“For every bark of an underdog, we have him to thank”

THE INSTRUCTION this month was to profile someone from the ranks of unsung heroes. My rating of Mark Egan in that category goes back three decades, so I have not chosen at random.

Egan was a fresh-faced postgraduate student when he was made captain of Oxford University in 1990, this after a distinguished career at Trinity College Dublin. Two high-profile Australians, fly-half Brian Smith and huge forward Troy Coker, were also in the Oxford squad. From the start of the season, Egan found captaincy difficult and, although he has never spoken out as to what happened behind the closed door of the dressing room, it is believed that Smith and Coker were disruptive, wanted their own way in matters of process and selection and coaching as the Varsity Match came closer.

Egan’s team was by no means distinguished so when he took the decision to exclude Smith and Coker