Gerry Thornley
speaker
2,299 appearances
10 recordings
3 series
first heard Apr 2026
last heard 18 Sep
Gerry Thornley’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 10 in all, peaking in May 2026 with 4.
Appearances
But he is a rare, rare talent.
And the thing about him as well is it's attributed to coaching in Ulster and Ireland, Mark Sexton, Richie Murphy and everybody else.
He is a late developer.
He is not fertile ground.
He comes from an endless skill and you could watch him on the wing for Ulster and not see him for 20 or 30 minutes.
three or four years ago, because he just wouldn't, venture off his way, maybe he wasn't encouraged to, maybe he didn't, have the confidence to do so, or back his skill set to do so, but now, he's really developed, the skills in his 20s, which is a tribute, to the coaching, as well as, touch wood, getting his hamstrings, better and right, and like he's been healthy, this season, pretty much, and you saw when he came back, in that final against Montpellier, he,
He was the one Ulster player that looked like he belonged in that final more than any other.
And that was his first game since the end of the Six Nations.
So I wouldn't be surprised if they don't risk him this Saturday against Japan, if there's any ongoing issue about him, because they'd really want him on the pitch in Eden Park.
Yeah, and in big games, he's really showed up for Connacht, like against Glasgow and against Leinster in the sports ground, against Munster.
He was excellent in all those matches.
He is really strong on both sides of the ball.
Brilliant carrier.
I think he actually punches above his waist in a curious way.
He plays like a very big man.
He plays bigger than he actually is.
Do you know what I mean?
He's not a huge man.
But he carries with such aggression, tackles with such aggression that he almost makes himself look bigger in a pitch than he actually is.
And it's just very interesting that Paul O'Connell said, yeah, we thought about, we looked at him and thought, imagine what it'd be like to spring him off the bench.
Showing 1041–1060 of 2,299 · page 53 of 115
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