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O'Leary during his debut against Bayonne last week. Eurosport
Irish Abroad

20-year-old Irishman Shane O'Leary enjoying life at Grenoble

The former Young Munster out-half made his debut last weekend and is set for another appearance tonight.

GRENOBLE TAKE ON Italian side Viadana in the Amlin Challenge Cup this evening, with two Irishmen hoping to play some part off the bench.

Scrum-half James Hart burst into the limelight two weekends ago by scoring 16 points against Jonny Sexton’s Racing Metro in the Top 14, but it may soon be time for 20-year-old out-half Shane O’Leary to announce himself in France.

The former Young Munster man made his debut last weekend in the second-tier European tournament, playing 22 minutes as a second half substitute against a strong Bayonne side. Grenoble were already 30-6 down when O’Leary entered the fray and there was little he could do to turn the tide.

Still, the Cork native (by way of Limerick, Tipp and Clare) was pleased to make his first appearance for the club and said there was a noticeable step up in pace from Ireland’s domestic game.

“The game had passed us by a bit by the time I came on but look, it’s quick. You can’t find that weak individual anymore that you might have at underage rugby when you were a young lad, those small wingers. The wingers here are almost bigger than everyone else.

It’s great to play against the likes of Mike Phillips, to play against your first Lion while you’re getting your first cap. It was cool to see where these guys are going and you’d love to follow in their footsteps. It’s great to see them playing in France too, they’re out of their comfort zone too.”

From Tom Clifford Park against the likes of Shannon to the Stade Jean Dauger against Phillips and other star names; how did it happen? O’Leary represented Munster all the way up to U20 level before representing Canada – his mother was born in New Brunswick – at the Junior World Trophy in June, where his 45 points helped the side to second place.

Following that international experience, O’Leary was keen to “pursue the professional route” and the Canadians helped him to distribute CVs in France. Initially, there was strong interest from Béziers in the Pro D2, before he heard from Grenoble, who had recently taken on ex-Young Munster Director of Rugby Mike Prendergast as skills coach.

“Grenoble asked Prendy about me. He said I was a good player, or whatever, and they looked at some footage and brought me out for a week. Straight after that I got invited back again, and into the academy.”

O’Leary’s choice of club has proved a shrewd one, particularly as the likes of James Hart, Andrew Farley, Prendergast and Bernard Jackman form a strong community of Irishmen in the Rhône-Alpes region.

“James is sound, he’d be a good buddy of mine out here now. Then there’s obviously Mike and Bernard, who’ve been a huge help. They’d have a bit more French than I would, especially Birch who is pretty good at French.

“He helps me communicate with the coaches and just getting around Grenoble, sorting out my accommodation and all the living aspects rather than the rugby aspects. Then, Andrew Farley’s here too. He’s club captain so it’s great to have him here.”

imageO'Leary enjoyed a good debut last week against Bayonne. Pic: Eurosport.

O'Leary has managed to impress the club so much in his first few months that he is now training almost exclusively with the senior team, despite being on an academy contract. His accommodation is located a stone's throw from the training facilities, making it easier to be on time for the 7am gym sessions.

Settling into a new culture, language and lifestyle are major challenges for any player moving abroad, but O'Leary is taking it all in his stride. His French is far from perfect at the moment, but he says he is getting there.

"Typically, I studied it in school for six years and couldn't speak a word of it afterwards. To be fair, when you're in the environment all the time it becomes a lot quicker.

"I've found that when I'm here, all the French that we've done in class at home is starting to come back. It comes quickly, you start to recognise what they say, when you ask them to speak slower!"

The French food has perhaps not been totally to O'Leary's taste, but he admits that "when you're living away from home, you kind of eat what you get." The love of wine among the natives has been another element of daily life that will take some adapting to.

I tend not to drink the wine. They like to drink it at breakfast, lunch, dinner, in between. But they're not like the Irish, they can drink and enjoy it, whereas at home if someone pours wine at lunchtime that's the plan for the day."

On the pitch is where O'Leary's main concerns lie and he is focused on playing at out-half in the long-term, even if his debut last week came in the centre. He has been greatly impressed by the skill levels in France, particularly the Sonny Bill Williams-like love of offloading, and the relaxed attitude of the players at Grenoble sits will with him.

Does he see other young Irish players following the example of his and Hart's examples with Top 14 clubs in the near future?

"Listen, if it's what they want to do and they don't get anything at home, if you believe in yourself, I'd definitely recommend it. It's only good for the Irish provinces having lads in academies. It's understandable that they can only have 15 or 16 guys in their academies, beyond that it's too expensive."

O'Leary is perfectly content with how things have worked out, and there is a big year ahead of him. He admits that he likes to think Canada are hopeful of him declaring to play for them at senior level, but "at the moment, there's no pressure from anyone."

The 20-year-old's focus for now is on continuing to impress at Grenoble.

"I'd love to get another few runs in the Amlin, I'm on the bench against Viadana. Selection is out of my hands so all I can do is keep training hard and hope for it, try to keep playing well."

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