Number #6: Louis Magee
We are going way back in time to celebrate a player who was born in 1874.
No, that’s not a typo, we’re talking about the late nineteenth century.
There were plenty of rugby clubs in Greater London that dwindled out of existence. When London Irish RFC welcomed Louis Magee to their ranks, the established Irish international drew other good players to the club.
This influx set London Irish on its way to a long history.
Louis Magee was a veterinarian who played much of his club rugby with Bective Rangers, about thirty miles from Dublin.
He played as a “halfback” in an era when teams played two halfbacks at either side of the scrum.
There wasn’t a distinction between scrumhalf and flyhalf. Instead, the halfbacks played either role on a left-right and right-left split.
International honours
Magee was capped for Ireland in 1895. He played twenty-seven times in all for his country in a time when international matches were much fewer.
Magee also captained Ireland for ten of those matches. During his tenure, Ireland won the triple crown in 1899.
He was so highly regarded that he toured with the British Isles in 1895 to South Africa. This was before they were known as the Lions.
Magee played in all four tests against the Springboks.
I’ve rated the historic player above Simon Geoghegan largely because Magee was selected at the highest level.
I was one of many who believed that Geoghegan should have got a shot with the Lions. But Magee edges him out on this criterion.
Magee’s playing skills
I haven’t been able to find old Pathe footage with Magee. So, I’ve had to dig into historic newspaper archives to get a feel for his skills.
Magee was physically slight but had a wicked dummy and sidestep. He was a renowned elusive runner.
He was also regarded as “shrewd” and “intelligent”, which I imagine was why he captained his national team.
Number #5: John O’Driscoll
We’re going back in time again, although not as far as with Louis Magee from the late 19th century.
John O’Driscoll’s heydays were in the 1980s. He played at blindside flanker or number eight. The affable Irishman was as tough as they came on the field.
Perhaps his greatest achievement at the club was in 1980. O’Driscoll was the captain on their run to the final of the John Player Cup.
They lost to Leicester Tigers but it was an important step in the club’s ambitions.
National honours
O’Driscoll had a somewhat inauspicious start with Ireland. His first senior cap was at Lansdowne Road against Scotland in 1978.
The young number eight was knocked unconscious during the match.
He wryly said later that he woke up to the cheers of the home crowd as his replacement scored a try. He wasn’t surprised when he wasn’t selected again that year.
But he would become the stalwart blindside flanker alongside the older Fergus Slattery and Willie Duggan in possibly the best backrow trio that Ireland had seen.
That combination was a huge part of Ireland’s triple crown in 1982. That may not seem a big deal to English or Welsh supporters.
But Ireland hadn’t won the trophy since 1949. Trust me, it was a big deal!
O’Driscoll on the Lions
John O’Driscoll went on both the 1980 and 1983 Lions tours to South Africa and New Zealand.
I can’t tell you much about the 1980 tour as I didn’t watch it. Both the British and Irish governments were against this tour due to the Apartheid regime.
But let’s put that aside for now. A review of the match reports shows that John O’Driscoll put in some rampaging performances on the pitch.
The Lions lost the first three tests, with John O’Driscoll scoring a try in the second test. The visitors turned their fortunes around in the final match.
The London Irishman became the only Lion to score twice in the tests when he shouldered his way to the line.
But perhaps his finest achievement was in a provincial match against the Junior Boks. This was in the days before the Lions travelled with a professional medical team.
Rodney O’Donnell, an Irish fullback, tackled a young Danie Gerber. His head compacted into his chest.
John O’Driscoll was on the field and recognized that this wasn’t a stinger or a dislocation. He stopped the local paramedics from carrying the fullback quickly off the field.
It transpired that the unfortunate O’Donnell had broken his neck and would never play again. But he probably owes his life to his medical teammate.
John O’Driscoll was also selected for the 1983 tour to New Zealand.
I do remember watching what turned into a whitewash. To be fair to O’Driscoll, he carried an injury through the tour.
Number #4: Alex Corbisiero
At first glance at Alex Corbisiero’s background, it seems unlikely that he’d become one of the best “old school” loosehead props of his generation.
These days, we acclaim all-action dynamic looseheads. But Corbisiero stood out in his day as a superior scrummager that teams could build their pack around.
When the Lions coaches expected rain for the second test in Australia in 2013, they dropped Mako Vunipola to the bench in favour of Corbisiero.
Warren Gatland said: “Technically, we think Alex is probably a little bit sounder.”
Early Background
Alex Corbisiero was born in Queens, New York.
His family had a sporting tradition, but not in rugby! His uncle Tony was a college swimmer who set American records in the 800 and 1,500-metre freestyle.
Alex moved to England when he was four years old. His parents encouraged him to play rugby, but the youngster didn’t attend one of the strong rugby schools in England.
He didn’t make county or representative teams as a schoolboy. So, an American (he still holds a passport) who was passed over for schoolboy honours?
His ascent to being a London Irish legend is remarkable.
Joining London Irish
A referee at Corbiserio’s school matches spotted his promise and recommended him to the London Irish coaches.
They summoned him to a summer trial when he was eighteen. He joined the LI academy off the back of the trial and never looked back.
Corbisiero had started out as a tighthead prop but soon moved over to the loosehead position.
He played his first senior match in 2008 when he was twenty-one. He would go on to make 75 appearances for the club until 2013.
It’s fair to say that London Irish had an unusual season in Corbisiero’s first year. By unusual, I mean they finished unusually high in the league in third place.
For the next three seasons, they were a squarely middle-of-league club.
There’s no doubt in my mind that without Corbisiero being part of a rock-steady front row, they would have been nearer the lower end.
Corbisiero left for Saints in 2013, but he was already beginning to suffer from recurring injuries. It’s fair to say that London Irish got the best out of his playing career.
International honours
Alex was eligible to represent the United States, Italy, Ireland, and England. He played once for the U.S. Eagles U19 team but was determined to play in the white shirt.
Martin Johnson brought him into the England squad and he got his first cap in 2011 when Andrew Sheridan was injured.
Corbisiero was behind Sheridan and Matt Stevens through his England career. But having three quality international looseheads gave England great depth.
He became the firm second-choice when Sheridan had to drop out of the 2011 World Cup squad. He came off the bench for Matt Stevens in two pool matches and the losing quarter-final.
On the Lions tour of 2013
Alex Corbisiero actually missed out on the Lions squad to Australia in 2013.
The unfortunate Cian Healy of Ireland picked up an early injury on tour. Corbs was flown out as a replacement.
This website rates Gethin Jenkins as one of the greatest looseheads in the modern era. We aren’t claiming Corbs was in the running for that list.
But Jenkins was carrying a calf injury on the 2013 tour. That meant that Corbisiero was vying with a younger and far more dynamic Mako Vunipola for the starting position in the tests.
Corbs started the first and third tests. Perhaps his best-known moment to the wider rugby world came in the second minute of the third test.
I won’t try to describe Corbisiero’s try, but it’s well worth a watch.
Who Is Ranked Higher?
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