade try retains pride
of place on my wall. It enshrines the very core of why
I still go to a rugby match.
As elaborated by the brilliant Mike Gibson,
“David has demonstrated this season
that he's very capable of playing consistently at the
highest level. Take his try against Stade Francais; In
terms of spectator pleasure it was the greatest moment
in rugby since that famous Jack Kyle try against France
back in the fifties.”
Follow that... I doubt many tens will have a eulogy like
that written for them, I’ll second it.
BP in admiration and reverence.
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Rugby on TV
Wednesday
30th April
19:30 Ulster v Munster Magners League Setanta Sports 2 (19:00-21:30)
Setanta Ireland (19:00-21:30)
Friday 2nd May
18:00 Cheetahs v Highlanders Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (18:00-20:00)
19:10 Ospreys v Edinburgh Magners League Setanta Sports
2 (18:55-21:15) Setanta Ireland (18:55-21:15)
19:30 TBC Top 14 British Eurosport 2 (19:30-21:15)
Saturday 3rd May
08:30 Hurricanes v Lions Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (08:30-10:30)
10:30 Reds v Blues Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (10:30-12:30)
14:00 Bulls v Waratahs Super 14 Sky Sports Xtra (14:00-16:00)
16:00 Stormers v Brumbies Super 14 Sky Sports Xtra (16:00-18:00)
18:00 Bath v Saracens Guinness Premiership Sky Sports 1
(17:55-20:25) Sky Sports HD1 (17:55-20:25)
18:00 Leinster v Dragons Magners League Setanta Ireland
(17:30-20:15)
Tuesday 6th May
19:35 Dragons v Ospreys Rodney Parade S4C (19:30 - 21:30)
Friday 9th May
18:00 Bulls v Brumbies Super 14 Sky Sports 3 (18:00-20:00)
19:10 Dragons v Leinster Magners League Setanta Ireland
(18:55-21:15) Setanta Sports 2 (18:55-21:15)
19:45 TBC Top 14 British Eurosport 2 (19:45-21:15) More
Saturday 10th May
08:30 Highlanders v Blues Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (08:30-10:30)
10:30 Reds v Crusaders Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (10:30-12:30)
14:30 TBC Guinness Premiership Sky Sports 2 (14:30-17:30)
Sky Sports HD2 (14:30-17:30)
17:00 Munster v Glasgow Magners League Setanta Ireland (16:30-19:15)
Setanta Sports 2 (16:30-19:15)
17:30 Scarlets v Edinburgh Magners League S4C (from 17:10)
More
18:00 Stormers v Waratahs Super 14 Sky Sports 3 (18:00-20:00)
We'll put the scores
up after the Ulster match this week. Meanwhile here's this weekend's
games plus the Dragons - Osprey game which is scheduled for next
Tuesday.
Week
33
Weekend 2nd May 2008
Magners League.
Connacht v Blues
Ospreys v Edinburgh
Scarlets v Munster
Ulster v Warriors
Dragons v Leinster
Dragons v Ospreys
Predictions to be in
by 6:00 pm Friday 2nd May 2008.