'Connacht helped South Africa to win the World Cup'

The 42

2 days ago

IT WAS AUGUST 2007 and the mighty Springboks were in Galway.
Jake White's side would go on to win the World Cup in imposing fashion a couple of months later but first, they had a warm-up game against the apparent minnows, Connacht.
Michael Bradley's side were expected to be cannon fodder for the beefy, brutal South Africans. But Connacht had other ideas. They'd got wind of a relaxed approach to the game by the visitors.
'I think they were enjoying the culture in Galway a little bit too much,' says Andrew Farley, the Connacht captain at the time.
'We'd heard that they'd been out for a few nights in Galway sampling the local Guinness and stuff like that, so they were a little bit underdone.'
Sitting outside the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel in his native Brisbane, Farley smiles at the thought of that game.
Connacht lost but it was a battle at the Sportsground that spoke volumes of the province's ethos. The westerners' defence was brilliant and they trailed 3-0 at the break before Andy Dunne's penalty drew them back to within five points in the final quarter.
Bismarck du Plessis was sin-binned for throwing a punch in frustration and the Boks had to call on big guns like Bryan Habana off the bench to finally get the job done and squeeze out an 18-3 victory in Galway.
'We helped them win the World Cup, that's what I always tell people,' says Farley.
'That's a great memory of ours in Connacht. It was fantastic.'
Farley is part of the Connacht Clan Hall of Fame. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Last Christmas was the first time since leaving the place in 2009 that Farley got back to Connacht for the sole purpose of visiting his old province.
He had been in Galway in 2015 with French club Grenoble, where he played and managed after moving on from Ireland, but last year's trip was all about catching up with old friends.
Second row Farley played for Connacht more than 150 times during a six-year spell that included two periods as captain, as well as a few appearances for Ireland A, so he has great grá for the place. He is part of the Connacht Clan's Hall of Fame.
Farley took great pleasure in catching up with the likes of John Fogarty, Mike McCarthy, Bernard Jackman, Adrian Flavin, Tim Allnutt and many more while he and his family had a mini-tour of Europe, also visiting France and Wales, where his wife, Lucy, is from.
Growing up in Brisbane, Farley could never have imagined the west of Ireland would play a big role in his life. He came through Marist College Ashgrove, the same school as the great John Eales, and played for Australia at U18, U19, and U21 levels.
The Aussie back row in those teams was George Smith, Phil Waugh, and David Lyons, while Farley played against the likes of Richie McCaw, Mils Muliaina, and the late Jerry Collins in the U21 World Cup final, which New Zealand won.
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Back then in the early 2000s, Australia only had three teams in Super Rugby, so it was tough for a young lock like Farley to break through given that the likes of Eales and Matt Cockbain were so established with his club, the Queensland Reds.
Farley had already had two development stints abroad with Italian club L'Aquila and Kiwi side Otago when former Wallabies boss John Connelly called him and asked if he fancied moving to Wales to play for Swansea for another new experience.
'I was a young kid and just rocked up. That Swansea team was a savage team,' says Farley, listing off Scott Gibbs, Colin Charvis, Shaun Payne, Darren Morris, and a young Gavin Henson.
Farley only had one season with Swansea and his intention was to go home but he got a call from fellow Australian Matt Mostyn, who was moving from Newport to Connacht in the summer of 2003.
Farley carries the ball for Connacht. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Next thing Farley knew, he was on the phone with Michael Bradley, who was taking over in Connacht in the wake of the province's march on Lansdowne Road to protest against the IRFU's plans to shut down the professional arm of the province.
'Michael told me that Connacht had just survived all the troubles that they'd had, that they'd got reinvestment and he asked me to come for a year,' says Farley.
'When he said, 'We've got security now,' I was kind of like, 'Security for what?'
'I didn't know a huge amount about the struggle and it was surprising to me but he sold me on the idea of a new project. Matt was going too and he's someone I'm still mates with now.'
Nothing much had changed back in the Reds squad, so Queensland agreed for Farley to spend another year in Europe. He ended up taking over as Connacht captain the following season and spending six years there in total.
Galway is certainly different to Brisbane but Farley loved the place, aside from the weather.
'Coming from Queensland, I was softened a little bit by Swansea, but like there's no doubting it – it rains a lot,' he says.
'But at heart, Galway is a very warm city. The people and the culture are great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.'
That was a different time for Connacht, well before they could dream of winning the Pro12 as they did in 2013 under Pat Lam. The facilities were certainly nothing near the new high performance centre where Stuart Lancaster's team are now doing pre-season. And the current stadium redevelopment was not even close to being on the cards.
The highlights in Farley's time were a few thrilling Challenge Cup runs and though they lost more games than they won, he felt like he fitted in.
'With Connacht, and it's sort of like a Queensland thing, you're always the underdog,' says Farley.
Farley played for Ireland A three times. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
'So you sort of use that as, 'Let's go and spoil the party.' I did like that mentality, it's a very similar mentality here in Queensland with the other states.
'There's quite a few Aussies that have gone over to Connacht and really enjoyed it. Canberra boys are used to the weather! Where would Mack Hansen be without Connacht now?'
Farley qualified for Ireland on residency grounds in 2006 and the following year, Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan gave him a shout.
There were good second row stocks in Ireland with the likes of Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, Malcolm O'Kelly, and Mick O'Driscoll, among others, but Farley was keen and joined the squad for a few training camps and was then picked in the Ireland A squad for the 2007 Churchill Cup in England.
It was a good experience playing alongside Johnny Sexton, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls, Mike Ross, Sean Cronin, and some of his Connacht team-mates, but Farley admits it was a big decision to commit to Ireland.
'By choosing to take that path, I was locking myself out of Australia because then I became Irish-qualified and I could no longer obvously come back and play for Australia.
'But you know, I was captain of Connacht at the time and I made the decision and I don't regret it. I had a fantastic time.'
Declan Kidney took over as Ireland boss in 2008 and Farley wasn't part of his plans.
So when Grenoble made an approach in 2009, Farley's head was turned. He had turned 29 and reckoned he could play on for longer in French rugby. There was an ambitious plan in Grenoble.
So it was that Farley and Lucy moved to France together and lived there for nine years, with all three of their children born there.
Farley during his time with Grenoble. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Farley played for the club more than 100 times across five seasons, then moved into a management role with Grenoble up until 2018.
Initially after retiring from playing, Farley split his duties at Grenoble with working part-time in the club president's global engineering company. That experience proved important for Farley, who works with a company called BuildingPoint Australia these days.
Life back in Brisbane is good. The Farley children – Ava, Sophia, and Tom – love growing up in Australia and their dad still has a core group of his old school friends to this day.
Farley remains involved with rugby as a big supporter and also through a programme called the C2K Rugby Academy, which supports young players with position-specific training, mentoring, and advice.
He has helped a couple of youngsters to find rugby opportunities in Europe through his contacts, knowing as he does that taking on an adventure on the other side of the world can be life-changing.
'I can't thank rugby enough,' says Farley. 'It's not until after rugby, when people mentor you and look after you, that you realise that you've learnt so much from playing.
'There are just so many examples from my career that enable me to be a good leader now.
'You've actually got a diploma in life from playing rugby.'