INTERVIEW: 'I was a snotty-nosed, skinny white boy, playing a game with giants' - Hayden Triggs

Hayden Triggs: “I was a snotty-nosed kid, a skinny white boy really, playing a game with giants and somehow I’ve managed to stay around 15 or so years.”

There’s a unique charm to self-deprecating humour. Not all places have it, nor get it, but in the few that do, an individual in the spotlight who so uses it is hard to dislike.

Leinster’s Kiwi second row Hayden Triggs has emerged as one of the most likeable players in the European game over the last 19 months or so. He’s a treat to talk to because while refreshingly honest and open, he also retains an extremely well-mannered tone.

A former army mechanic, the man born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, started his rugby career with Manawatu in 2002, and ended it with Leinster last week, bringing to a close a career of experiences across the globe.

Speaking to him after what he reveals has been the toughest season of his professional career, the 35-year-old confesses he is ready to step away from the sport. The enjoyment factor has wavered, and his love for the game has drained.

“I’m finishing. I’m done, I’m retiring,” Triggs told me before Leinster’s semi-final when I asked what the future had in store for him. Three responses in the one answer, as if to reinforce the point. No doubts. He’s ready.

He’s dabbled with coaching, and may yet return to it, but for the time being a clean break is in order.

“Honestly, I’m looking to take six to 12 months away from the game.

“I have thought about coaching and I did a bit of part-time coaching at St. Mary’s rugby club here. I really enjoyed that, but it was really only an advisory role.

“I’ve been doing this for quite some time now and I really want to take a bit of time out and see if the spark is still there, because I’ve got a lot of knowledge and experience to give back and I really want to do that, but at this point in time a good rest away from it will do me a good deal of finding if the passion is still there.

“Because coaching is not just a Tuesday, Thursday, and weekend stuff, if you want to do it properly, you have to commit a lot of time. The family goes on another ride, following you around where the jobs are and I need to find if I want to do that.”

Triggs arrived to Leinster in October 2015, having previously spent three years in Japan with Honda Heat. His initial season-long contract was extended for a second year, and the 6’7” lock has grown into one of the province’s most consistent performers. Yet he admits he has known for some time this season would be his last.

“I had a conversation with Leo [Cullen] at the start of this season and that was my plan from day one of this year.

“It’s given me focus and a clarity this year without having the stress and the worry of what’s going to happen contractually for next year.

“It’s quite a stressful time during November, December, January when people are finding out what’s happening, so I didn’t have to worry about this year.

“I always wanted to say I finished on my terms and I’m happy with that, and I’m just super privileged to be doing that with Leinster.”

Under Cullen, Leinster have now reached a final and two semi-finals, but have yet to claim silverware.

A season that promised so much fizzled out at the RDS last Saturday, as the Scarlets stormed Dublin and booked their place in this weekend’s final just down the road at the Aviva, denying Triggs the chance of a trophy farewell.

A new contract has yet to be publically announced for the coaching ticket, despite prolonged talks, but Triggs reflects fondly on his time under fellow second-row Cullen.

“Yeah it’s been cool because, apart from Steve Jackson who I had at North Harbour and a few others earlier on in my career, there was really no other second-row coaches.

“So the detail he puts into my role has been really good for me and he understands what we go through and that can be nice come scrum and maul time, when it’s usually just the big boys putting their heads down.

“It’s been really good, and I’m not too far off in age from Leo so it’s great.”

Ex-England boss Stuart Lancaster arrived in a surprise appointment back in September, and Triggs speaks equally highly of the Englishman, highlighting what seems a fairly unique situation at the coaching helm. A sort of turn-taking approach.

“Since Stu [Lancaster] has come in, everyone has their own job and everyone really owns their sessions with the team, which I guess is the only way to put it.

“Within the coaches, they have their role and they don’t have to worry about other things and that’s been really refreshing because then a lot of detail goes into what they do, and then the real enthusiasm when it is their turn has been really cool.

“With Stu, he’s world class, so I think it’s really good for the young coaches to look up to him and take some things off him when they can.”

Triggs has had far more to contend with than the routine pressures that go with being a professional rugby player this season though.

At the end of the September, the forward suffered immense personal heartache with the devastating passing of his three-week old baby daughter Stella at Holles Street Hospital in Dublin. A tragic event no one should have to experience in their lifetime.

When I ask if it has been the most difficult year of his life, he agrees, and admits he has yet to truly process everything that has gone on, having been consumed by the distraction of rugby since that shattering day.

“Honestly it has been a roller-coaster,” he says with a deep exhale. “The lows have been extremely low, more personally and for my family, and then there have been times where you are on a high and that also comes on a personal level with our kids that we still have [eight-year-old daughter Adelaide, and five-year old son August] and with my wife [Mikala].

“And then the rugby side of it where we reached the European semi’s, which to me was among the top three highlights of my career playing Clermont away, that whole week was a massive experience.

“I haven’t really reflected too deeply on it. I recognise what has gone on over the last 12 months and I’d say once it’s all done and dusted then I can really sit down with a whiskey and think about things. But it has been crazy emotionally, and I’m kind of looking forward.”

What is and has been at the forefront of his mind though, is the reaction and support he and his family received from the people of Dublin, and the connection they, in turn, have forged with the city. One so strong, he marks it down as the best of his career.

In the face of overwhelming sadness, the Triggs’ love for Dublin has only grown deeper and stronger.

“It’s been the best. Me and my wife want to stay here, we want to live here. Over the past five months we’ve looked towards staying on after rugby and explored about finding employment outside of rugby to stay on here because our kids are super settled, we have a great set of friends, in rugby but also outside it. We’ve got a great team around us so we’ve explored staying here.

“We love New Zealand and we love our home and we haven’t been back there for a while, but we’ve seriously thought about laying some roots in Ireland and trying to stay on, but that hasn’t happened yet.

“I cannot speak highly enough of Leinster, I can’t speak highly enough of the people of Dublin, especially the people around us and around the school. It will remain in our hearts forever and I guarantee we’ll be back.”

Reflecting on his rugby career, if that clash with Clermont in Lyon was, as Triggs put it: “in the top three highlights” of his career, then what are the top two?

“I know what number one is. Number one would be representing the New Zealand Maori’s.

“It was 100 years of Maori rugby and we beat England and Ireland and a New Zealand team. That was the ultimate of what I’ve done so far.”

Indeed, Triggs picked up nine Maori All Black caps in total during his career, but never made the step up to the senior New Zealand side.

As he says, in the summer of 2010, as part of their Centenary Series, the Maori All Blacks saw off an Ireland side featuring Johnny Sexton 31-28 in Rotorua, before defeating a Chris Robshaw led England 35-28 in Napier five days later.

Alongside him in black that summer were would-be All Blacks Hosea Gear and Aaron Smith, while a little-known hooker by the name of Dane Coles was a replacement for each Test.

Ahead of revealing the number two spot on his career greatest hits, we take the time to talk another tour to New Zealand coming up. That of the Lions. And Triggs insists for the four nations combined as one heading down to the southern hemisphere, it is all about belief.

“They just need to believe in themselves honestly. It’s the best of the best from the northern hemisphere apart from France, so just believe in yourselves.

“Yeah it is daunting, especially going down to New Zealand where the All Blacks are the pinup boys there, they are the pinnacle of New Zealand society, so they are going to have a massive home advantage, massive crowds, but in saying that New Zealanders love the Lions heading down there.

“They love the atmosphere the touring party brings. They love the atmosphere of the fans that travel down there, so just all concentrate on the Lions and believe in what they’re doing.

“I believe personally that it’s going to be a close series. New Zealand media are trying to downplay it and from what I read up here, they reckon Steve Hansen isn’t really worried about it but from personal experience, for the All Black boys that are involved in it, it is a massive opportunity. It only happens once every 12 years. It’s going to be awesome.

“I’d love to [go] but I’m going to look at hanging around here for a few months after the season finishes. So I’ll be back home around July, August, but I’ll be supporting both teams anyway from up here.”

On social media this week, Triggs released a statement in which he said: ‘After it’s all said and done I just want to be remembered as a good bastard.’ The passage below as he reveals to me the second top highlight of his career, tells you all you need to know about the man.

“Second, I suppose it’s really an overall review of what I’ve done. I’ve travelled the world.

“I was a snotty-nosed kid, a skinny white boy really, playing a game with giants and somehow I’ve managed to stay around 15 or so years.

“We’ve been all over New Zealand and the world and I’ve met great people. Great people is what is associated with rugby and somehow I’ve got to find the time to say thank you to as many people as I can that have helped me do it.”

So long to one of rugby’s good guys. Go raibh mile maith agat Hayden.