Now Donncha, it’s your turn to lead

DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN is always looking for an edge. He will always work harder than his colleagues to better himself. The Lions second row doesn’t have the flair and flamboyance of some of his team-mates, but he has a work ethic and a hunger for rugby knowledge unsurpassed by any player I have known.

The Cork-based Munster players have a top-quality training centre in an industrial estate just off Forge Hill on the southside of the city. It has a gym specifically equipped for elite rugby players, a laptop room for video analysis and a fully equipped medical room. Donncha spends a lot of his time there. There is also a social area with a sprawling coach, a widescreen television. The players go there to relax after a hard session, put their feet up and knock back some protein and carbohydrate supplement in order to refuel. It is also a convenient place to arrange to meet one of the additional advisors that Munster contract to aid player welfare.

A couple of seasons ago, I was just passing through this area after a particularly hard session when Donncha was meeting his nutritionist. The rest of us were heading off for an afternoon nap but Donncha wanted to learn. He had brought every fish oil and food supplement from his kitchen cabinets and was quizzing the poor girl on the best balance of food and exercise.