“I keep setting goals for myself and every time I reach one, I just set another one”
STILL only 23 years of age, Denis Leamy has come a long way in a short period of time. Already an established element of the Munster side, this season he has broken into the Irish set up, making his international debut against the USA in October and his first Six Nations appearance against Italy earlier this month.
Although Leamy injured a hamstring against Glasgow in the Celtic League on Sunday, he could still be part of the Irish team running out against England in five days time. That alone underlines how fast his progress has been.
But it was never pre-ordained that the Cashel native would play rugby, because as a youngster, he was more enthralled with his county's hurling heroes.
"With the likes of Nicky English and Pat Fox being the main men around here, we always looked up to them and wanted to be like them. I played with Boherlahan-Dualla and I really, really liked the hurling, but during the winter, my dad and uncle both of whom played rugby with Cashel brought me along to play in the juvenile section and as time went on, the rugby began to suit me more because I was physically bigger than most of the guys.
"Once I went to school in Rockwell, it was only natural for me to focus on rugby. Looking back, the things that gave me most satisfaction about the game at school was the cup competitions. My early rugby coaching came from Fr. McEvoy, who was very enthusiastic, and a former Munster flanker, Ned Tierney, who coached the first Junior cup team I played in.
"We won the Junior Cup and when something like that happens you get a hunger for more and more. We beat Munchins in the first round and I remember we were 8-5 down going into the second minute of injury time when the referee gave us a penalty and told us it was the last play of the game. We opted for this special penalty move we had and I carried the ball to them before we spread it wide. All I remember is getting up off the ground to see our winger going in for the winning try. It was a fantastic moment. Rockwell hadn't won a cup match for years up to that. We went on and won the Cup that year, beating PBC in the semi-final and Crescent in the final. I was only fifteen and it was fantastic to be part of it."
Leamy played at No 8 and reckons that by winning that first game against Munchins and getting the cup monkey off their back, they gained a momentum which they never lost through the rest of the competition. It also gave a momentum to Leamy's own career.
By the following year (1998) at the age of only sixteen he was playing for the Irish schools team against an Australian outfit which included George Smith and David Lyons. Though losing 22-12, they acquitted themselves well, he recalls and for the likes of himself, Shane Jennings and Neil McMillan, who made up the Irish back row, it was the start of a wonderful odyssey.
"The year after that we toured Australia, which was an amazing trip because it opened my eyes in so many ways in terms both of rugby and life in general. We were there for about six weeks and we pretty much got to see the whole of Australia. Most of the guys who went on that tour are still good buddies and when we meet up the old stories start flying. There were some great players on that tour Gavin Duffy was the captain and there was the likes of Roger Wilson and Stephen Keogh involved as well. In fact, I think most of those guys all ended up with a professional contract afterwards."
Representative rugby aside, Denis was still playing with Rockwell at this point and his focus was on winning the Senior Cup to go along with his Junior Cup medal, but it was not to be. They made the final against CBC, but a certain amount of naivety cost them when it mattered.
"With about ten minutes to go we were ten points up but we just didn't know how to shut out the game. We just fell apart. It was one of those games you still look back on and think what might have been."
Back in 1998 the professional era was just finding its feet and Denis knew that if he was good enough and determined enough as well as getting the necessary breaks he could make a career out of the game.
"Even then the aim was to go on and achieve things in the game and ultimately, I suppose, the thing I wanted most was to play for Ireland. You'd like to think you were good enough, but you didn't know.
"Straight out of school we were brought into the IRFU Academy and we had to work on things like weights and diets and we had to change our bodies. But everything was aimed at helping us make the necessary steps and it brought us along very quickly. The Academy was just what we needed between our schools career and our senior career.
"After school, rugby was obviously a huge part of what I wanted to do, but I went to CIT to study leisure management and I was able to play for UCC. Then Declan (Kidney) brought me into the Munster set-up on a development contract and I got my first Munster cap when I was nineteen which was very important."
FOR ONE so young to be mixing at that stage with legends like Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessy was awesome, but it was not something that was going to faze him.
"I'd be a shy enough type of guy and I would not have a lot to say in team circles, but I was always fairly confident of my own ability. I kept setting goals for myself and every time I reached one, I just set another one. I think most sports people are like that because I don't think you are always going to be happy with what you achieve because you always want more. You can't ever sit back and clap yourself on the back there's always another challenge."
His rise has not been without its hiccups. Having been selected to play against Italy in the Six Nations opener, he was dropped for the last game against Scotland. The experience has only made him more determined.
"It was fantastic to get the opportunity to play against Italy, even if it was a difficult match to play in because we didn't have too much of the ball for the first thirty minutes and it was hard to settle. It was a difficult day all round, really. I had a chat with Eddie (O'Sullivan) afterwards and I took on board what he had to say.
"Even so, it was a bit of a blow to be dropped for the Scottish match, though Eddie probably had it in mind to give Johnny O'Connor a game. Eddie has to make the call for the team. I have to accept that.
"I've had a very good season so far, especially when you consider that last year I had nothing. In fact, a couple of years ago I had a really bad cruciate injury. The Scottish thing was a little hiccup and it has allowed me to re-set the mind and to re-focus and I just have to build on what I've achieved this season. I'm in the Irish squad and that's where I want to be because it is going to make me a better player."
For now, he's focused on doing his bit for Ireland and Munster and, having come so far in so short a period, he's intent on building on his success and keeping the momentum going. Few doubt he will.
Next week: Cork hurling star Sean Óg O hAilpin.
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