Farewell, Fla: Five of Jerry Flannery’s finest moments

Munster and Ireland didn’t just lose a great hooker today when Jerry  Flannery retired; the game of rugby lost a great character. Here’s five of Fla’s finest moments.

How would you describe Steve Thompson in two words?

Emotions can run high in the front row, especially when Ireland are playing England in Twickenham. With the English scrum infringing and Ireland winning a penalty, Fla took the opportunity to offer a few bon mots in the direction of his opposite number Steve Thompson in their 2006 clash.

Jerry's 'bin' practising

Don’t let anyone tell you there’s no skill in rugby. We’ve all seen those New Zealand fellas with their skills videos that have been tampered with more often than Joan Rivers' face. If you want to see a real rugby skills video, how about Flannery’s blindfolded toss of the ball into a bin. He literally could do lineout throws with his eyes closed.

'My hair is more important than timekeeping'

Jerry is forced to carry a sign around the streets of New Zealand as punishment for being late for a team meeting back in 2006. Jerry looks a little embarrassed but not embarrassed enough for the get-up, sign and airhorn combo.

Lest we forget…

Flannery is not just all about off-field antics; he also has two Heineken Cups, one Grand Slam and was called up for a Lions tour, remember. Flannery was central to both Munster’s and Ireland’s success over recent years and his troubles with injuries were a real setback to province and country.

In 41 caps for Ireland, Fla may have notched only three tries in green but he picked his moments. He scored on his Ireland debut against Italy in the Six Nations, he scored against the All Blacks on his first tour of New Zealand and he scored in the 2007 World Cup against Namibia (below, thankfully without TMO interference). Not a bad set of tries to have on your CV.

The final fling

When news filtered through that Fla was out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup after just one game every Irish fan felt for him, especially after working so hard to get fit for New Zealand. But Flannery’s impact at the tournament wasn’t finished. Before the crucial, and ultimately victorious, game against Australia, Flannery handed out the jerseys to the lads before they ran out, and it did the trick.

“Some very passionate words were said by guys not even in the match 22. That is where it came from. We were actually in a place where we felt we owed ourselves a big performance," said Brian O'Driscoll after the game.

Stephen Ferris echoed the sentiments post-game. "He [Flannery] has a calf injury and will be leaving us soon. It was quite emotional listening to him. You could see how much it meant to him. I think the lads went out and did it for him."

No more needs to be said about what playing for Ireland meant for Fla or what Fla meant to the Irish squad.

Enjoy your retirement, Jerry.