About Peter Clohessy

Born 22.3.66 in Limerick, Peter Clohessy is among the most famous of Limerick’s international sport stars.  He is most commonly referred to as “The Claw”, which despite the popular belief that this was a name bestowed on him when he became famous, it was in fact a name which his older brother was also called, as locally the name Clohessy is pronounced “clawsey”.

Peter’s first rugby club was Garryowen, where he played under-age until 12.  Although he attended Crescent College he was not a regular member of the school team, in fact he didn’t play much rugby from the age of 12 to 16.  He followed his brother Ger to Young Munsters to play with the under 18 team, where he started as a wing-forward and when he was asked by Roy Grant to change to prop forward he refused at first, but he was told if he didn’t change position he wouldn’t be selected.

While playing under 20’s with Young Munster he was selected for the senior team and was 1st choice prop for the rest of his club career.

His first selection for Munster was in an inter-provincial match against Ulster on 24th October 1987 in Ravenhill. Again he remained 1st choice prop for Munster until he retired on the 25th May 2002, in the Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff against Leister. He earned over 100 caps for Munster in an era which started when rugby was an amateur sport and finished still 1st choice prop for both his country and province.

His first cap for Ireland came in Feb 1993 against France in Lansdowne Road, the weekend after Young Munster celebrated their finest hour having beaten St Mary’s to win AIL Final in Lansdowne Road. Peter earned his 50th cap for Ireland against Wales in Dublin in Feb 2002, and earned his final cap for Ireland against the team he played in his first cap, in Paris on 6th April 2002.  Peter remained 1st choice tight-head prop for Ireland and indeed he was considered unlucky not to have been selected for the Lions Tour of 1993, as Ireland had beaten England 17-3 in Lansdowne road, on March 20th, the same weekend that the Lions team was selected, in fact the Lions Manager Geoff Cooke was quoted as saying “I will say that the most unlucky player to be left out was Peter Clohessy. He came very very near to making the squad.”

Apart from his obvious excellence at playing rugby Peter received far more media coverage for his “hard man” approach to games. And while it is true that all players given the choice would rather play with Peter than against him, it is also the general consenious that much of the media attention was hugely exaggerated. Indeed in some cases it was quite sinister.  For instance on the 10th Oct 1993 an article was written by David Walsh in the Sunday Independent which lambasted Peter Clohessy and his club Young Munsters for an incident which occurred in an AIL match against St. Marys’s the previous Saturday, however as this article was printed a video of the match was delivered anonymously to the IRFU.  Despite several requests to the IRFU they have always insisted in protecting the identity of the person whom brought the complaint-very strange indeed-and stranger still that a newspaper article was gone to print directly before the video was delivered!  There was no serious injury to the St Mary’s player so what was the motivation of the media?  In an unprecedented event in rugby Peter was tried by video and received a 10 week ban from the IRFU. In Jan 94 the IRFU ratified the rules regarding the submission of video evidence, so that what had happened to Peter would not happen to another player.  The president Michael Cuddy said “without prejudice to the justice of the suspension imposed on Peter Clohessy, no one could be happy with the circumstances surrounding the submission of the video and other elements of the affair.  We want to make sure that some of the circumstances and events surrounding it cannot be repeated”.  So it appeared that the general concenious of sinister motivation was recognised by the union after all. The ban excluded him from the inter-provincial championship that year and from a pre-season international against Romania. Peter was selected to play for Ireland A against Scotland on Dec 29th 1993, and this signalled his return to International rugby.

However by the time Peter was established as an international prop-forward it was a case of give a dog a bad name and the reputation which he had been given, preceded him and this was as much of an advantage as a disadvantage, some players afforded him respect on the pitch while other coaches would encourage their team to “ruffle Clohessy” to take him out of the game.  In fact in Jan 1994 in France Peter was receiving such a “going-over” from the French that he was stitched in 3 places in the head, and the then Irish team manager Mr.Noel Murphy was pacing the pitch side-line shouting “take him off they are going to kill him”.  However this could hardly dampen Peter’s spirit which was his real trademark, and on Feb 19th 94 he was key in Ireland’s success in beating England in Twickenham, it was six years since this England team had be beaten at home and 12 years since Ireland had won there. 

He toured with Ireland to Australia in June 1994 in what was effectively the last tour of the amateur era, and by strangely enough it was also the last fun tour! Another memorable moment in his career was playing in the all-Irish front-row of the Barbarians in a remarkable win over South Africa in Dublin.  Peter had declared himself unavailable for Ireland in the World Cup of 1995 because he was concentrating on business interests. Although he was included in Irelands tour to Atlanta in Jan 96, he did not regain his rightful place as 1st choice tight-head until the real matches of the five nations returned, against Scotland in Jan 1996, when he scored his 1st five nations try. He became the most capped Young Munster player at that time in earning his 15th cap for Ireland. However as controversy was never far from Peter , his return was short-lived and in his next match against France in 17th Feb 96, caused the biggest furore of his career. In a stamping incident with Oliver Roumat, which looked particularly bad on the TV coverage (although it is important to note the Oliver Roumat received no injury) the flood gates opened. Again in setting a new precedent Peter Clohessy was tried and convicted by video and he received a 26 week ban from playing rugby. The media coverage was also unprecedented, but perhaps previous experience has prepared him! The incident apparently was replayed in excess of 50 times by RTE on that day alone. He was international headline news for the following 10 days. He was officially the most famous “bad boy” of international rugby world wide. In what  was a particularly trying time for Peter and his family, consolation was found in the support which he received from those who truly knew him, despite this huge support, he was seriously considering retirement. A life-line was thrown to Peter in the guise of John Connolly from Queensland and with a Lions tour pending the following summer, it was an added incentive. Giles Warington from the National Institute of Training and Coaching at the University of Limerick, immediately pledged his support and expertise, and Peter was duly shoved out the door to training each day (a thing which he never enjoyed at the best of times, so it was quite an achievement for him to train professionally and voluntarily). His dedication and tenacity in preparing for another historic move is perhaps what he is now respected for most of all.

Another first – Peter was the first northern hemisphere international to snub his countries international season and travel to Australia to play Super 12 Rugby. Peter and his family travelled to Australia in January 1997, where he played fully professional rugby for the first time and it was a baptism of fire.  Although he went to Queensland the fittest he had ever been, he almost died with the intensity of the pre-season training in over 30 degrees of heat!

He queried his sanity at accepting the challenge, but it is to his immense credit and character of the man that he stepped up to mark and made his place on the Quennsland team.  Such was his success in Queensland that again he made history by being selected for the Lions tour to South Africa in April 1997, he was the first Irish player to be selected for the Lions that had not played for his country at all that year!   However yet again fate was to step in and injury deemed him unfit, on the day the Lions assembled in England.

As the IRFU issued their first round of full-time contracts, Peter was offered a Grade 1 contract to the value of £50,000 now he was full time professional player in Ireland. Peter returned a better player than he had ever been and played some cracking games for Munster in the Autumn of 97.  He was called into the Irish side to play Italy in Jan 1998.  Peter broke his hand which made him unavailable for Irelands opening five nations match against Scotland in 1998. In June 1998 while on tour to South Africa Warren Gatland asked Peter to swap positions from tight-head prop to loose-head prop, again Peter made history by becoming the 1st player to become both 1st choice prop at both sides of the scrum. Peter readily acknowledges that he felt loose-head scrummaging was not as physically tasking as tight-head and he attributes his lengthily career to this fact.

While his international career continued to blossom a new stage had been set with the European Cup. Again controversy followed Peter although now his role was cast in the mould of victim, during a European Cup match against Stade Francais Ismaella Lassissi bit Peter in the arm, however by now Peter was regarded with almost cult status and the media rushed to defend him.   Shortly afterwards Peter played his 50th match for Ireland against Wales at Lansdowne Road 2002. He announced that his retirement from international rugby would be after the Ireland v France six nations game in Paris so it ended as it began-against the nation whose style of play he respected most. Two days later he almost went out forever in a blaze of glory, he had a life-threatening accident with a petrol explosion while burning some waste. He had very serious burns to his face and arm, he had gone on fire and had to roll in the grass to put it out. That surely would be the end of his playing career and everyone expected him not to return for Munster for their semi-final clash against Castres in Beziers. But yet again that indominatable spirit that is “The Claw” spurred him to a near miraculous recovery, and he played a great match wearing a specially made arm guard to protect him. Munster had a terrific victory and went on to play Leister in the final in Cardiff, in yet another twist of fate Munster were denied victory in what would have been a just reward to a man who had the most remarkable rugby career.

So where is he now? Retired? The Claw-never!  He can be found daily at his hugely successful bar and nite club in Limerick, where long-time fans from around the world drop in to have a few words and shake his hand and offer their thanks for all the entertainment he gave them. For friend or foe, Peter Clohessy is an amicable guy who always has a word for everyone.

Does he miss the rugby? His answer is an emphatic no! Always one for an adrenal rush, his new sport is horse-riding, which he loves, as it continues to challenge his indomitable spirit.

By your life-long supporter.

2005