Jamie Heaslip watches the ball sail through the posts for a France penalty (04/03/12)
RUGBY WORLD: Do you have any phobias?
Jamie Heaslip: I hate snakes. Once on holiday, a guy had a snake around his neck and tried to put it on me. I had to tell him to go away. I also hate small creatures that can kill you, like the (funnel-web) spider that can kill you with one little bite.
RW: Any bugbears?
JH: Bad manners, especially when eating. I despise dishonest people. And people who want to be known for nothing – Big Brother is everything that’s wrong with the world.
RW: If your house was on fire, what three things would you save?
JH: Just my dog. He’s home alone right now.
RW: Is it safe to leave him home alone?!
Heaslip named his bulldog after US rapper Jay-Z
JH: He got through a couple of pairs of Pumas and a nice pair of Paul Smith shoes when I first got him, but he’s good now.
RW: What superpower would you like to have?
JH: I’d like to be Wolverine from X-Men because you can’t die. You could shoot me but I’d never die.
RW: Who’s your ideal woman?
JH: No one can hold a candle to my mum. Christine Heaslip is a saint – she’s the only woman for me!
RW: What’s your dream holiday?
JH: I’ve got a pretty good holiday lined up this year. I’m going to Haiti with GOAL to see the work the charity are doing. Then I’m meeting some of the boys in New York before going to Vegas for 4 July. Then we’re driving to LA.
RW: Who’d you like to be stuck in a lift with?
JH: Michael McIntyre, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Drake. Who else? Tom Hardy. He seems like a good bloke. I saw his film Warrior recently and thought it was good.
RW: What’s your idea of a perfect night out?
JH: It would start with drinks at mine and then we’d go to different pubs on South William Street. Grogan’s does a great pint of Guinness.
RW: Who are the best and worst room-mates?
JH: Cian Healy. He’s a great guy to room with and I hang out with him a lot away from rugby. But he snores so loud. If he gets to sleep before me it means I can’t sleep.
RW: What’s the silliest thing you’ve bought?
JH: I’m really impulsive when it comes to internet shopping. My vice is Apple gadgets – iPhone, iPad – but I haven’t got anything too bad. When it comes to fancy-dress costumes, I always buy on-line from the UK because all the boys use Irish sites.
RW: Who’s had the best costume for a fancy-dress party?
JH: Fergus McFadden and Fionn Carr came as Venus and Serena Williams – head to toe in black paint, the right branded clothes and necklaces. It was an unbelievable effort. Myself, Cian and Eoin O’Malley organise the Leinster parties and we might start giving prizes. We should definitely give one to the worst.
RW: What couldn’t you live without?
JH: My dog and my iPhone. I feel naked without it. I think one of my mates would post a prank on Facebook if I left it on the table, so I’ve got to have it with me.
RW: Any regrets?
JH: I used to but not now. There’s nothing you can do about them; they’re what make you.
RW: What are your top three gigs?
JH: Mumford & Sons at Oxegen in 2010 were unbelievable. Adele in the Olympia Theatre in Dublin. Then it’s between Swedish House Mafia at Pacha last year in Ibiza; Jay-Z at Oxegen in 2010 because he blew the place wide open even though Arcade Fire were headlining; and The Game at the Olympia.
RW: What would you like to achieve outside of rugby?
JH: To be somewhat successful in business and balance that with a happy family. I’ve got a massive interest in on-line marketing – but hopefully I won’t have to retire for a few years yet.
RW: How would you like to be remembered?
JH: As a good, honest player.
This article appeared in the April 2012 issue of Rugby World Magazine.
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