Seasoned professional with loftiest ambitions intact

RUGBY INTERVIEW: Gerry Thornleyhears from the Leinster and Ireland lock Malcolm O'Kelly as he embarks on his 12th season as a professional

SO THERE he was, 34 and starting out on his 12th professional season, with a record 91 Irish caps and 163 Leinster caps to his name and - freak of nature that he is - tearing around The Arms Park like a gazelle. Aside from his expert bread-and-butter work in the lineouts and restarts, he was beating the opposition outhalf in a long race to the ball under the Leinster posts, putting in a 40-metre kick up the left touchline and then following up Isa Nacewa's up-and-under to give the latter his try-scoring pass off the ensuing ricochet. Malcolm O'Kelly ain't finished yet.

You remind him of all the big plays and he says, "Whatever you can contribute (as a senior player) is seen in a good light by the younger lads."

He says he's still finding his feet this season "in terms of where I'm capable of going", adding: "At this stage in your career I think you have to pick and choose a little bit at what you do and hopefully when you get involved in the game you are doing it at the right moment - a good impact rather than a wasteful one when there are people already there. So I try to read the game and use that experience wisely."

He echoes the experiences of others when confessing that the speed of recovery after games is the biggest difference that comes with the passing years, but says he's feeling fresh from a relatively light summer and is injury free.

"I'm a lot stronger than I used to be, and with the training we do now I'm certainly as fit, if not naturally fit, and I've worked at it over the years. I'm in pretty good shape for a 34-year-old," he laughs, acknowledging that he's always had a pretty good engine.

"Pre-season was actually fine for me this year. A lot of people say it's the hardest part of the season but I find the actual season is a lot tougher because of the stress levels in matches. There's nothing like playing a match - you can have all the fitness sessions in the world and nothing compares to playing a game - that in itself is the hardest fitness test.

"And that's every week; you are being tested every week and you have to prepare for it every week. In pre-season you just turn up on the day, do your weights, go home and play golf. It's a perfect life in my book, but the matches are a different matter."

The removal of restrictions on numbers at lineouts, he reckons, is to help the referees: "I don't really understand the benefit to the players really."

It has added intrigue, he admits, but the combined effect of diluting the maul and so many quick throws rather than lineouts, all the more so if combined with the full raft of ELVs in the Southern Hemisphere further diluting the influence of the lineout, in the Australian-driven move to seemingly make union a quasi-league game, with players more uniform in size, could ultimately make 6ft 8in locks such as himself an endangered species.

That would be a desperate shame.

"Yeah, exactly. The way it has worked for us is that we have had so many more set-pieces, so many more scrums and lineouts than we have had before. But if you brought that rucking law in then that would reduce that hugely, and that's why there is no set-piece in the Southern Hemisphere."

He doesn't bridle even slightly at questions about his retirement, candidly admitting he hasn't set a date: "I'm not 100 per cent sure, it's as simple as that really. Every year at this stage I think, well, this is probably going to be my last year, and certainly at this stage I probably think that, but then you get to April and you think, 'Well, I got through it'." It will, he says, also be up to Leinster.

It's been a great career and if he wasn't to add to his 91 caps he'd still retire a happy man. That said, he points out, "I certainly haven't hung up my international boots. Obviously it's a fresh set-up, so they may have ideas about bringing in younger players, but it would be nice to think I could still achieve that level of excellence to play for my country."

He adds that neither he nor Declan Kidney has ruled out the possibility and admits reaching 100 caps is still an ambition.

He's as excited as anyone by the potential within Leinster this season, and given the point in his career, is as desperate as anyone to see them succeed this season.

"Certainly within Leinster there's so much to achieve. My personal ambitions are quite obvious - I'd love 100 caps - and as much as I want that a lot of that is out of my hands and rugby can be a cruel game. For me I'm focusing on Leinster getting a good start and building towards a successful Magners League and Heineken Cup campaign. That's all I want at the moment."

A Heineken Cup?

"I'd certainly hang up my boots if we won a Heineken Cup."

MALCOLM O'KELLY

Date of birth:19th July, 1974

Height:2.03m (6ft 8ins)

Weight:117kg (18st 5lb)

Leinster caps:163 (18 tries)

Ireland caps:91 (November 1997 to date) 8 tries

Lions caps: 5