Ex-Ireland player no longer 'embarrassed' at winning only one cap
Former Leinster and London Irish back-rower Aidan McCullen has revealed that he used to be embarrassed with his status as a one-cap wonder with Ireland. The forward, who also played club rugby in France with Toulouse and Dax, made his only Test-level appearance on a tour in 2003.
Ireland took on Australia in Perth before flying onto the Pacific Islands to play Tonga and Samoa and it was in that final fixture of the trip that McCullen was given what turned out to be his only chance by Eddie O’Sullivan.
Now 47, McCullen works in the delivery of workshops and keynotes on innovation and reinvention mindset and it needed a catch-up with former head coach O’Sullivan for him to stop feeling embarrassed over making just a single Ireland appearance 21 years ago.
In an online message on LinkedIn, McCullen wrote: “Several years post-retirement from rugby, I encountered former Ireland rugby coach Eddie O’Sullivan. I sought his involvement in some leadership development workshops I was designing and to address a lingering question regarding my rugby career.
“Eddie had chosen me for my sole international appearance for Ireland. My only cap is something I initially felt embarrassed about. However, two perspectives changed my view. First, a friend reminded me of the rarity of achieving an Ireland cap, noting I was the 978th cap in a list that, as of February 7, 2024, totals 1,156 players. The second is what Eddie said to me over breakfast that day.”
In the newest episode of #TheAgoraPodcast, Byron speaks to @AidanMcCullen, a former professional rugby player for Ireland and now a leading figure in digital transformation.
McCullen’s transition from the rugby field to the corporate world wasn’t just a career change; it was a… pic.twitter.com/zcpdu6Pt7l
— Byron Reese (@byronreese) December 19, 2023
Here is how that chat unfolded:
McCullen: Eddie, this has been bugging me for a long time and I need to ask you a question.
O’Sullivan: Go on.
McCullen: Is there anything else I could have done to get more caps? Equally, was there anything I shouldn’t have done (referring to me leaving Ireland on two occasions to play for Dax and later for Toulouse. National coaches maintain a policy of not selecting players who don’t play in their native country)?
O’Sullivan: Aidan, there are three kinds of players. There is a disciplined player. Then, there is a talented player. Finally, there is a third type of player and this is the goal of the coach, to make the talented player disciplined… You, my friend, were amazingly disciplined.”
O’Sullivan’s answer, according to McCullen, left the pair pausing momentarily before then erupting in laughter. McCullen has now reflected on his short-lived Test career, writing: “It was exactly what I needed to hear.
“Eddie commended my discipline, providing reassurance that, despite my efforts, external factors like injuries and timing often dictate career outcomes. I felt comforted in the fact that I had controlled every input possible, but even then you can’t control the output. But knowing you gave it everything means you can walk away without regrets.
“This ‘capability cap’ was the last piece of the puzzle. It was always my suspicion. You see, I was a very average athlete, I was often last picked, if at all, in the playground and it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I started to surpass players who were hitherto much better than me.
“I had a formula: Hard work, diet, sleep, sacrifice and belief pay off. I was 17 and five years later was playing for Leinster, and Ireland a year after. You often see this phenomenon play out when you enter a professional environment like when I joined Leinster. So many schoolboy heroes (which I never was) crumpled when they became professionals.
“The problem? They had never developed discipline and had always relied on pure talent. Now that they were surrounded by a majority of disciplined and talented players and (ahem) some ‘amazingly disciplined’ ones, they struggled. Their failure was often my gain.
“However, this ‘amazing discipline’ or ‘talent gap’ means that as the team or sport progresses, a ‘capability cap’ will eventually become apparent. This is not unique to sport. A critical aspect of organisational success is the alignment between strategic ambition and operational capability.
“This concept emphasises the need for companies to not only set ambitious goals but also to possess or develop the necessary capabilities, resources, and culture to execute these goals. Before we explore let me share another sporting experience.
“I’m grateful to have played for the top two clubs in Europe, Leinster and Toulouse. When I began in Leinster, the coach had a certain game plan in mind. This was his strategic ambition.
“For the team to be able to achieve that ambition, we had to build adequate skills: passing the ball in contact, adequate power to break tackles and speed, agility and quickness to evade defenders (to name just a few).
“Indeed, we soon understood the correlation between these skills in training and the pay-off on the pitch. Later, when I played for Toulouse, our off-field training was very different from the training we did at Leinster. We did a lot of judo, evasion skills and long-distance running.
“The Toulouse style of play was very different from Leinster’s; it required the players to be extremely aerobically fit to achieve the style of play (strategic ambition) set by the club’s leadership. If either club changed their strategic direction, it would also require updated capabilities to deliver those ambitions.
“As a highly disciplined player, as Eddie confirmed, I had a cap on how far I could go. My journey illustrated the shift from talent to the discipline necessary for elite success at the professional level. The concept of a ‘capability cap’ resonated with me, highlighting the limits of discipline without innate talent.
“For the best clubs to remain the best they need both talented and disciplined players. Yes, a player like me could fill in the gaps and maybe benefit from injuries or a coach who backed you, but would always remain somewhat limited.
“Today, the rugby world has progressed so far that these clubs have a conveyor belt of talent feeding a seamless supply of capability to deliver their ambitions. We see the same phenomena play out in the business field.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
4 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
4 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
4 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
5 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
5 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
5 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
5 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
238 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
20 Go to comments