NIGEL CARR RANKS going to the 1991 and 1995 World Cups as one of the best moments of his career.
Perhaps his only regret is that he never got to play in one.
In his second life, so to speak, as a journalist he was at the deciders at Twickenham and Loftus Versfeld, soaking in the atmosphere and sampling the best that rugby had to offer. But one of the best players to pull on a green jersey never got the opportunity to take to the field in a World Cup himself.
That, obviously, was out of his control. Had his career continued unhindered then it was a foregone conclusion that Carr would have starred at not just one but multiple World Cups for Ireland. However, in 1987, it would all be taken away from him.
His story is one that has been told many times before โ while driving to Ireland camp in Dublin from Belfast with team-mates David Irwin and Philip Rainey, they were caught up in an IRA car bomb attack targeted at Lord Justice Sir Maurice Gibson, Northern Irelandโs second most senior judge, and his wife going in the other direction.
While the resulting explosion at Killean on the Irish border would sadly kill the Gibsons, the rugby players got off relatively lightly in comparison. Irwin and Rainey, while shaken, only sustained minor injuries and would go on to play for Ulster for several more years.
But Carr was not so lucky, a myriad of issues stemming from the incident ending his career that day. Instead of being a multiple-time Lion, he would make a solitary appearance for the touring side. Instead of making the Ireland jersey his own, he would end marooned on just 11 international caps. One of rugbyโs greats never got to truly flourish on the biggest stage.
Now 62, heโs had no shortage of time to reflect on that day. At the time he admits he never quite grasped the severity of what had happened. Now, he obviously does, and the frustration of it is something he has learned to relinquish with each passing year.
โI donโt think I felt I was lucky to have my life back because initially I still thought I would get to the World Cup!โ he laughs. โIt was only over time that I discovered it was going to be a bit more serious.
โI think I gained an empathy with other people who had been in a similar situation. As a forensic scientist, Iโve seen burnt corpses and people with their legs blown off in car explosions.
Those sorts of things used to pass over me and, actually, I preferred it that way. I found myself empathising with people instead of bursting into tears.
โThatโs the same even now. Maybe itโs a good thing, being able to understand people better. I found it easier being detached, cold. I found it easier to get on with things. That was the biggest thing that stuck with me.
โForgiveness is a hard word. I donโt think Iโve quite forgiven them for what they stole from me. But thereโs no bitterness, if thereโs not full forgiveness for it. There were a lot of others who were much less fortunate than I have been.
โIโve had my run at international rugby, really enjoyed it while it was there. If it wasnโt for (Fergus) Slattery, I could have been in there when I was 20 and had 50 caps, but I could have easily had none at all.โ
Still, one can be happy with their lot and still be allowed to consider those rueful โwhat ifsโ. What if he had played at that 1987 World Cup, would he have elevated his star status even higher? Or what about 1991, could he have been a difference-maker in that quarter-final against Australia at Lansdowne Road?
Those questions donโt keep Carr up at night, per se, but he is cognizant enough to admit they do cross his mind every so often, especially given that he would go on to get a taste of the World Cup as a reporter for UTV in both โ91 and โ95. That feeling of missing out is only the more acute when you see it first hand.
Having featured for the Lions against the Rest of the World in 1986, he was quickly becoming one of the premier talents in world rugby, but he would never truly get to test that in the high pressure environment he wanted to.
โAround 1986 or โ87, Rugby World, which was the magazine that we all got at the time, they had me as their No.1 flanker in the world. Iโm not saying I was that, but I did feel like I was as good as anybody else,โ he recalls.
โIn the Lions match, I think I played rightly, but it was a disappointment in many respects and I wanted to put that right. I was working really hard, training really hard for it. My success was tied up in that of the teamโs, and vice versa, and I know that it could have been a damp squib anyway no matter how much hard work I put in. I hoped I was going to make a mark on the world stage, so I do feel like it was stolen a bit from me.
On the other side, I just have to weigh that up with I have my whole life ahead of me. The biggest thing that came out of that bomb wasnโt the internal bleeding or anything like that, it was more the mental aspect that was different for me.
โThe most difficult time for me was retiring ahead of my contemporaries, all the guys I played with. I even found going down to matches difficult. You go into the bar afterwards and they have all the stories of the games they were playing in and you just werenโt part of it.โ
In many ways, his salvation came through the media side of things. After his retirement, Carr quickly caught on with UTV and began hosting Sport on Sunday, which saw him dispatched around the country โ and, eventually, the world โ to cover soccer, Gaelic games and, of course, rugby.
โIt gave me an interest in a way that allowed me to contribute, participate in it while doing something useful. I enjoyed doing the rugby specifically, the World Cups and stuff like that, after starting off with the provinces and club rugby. Iโd always a great interest in soccer, so I felt able to comment on games with a degree of authenticity,โ he adds.
โIt was great to get out to everything. I remember getting out to the Ulster final of the GAA and I just thought it was such a great way to break down the barriers, which sport does so well, especially in a time in Ulster which was a bit different. It was a great alternative to playing.โ
Highlights from his media career were plentiful. He was sat alongside All Blacks captain Gary Whetton for the 1991 final between Australia and England and then, four years later, was only a couple of rows away from Nelson Mandela as the Springboks soared to an unforgettable triumph on home soil.
Things werenโt always so straightforward, though. Being in the UTV office when the Omagh bomb went off โ the deadliest single incident of the Troubles, which killed 29 people and injured some 220 more โ and reliving his own terrifying ordeal was tough, as was having to report on the death of good friend Joey Dunlop in 2000.
โI remember interviewing Joey and he was such a humble man despite his achievements. I worked in UTV the day that Joeyโs death was announced. That was such a huge event. That was something on the scale of George Bestโs funeral,โ recalls Carr.
Itโs the sportsperson that appeals to me. Iโm not a huge fan of the Muhammad Ali types who say โIโm the greatestโ, I like the guys that get on and do it quietly, and Joey Dunlop was that.โ
Heโs been out of the media game for a while now, and nowadays Carr has a new adventure ahead of him โ full-time retirement. But, unsurprisingly for someone so active despite being in his early 60s, heโs not planning to put up the feet and take it easy.
While heโs been active in trying to establish a Northern Irish sporting museum, what Carr is most eager to be involved with is raising money to research ways to combat motor neurone disease after his brother-in-law Ian passed away from the illness a couple of years ago.
Heโs already been active in that respect as in early 2020 he brought in ยฃ80,000 (โฌ93,700) in fundraising for MND research after completing a 1,000-mile cycle around Ireland alongside former team-mate Keith Crossan among others, and he has watched on in admiration as former England rugby league star Kevin Sinfield brought in over ยฃ2million (โฌ2.3m) by running 101 miles in 24 hours recently.
โEvery penny goes to charity and hopefully it will help bring about a change in the future for people who suffer from this. Itโs been brilliant the way things have come together and thereโs a lot more hope now than there was in the past,โ he explains.
I remember my brother-in-law going onto experimental treatments in the hope something would make a difference. Now I believe there is a hope for people given the amount of finance going into new drug discovery and development.โ
And, with time on his side, he perhaps will do a little more reminiscing on those playing days with Ulster, with Ireland and with the Lions, as short as they all were. But, after all heโs been through and even in all the time that has elapsed in the meantime, you still wonโt find Carr dwelling on what might have been.
Sure, he could have played at a World Cup or gone on a proper tour with the Lions if it wasnโt for that fateful day in 1987, but then who knows what would have happened after that? Those pesky โwhat ifsโ are better left to the imagination and nothing more.
โIโm happy with my lot,โ he smiles contentedly in conclusion. โDelighted to have experienced it and been a part of Irish rugby even if it was only for a couple of years.โ
Great player, sounds an even greater person. Enjoy your retirement Nigel.
What an ambassador for rugby, sport and Ireland north and south. His story is remarkable and a reminder to the rest of us to get up, get on and make the most of our life, no matter how challenging. Easier said than done.
Fabulous wing forward, himself Matthew and Spillane were as good a combo as you could get, great balance of power and size and Carr was as good a link player as he was a nuisance at the breakdown. Should have had 40 Caps easily, back in the days when there were for fewer testsโฆ
Played a match in Anglesea road versus Queens the morning of an international. Back row of Carr, Mathews and Jimmy Davidson (later to be Irish coach). Carr was absolutely brilliant and scored tries for fun but was also so quick and such a tough opponent. It was obvious he was going somewhere and so sad he didnโt get a chance to reach full potential.
Heโs still the man I judge any Irish 7 against, incredible player & reader of the game. Watch some of his videos and learn.
@kieran horgan: โฆ.yeah and itโs says volumes about him that he would fit seamlessly into any team in the modern game.
@Michael Murray: โฆshades of Sam Cane, tidy, efficient and right place and right time.
Often wondered how life went for Nigel and both relieved and happy to read that he is good shape, all things considered.
Very few other players have ticked โ the greatestโ box and lived on our memories after so few appearances as Nigel has. He was super fit, focused, athletic and an excellent ball carrier. He tormented the opposition and reduced their opportunities. There was a big gap in the Irish team without Nigel on the pitch.