BARRY McGOVERN Actor, age 61: Rugby

Where does your interest in rugby come from?

I grew up within a 10-minute walk of Lansdowne Road. My father used to bring me to matches and then I played a bit at school – at St Michael’s and Castleknock.

Did you play when you left school?

No. I wasn’t any good. I was too light, but I enjoyed it.

Do you remember going to your first international?

I do. Ireland beat Australia in 1958 at Lansdowne Road. It was the first time they’d beaten a touring team.

Can you remember who would have been on the Irish team?

Yes. Paddy Berkery at full back, Tony O’Reilly, David Hewitt, Niall Brophy, Jack Kyle was at outhalf, Andy Mulligan at scrumhalf, Syd Miller and Keith Wood’s dad, Gordon were props. It was Ronnie Dawson’s first cap and it was Noel Murphy’s first cap.

I remember Noel Murphy got clocked, as he did in his last cap by Brian Price in 1969 at Cardiff Arms Park. Against Australia, he was clocked by Nick Shehadie – the veteran forward, who had been on the 1948 tour when Australia beat Ireland – so he obviously antagonised people. He wasn’t called “Noisy” for nothing.

Who’s the best player you’ve seen of all the stars from your youth?

I think Mike Gibson. He had everything. He’d a great defence. He was able to tackle a guy. He was a beautiful reader of the game, his acceleration, his kicking. He was a pleasure to watch. The unfortunate thing about Mike Gibson was that he never played with a great Irish team. On the Lions tour in 1971, Gibson was fantastic. He had John Dawes beside him in the centre, Gerald Davies on the wing, JPR Williams, Gareth Edwards and Barry John. That was a great team, and they beat the All Blacks 2-1, and one match drawn, the only time we’ve beaten them in a Lions series.

Can you compare Gibson to Brian O’Driscoll?

You can’t because the times were totally different. It was an amateur era. O’Driscoll has everything – he’s probably the greatest player Ireland has ever produced for all-round consistency, but Gibson and his team-mates were part-time players. Gibson was a solicitor. You can’t compare.

Is the game better or worse today than it was a generation ago?

It’s got better in some ways but worse in others. They have to stop tinkering with the laws. They’re doing everything now to suit television. They’re trying to make it more attractive as a spectacle for people who don’t know much about it, but the rules are complex. They don’t change the rules in soccer, hardly ever; the back-pass was the last rule change I remember.

What is it that makes rugby so great compared to other sports?

It sounds funny to say but there’s a spiritual quality to it for me, a Corinthian quality to it, the spirit of playing hard but fair – and shaking hands afterwards and sharing a drink – although that ethic is being diluted.

Nowadays, there are a lot of cheap shots. Because a try is now worth five points – and seven if converted – teams will happily slow play down or give away a penalty or get a player sent off, if it’s worth it to win a game. I hate all that.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen at a rugby match?

Probably Mike Titcomb awarding a drop goal to Gareth Edwards when Ireland played Wales in 1968. It wasn’t a drop goal at all. I was right behind the posts. It was wide. I remember seeing it going wide but he awarded it. People were threatening to invade the pitch. Luckily, Mick Doyle scored a try near the end of the match. I think we won 9-6. Titcomb just made a mistake.

How will Ireland do in the 2011 Rugby World Cup?

I think they’ve a chance of doing reasonably well, but we’re not breeding prop forwards. On the Lions tour in 1971, Ray McLoughlin and Seán Lynch would have been the two Test props, only Ray McLoughlin broke his thumb punching somebody in the Canterbury match. The idea of Irish props getting a Test cap against South Africa or Australia or New Zealand in a Lions tour is . . . I know John Hayes got on as a sub last year but he went out as a sub as well.

The last time we had Test props of that calibre were in the days of Phil Orr or Nick Popplewell. We’ve got great backs, good second rows and back rows but we need prop forwards. They had an outhalf factory in Wales, they used to talk about. That’s what we need – a prop forward factory.

In conversation with Richard Fitzpatrick