Leinster's Conor O’Tighearnaigh pursuing medicine and rugby dreams

Ireland isn’t blessed with massive men but  Conor O’Tighearnaigh stands 6' 7" and he feels like he is ready to use it more to his advantage. Pic: ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze

Leinster lock Conor O’Tighearnaigh harboured two life ambitions when he was a teenager. He wanted to play professional rugby and he wanted to be a doctor. Why choose one? He decided to pursue both.

The 23-year old has two-thirds of a six-year medical degree behind him at UCD. He took a leave of absence from it last year and is now back at it on a part-time basis, slotting his studies in around life as a player with the four-time European champions.

Club and college have had to be accommodating. O’Tighearnaigh isn’t the only pro player juggling third-level commitments on the side, far from it, but medicine is the kind of labour-intensive course that few others can match.

Leinster demands four days of his week and he spends his Wednesdays off on placement at St Vincent's. He makes up the rest of the hours required when and where he can. Currently in South Africa with Leinster, he is catching up online.

Chances are he will have a bulkier in-tray when he returns home after this weekend’s URC tie against the Sharks in Durban, but there is a beneficial balance between the two in that he can escape the stresses of one with the other.

"Yeah, they're both tough but they're probably the two things I've always wanted to do really. If you told me five, ten years ago I'd be doing one of them, I'd be happy.

"So having the opportunity to do both is, I'm very privileged to be in that position and it's a good escape in a way almost that my days off, I kind of have to be completely switched off rugby and focused on the medicine.

"So it's good in that way that I get that escape and then probably also the other way, I guess, the escape from medicine sometimes for rugby. So they do kind of complement themselves well.

"Sometimes there's a stage, especially when it's exam time and stuff like that where things get tricky but in general, for now anyway, being able to complement themselves well and find the balance has been good.” 

Felipe Contepomi famously completed his medical studies while starring at out-half for Leinster. O’Tighearnaigh’s task is to work his way into the reckoning up front in a squad that is blessed with top-level second row talent.

The province’s collection of Ireland internationals are on this tour down south but most won’t play a game as their minutes are managed. Others are injured. For a man like O’Tighearnaigh it is a time to shine.

Leo Cullen has given him the chance. He started both pre-season games, against Lyon and Zebre, and he was on call again come kick-off last week when Leinster started their season with a one-point defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg.

He feels an extra onus to show some responsibility now when the big names are absent. The flip side is he gets to learn his stick in trade off men like James Ryan, Joe McCarthy, RG Snyman and Ryan Baird. That’s an elite school.

“There's probably no team, no club in the world anyway that has as good a stock of second rows. All of them have been hugely helpful to me over this year and just in general the last few years.

“So, in terms of lineouts, there's no-one better than James Ryan at that. And then just Joe, RG, even Ryan Baird, I'd be bouncing off them all the time, trying to use the knowledge in the building as much as possible, ask them as many questions.

“There's never a time I'd go to them with a question and they wouldn't be more than happy to help and give me any of their feedback or their experience. So yeah, thankfully all the lads in the group are very helpful for me.” 

Ireland isn’t blessed with massive men but O’Tighearnaigh stands 6' 7" and he feels like he is ready to use it more to his advantage after that year off his studies and a six-month spell out with a shoulder injury last season.

He feels fresh, physically ready to kick on.

“It's one thing being heavy, but being able to use that weight has probably been … it’s [about] becoming more powerful and strong with it in that way. So improving my body composition, becoming more powerful and athletic versus just being heavy and not being able to use it.

“Thankfully there's a lot of people here, great S&Cs, great physios, who have hugely helped me with that. So just working in the gym and getting my diet and all that right has been the main thing. Nothing too complicated, but just doing all the right things.”