THE BEAMING SMILE and giddiness in which he describes the realisation of a childhood dream, Andrew Porter is still in ‘pinch yourself’ territory. He’s come along way in a short space of time, but every day he wears the Leinster tracksuit is a surreal one.
This is his maiden season on a senior contract at the province and even allowing for the 21-year-old’s rapid rise through the ranks, there are still firsts being ticked off the list — a European debut against Exeter, and a first appearance at the Aviva Stadium for Leinster to boot.
And then there has been the small matter of his fast-track into the international arena, the November Test appearance against Fiji his third cap for Ireland following a indelible day in New Jersey during the summer and a cameo off the bench against Japan.
“It is a bit surreal, yeah,” he says.
“You only really dream of playing professional rugby for your province; it’s your home. So it is really special, being able to come in every day and do something you love with your best friends. And being able to do it with people you kind of idolised, growing up, makes it that bit more surreal.”
By his own admission, Porter exceeded all expectations in 2017.
He started the year with five Leinster appearances to his name and a truckload of work to get through as he continued his transition from loosehead to tighthead, but finished it with three Ireland caps and an enhanced reputation as an outstanding young prospect for both province and country.
Reflecting on the last 12 months, he continues: “The main goal for me was to get a few Leinster caps under my belt and get my career off to a bit of a start. But that went alright for me. Getting that change from loosehead to tighthead felt like a set-back at the time but it has really helped me in my career now and helped me get that Ireland cap in the United States and then in the Autumn internationals as well.”
Throughout his schoolboy days, Porter’s raw power and physical size meant he destroyed opposition scrums and his natural ball-carrying ability translated into eye-opening performances for St Andrew’s College and Ireland U20s.
Now that he’s made the switch to the other side of the scrum — a move he describes as ‘like writing with your bad hand at first’ — the Leinster prop is understandably wary of losing his penchant to make explosive and devastating carries with ball in hand.
It is an ongoing learning curve for the 125kg forward and working closely with Leinster scrum coach John Fogarty, the Ireland management and team-mates such as Tadhg Furlong and Michael Bent, Porter is making progress on a daily basis.
While the scrummaging sessions on the paddock can be steep learning experiences, and physically demanding on the body, there is no real substitute for match time and Porter has one clear goal for 2018 — start more games for Leinster.
Of his 18 appearances for Leo Cullen’s side, just four have been from the off although his performance on New Year’s Day against Connacht suggests Porter is now fitter and better-equipped to be in the frame for selection more often as this season progresses.
11 tackles, three carries, seven scrums, 17 lineouts and over 20 ruck involvements translated into a busy 51-minute outing for the former St Andrew’s man and he wants to use it as a stepping stone moving forward.
“Before this year started, I set out a couple of goals,” he explains. “I did that before 2017 started but I think I surpassed a few of them and surprised myself a bit. I think 2018 is a year of many opportunities for me so I’m really looking forward to.
“I wouldn’t want to be getting too far ahead of myself [with my goals]. I’ll sort of start out small, get into it and pave the way for myself a bit.
“The main thing for me is to get more regular game time, rather than a few minutes here and there. Making my Champions Cup debut against Exeter in the Aviva was a good stepping stone for me. It’s just about gaining experience really.”
And part of that is absorbing all the information he can every day within the Leinster environment from players who have been there and done it all before.
“That’s what makes the environment at Leinster so special. Across the board, everyone is training to help each other out. It could be an out-half and Johnny Sexton would be more than happy to take the younger lads under his wing and help out. It’s really good in that sense. And I can pick Tadhg or Benty’s brain about being a tighthead, open play or anything like that.
“At the beginning, I felt a little intimidated to ask those players for help but you have to leave your ego at the door when you are coming in. It’s about making yourself better every day, so if that means having to go to a more experienced player [for help], then that is what you have to do.
“That’s almost the best way of doing it. These guys have been playing in that position most of their lives so they know what they are doing.”
All in all, Porter is living the dream as he pushes and challenges himself both in the gym and on the pitch to become a better player and use the last 18 months as a springboard for a long career with both Leinster and Ireland.
“I’ve loved playing rugby my whole life. I love pushing myself and challenging myself every day. It’s great being around and in such a professional environment and around these great players. It makes me want to push myself even more.
“It’s what I love doing every day and I really couldn’t think of doing anything else.”
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