By Tadhg Peavoy
Email: Tadhg.Peavoy@rte.ie
Prior to professionalism in rugby, the All Ireland League was the battleground for Irish rugby’s major battles. The best players from the four provinces played for their club and from there they won the honour to represent their country.
Since the advent of the professional game, the provinces are now the top-tier teams in the nation. But the AIL, now branded as the Ulster Bank League, still runs every week and is the forgotten cousin in terms of media exposure. Hundreds of players across the country tog out weekly to compete; Old Belvedere’s John Kennedy is one such player.
The Clontarf man was a player of zest, élan and flair from a young age playing for Lansdowne. A drop-goal in the dying embers of the Leinster Junior Cup final 1999 won the match for his school Belvedere College; Kennedy was also part of the team that lost the Leinster Senior Cup final 2002 to St Mary’s.
Pictured below: Kennedy has played for Lansdowne, Belvedere College, Clontarf and Old Belvedere
Kennedy’s path in the game diluted somewhat in the following years. No Leinster development contract was offered and he went on to play under-20s for Old Belvedere, and was in the senior squad after two years. He then left to play for Clontarf for three years and played mostly J1, with a smattering of appearances for the first team, before a sabbatical playing soccer for Orwell.
He says himself that it was a case of “don’t go back or go back all guns blazing” after that, which he did, and has reached AIL level since, bedding down in Phil Werahiko’s Old Belvedere first team; in fact, he became a foundation stone of that team, playing every minute of every game last season.
Pictured below: Kennedy tackles Simon Zebo of Cork Constitution and Munster
The second centre had his first moment of AIL fame for Belvo when scoring what turned out to be the winning try in the 2011 league final against Cork Constitution. In Chris Ashton fashion, he celebrated with a cheeky signal to the crowd before diving over the whitewash. But what does a player at that level have to do to stay there and what does that life encompass?
“Monday we do weights and a light session training on the pitch; Tuesday we have a pitch session; Wednesday is a rest day but a lot of lads would be going to the gym; Thursday we have a shorter pitch session; and then you’d have your match Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Overall, in a week, you’re looking at 12-15 hours of rugby,” Kennedy explained. “Lads would do a lot of other stuff in their own time as well, but that’s not monitored.”
Diet and weight training have become integral parts of modern sport, but at Belvedere these elements are advised rather than rigorously implemented.
“We wouldn’t be that strict. We’re back in pre-season from the first week in July, so in the second week you do a weights test and from there they try to tailor a programme specific to the player.
“Obviously a winger wouldn’t need to do the same programme as a tight-head prop. The coaches give you the information and it’s up to you from there.”
Pictured below: John Kennedy lunges for Sean Scanlon of Cork Constitution
Kennedy highlights that the programme he adheres to is tailored toward endurance and enabling him to be explosive on the pitch.
“We’re doing a lot of core work: bench press, dead lifts, both front and back squats, power clean is being used more because it’s the whole body in one exercise and it’s quite explosive; that’s what you need for rugby. It is an endurance sport, but you’re not going to have the ball every minute, so, you need explosive power. The power clean is the fashionable one that we’re working on at the moment.”
While the provincial players command salaries and bonuses for their services, Kennedy and his cohorts at club level are only offered match fees as a financial reward.
“There are match fees for AIL games for the first squad of 20 on a Saturday. Depending on the result you’ll get a certain amount,” Kennedy said. Essentially, that means win or draw and you will be paid; lose and you get diddly squat. The Dubliner continued: “You wouldn’t want to be relying on it to get you through. It’s a nice little bonus, but that’s all it is: a bonus.”
The trainee solicitor with Mangan O’Beirne Solicitors clearly dispels the notion that playing AIL is for financial gain.
“If you’re playing AIL looking to make money, you won’t. At my job they’re very understanding towards time and there’s no issue for me in that way.”
Pictured below: Kennedy chases down Shannon and Munster's Luke O'Dea
Kennedy’s terra incognita is a professional contract either in Ireland or abroad. But, surprisingly, that is not something that he's chasing at this stage in his life or career.
“It’s not for me. I think that boat has sailed a long time ago. There’s such a small window and if you’re not caught up in the window at 16, if you don’t get that Leinster Schools cap, if you don’t get that Ireland cap, if you don’t get brought into the provincial academy...I think a lot of players are lost that way. If you haven’t made it into the system by 18,19,20 you probably won’t get that pro-contract.
“I know there are a couple of examples of guys playing AIL and then getting contracts. Belvo’s own Leo Auva’a has now got a pro-contract after four years in the AIL, but that’s the exception.”
At 27-years-old, Auva’a is almost an elder statesman and it was unusual to see him penning a deal with Leinster. But there are youngsters in the Belvedere squad who would have their eye on a similar deal, or a contract in England, Kennedy believes: “There's a couple of younger guys who would definitely be good enough to get a contract - maybe not Leinster, but Championship or lower Premiership. Ben Woods has a good chance. Ruairi Cushion is with Plymouth now, he was scrum-half with Belvo for a good few years.
“Unless you’re a top international like Brian O’Driscoll, you’re going to have to work in some way after playing. I wouldn’t throw away what I’ve put in so far [in my legal career] just for a couple of years saying I was a pro-rugby player.”
Pictured below: Chris Cochrane of Dungannon curtails Kennedy's efforts
Life as a schools rugby player is incredibly dedicated in Ireland and it is at this level that Kennedy feels he learnt his craft. He looks back on his underage years as a valuable learning period.
“It teaches you discipline. You’re training as a full-time player and I remember doing gym before school and training four days a week, plus a match on a Saturday. From that position you actually train less for a club than you do in school. In terms of bridging the gap between club and school it’s a big gap. It can be quite daunting for a schoolkid. Especially, say, for someone who’s been written up as the next big thing; it’s a lot less glamorous when you go in to play AIL level.”
As champions of Ireland, Belvo have started their AIL defence in decidedly rocky fashion, stuttering to a draw and five losses in their opening sextet of games. It’s a loss of form Kennedy is at odds to explain.
“It’s hard to put your finger on why [we've been so poor]. It’s pretty much the same personnel and same team as last year. I think we’ve been unlucky, but our defence has been poor. It’s mistakes that didn’t happen last year and little breaks in matches that we got last year. But the biggest thing is our defence. I think last year we were first or second in terms of our defence and this year we were the highest conceded up until the Shannon game. We’re still scoring loads, but conceding far too much.
“Hopefully we’ll turn it around in the not too distant future. I know it’s a big ask to win the league now, seeing that there’s not a top three or top four [play-off]. But we’ll give ourselves a chance, you never know. We can go on a run and we can beat anyone on our day.”
Pictured below: Stephen Grissing of St Mary's brings Kennedy to ground
The AIL is in the background of Irish rugby life, that much is certain at present. However, it will continue to be the breeding and testing ground for future talent and for those who want to play the game purely for the love of it. Kennedy would like to see more exposure for this level of the sport, but also accepts that sometimes you can't always get what you want.
"It [the AIL] could be advertised better. Maybe you could have games on before PRO12 games. We played Lansdowne under lights in the Aviva on a Friday night - it was an unreal experience. But, there was only a pocket of people - maybe 500, 1,000 maximum. Maybe it's up to the individual clubs to try and attract members. Or, maybe we just have to accept it."
Tadhg Peavoy was in conversation with John Kennedy in November 2011.
Follow John Kennedy, Old Belvedere and the Ulster Bank League season at: http://www.irishrugby.ie/club/news/index.php
Read about last year’s Ulster Bank League final here:
http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2011/0501/oldbelvedere_corkconstitution.html
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