Gordon D’Arcy Reveals How He Found Out He Got Called Up To Play For Ireland

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Jason Hennessy

Jason is the editor here at RugbyLAD and a proud Limerick man.

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This is brilliant.

Gordon D’Arcy was two weeks away from sitting his leaving cert when he found out that Warren Gatland wanted to call him up to the Ireland squad.

Speaking on TV3’s new rugby show Clubhouse, D’Arcy recalls how the then Irish boss spotted him playing for Clongowes and invited him to travel with Ireland on a tour of South Africa in 1999.

“I was actually having a cigarette with a guy, Bernie Heffernan, and someone had come around looking for me saying the Vice Headmaster wants to see you. Immediately the panic hit me and I was like, ‘what have I done wrong, what have I done wrong.’

You’re walking in, and your like ‘ok just think on your feet, you can get through this, whatever it is it can’t be that bad.’ You go in then and he tells you Warren Gatland is on the phone and he wants to offer you a space on the tour to South Africa.”

Amazing story, and crazy when you think how far the game has come.