INTERVIEW DAN TUOHY: GERRY THORNLEYtalks to the Bristol-born secondrow who will be calling the shots in the lineouts against the Maoris on Friday

THERE’S ALWAYS been something about debuts and Dan Tuohy, but last Saturday in New Plymouth topped the lot. Less than a minute after replacing the hamstrung Mick O’Driscoll, Tuohy had cleared out a ruck when he followed another side-stepping carry by Andrew Trimble.

He could hear Ronan O’Gara shouting “they’re not committed to it”, so as Trimble presented the ball Tuohy picked up and went.

“I sometimes get blasted for doing that because I’ve done it before with no support. But I just thought, ‘I have to do something’. When you come on you think you have to do something to get into the game.”

He was initially thrilled as he slid over the line for his try. But as he bounced to his feet and looked towards a pocket of Irish fans, Tuohy seemed to realise the context of his score, coming as it did with Ireland trailing 38-0. He promptly smacked the ball onto the ground.

“It was bizarre, but to be honest I’d have given it all up for that elusive win here.”

It’s been an unlikely if relatively quick and circuitous route for the affable and chatty 24-year-old from Somerset, who took up rugby only seven years ago.

The eldest of three, Tuohy’s father, Simon, hailed from Cashel. Born in Bristol, raised in Weston-Super-Mare, Tuohy was a skinny centre forward/target man in the Peter Crouch mould with Clevedon Town, and had a trial with Bristol City at 14.

“One Sunday morning I got a phone call from a good friend of mine, and he said, ‘do you fancy coming down and playing for us (at Weston-Super-Mare RFC), we’re short of numbers?’ I said ‘yeah, why not?’ So for a year I balanced football and rugby, and then I thought I’m just going to take up rugby.

“I really enjoyed the social side, there was a good group of guys that I was with down there at Weston, I was having the time of my life. Nothing was ever going to materialise with football anyway.”

Initially a try-scoring winger cum occasional fullback, in his second year he was moved to lock by his coach, Graham Buller.

“He was a massive influence on me, along with my dad, who always pushed me, and his best friend, Mark Philip.”

They’d asked him to try a few lineouts in practice during his first year, but he was all over the place and quickly abandoned the idea.

“Then, the year after, he (Buller) converted me and I was hooked. It was class. There was more physicality and I enjoyed the lineouts and the scrums.”

From there he became captain of the Somerset under-20s in 2006, and was given a rugby scholarship to Hartbury College.

Then, a prop at Worcester, Calum Black, who had played for the Irish Under-19s, suggested he get in touch with coach John Hunter with a view to playing in Irish trials against Leinster A. From there he made the Irish Under-21s in the Six Nations and the 2006 World Cup in France.

“I was always made very aware of my Irish family, and when I was younger my grandad would talk about it a lot. When the opportunity came along I never had any issues really, and I’ve no regrets since.”

Hartbury was also a feeder university into Gloucester rugby club, and he took up a two-year professional contract with the cherry-and-whites in ’06-07. He didn’t make his debut until March of the ’07-08 season, against London Irish at Kingsholm.

“It was like last week. Things don’t sink in. It’s not that I don’t care, but it doesn’t really hit me hard. So I just went out there and everything seemed to go right for me.”

He was good in the lineout, kicked through for a try and was named man-of-the-match.

But he started only one more match, the next week against Sale, before deciding to take “a sidewards step” by joining Exeter Chiefs. He enjoyed the year immensely, even though two narrow losses to Leeds cost them promotion in ’08-09.

“If anybody ever asked me about wanting to join Exeter I’d give them a glowing report; they’re such a good club.”

Through the then-Ulster forwards coach Steve Williams, who’d coached Tuohy while he was on loan at Pertemps Bees the season before, Matt Williams signed him for Ulster. He’d remained friends with the likes of Darren Cave and Paul Marshall since their Irish Under-21 days, which made the transition easier.

“I never signed at Ulster thinking ‘this puts me in the Irish picture’, I just signed thinking ‘somewhere down the line, possibly’. It just puts you more in the frame.”

His debut came against Newcastle in pre-season. He scored a try from 55 metres. By December he had pretty much cemented a place in the secondrow, starting all but three of his 20 games for Ulster.

He’s aware he’s being looked at as potential lock-cum-backrower with the World Cup in mind. Tuohy turns 25 tomorrow, and, hungry for knowledge, is glad to have been granted the opportunity by Gert Smal to call the lineouts this week.

“I was training with the Six Nations squad, and learning stuff from Paul (O’Connell), the intricate details that I am starting to pick up now. I just want to keep bettering myself.

“Physically I want to get bigger and stronger and just adapt to the game, and become that sort of player who’s always on the team-sheet because people don’t want to play against you.”