The Friday Interview: John Hayes
Helping to launch the ‘Get Your Back Up!’ public awareness campaign, developed for the Ankylosing Spondylitis Association of Ireland, John Hayes talked to IrishRugby.ie about the campaign, his season with Munster and Ireland, how he is already looking forward to ‘getting back on the pitch’ with new coaches at provincial and international levels, and his hunger to play on despite his advancing years.
To listen to the John Hayes interview in full, please click here. Radio journalist Oisin Langan posed the questions.
Hayes, the much-admired Munster and Ireland prop, was on hand in Dublin city this week to help launch the ‘Get Your Back Up!’ public awareness campaign, developed for the Ankylosing Spondylitis Association of Ireland and supported by an educational grant from Wyeth Ireland.
The scheme is aimed to educate on the symptoms and treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), and promote early diagnosis of this painful rheumatic disease which is commonly dismissed as general back pain.
AS affects in the region of 44,000 Irish people, particularly young men between the ages of 25 to 44 years-old.
For more information, please visit the Get Your Back Up! website.
– Next week, as we continue our series of Friday interviews, we will be chatting with Ireland Sevens coach Jon Skurr, who is busy preparing his squad for the final qualifier for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament.
Previous Friday Interviews:
June 20 – Lynne Cantwell
May 16 – Ronan O’Gara
May 9 – Division One Final Special
May 2 – AIB League Special
April 11 – AIB Cup Special
April 4 – David Wilkinson