Easterby grew to become a legend in Welsh membership rugby, however he additionally cast a fairly respectable profession in inexperienced.
Having turned down Clive Woodward’s invitation to play for England, he selected Eire. He gained 65 caps, and by the point he introduced his retirement on St Patrick’s Day in 2008, he was the nation’s most-capped flanker.
He made his debut in opposition to Scotland within the 2000 Six Nations, one among 5 new faces – alongside Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, Shane Horgan and John Hayes – launched by Eire boss Warren Gatland in a shake-up after a 50-18 thumping by England.
Easterby performed the total recreation, which Eire gained 44-22, and was retained at blind-side flanker for the rest of the championship.
He wasn’t at all times a assured starter, although. On the 2003 World Cup in Australia, he was on the fringes of Eddie O’Sullivan’s aspect, however grew to become a hit story in an in any other case acquainted story of Irish woe that led to a quarter-final exit.
From there, Easterby grew to become one among O’Sullivan’s most trusted on-field lieutenants.
“He was a bodily and highly effective athlete, as you’d count on from a again row, however you would see he was one of many smarter ones,” says Chris Henry, one among Easterby’s successors within the Irish again row.
“He was a part of that class back-row period with Denis Leamy, David Wallace and Neil Finest.”
Two years after the World Cup, O’Sullivan handed him the captaincy for the 2005 autumn collection following accidents to Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell.
That was an particularly large 12 months for him. Along with seizing his Lions probability – which got here after fellow Ampleforth School alum Lawrence Dallaglio’s damage – he additionally married Sarra Elgan Rees, the tv presenter and daughter of former Wales worldwide Elgan Rees.
