IT’S A QUIET October evening at Clontarf’s Castle Avenue. The car park is empty, save for a few parents picking up their children from the childcare facility which runs from the clubhouse during the week.
Out on the grass, the only action comes from one kid in his Clontarf gear, kicking a ball around the main pitch. In a few hours the place will be hive of activity as the evening training sessions get rolling.
David Hawkshaw will be out there with his boots on, coaching Clontarf’s AIL side, but before all that he’s made time to chat to The 42, fresh from squeezing in a run.
“It’s not looking very pretty, but I’m certainly running, and I’m definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Hawkshaw’s been down a few of those tunnels in his time. In 2019, just as things were starting to take off, a devastating knee injury put the Ireland U20s captain on the sidelines for 18 months. In 2023 there was surgery on an ankle. Surgery this year was to correct a groin problem which coincided with the end of his time as a Connacht player.
Although as the 27-year-old explains, he saw the writing on the wall long before he was back on the treatment table, struggling to make matchday squads as Stuart Lancaster started to put his imprint on things.
Hawkshaw had injury setbacks at Connacht. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
More on that later. These days, Hawkshaw is working as Clontarf’s backs and skills coach, answering the call from the club’s Head of Performance, Andy Wood. A man who, Hawkshaw admits, he “would do anything for.”
There are a few of those in his life. Important figures who have stepped up as the former Leinster and Connacht player found himself without a club, wondering what was next. Wood regularly checked in for coffees before putting forward the idea of coaching. Bordeaux’s Noel McNamara, Hawkshaw’s coach during his Ireland U20 days, was another who was quick to pick up the phone. Family were there throughout.
“I was very lucky,” Hawkshaw says. “I have a good family around me that were brilliant, honestly, unbelievable. My poor parents probably had to endure a lot.”
Sitting in Clontarf’s empty clubhouse bar having had a few months to adjust to this latest career twist, the Dubliner looks and sounds in a good place with it all. But there’s no masking the reality that at times, the last year or so has been challenging.
This is the unpredictable nature of pro sport. Growing up, Hawkshaw was a talented athlete from a talented family, with three Hawkshaw brothers making roads in rugby while sister Sarah became an Olympian with the Ireland hockey team. David worked his way up the rugby ladder while also excelling as a hurler. In 2016, he won a minor Leinster championship with Dublin. The GAA link has remained strong, and after leaving Connacht, a favoured escape was returning to St Brigids to watch the hurlers in action.
Hawkshaw (right) won a Leinster minor hurling title with Dublin in 2016. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
He loves hurling, but rugby became a career. Hawkshaw joined the Leinster Academy but found opportunities limited, with that original knee problem seriously derailing his progress. In 2022, with a year left on his Leinster contract, he was excited for a fresh start in Connacht, where he hit the ground running under the “unbelievable” Andy Friend.
Having played 12 games across two seasons in Leinster (all as a replacement), Hawkshaw’s first season out west brought 11 starts and three further outings off the bench, swapping between out-half and inside centre.
The following season he played 16 times all in, which included a strong run of games at outside centre post-Christmas. In 2024/25 his numbers dropped, just six starts in 15 games, before another dip in his final year at The Sportsground. In Lancaster’s first season as Connacht head coach, Hawkshaw played just four games, the last coming only a couple of days into the New Year.
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“It was certainly frustrating, but I don’t mean that negatively (towards anyone),” Hawkshaw says.
“I felt I had a lot more to give, but it was just one of those years where you feel you’re fighting against the tide.
“You put the injury into it, struggled with selection, I just couldn’t get going. You probably see the writing on the wall, albeit you don’t want to admit it, you want to keep going, but unfortunately there were just different opinions. There’s no bad blood, but it was a different opinion, a different mindset, and I wasn’t in that picture.
“You try to fight against it, you try to do everything you can, but it can be difficult. You don’t want to admit that, but it can be.”
With no new contract forthcoming, Hawkshaw explored his options without anything concrete landing at his feet.
“It’s hard. It’s absolutely hard. It’s a very hard period because you’re kind of waiting for something to come. You’ll maybe get little glimpses, and then it’ll go away.
“I knew that I was kind of struggling with the body as well at the time, but the frustrating bit of it was that I knew what I could do, and you just wanted a chance or wanted the opportunity. Yeah, it was definitely difficult.”
It’s a tricky path to negotiate. There were tough days when he knew the clock was running down on his time in Connacht, but the former Belvedere College man was conscious of not becoming a sore presence around the building.
“It’s hard. Like jeez, it’s hard. Everyone in the building, there’s an ego there and a bit of bite about everyone, you know?
The versatile Dubliner played at 10, 12 and 13 for Connacht. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“Did I struggle? Absolutely. But me bringing myself negatively around the place, what’s that going to do for me, and what’s that going to do for everyone else? Especially if you’ve young lads in the room, you don’t want them to be looking at older lads and going, ‘Oh jeez, he does that so that means I can do that.’
“That was in my head a lot. I can have my time to be annoyed, to be down or whatever, but it’s not going to be in the building, it’s not going to be around people, because that’s just going to feed an attitude that doesn’t need to be there.”
That disappointing final chapter aside, Hawkshaw loved his time in the west. For a start, the move gave him “some best mates” and “amazing nights”, with one of his first caps, a 2022 home win against Munster, a standout.
“There are some incredible people there. The community is unbelievable because it’s very parishy, very on top of you, you’re seeing people every day on the street, everyone cares about you.
“I had four amazing years there. Ups and downs of course, last year ended on a really hard note, but that’s life, so I wouldn’t hold any bad blood there at all.”
Before all that, he was a young man learning his craft at Leinster. His early days at the province were not typical for a promising Academy player, spending a good 18 months in the rehab room, much of it alongside Dan Leavy. That didn’t stop him enjoying being part of one of the most talented squads in world rugby.
“It was hard to get to know lads on the pitch (when I was rehabbing), but I got on with everyone and those internationals, you walk in and all the lads that were there, it was unreal.
“Those meetings, Johnny’s (Sexton) in the room, Robbie (Henshaw), Garry (Ringrose), these lads that you’d be looking up to with so much experience, it was unbelievable for me because I was there, injured, but looking forward to those meetings because that’s where I was learning.
“And then when I was finally getting back onto the pitch with them, it was great. I probably put myself under a bit too much pressure coming back, which affected me a little bit, maybe trying to change my game because coming back from a long time out, you felt it had to be something different.
“But in fairness, all those lads were unbelievable. I remember Cian Healy giving me his time one night, which as a young lad, 18/19, you remember those nights.
Hawkshaw spent two years with Leinster. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“Similarly with Johnny, Johnny was unreal. My first game back, he was the first one on to me on the phone, just a ‘Well done, it’s great that you’re back.’
“Little things like that, you remember it. They made you feel really comfortable. I loved those years. I loved the environment, probably struggled with my rugby in those two years, if I’m being totally honest, but as people, I really enjoyed being around them all.”
A building stacked with internationals can be a daunting place for a young player, but Hawkshaw found himself relishing the challenge.
“You’re driven to want to be what those lads are. I think that’s why there’s so much success, because you go in and it’s difficult, hard, high pressure, high demands, as it should be, but you’re also really driven to do that.
“It lifts everybody, some of the training sessions back then were unreal, our matches on a Tuesday were like games.
“Honestly, it was incredible. My first session back after being out with the knee was a full session in the RDS, something like 40 lads training, and you’re thrown straight in there, sink or swim, but I loved it, albeit the clips the next week weren’t great…
“But that’s what you want and that’s the high intensity you crave and you chase.”
Hawkshaw faces a new challenge now. He’s enjoying his coaching and is enthusiastic about the season, reeling off the club’s list of upcoming games, but is hoping to get himself fit and into a Clontarf jersey soon.
He’s lined out for the club many times before, even playing alongside brothers Daniel (now with Ulster) and Jimmy.
“I’ve grown up in GAA and it’s something that I hold close to my heart, you’re doing something that’s bigger than you, and I love the parish side of it (in Clontarf). The buzz around here after games, before games, I really drive off that and that’s what I love, and this club, through good and bad for me in the last few years, you come down here and it’s always the exact same, people welcome me in, delighted to see you. It does mean a lot to me.”
David, Jimmy and Daniel Hawkshaw in their Clontarf colours.
That said, the ultimate goal is to get back playing in the pro game. At just 27, Hawkshaw has plenty of years left in the legs.
“I’m still extremely hungry and feel like I have a lot to give in the pro game. I feel there’s a lot more in me.
“So the (first) aim is definitely to get back here for this club, I absolutely love playing for this club. I’m really hungry about this year, really hungry about Clontarf.
“When you’re out of it, you don’t know what you’re hoping for. I just know that I haven’t lost any bit of hunger, albeit the last year and a bit have been pretty difficult, it hasn’t taken anything away from me and I know if something came that was right, I’d be delighted.
“Equally, I’m really happy here. I’ve had a bit of time to get myself right and reflect on things and there hasn’t been a sense of being happy that it’s over, because I still feel there’s a lot more in me. I’m certainly excited for whatever it is to come.”
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'I still have a lot to give in the pro game' - Hawkshaw's uncertain future after Connacht exit
IT’S A QUIET October evening at Clontarf’s Castle Avenue. The car park is empty, save for a few parents picking up their children from the childcare facility which runs from the clubhouse during the week.
Out on the grass, the only action comes from one kid in his Clontarf gear, kicking a ball around the main pitch. In a few hours the place will be hive of activity as the evening training sessions get rolling.
David Hawkshaw will be out there with his boots on, coaching Clontarf’s AIL side, but before all that he’s made time to chat to The 42, fresh from squeezing in a run.
“It’s not looking very pretty, but I’m certainly running, and I’m definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Hawkshaw’s been down a few of those tunnels in his time. In 2019, just as things were starting to take off, a devastating knee injury put the Ireland U20s captain on the sidelines for 18 months. In 2023 there was surgery on an ankle. Surgery this year was to correct a groin problem which coincided with the end of his time as a Connacht player.
Although as the 27-year-old explains, he saw the writing on the wall long before he was back on the treatment table, struggling to make matchday squads as Stuart Lancaster started to put his imprint on things.
More on that later. These days, Hawkshaw is working as Clontarf’s backs and skills coach, answering the call from the club’s Head of Performance, Andy Wood. A man who, Hawkshaw admits, he “would do anything for.”
There are a few of those in his life. Important figures who have stepped up as the former Leinster and Connacht player found himself without a club, wondering what was next. Wood regularly checked in for coffees before putting forward the idea of coaching. Bordeaux’s Noel McNamara, Hawkshaw’s coach during his Ireland U20 days, was another who was quick to pick up the phone. Family were there throughout.
“I was very lucky,” Hawkshaw says. “I have a good family around me that were brilliant, honestly, unbelievable. My poor parents probably had to endure a lot.”
Sitting in Clontarf’s empty clubhouse bar having had a few months to adjust to this latest career twist, the Dubliner looks and sounds in a good place with it all. But there’s no masking the reality that at times, the last year or so has been challenging.
This is the unpredictable nature of pro sport. Growing up, Hawkshaw was a talented athlete from a talented family, with three Hawkshaw brothers making roads in rugby while sister Sarah became an Olympian with the Ireland hockey team. David worked his way up the rugby ladder while also excelling as a hurler. In 2016, he won a minor Leinster championship with Dublin. The GAA link has remained strong, and after leaving Connacht, a favoured escape was returning to St Brigids to watch the hurlers in action.
He loves hurling, but rugby became a career. Hawkshaw joined the Leinster Academy but found opportunities limited, with that original knee problem seriously derailing his progress. In 2022, with a year left on his Leinster contract, he was excited for a fresh start in Connacht, where he hit the ground running under the “unbelievable” Andy Friend.
Having played 12 games across two seasons in Leinster (all as a replacement), Hawkshaw’s first season out west brought 11 starts and three further outings off the bench, swapping between out-half and inside centre.
The following season he played 16 times all in, which included a strong run of games at outside centre post-Christmas. In 2024/25 his numbers dropped, just six starts in 15 games, before another dip in his final year at The Sportsground. In Lancaster’s first season as Connacht head coach, Hawkshaw played just four games, the last coming only a couple of days into the New Year.
“It was certainly frustrating, but I don’t mean that negatively (towards anyone),” Hawkshaw says.
“You put the injury into it, struggled with selection, I just couldn’t get going. You probably see the writing on the wall, albeit you don’t want to admit it, you want to keep going, but unfortunately there were just different opinions. There’s no bad blood, but it was a different opinion, a different mindset, and I wasn’t in that picture.
“You try to fight against it, you try to do everything you can, but it can be difficult. You don’t want to admit that, but it can be.”
With no new contract forthcoming, Hawkshaw explored his options without anything concrete landing at his feet.
“It’s hard. It’s absolutely hard. It’s a very hard period because you’re kind of waiting for something to come. You’ll maybe get little glimpses, and then it’ll go away.
“I knew that I was kind of struggling with the body as well at the time, but the frustrating bit of it was that I knew what I could do, and you just wanted a chance or wanted the opportunity. Yeah, it was definitely difficult.”
It’s a tricky path to negotiate. There were tough days when he knew the clock was running down on his time in Connacht, but the former Belvedere College man was conscious of not becoming a sore presence around the building.
“It’s hard. Like jeez, it’s hard. Everyone in the building, there’s an ego there and a bit of bite about everyone, you know?
“Did I struggle? Absolutely. But me bringing myself negatively around the place, what’s that going to do for me, and what’s that going to do for everyone else? Especially if you’ve young lads in the room, you don’t want them to be looking at older lads and going, ‘Oh jeez, he does that so that means I can do that.’
“That was in my head a lot. I can have my time to be annoyed, to be down or whatever, but it’s not going to be in the building, it’s not going to be around people, because that’s just going to feed an attitude that doesn’t need to be there.”
That disappointing final chapter aside, Hawkshaw loved his time in the west. For a start, the move gave him “some best mates” and “amazing nights”, with one of his first caps, a 2022 home win against Munster, a standout.
“There are some incredible people there. The community is unbelievable because it’s very parishy, very on top of you, you’re seeing people every day on the street, everyone cares about you.
Before all that, he was a young man learning his craft at Leinster. His early days at the province were not typical for a promising Academy player, spending a good 18 months in the rehab room, much of it alongside Dan Leavy. That didn’t stop him enjoying being part of one of the most talented squads in world rugby.
“It was hard to get to know lads on the pitch (when I was rehabbing), but I got on with everyone and those internationals, you walk in and all the lads that were there, it was unreal.
“Those meetings, Johnny’s (Sexton) in the room, Robbie (Henshaw), Garry (Ringrose), these lads that you’d be looking up to with so much experience, it was unbelievable for me because I was there, injured, but looking forward to those meetings because that’s where I was learning.
“And then when I was finally getting back onto the pitch with them, it was great. I probably put myself under a bit too much pressure coming back, which affected me a little bit, maybe trying to change my game because coming back from a long time out, you felt it had to be something different.
“But in fairness, all those lads were unbelievable. I remember Cian Healy giving me his time one night, which as a young lad, 18/19, you remember those nights.
“Similarly with Johnny, Johnny was unreal. My first game back, he was the first one on to me on the phone, just a ‘Well done, it’s great that you’re back.’
“Little things like that, you remember it. They made you feel really comfortable. I loved those years. I loved the environment, probably struggled with my rugby in those two years, if I’m being totally honest, but as people, I really enjoyed being around them all.”
A building stacked with internationals can be a daunting place for a young player, but Hawkshaw found himself relishing the challenge.
“You’re driven to want to be what those lads are. I think that’s why there’s so much success, because you go in and it’s difficult, hard, high pressure, high demands, as it should be, but you’re also really driven to do that.
“Honestly, it was incredible. My first session back after being out with the knee was a full session in the RDS, something like 40 lads training, and you’re thrown straight in there, sink or swim, but I loved it, albeit the clips the next week weren’t great…
“But that’s what you want and that’s the high intensity you crave and you chase.”
Hawkshaw faces a new challenge now. He’s enjoying his coaching and is enthusiastic about the season, reeling off the club’s list of upcoming games, but is hoping to get himself fit and into a Clontarf jersey soon.
He’s lined out for the club many times before, even playing alongside brothers Daniel (now with Ulster) and Jimmy.
“I’ve grown up in GAA and it’s something that I hold close to my heart, you’re doing something that’s bigger than you, and I love the parish side of it (in Clontarf). The buzz around here after games, before games, I really drive off that and that’s what I love, and this club, through good and bad for me in the last few years, you come down here and it’s always the exact same, people welcome me in, delighted to see you. It does mean a lot to me.”
That said, the ultimate goal is to get back playing in the pro game. At just 27, Hawkshaw has plenty of years left in the legs.
“I’m still extremely hungry and feel like I have a lot to give in the pro game. I feel there’s a lot more in me.
“So the (first) aim is definitely to get back here for this club, I absolutely love playing for this club. I’m really hungry about this year, really hungry about Clontarf.
“When you’re out of it, you don’t know what you’re hoping for. I just know that I haven’t lost any bit of hunger, albeit the last year and a bit have been pretty difficult, it hasn’t taken anything away from me and I know if something came that was right, I’d be delighted.
“Equally, I’m really happy here. I’ve had a bit of time to get myself right and reflect on things and there hasn’t been a sense of being happy that it’s over, because I still feel there’s a lot more in me. I’m certainly excited for whatever it is to come.”
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