IT’S BEEN A busy week for Caelan Doris as the backrow prepares to captain Ireland for the first time when Andy Farrell’s side take on Italy in Dublin tomorrow [KO 3pm, Virgin Media].
Doris was informed he would be captaining the team on Tuesday and has been turning to both former and current teammates for words of wisdom ahead of a milestone occasion for the 25-year-old.
“We were back in camp Monday night and then our first training day was Tuesday so Faz gave me the heads up then that Pete [O'Mahony] was going to be out and I was going to take his role up for the week,” said Doris, speaking after today’s Captain’s Run at Aviva Stadium.
“Delight was the initial feeling but also nerves and excitement and finding my feet in the new role for the week. There’s been a bit of mixture of all that but it’s pretty cool honour to have for the week.
I was even on the phone to Sexto, to Johnny there during the week. We’re lucky in the squad we’ve got so many leaders back in their provinces and when they come into camp too.
“There are a few key figures for us who aren’t involved this week but I’ve been leaning on them big time and then the likes of James Ryan, Iain Henderson, there are plenty of leaders within the team for this weekend. I’ve definitely leaned on them and they’ve lessened the load for me quite a bit which has been good.”
Doris says the key piece of advice he’s been given this week is to bring his own personality to the role.
“The main one has been be yourself. The tendency is seeing Pete and seeing Johnny doing such a good job in how they do it and thinking how can I emulate that. But their message has just been be yourself, being authentic is the best way to lead and finding my own way to do it, which is challenging at times but it’s been good.”
Doris led Ireland through their Captain’s Run at Aviva Stadium this morning, where head coach Farrell also reminded the Leinster player he doesn’t need to deliver any chest-beating speeches in the dressing room ahead of kick-off tomorrow.
“There’s part of me that feels I need to do that, but just talking to Faz this morning he basically said the contrary of that, to do it in your own way and that you don’t need to have these big speeches prepped, so that was nice to hear from him.”
Doris captained Ireland at U20 level and captained Leinster for the first time earlier this season [v Ulster in January]. He also stood in as captain when O’Mahony went off against France in Marseille last weekend, and has been conscious of taking on more leadership over the last couple of seasons.
“A little bit surprised [to get the captaincy], although I took over from Pete towards the end of the game last week so knowing he was out, I knew there was a couple of lads who it could have been but I thought I might have been one of those.
“Stuart Lancaster over the last number of years in Leinster would have tried to push the leadership bit out of me, and the same with Faz in camp over the last number of years. I’ve been in the leadership group for a couple of years, but it’s an area I do want to develop and want to continue to grow, whether I’m in the group or in this role this week.
“It’s an enjoyable part, it does cause a bit of stress and there’s more responsibilities that come with it but it’s definitely rewarding too.”
