RUGBY
Jordan Duggan Keeping The West Awake
By Daire Walsh
CONNACHT’S PRO14 clash against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium on 23 August of last year was an historic one for the western province.
For the first time since the advent of professional rugby union in 1995, they were playing a competitive fixture in the Lansdowne Road venue. Their previous encounter at Irish Rugby HQ was all the way back in October 1989, when Leinster got the better of them in the old Interprovincial Championship.
It proved to be a winning return to Lansdowne for Connacht, with Ireland international Bundee Aki inspiring the westerners to a 26-20 victory on his 100th appearance for the side. It was also a landmark occasion for Newbridge native Jordan Duggan, who made his senior debut following a successful graduation from the province’s Academy programme.
Replacing Denis Buckley at loosehead prop with 10 minutes remaining, he helped Connacht to see off the challenge of the Ulster men in a behind closed doors affair. While his preference would have been to make his professional bow in front of a packed audience, the absence of spectators significantly eased his nerves.
“It was mad. We were only joking about it recently. Because it was such a big event, being in the Aviva, you’d expect it would have massive pressure along with that and it being a debut as well. The fact there was no crowd there, you were a bit more relaxed,” Duggan recalled.
“Obviously now looking back, I would have said ‘jeez, I’d have loved to make my debut with a full stadium, wherever it was’, but it actually kind of took the pressure off it as well. Everyone was just so excited to get out and play rugby again.
“Both teams were and even people at home, I was getting texts saying ‘it was the best thing they’ve watched’. Because they hadn’t had sport in months.”
Whereas that was his sole outing of the 2019/20 season – which lasted for 11 months due to a lengthy disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic – Duggan has been far more prominent in the current campaign.
At the time of writing, the 23-year-old has picked up another six caps off the bench in 2020/21 for Connacht – including Heineken Champions Cup pool stage showdowns with Racing 92 and Bristol in December. Duggan is more than content with his progress at the moment and the next step on the ladder will be to earn a first start in the province’s front-row.
“My main goal for this year would be to have a foothold in that squad. No more than anyone else, but looking back at this time last year, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be in the position I am at the moment. I’m very lucky to have them under my belt. When I was in the Academy, I would have had Mattie [Burke], whose actually a closer age to me.
“He would have been fairly black and white with me. I would have had Paddy [McAllister] and Denis [Buckley] as well showing me the ropes. It was actually great to have them there. Now it’s a case of trying to overtake these lads and getting a starting position.”
Originally a product of the Newbridge RFC underage system, Jordan Duggan joined forces with Naas upon leaving Newbridge College in 2016. This was a move that he had to mull over, but the steady rise of the Forenaughts men – who had just earned promotion to Division 1B of the All-Ireland League – ultimately made it an easy decision.
“That was actually my main debating point in choosing my club. Naas being in Division One at the time was huge. Especially for the position I’m in. Getting my arse handed to me, week in, week out, but I had to find my feet. You’re coming up against ex-professionals in the AIL. It’s nice to get, at such a young age, that exposure to rugby.”
In the past, Connacht have had a strong Kildare contingent with Craig Ronaldson, Fionn Carr and James Connolly all seeing game time during their groundbreaking march to a PRO12 title in 2016. It’s a similar case in the current squad with Duggan being joined by Cian Prendergast and Diarmuid Kilgallen down in Galway.
“Cian [Prendergast] only came up recently and it was great, because I would have played with him in Newbridge in the senior team. It’s funny how it all worked out. It’s great to see a familiar face up here as well,” Duggan said.
Kilgallen is a native of Eadestown, a village that is also home to professional stars such as Tadhg Beirne, Rowan Osborne and Jimmy O’Brien. Duggan starred alongside the latter on a Newbridge College side that reached the Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-final in 2015 and has kept a close eye on his development with Leinster in recent years.
“Jimmy would have been a year ahead of me. He carried a few of our teams to victory. He was such an experienced player at that age. Learning off the likes of him and seeing where he is now, it’s great for the college.”
That game in the Aviva last August was Connacht’s first competitive game in almost six months, with the spread of COVID-19 having thrown the sporting world into a period of great uncertainty. During the first national lockdown – when rugby found itself on an extended hiatus – Duggan returned to his family home in Newbridge.
Although he initially welcomed some extra time with his family, he was grateful when the green light was given for Connacht to resume collective training.
“I’d lying if I said it wasn’t so weird. Obviously the first lockdown we were all training from home. That was nearly a novelty at the start.
“Trying to keep safe was the main thing, but it was nearly a novelty and then it slowly, slowly had worn off for everyone else. Once we were able to get back into the Sportsground, it was huge. I think we started off in small groups of five or six, couldn’t even touch a rugby ball.
“We were having to gym, but just being in a team environment again was massive. Now just being in that environment again, being so careful now that, from the things we’ve done, we can now train as a team. It’s massive.”
Since joining the Connacht ranks, Duggan has worked closely with the province’s forward coach Jimmy Duffy. Before then, he was part of an Ireland U20s set-up in 2018 – alongside current senior internationals Caelan Doris and Ronan Kelleher – that featured Paul O’Connell in the backroom team.
O’Connell is now the forwards specialist within the Irish senior camp and Duggan has fond memories of working with the second-row legend.
“It was brilliant. I think that was his first coaching gig, with our U20s year. It was great to have his insight into things. As a coach you have to do a lot of things by the book, but he was very honest in the way he coached us. He had all the tricks up his sleeve as well. From a player of his stature, it was just class to learn from,” Duggan added.