Hogan happy to bide his time with Leinster after long road to recovery

EIGHTEEN months ago, Trevor Hogan was playing his part as Ireland went about putting 50 points on the board against Italy in Rome in the Six Nations.

Lately however, it has been all about getting a run, any run, with his club.

One of four Leinster forwards to miss out narrowly on selection for last year’s World Cup, Hogan returned to Dublin on release from international duties with Jamie Heaslip, Leo Cullen and Keith Gleeson where his early season form belied any sense of grievance or disappointment.

Then disaster struck three games in when Llanelli breached the 50-point marker at the RDS and Hogan was left booking himself in for surgery on a knee cruciate injury that would thrust his career into reverse.

“It was exactly this time last year that I got the results to say that my knee was infected so that set me back another couple of months.

“I came back at the end of last season and struggled to find fitness.

“I had a couple of more niggles at the start of this season but I am over that now.

“I am not trying to use injuries as an excuse. They are part of the game and it is a matter of dealing with them and moving on.”

He appears stoic about his dip in fortunes. The first ambition is a simple one, to re-establish himself with the province.

Limited to just one start and three brief calls from the bench so far, he could well add to that against the Dragons tomorrow.

Leo Cullen’s own injury problems, which will keep him out until the new year, leave room in the second row for a partner to Malcolm O’Kelly, but Devin Toner looks best positioned to profit from that vacancy right now.

The 6’10’’ Lansdowne clubman is only 22 and still raw but his ongoing development was recognised earlier this week with his award as Leinster’s player of the month for September and October.

“It is great for the squad, the competition. Devin is going very well and that will help everyone. Poor old Leo got a bad injury as well but you can’t think about anyone else. You have to focus on yourself and try and improve the best you can.”

Toner isn’t the only young second row to have edged past him in the queue for provincial and national honours but Hogan was thrilled to see Donncha Ryan make his international debut just last week against Argentina.

The pair grew up just two fields apart in Tipperary and Hogan couldn’t resist having a joke at Ryan’s expense, revealing how the Munster player used to chase after his own family’s sheep when they were both younger.

“He wasn’t a farmer himself but his father worked for Teagasc so there was probably a curiosity there. When you’re not from a farm you are probably thinking ‘what are those white things out on the field?’

“It is great for Nenagh and for Tipperary though. Things have come a long way for the county in terms of rugby the last while. That just cements it now, getting another lad in there with a cap. It’s brilliant.”

Having played almost 60 times for Munster himself, Hogan could have been forgiven for pondering what might have been as he watched Ryan and the rest of the men in red take on the All Blacks in Thomond Park last Tuesday week.

As it was, he has been busy himself with Leinster’s own second string and, if there was little glamour for their games against Ospreys, Bristol and Saracens, Hogan was nonetheless grateful for the chance to play all 240 minutes.

“They were very important for the lads that hadn’t been playing that many games. We actually really enjoyed them. From a personal point of view, I just enjoyed getting a few games in after a disappointing year with injuries and various things. It felt great to be back playing.”