Daly Set For Centre Stage

Before he and his Ireland U20 teammates head to England for this year’s World Rugby U20 Championship, we catch up with Cork Constitution centre and Munster sub-academy player Shane Daly as he looks forward to his first taste of rugby on the world stage.

One of eight Munster players included in this year’s Ireland squad, the Cork native’s talent and interest across a number of codes saw the natural sportsman take a somewhat protracted pathway to rugby and it wasn’t until his 4^th year at Presentation Brothers College, Cork that his knack and flair with the oval ball was fully realised.

“From the age of five or six I played soccer with Corinthians and Gaelic football with Bishopstown and only played rugby for a small while with Highfield. It was when I went to Pres that I got a bit more into rugby but I didn’t start focusing on it until I got into 4^th Year.

“After that I guess you could say I got hooked and I played Senior Cup rugby for two years – in 5^th and 6^th Year – in two very good teams and we were unlucky not to have gone on and won it in 2014 and 2015.

“You learn a lot playing in Schools rugby. There’s nothing quite like it, you are playing with your best friends and for most guys they only get one shot to do it. That makes each game a massive deal, very memorable and helps you get used to playing on big occasions.”

Upon graduating from Pres last summer, Daly entered the Munster sub-academy and began playing Club rugby with Cork Constitution. A fruitful season saw the centre win an interprovincial title with Munster U20, claim Bateman Cup and Fraser McMullen Cup honours with Con, and feature in the club’s AIL campaign that culminated in this season’s Division 1A final at the Aviva Stadium.

“Even before I left school I was invited to join the sub-academy for the following season. You think the Schools set-up is professional, then you come into the sub-academy and you realise how much more there is to playing for Munster. The standard is to another level and there are so many different areas covered. Even nutrition and lifestyle coaching was something I had not experienced before and it really does give you that edge. Being in the sub-academy is something that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

“In the interpros we had three great games and it was a close run contest that could have gone to any of the teams. But we had a great bunch of guys and it was nice that I got to play with two of my schoolmates Paul Kiernan and John Poland. We played a lot of games together with Pres and never won silverware so it was nice to do it in the Munster jersey.

“Playing with Cork Con has been amazing too and playing Senior for them is another level physically from U20. Some of the guys playing Senior Club rugby are very big and while the pace might not be as fast as U20, that physicality stands to you when you play international competitions.

“Winning the Bateman Cup the first year out of school was class and to play in the AIL Final in the Aviva Stadium on RTE was a wonderful experience. Big stages like that bring a bit more pressure and that itself is good experience. Hopefully we can do the same next year and go one step further.”

The impending World Championship will not be Daly’s first venture onto the international stage having previously represented Ireland U20 in this year’s 6 Nations.

“That has been the most intense rugby that I’ve played to date and it’s not just fast paced but hugely physical as well. I was really proud to represent Ireland especially after coming late to rugby and I was injured for the U19 interprovincials so had never played international rugby before then.”

On winning World Championship selection, he added, “I was actually with my family when I found out and they were delighted – it was a proud day for both them and me. We are kicking off the competition next week and I cannot wait. I hope that we will do ourselves justice.

“Some lads have five caps from the 6 Nations and that will stand to us. Heading into the first few games of the 6 Nations most guys didn’t know what to expect but the experience of it made guys more comfortable at international level and helped us gel as a team. When we first came together we didn’t really know each other but over the space of 7 or 8 weeks we all became good friends and that makes a difference on the pitch.

“We have a very competitive group this year, New Zealand who are the World Champions, Wales who won the Grand Slam this year and Georgia who are another tough physical side. There are no easy games, although there never is at this level, and all our eyes are firmly fixed on Wales. Hopefully we can get a result there because it’s a massive clash that could make or break our tournament.”

Shane and Ireland U20 open their 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against Wales at Manchester City Academy Stadium on Tuesday June 7^th at 5.30pm.