Why John Cooney never really 'felt part' of Leinster
Ireland scrumhalf John Cooney admits that he never quite felt part of Leinster in the same way he has done at fellow Irish provincial setups in Connacht and Ulster.
Cooney has won nearly 200 hundred provincial caps between the three teams. He made his debut for Leinster back in 2011 towards the end of the golden era of Brian O’Driscoll, Gordan D’Arcy, Shane Horgan and Sean O’Brien.
Cooney would go on to win 27 caps for Leinster over four seasons, but the Dubliner admits that he didn’t integrate into the star-studded Leinster squad in the way he would do at Connacht and latterly Ulster. Cooney was asked about what he thought of Leinster’s dominant display against Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup by the RugbyPass Offload panel, in a game in which the men in blue convincingly beat the reigning champions.
“It was very impressive. Obviously, it hurts to say that. I might be from Dublin but I’ve played for Ulster for the last five years. I do think they look the strongest in the competition. La Rochelle in France, you never know, but they [Leinster] look pretty impossible to beat there.
“We have to beat them in the league now. This year we’ve played them twice and won both games. It was a mixed selection so I don’t think they had their full strength. We played them away in the RDS but I think they had 50 or 60 per cent of their Irish players.”
While the current Leinser squad ain’t too shabby, Cooney came up in equally illustrious Leinster company when he was starting out over a decade ago.
“I was lucky enough when I was coming through to play on that team with O’Driscoll, Isa Nacewa, Jamie Heaslip, all the players that played for Ireland. I think that was up there as teams go.
“Brad Thorn was there I first got there. He was so impressive, just his professionalism, no one could get near him.
“I think in Crusaders they use to gym on their own or something. It was so impressive the work he got through.
“He’d lift like 160 on the bench and never want a spot. He’d jump into doing core between every set. He was stacked and ripped. He was so impressive. He wore his cap out to training. His professionalism was amazing.
“He won everything. He’d just won a Rugby World Cup and they made him play for Leinster A versus Connacht A. I think he wanted to play. He was happy out. All this at 36, 37, maybe even more. He put in a great 50-minute shift. Most players would turn their nose up at that.”
Despite his high calibre colleagues, the former Gonzaga schoolboy player remained largely unfazed.
“I came in straight out of school. I did’d find it as daunting when you’re coming up through the ranks. It’s a bit different when you move to a club and you hear stories about people and stuff like that. I think I was a bit naive or something.”
Cooney would get a wake-up call when winning his first Leinster cap under future Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt.
“I think I got taken off in my first ever game. I was naive to what actual professional rugby was like. I remember thinking, jeez, this is way harder than I thought’ it’d be. That kind of rattled me I think. How do you come back from that when you’ve got the shepherd’s crook.
“We lost by about 30 points to Ospreys away. To lose like that at Leinster at the time was considered pretty poor.
“I remember with Joe Schmidt after the game, nearly being in tears thinking this isn’t half as easy as I’d thought it would be. That humbled me.”
The 32-year-old was asked what the difference was between the three provinces, and despite coming up through Leinster’s famed academy system, he felt more home at their Irish provincial rivals to the west and to the north.
“It was different eras for me. That was the star-studded Leinster era when I was coming through. I didn’t really feel as part of it as I’d like to think.
“I was lucky enough to play in a couple of finals, but I didn’t really feel part of it.
“In Connacht, even though I was injured, it was more of the community-type team where some who was playing AIL or the fifth choice hooker could go out for breakfast or lunch with John Muldoon, and be treated the exact same.
“When we won the league with Connacht, the PRO12 as it was known back then, it was definitely the highlight of my club career because everyone was part of it. I dislocated my shoulder in the final, but it was probably the best three days I ever had.
“Then coming to Ulster it’s quite similar again. You feel like you can chat to Rory Best or Charles Piutau and feel like you’re on equal ground.
“It’s different now in Leinster. It’s a younger era. When I came through I was 20-years-old and it was a bit more old school. I never really felt as part of it as I did in the last two teams.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
1 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
21 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
21 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments