'Don't just take part. Try to dominate': Ruadhán Quinn eager to make Munster jersey his own

Ruadhán Quinn wants to change his mindset from one of being a player grateful for his chance to someone who feels they deserve to be there. 

Ruadhán Quinn became the youngest Munster player of the professional era when he stepped off the bench against Zebre three years ago. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Opportunity knocks for Ruadhán Quinn against Cardiff at Thomond Park on Saturday night as he pulls on the Munster number seven jersey for the first time as a senior professional.

Extended absences for at least the next five weeks to established openside flankers Alex Kendellen and John Hodnett, both of whom have undergone surgeries in recent days for ankle and facial injuries respectively, have opened the door for the 21-year-old who graduated from the academy this summer and signed a two-year senior contract.

Yet the transition from academy to full-time professional has not been as daunting as one might imagine when Quinn’s journey straight from Senior Schools Cup rugby into the Munster matchday squad three years ago is to be considered.

A Senior Cup winner with Crescent Comprehensive in March 2022, the kid from Killaloe had only received his Leaving Cert results a matter of weeks when Graham Rowntree handed the back-rower his full debut off the bench against Zebre in Cork that October, Quinn at 18 becoming Munster's youngest player of the professional era in the process, and with his parents Eugene and Valerie still dropping him into the High Performance Centre from their Garrenboy home every morning for training.

As he reflected this week in conversation with the Irish Examiner, a childhood spent “up a mountain” had just become very different.

“As a player and as a person, from then, jeez, I’m completely different,” Quinn said.

“I grew up in Killaloe, Garrenboy, up a mountain, with four brothers. It wasn't long after covid so we'd had about a year or two of just the five of us, the brothers running around, having the craic. We were quite an insular family. A very, very close family, which I love.

“I'm the second of five, my eldest brother is 23, I'm 21 and we've 20, 17 and 15. We're all close. We all play rugby. All big old lads. We’d thump the head off each other at home and all fighting for the extra portion of dinner.

“Mother rings the bell and the five boys run out and we fight over the biggest piece of the meat. It's just good craic. The lads are great.” 

Quinn admits that when he joined Munster, “the laddish part travelled on but just the difference I found in professionalism, that was something I had to adapt to.

“I didn't drive for my first year or two. I used to get my mom and dad to drop me in here in the morning, looking across and seeing Tadhg Beirne and Pete (O’Mahony) coming in, in the supercars. That stuff, it's a culture shock in a way.

“But I've learned a lot and I've had lots of ups and downs. My first year, I got those couple of caps early and I had the (Ireland Under) 20s. And you know, when you're 20s, especially that year, seemed to be a lot of spotlight on it.

“I don't know if you get in your own head or whatever, these levels of expectation - it's never a linear path to success. It's up and down and you get injuries, form, different bits, different coaches.

“Last year, my academy third year started really well. And then was out of the team and then had to work back in. And a lot of work with Cathal Sheridan, our sports psychologist. I think he's absolutely brilliant. He's really helped me with that professionalism part, because I'm working on my own head, positivity, not killing myself for mistakes and things like that, I think I need to work on.” 

Quinn explained that work entailed changing his mindset to a more “positive, more dominant” one and that dominance is one new head coach Clayton McMillan has already noted in the former Crescent No.8 as well as fellow emerging back-rowers Brian Gleeson and Sean Edogbo.

“To be honest, my goal is to become a first-team starter,” Quinn added. “That's the hope. I had a decent pre-season, in fairness. The squads were split but I managed to start two of the (friendlies) anyway.

“I felt I went well enough. It's just really taking opportunities when I can and trying to change my mindset in my own head from being... nearly when you're young, you feel in a way you owe people and you're lucky to be there. And obviously it is always incredible to get on the pitch and you've so much respect for the jersey and the fans.

“But for myself, to change my mindset of my performances to ‘I deserve to be here’. And that'll allow me, in turn, to maybe play like in my own head, you know, more dominant, get on the ball more, want the ball.

“Don't just take part. Try to dominate in ways, you know?” 

Munster supporters will be hoping for just that from their number seven at Thomond Park on Saturday and will be encouraged by Quinn’s eagerness for the fray, pent up by an opening weekend spent on the sidelines at Parc y Scarlets.

“Last week I was travelling reserve. As they say, it's fuel to the fire. Every time when you're out of the team, sometimes the nerves when you're in the team, you feel, Jesus, I nearly wouldn't want to play because you're so nervous.

“But then when you're out of the team, you realise this is actually much worse. Watching on from the sideline is a killer. This weekend, I'm really looking forward to getting back in and ripping into it.”