O'Kelly: We're going to be hard to beat

Big Mal O’Kelly has always lived and breathed rugby.

You’ve got to love the game to put your body through 92 international caps, three World Cup campaigns and a Lions tour.

So come Sunday when he dons his old boots for the Classic Lions for the first time since his retirement in May he’ll be back where he belongs — on a rugby field soaring to catch line out ball and clattering into contact.

The giant Irish lock can’t wait for the Classic to kick off.

And it’s no secret that he fancies his team’s chances of walking away with the big prize this year.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “I think we’re going to be hard to beat.

“There will be a lot of pride in our changing room.

“There is a tradition to uphold and we will be giving it everything we have.

“I’m sure we will be up against it because the competition is going to be tough but I fancy our chances.”

The Irish legend joins a host of fellow countrymen like Anthony Foley, Shane Byrne and Girvan Dempsey in an ominously strong Lions outfit.

The 36-year-old last took to the international stage in May when he played for the Barbarians against the Irish.

Since then he has been “doing a reasonable amount of fitness work” and coming to terms with life off the field.

Stalwart

The Classic Lions have their Irish stalwart, Shane Byrne, to thank for having O’Kelly’s name on the team sheet.

The mulleted one and O’Kelly are good mates from their international days.

O’Kelly said: “I have visited Bermuda before when I was invited down here by the Pirates.

“And I always hoped to get the chance to play in the Classic.

“It is really thanks to my old pal Shane Byrne that I’m here this year.

“He teed it up for me to play and I am delighted to be a part of the team.

“I think the last time I played on the same pitch as Shane was during an international so it will be great to relive a bit of the old times.”

O’Kelly was part of the Irish international set up for more than 13 years and racked up 181 caps for his beloved club side Leinster.

And he’s the first to admit he’s found adjusting to life without the bashes and bruises of rugby a bit strange.

Retirement

“I have found retirement and getting used to real life difficult,” he said.

“In rugby you work all week towards the game at the weekend and then you go through that process again. The real world is a bit different from that.

“It’s a bit topsy turvey at the moment and I’m looking at what to do next.

“The Classic will give me the chance to go back to all the things I loved about rugby.

“It’ll be exciting to just be part of a group of guys wanting to play hard and have a good time off the pitch.”

Malcolm O’Kelly is a rugby warrior through and through.

But don’t be fooled this Irish stalwart with cauliflower ears also has a Masters Degree in Mathematics from Trinity College in Dublin.

To be able to see a true legend of the game in Bermuda is our good fortune.