IT’S EASY TO forget how far Rory O’Loughlin has come in a relatively short period of time. In a season of breakthroughs and outstanding performances at Leinster, his rise has been the story of the year.
As O’Loughlin presents himself for media duty at the province’s UCD headquarters, he does so in a hoody with ‘Academy’ embroidered under the crest. A reminder, then, of how far he has actually come since the start of the season.
Rewind six months and the 22-year-old was in no man’s land. With the final year of a Business and Law degree ahead of him, O’Loughlin knew something had to give. He had waited patiently for his opportunity, and it never came. This was his last chance saloon.
He was the first to admit the prospects of forging a professional career at Leinster were diminishing as he watched his peers — the likes of Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier — make the breakthrough at senior level. Time was running out.
“Professional rugby is a completely different standard to what you play in school and some players get the break and go straight in but I had to bide my time and for me it took a bit longer,” he says.
“I remember going to the games at the Aviva last year and thinking I was a good bit away from that. A year later, I’m playing.”
To say O’Loughlin has made a name for himself since making his senior debut against Treviso in September is an understatement. His career has been on an upward trajectory since with his confidence and stature palpably growing with each passing week.
Even speaking to the media, the former St Michael’s College student speaks with more conviction. He may still be in ‘pinch me’ territory but O’Loughlin is starting to feel at home at this level.
“I’ve been supporting Leinster since I was eight so to finally get to play is a dream come true,” he admits. “It’s been great, I absolutely love it.
“That was my first start in Europe on Friday night [against Montpellier], that was a big moment for me. I was happy enough with my performance and felt as the game went on I got more comfortable so I’ve been delighted about how the season has gone so far and hopefully it will continue.”
Even watching Leinster with his father at Donnybrook harbouring hopes of one day playing for the province, he could never have envisaged the position he now finds himself in.
As he says himself, this is all a dream come true.
“People constantly say that to me,” the winger continues. “It’s weird I haven’t really had that much time to think about it as the games roll into one another and I’m constantly involved.
“At this stage I think it would take me a week or two to kind of appreciate everything that has gone on this season and come to terms with it but at the moment I’m just delighted to be in this position and want to keep going.”
Injuries to Dave Kearney and Fergus McFadden may have opened the door further for O’Loughlin, particularly on the wing, but he has made the position his own and seized his chance.
His scintillating pace and ability to sniff out, and finish, a chance has seen him develop into a key component of Leo Cullen’s side and one of the brightest young players at the heart of Leinster’s exciting renewal.
He may not have helped himself to any tries in the demolition of Montpellier last time out but O’Loughlin’s tally is seven in his last six games, including a hat-trick against Zebre.
“I’ve just been working to stay on the training pitch because the last few seasons I hadn’t been training consistently and the chances didn’t come where as this year I don’t think I missed a session pre-season,” he explains.
“You get confidence from that and when you play games you gain more confidence.
“When you’re clear with your role in the team and all the moves and plays and stuff you aren’t as nervous about that and you can concentrate more on expressing yourself and playing to your potential. It has been more about staying fit and keep progressing as a player really.
“It’s great to play in a team like that where everyone has the confidence to take a player on and has the confidence to throw an offload as I’ve been in teams in the past when it’s been kind of frowned upon but we’re in a place now where we’re backing ourselves and our skill-sets and thankfully it has worked well.”
Those who watched O’Loughlin at schoolboy level — as he helped Michael’s to the Leinster Senior Cup in 2012 — will tell you that he always possessed the attributes to make it and his breakthrough was only a matter of time.
It might have come as a surprise, however, that he has established himself on the wing and not in his preferred position of outside centre; although he’s not really complaining.
“I’ve enjoyed the wing, especially playing with the two boys in the centre,” he adds.
“They’re constantly chatting and I’ve already had a good few assists from Garry [Ringrose] so I’m happy enough playing on the wing, I’m enjoying it. It is a different position but even if it ends up that I do go back into the centre, I think it’s going to improve my game overall.
“I’m just happy to be involved in these games at the moment to be honest, I don’t really mind what position I’m playing as long as I’m playing.”
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