Oisín Dowling has fast become one of Connacht rugby’s rising stars

The Connacht Rugby second row on injury hell, the importance of doing your homework, and why Eminem doesn’t make good warmup music.

As Connacht prepare for a European Champions Cup double header with Leinster this month, few players will be relishing the fixture quite as much as Oisín Dowling.

After starting his youth career in Leinster’s academy, where he formed part of 2018’s Celtic Cup-winning A side and went on to make a handful of appearances with the senior team, in 2020 he was told by the Dublin Giants that he was surplus to requirements. A decision he still believes was short-sighted.

But you don’t need to take his word for that. Since arriving on the shores of Galway, Dowling has developed into one of the most exciting prospects in the domestic scene, utilising every inch of his imposing 6’5 frame in second row to mark himself out as a real one-to-watch.

Technically sound, an absolute unit, and with confidence levels at an all-time high, he credits a change in mindset as much as scenery for his second coming at Connacht. Not that it’s not all been sunshine and rainbows for the 24-year-old, mind you, having only just recovered from a disc injury which saw him strip his entire training routine back to basics.

Hoping to help others to find focus in sport or study, here the former Irish youth international reveals how he’s able to reach peak performance.

It took coming to Connacht to believe in myself

“In my last year at Leinster’s academy I was told there wasn’t a new contract for me, and I wouldn’t be kept on. I thought I deserved one. Confidence was something I struggled with back then as a younger player training with the senior team; my mindset was to not make a mistake and fly under the radar, when in actual fact I should have backed my ability and not cared as much. So, when I came to Connacht, I left no stone unturned and no longer thought ‘I’m a younger player, I can’t be as loud’. Don’t go into your shell, believe in yourself and back your own ability. It worked for me.”

A sports psychologist helped me eradicate self-doubt

“Last year we worked with a sports psychologist called Jack Birtwhistle, who the lads loved. His aim was to help us achieve a state of flow, including when things go badly in a game. Sometimes you might miss a tackle and think ‘oh jeez, I can’t miss another’ and then negative thoughts can creep in, but you’ve got to park it. A lot of our work together was eliminating these negative thoughts to stay positive and focus on the next job at hand.”

Doing my homework has paid off as a player

“When I was at school, I’d always find an excuse not to study such as going to the gym or the training pitch. But thanks to pre-match analysis of opponents, I’ve since come to really appreciate the benefits of study, which can really pay off during big moments. Our forward coaches will pass us messages in-game about which areas the other team are weak and vulnerable in, spotting trends and recognising things. They’ll be like ‘run this play’ or ‘change to this system’ and thanks to our prep we know what to do.”

A disc injury taught me to be mentally tough

“I’ve only just returned from a big injury. I had a disc bulge in my lower back which caused neural pain all the way down my left side and really restricted my movement. This shooting pain was frustrating and difficult because it didn’t seem like it was getting any better and there was no timeline to it, as you’d have with something like, say, a torn ligament. I was annoyed that I couldn’t see a finish line - there was a period when I was out for about six months straight - but I got over it with a lot of rehab, a root injection and a few epidurals.”

Injury even forced me to change the way I train

“Overcoming my disc injury also meant overhauling my gym work, stripping it all back and working on technique. I’m quite tall, for instance, so when squatting I wouldn’t have great hip mobility which was compromising my back and making it worse. I even had to change the way I ran because I wasn’t firing through my glutes, my hamstrings, or my bigger muscles. I was using hip flexors and lower leg, putting more stress on my calves. When I was younger, I wouldn’t have put as much effort into stretching before training, but having been out for so long I’ll now prep for at least 30 minutes before each session because I know how much a difference it makes.”

Performing well is all about finding rhythm 

“For a lot of top players, a good first impact settles you into the game. It could be a first tackle after the kick-off, or a first carry with a positive result; anything that gets the ball rolling for you mentally and gets you into a state of flow. I’d recommend this shortcut for any big challenge, not just on the field. Maybe if you’re sitting in an exam looking at a first question that seems daunting, try moving onto another question that you might know a little better. By answering that first it’ll put your mind at ease, relax you a bit and you’ll then be able to think clearer.”

I’ve always had challenges putting on weight

I was really skinny as a kid and adding weight is something I still have to work hard at today. Between the ages of 15 and 16 I grew to about 6’4, and by the time I left school I was 6’5 and a half. As I grew into my body, I was able to get a lot more confidence in playing and progressed from there. I’ve made plenty of mistakes trying to put on weight and not caring about body composition, but I’ve learnt that you don’t need to put weight on for the sake of it, it has to be good weight, there’s no point getting heavier if it’s not adding any benefit. You’d rather be the part than look the part.”

I find it healthy to have other interests outside sport

“I know players who can be too consumed by rugby. It helps having other interests outside the game, so it feels fresh when you come back to it. It probably helps that I didn’t even play rugby until secondary school, I was more GAA before then. I like going to music festivals and I try and travel whenever we’re allowed. One of my best trips abroad was to Mexico, it’s unbelievable over there. We found these underground river cave systems where you can go diving - I love adventure sport. As a rugby player you can’t really be venturing too much into that kind of stuff, it’s in your contract that you can’t go skiing for instance. But maybe that’s something for after my rugby career. Last year I went to watch the Red Bull Cliff Diving event last year [at Downpatrick Head], it was great.”

Being nervous can be a good thing

“Someone once told me that the chemicals released by the brain when you’re feeling nervous are the same ones released when you’re excited, so I try to embrace it. The worst is usually on the bus to the stadium, that’s when the butterflies really begin, although as soon as I warm up I can focus, get into the zone and forget about everything. One thing that helps me, weirdly enough, is listening to relaxing music like Tame Impala or Rufus Du Sol. Other players will listen to hype up music, but I can’t understand that. I don’t want to get to use all that anxious energy before the game kicks off.”

I’m taking my career one game at a time

“At the moment I’m still in the very early stages of my Connacht career. There’s so much competition in the second row that I’m trying to establish myself with this squad as one of our main players. My short-term goal is to be on that team sheet each week, to put in big performances and be as consistent as possible. I’m really enjoying being here. I moved up to Galway last year and only recently have been able to experience the city after COVID restrictions, but it’s been class, I’ve absolutely loved it so far.”

Words: Joe Ellison