BILLY BOHAN WAS playing for Galway Corinthians in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League as recently as November.
Now, the 20-year-old loosehead prop looks set for his Ireland debut against Japan in Australia on Saturday.
Bohan only made his senior Connacht debut in December and got his first start for the province in January. He is just coming to the end of his second year in the Connacht academy. ‘Meteoric’ arguably doesn’t do his rise justice.
The Kildare man’s excellent form has earned him a three-year senior contract with Connacht from the start of next season. Now, with Jeremy Loughman ruled out of this weekend’s clash with Japan, Bohan looks set to play for Ireland for the first time.
This probably wouldn’t have happened as fast but for injuries to other Irish looseheads, but those who have coached Bohan aren’t shocked that he has jumped up through the ranks so quickly. He comes from good stock.
Bohan’s father, Enda, was good enough to prop for Leinster and held Lansdowne’s record for AIL appearances until 2019.
Bohan’s mother, Amanda, is the daughter of the late, legendary Ireland and Lions player and coach Mick Doyle.
Billy is a native of Kildare who grew up in the town of Kilcullen, and first played rugby with Newbridge RFC. When he went to secondary school at Newbridge College, things began to get serious.
His older brother, out-half Tom, also came through Newbridge. His younger brother, loosehead prop Jamie, has just finished school there, captaining the senior team, and has joined Leinster’s sub-academy after playing for the Ireland U19s.
Billy Bohan on the charge for Newbridge in 2023. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Ex-Munster wing Johne Murphy, who is director of rugby at Newbridge, says it was clear from early on that Billy was an exciting talent, with the young prop helping the school to a Leinster Schools Junior Cup title in 2021, after they shared it the year before during the pandemic.
“Then he played in all the SCT games from fourth year the whole way to sixth year,” says Murphy.
“He has a really good rugby brain, someone who would understand what you’re trying to do and why you’re doing it. He would have had a physical edge to him, even as a young player.
“He would have packed down against Paddy McCarthy in the semi-final against Blackrock when he was in transition year. Gus McCarthy was in that Blackrock front row as well, but Billy wouldn’t bat an eyelid against whoever it was.”
Murphy liked that edge in Bohan’s game, the unfazed attitude he brought even against older players.
But equally, Bohan was a skilful prop who Newbridge used for more than his carrying. Some props are hidden away, but Bohan always wanted a chance to show his passing skills.
“He has a good bit of bite to him, but he’s a ball-playing prop,” says Murphy.
“You can see the amount of times he carries the ball at the moment. You could run plays through him, which was a big thing.”
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And even with his intent on the training pitch and during games, Bohan was a laidback character when he played under Murphy at Newbridge, where he sometimes featured at tighthead.
Bohan with his brother, Jamie, and father, Enda, after his Connacht debut in December. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
That much doesn’t seem to have changed. Bohan has taken everything in his stride so far.
“I was speaking to his dad just when the Ireland squad got announced,” says Murphy.
“Billy was just chilling at home on the couch at the time, and I said to his dad, ‘How’s he doing?’
“He’s like, ‘Well, he hasn’t really moved.’”
Bohan played for the Ireland U18s and U19s while he was in school, after which he had a decision to make. Leinster offered him a sub-academy spot, but Connacht presented him with a full academy contract. Bohan decided to go west.
That meant joining a new club side and Galway Corinthians happily welcomed him in.
Current Old Crescent RFC head coach Michael Harding was in charge of Corinthians last season when Bohan joined straight out of school. The young loosehead was part of the Ireland U20s set-up as well, but he featured prominently for Corinthians in the AIL.
“We were blown away by him,” says Harding.
“Straight away, we were like, ‘This is a serious player.’
“Billy had exceptional footwork and really good hands, but great attention to detail as well. We’d ask a lot of our props in terms of different launch plays on second phase, and he never missed anything.
“And you only have these academy guys on a Thursday night, and not every Thursday night. Sometimes, they could only come out and watch, but he’d pick up everything.”
Bohan has taken his chances with Connacht. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Bohan was still 18 when he started playing with Corinthians, but his power stood out.
“He was unbelievably dynamic in contact,” says Harding.
“Now, he had a big frame, but he hadn’t a lot of weight on at that stage. He has obviously put a lot of weight on in the last 12 months or so.
“But when we saw Billy, we said, ‘That guy’s going to be professional.’ He was so dynamic. His footwork was so good. His ball carry was so good. His lineout lifting was so good.”
Though he wasn’t a Galway local, Bohan quickly became at home in Corinthians.
“He’s not very loud, he’s not obnoxious, he’s not in your face,” says Harding. “Billy never looked for anything; he just got on with it himself.
“That suggests there’s a very good support network at home and around him.
“He’s just a guy who works really hard, very nice, polite, so mannerly. A gentleman.”
Bohan’s coaches and team-mates in Corinthians weren’t surprised to see him kicking on with Connacht this season, passing older and more experienced looseheads in the pecking order under new head coach Stuart Lancaster.
The same is true of Murphy and everyone in Newbridge.
They recognise his dynamic carrying, his slick ball-playing skills, and his unflappable approach.
But they also see a player who has continued to add strings to his bow. Bohan has had some impressive days at the scrum with Connacht, helped hugely by departing scrum coach Cullie Tucker.
Bohan with fellow Kildare man Sam Prendergast in Sydney. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“Billy’s scrum has obviously improved a huge amount in a short space of time,” says Murphy.
“Especially given the fact that he’s scrummaging with adult rules, and he’s only two years out of school [where scrums cannot push more than 1.5 metres forward].
“To be able to stand up to some international, seasoned props who have 50 or 60 caps, that’s been huge.
“And then he has doubled down on all the skills that he had and improved them. His basic skills are top, top level.”
Bohan is one of several Newbridge College past pupils currently in the Ireland squad in Australia, with Jimmy O’Brien, Sam Prendergast and Cian Prendergast also representing the school.
While those in Newbridge and Corinthians expected Bohan to make waves higher up, his elevation to the brink of an Ireland debut has come around even more quickly than imagined.
Having been first called up by Ireland during the Six Nations, and still with only 15 Connacht appearances to his name, the 20-year-old was named part of Andy Farrell’s squad for the Nations Championship and looks set to feature against Japan.
Injuries have opened the door, but Bohan isn’t a man who needs to be asked to walk through it.
“There’s never any kind of backward step with Billy,” says Murphy.
“It has happened sooner than I thought, but there was never any doubt in my mind that he was going to accomplish what he’s going to go on and do.”
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'We were blown away by him' - 20-year-old Billy Bohan's rapid rise
BILLY BOHAN WAS playing for Galway Corinthians in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League as recently as November.
Now, the 20-year-old loosehead prop looks set for his Ireland debut against Japan in Australia on Saturday.
Bohan only made his senior Connacht debut in December and got his first start for the province in January. He is just coming to the end of his second year in the Connacht academy. ‘Meteoric’ arguably doesn’t do his rise justice.
The Kildare man’s excellent form has earned him a three-year senior contract with Connacht from the start of next season. Now, with Jeremy Loughman ruled out of this weekend’s clash with Japan, Bohan looks set to play for Ireland for the first time.
This probably wouldn’t have happened as fast but for injuries to other Irish looseheads, but those who have coached Bohan aren’t shocked that he has jumped up through the ranks so quickly. He comes from good stock.
Bohan’s father, Enda, was good enough to prop for Leinster and held Lansdowne’s record for AIL appearances until 2019.
Bohan’s mother, Amanda, is the daughter of the late, legendary Ireland and Lions player and coach Mick Doyle.
Billy is a native of Kildare who grew up in the town of Kilcullen, and first played rugby with Newbridge RFC. When he went to secondary school at Newbridge College, things began to get serious.
His older brother, out-half Tom, also came through Newbridge. His younger brother, loosehead prop Jamie, has just finished school there, captaining the senior team, and has joined Leinster’s sub-academy after playing for the Ireland U19s.
Ex-Munster wing Johne Murphy, who is director of rugby at Newbridge, says it was clear from early on that Billy was an exciting talent, with the young prop helping the school to a Leinster Schools Junior Cup title in 2021, after they shared it the year before during the pandemic.
“Then he played in all the SCT games from fourth year the whole way to sixth year,” says Murphy.
“He has a really good rugby brain, someone who would understand what you’re trying to do and why you’re doing it. He would have had a physical edge to him, even as a young player.
“He would have packed down against Paddy McCarthy in the semi-final against Blackrock when he was in transition year. Gus McCarthy was in that Blackrock front row as well, but Billy wouldn’t bat an eyelid against whoever it was.”
Murphy liked that edge in Bohan’s game, the unfazed attitude he brought even against older players.
But equally, Bohan was a skilful prop who Newbridge used for more than his carrying. Some props are hidden away, but Bohan always wanted a chance to show his passing skills.
“He has a good bit of bite to him, but he’s a ball-playing prop,” says Murphy.
“You can see the amount of times he carries the ball at the moment. You could run plays through him, which was a big thing.”
And even with his intent on the training pitch and during games, Bohan was a laidback character when he played under Murphy at Newbridge, where he sometimes featured at tighthead.
That much doesn’t seem to have changed. Bohan has taken everything in his stride so far.
“I was speaking to his dad just when the Ireland squad got announced,” says Murphy.
“Billy was just chilling at home on the couch at the time, and I said to his dad, ‘How’s he doing?’
“He’s like, ‘Well, he hasn’t really moved.’”
Bohan played for the Ireland U18s and U19s while he was in school, after which he had a decision to make. Leinster offered him a sub-academy spot, but Connacht presented him with a full academy contract. Bohan decided to go west.
That meant joining a new club side and Galway Corinthians happily welcomed him in.
Current Old Crescent RFC head coach Michael Harding was in charge of Corinthians last season when Bohan joined straight out of school. The young loosehead was part of the Ireland U20s set-up as well, but he featured prominently for Corinthians in the AIL.
“We were blown away by him,” says Harding.
“Straight away, we were like, ‘This is a serious player.’
“Billy had exceptional footwork and really good hands, but great attention to detail as well. We’d ask a lot of our props in terms of different launch plays on second phase, and he never missed anything.
“And you only have these academy guys on a Thursday night, and not every Thursday night. Sometimes, they could only come out and watch, but he’d pick up everything.”
Bohan was still 18 when he started playing with Corinthians, but his power stood out.
“He was unbelievably dynamic in contact,” says Harding.
“Now, he had a big frame, but he hadn’t a lot of weight on at that stage. He has obviously put a lot of weight on in the last 12 months or so.
“But when we saw Billy, we said, ‘That guy’s going to be professional.’ He was so dynamic. His footwork was so good. His ball carry was so good. His lineout lifting was so good.”
Though he wasn’t a Galway local, Bohan quickly became at home in Corinthians.
“He’s not very loud, he’s not obnoxious, he’s not in your face,” says Harding. “Billy never looked for anything; he just got on with it himself.
“That suggests there’s a very good support network at home and around him.
“He’s just a guy who works really hard, very nice, polite, so mannerly. A gentleman.”
Bohan’s coaches and team-mates in Corinthians weren’t surprised to see him kicking on with Connacht this season, passing older and more experienced looseheads in the pecking order under new head coach Stuart Lancaster.
The same is true of Murphy and everyone in Newbridge.
They recognise his dynamic carrying, his slick ball-playing skills, and his unflappable approach.
But they also see a player who has continued to add strings to his bow. Bohan has had some impressive days at the scrum with Connacht, helped hugely by departing scrum coach Cullie Tucker.
“Billy’s scrum has obviously improved a huge amount in a short space of time,” says Murphy.
“Especially given the fact that he’s scrummaging with adult rules, and he’s only two years out of school [where scrums cannot push more than 1.5 metres forward].
“To be able to stand up to some international, seasoned props who have 50 or 60 caps, that’s been huge.
“And then he has doubled down on all the skills that he had and improved them. His basic skills are top, top level.”
Bohan is one of several Newbridge College past pupils currently in the Ireland squad in Australia, with Jimmy O’Brien, Sam Prendergast and Cian Prendergast also representing the school.
While those in Newbridge and Corinthians expected Bohan to make waves higher up, his elevation to the brink of an Ireland debut has come around even more quickly than imagined.
Having been first called up by Ireland during the Six Nations, and still with only 15 Connacht appearances to his name, the 20-year-old was named part of Andy Farrell’s squad for the Nations Championship and looks set to feature against Japan.
Injuries have opened the door, but Bohan isn’t a man who needs to be asked to walk through it.
“There’s never any kind of backward step with Billy,” says Murphy.
“It has happened sooner than I thought, but there was never any doubt in my mind that he was going to accomplish what he’s going to go on and do.”
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Billy Bohan Corinthians Ireland Kildare Newbridge Talent