A rugby miscellany compiled by JOHN O'SULLIVAN

Thomas Gill Wallis: Irishman the longest-lived Test player

ACCORDING TO rugby union’s eminent historian John Griffiths, Ireland can lay claim to the longest-lived Test player: at least as far as records can establish because not all the birth and death dates for every Test player have been uncovered.

Thomas Gill Wallis was born on October 2nd, 1897 and died aged 103 years and 29 days on October 31st, 2000. He won the first of five caps for Ireland on April 9th, 1921 against France at Stade Colombes, the final match of that season’s Five Nations Championship.

Wallis played in the centre for an Ireland team that lost 20-10 but he did kick two conversions. The following season he played in all four matches, switching to the right wing. He scored his only try against England in the opening match.

In the second game against Scotland he had the distinction of marking the Olympian sprinter Eric Liddell on whom – along with Harold Abrahams – the film Chariots of Fireis based. He kicked a conversion in the following game against Wales; unfortunately for Wallis, his four appearances coincided with four Irish defeats.

Ironically on his fifth and final appearance for his country, Wallis enjoyed a victory in the green jersey when Ireland beat France 8-3 at Lansdowne Road (April 8th, 1922); he kicked a penalty and a conversion, bringing his Test match career tally to 14 points.

According to Griffiths, Ernest Cecil Pinkham (Canada, 1932) died in his 103rd year, while George Harman (Ireland, 1899) and James Henderson (Scotland, 1933) passed away in their 102nd years.

“It was all that was good about Irish rugby. There was fierce heart, fierce passion, great skill level and a big ambition to win.” Ronan O’Gara talking about Saturday’s night’s Magners League clash at Thomond Park.

Munster Rugby Cycle: for Paul Darbyshire and Motor Neurone Research

THE MUNSTER Rugby Cycle for Paul Darbyshire and Motor Neurone Research begins in Musgrave Park in Cork on Sunday, June 19th, with the Irish stages finishing at Trinity College, Dublin on Tuesday, June 21st. The cycle then moves to England, finishing in Warrington on Thursday, June 23rd.

Darbyshire is to step down from his position as Munster’s head of strength and conditioning at the end of this season, after four years with the province, on foot of being diagnosed with motor neurone disease last September.

A native of Wigan, he played almost all his professional rugby league career with Warrington Wolves. He is married to Lyndsay and has four children, Ella (13), Georgia (11), Jack aged 7 and baby Harry, born in October. Funds raised from the cycle will go the family and to fund research into motor neurone disease being carried out at Trinity College, Dublin, by Professor of Neurology, Orla Hardiman.

Cyclists can opt to take part in single stages or multiple stages of the cycle and those taking part must register by contacting Munster Rugby on 021-4323563 or email support@munsterrugby.ie. Registration costs € 50, with a minimum total of € 350 required per cyclist to participate – regardless of how many stages you wish to participate in. Donations can be made at

www.mycharity.ie/event/munster_rugby_charity_cycle.

LEICESTER TIGERS could be without first-choice loosehead prop Marcus Ayerza for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final game against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday after the Argentine international was sent off for head-butting Harlequins prop Joe Marler at The Stoop on Saturday. The latter responded with a flurry of punches and he too saw red. The Tigers won 17-13.

Ulster’s European quarter-final opponents, Northampton Saints, walloped the Sale Sharks 53-24 in what the English club will consider the perfect build-up before their clash with the Irish province at Milton Keynes next Sunday.

Super occasion: But the Crusaders fail to capitalise

EVERYONE MAY have waxed lyrical about the Super 15 game between the Crusaders and the Sharks at Twickenham last Sunday week but it seems the anticipated financial windfall did not materialise. The match, the first Super Rugby game staged outside of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was rescheduled for London following the February 22nd earthquake, which claimed more than 160 lives and destroyed the Crusaders’ AMI Stadium.

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach revealed the 35,094 fans who attended generated a six-figure sum for the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. But after accounting for costs and the Sharks’ share of the profits, the gate did not ease the Crusaders’ monetary woes. He admitted: “It has not been the blockbusting financial result we might have hoped for but we covered our costs and made a little bit . . . People here (in London) have said they think we did pretty well to get in excess of 35,000 in 10 days in a busy and cluttered market. We are kind of sitting here thinking it has been an adventure, worth it and special, without being the financial hit we had hoped.”

ON THIS DAY

April 4th,1959: France beat Wales 11-3 in Paris, revelling in the positively balmy temperature of 24 degrees Celsius to claim the Five Nations title outright for the first time. They had earlier travelled to London to face England, securing a 3-3 draw, the single point proving to be enough to keep them clear of Ireland, Wales and England, all of whom tied on four points.