Donnacha O’Callaghan Recalls Incredible Doug Howlett Story That Shows His Commitment To Munster
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Legendary.
Doug Howlett’s incredible 11-year stay with Munster comes to an end this month and what a legacy he has left behind.
The legendary All Black arrived in Munster back in 2008 as a global superstar – and he certainly didn’t disappoint, helping the province to their second European title in his first season.
Howlett went on to captain the province in his later years before an injury cut his career short. He went on to serve as an ambassador for the province before taking up his most recent role as Head of Commercial and Marketing.
Donnacha O’Callaghan played many a game alongside Howlett and recalled a fantastic story in his column with The Times this morning that shows the New Zealander’s incredible commitment to the men in red…
“Doug [Howlett] arrived as the record try-scorer for the greatest team on the planet [All Blacks]. His talent was beyond question but character is always the most important thing. His was crystallised for me in one particular play in 2012.” O’Callaghan writes.
“The ball was kicked in behind us. I chased back. Ahead of me was Doug, moving like a cheetah. A few strides before he reached the ball, his hamstring popped. Ninety nine per cent of players hit the ground right then. Doug instead hopped, one-two-three-four and dived on the ball. We managed to get back and over him and cleared the danger. Then attention came on and Doug went off. Going down before the ball was cleared was just not an option. What makes him a truly great pro is that this happened during a routine win against Treviso in Thomond Park.”
What an absolute legend.
