Late bloomer Fogarty happy to toast brothers in arms

IF John Fogarty manages to win his first international cap against Australia next week, he will raise a glass to toast his two brothers, Damian and Denis.

Older brother Damian helped give him the hardness required to become a professional player in the first place, while Denis, two years his junior, contributed to the development of his competitive edge to its current peak.

Leinster’s Fogarty is one of three hookers named in Declan Kidney’s Irish squad of 39 players for the autumn series of internationals, but with Jerry Flannery struggling to recover from a calf muscle injury, the Cork-born 32-year-old now finds himself in the front line for selection against the Wallabies.

If it happens, he believes he will owe a debt of gratitude to his siblings, whose respective contributions to his career played a large part in his quest for recognition and achievement.

“(Damian) used to beat the crap out of me when I was younger, but I suppose him playing hooker rubbed off on me too!

“Seriously, he was actually a very skilful player; he went on to play in the back row, at scrum-half, out-half, and on the wing, he played hurling as well and was very competitive in everything he did.”

Denis, meanwhile, provides the type of family rivalry that exists to this day, a rivalry Fogarty regrets his father is not around to see. Denis Fogarty senior died last year before Leinster’s stirring Heineken Cup semi-final triumph that featured both brothers knocking lumps out of each other.

His late father was also big into rugby having played initially with Cashel and then Dolphin. “He would just love to have been there to see that semi-final,” said Fogarty.

The rivalry between the two brothers continued into this season prior to the recent Magners League clash between the two Irish provinces, but this week there is no hint of what went before, with Denis throwing his support in John’s direction.

“In the normal course of events we would talk a lot about rugby, about our experiences for our respective teams against different opposition, about how we got on individually and maybe about working on personal ways to improve,” he said.

This week was, insisted Fogarty, about finding ways to improve, and building on the success he has enjoyed with Leinster this season.

Fogarty has been around the scene for a decade; three seasons with Munster, five with Connacht for whom he played over 100 times, and now with Leinster, with whom he has featured in the starting line up on most occasions of late.

But working out with Ireland — even though he has played several times for Ireland A and captained the squad in a Churchill Cup campaign — is a further progression and an even bigger challenge.

He is, he admits, closer to where he wants to be, but is not willing to think too much about what might happen in the next few weeks.

“I suppose I’m in a fairly good place having got some big games under my belt with Leinster. I reckon those matches have given me more confidence but in relation to Ireland I’m taking it one day at a time this week.

“These games for Leinster have put me in the shop window and I’m grateful for that because it wasn’t easy getting into the team ahead of Bernard Jackman, who is a huge player for us (Leinster).

“But being in the squad means I probably have a chance of being involved (in the autumn games) although I’m not taking anything for granted at all. All I can do, as I have been trying to do, is the best I can in training to impress the coaches enough and at least put my hand up (for selection).”

On the positive side, Fogarty doesn’t feel out of his depth amongst so many more experienced and seasoned international colleagues. He conceded that the training sessions are a little different and more taxing than he is used to, but not outrageously so.

“It’s pretty full-on, it’s very intense stuff but the sessions are short and very sharp; quite honestly I’m enjoying every minute of it. Of course, it helps to be training similarly with Leinster.”

Fogarty has taken dozens of congratulatory calls since being elevated to the squad, but he has convinced himself not to expect anything quite yet. “All that has happened so far is that I’m in a position to push for selection; it’s an opportunity for me to represent myself as best I can, put my head down, have a crack, see what comes of it and hope it all goes well.”