Leaders like Jerry Holland keep the Irish club game alive

In a weekend where Cork Constitution celebrated their newest international, they mourned another with the passing of club stalwart Jerry Holland.

Saturday afternoon brought a wave of excitement following an AIL victory and news that Jack Crowley had made his debut off the bench, yet sombre undertones predominated the minds of those that worked closely with Jerry.

Rugby afforded me the opportunity to cross paths with people and networks that I wouldn't have met otherwise. Jerry Holland was one of those people.

He is rugby royalty and had moved to the upper echelons of Cork Con by the time I was introduced to him when I signed for the club ahead of the 2011/2012 season.

Back then I didn’t really know what it was that committee members did and the hours of effort that went in behind the scenes to keep the show on the road for the players to perform week in, week out on a Saturday afternoon.

However, in the last six years of coaching, I have witnessed first-hand the unwavering level of commitment and support that Jerry, and many others like him, give clubs throughout the country.

Outsiders may believe that Cork Con runs itself, but that is a complete inaccuracy as far as I am concerned.

It’s the likes of Jerry, the volunteers and the hundreds of man hours every year that have built the foundations of the club that I’m currently trusted to coach. It was Jerry that put me on that pathway.

In 2016, I was asked to get involved with the Con Under-20s, orchestrated by a group and spearheaded by Jerry.

Walking towards Munster’s current High Performance Centre, I fielded a call from him. I knew what was coming, a formal involvement in the team with which I planned on backing away from.

With a newfound fear of commitment following my early