By his own admission, it’s been a whirlwind start to Jack Boyle’s campaign.
A good preseason was followed by selection for the Emerging Ireland tour (only to be forced to withdraw through injury) before inclusion in the Irish squad for the Autumn Nations Series and then his Champions Cup debut away to Bristol. Now he is in line for his fourth start of the season against Connacht at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5.30pm).
That Andy Farrell and co. included the 22-year-old loosehead in the Irish squad as an additional training panellist after he missed the Emerging Ireland tour is a clear indication of their belief in Boyle’s undoubted promise. It also whets his appetite.
“You hear lads speaking about it so much, always ranting and raving about it, how much they love the environment and it’s the people in there, coaches, players, backroom staff, that make it special. Getting a taster is something that makes me hungry to try to get back there.”
Boyle could come up against someone he now knows better after that Autumn Series, namely Finlay Bealham, as he did back in October at the Dexcom Stadium.
“Finlay is an incredible player,” says Boyle. “He’s a great man as well. I got on very well with him but it’s up to us to get our process right and to stamp our authority on the game and we’re looking to have a go at set-piece time as well. We’re not just there to give it a dead duck. We’re properly ready to give it a go.”
Coming up against Bealham is all part of the learning curve, which seems particularly steep and never-ending for young props, albeit Boyle is making good progress.
He has always stood out as a rare prospect due to his strength and power, ever since his two first-half tries set St Michael’s on their way toward beating Gonzaga in the 2019 Leinster Schools Senior Cup final, which was a precursor to him being an ever-present in the Ireland Under-20s Grand Slam-winning side in 2022.
Boyle had started playing mini rugby at Old Wesley, where there is a strong family connection through uncles, notably Eric, and his cousin Stephen, who played for Leinster Youths.
He was a backrower until being converted into a prop when he was 15 at St Michael’s, and he cites Andy Skehan and Emmet MacMahon as major influences.
“Coming out of a school like Michael’s or Blackrock, because they’re so strong and you’re so well coached, you’re probably a step ahead.”
The quasi-professional set-up in St Michael’s was to his liking.
“I suppose if you want to pursue a career in it you have to love it,” he reasons. “And maybe there’s some things like newsletters and things, but it’s all noise, really. When you’re 13, 14, 15, all you really care about is playing.”
His 15-year-old brother, Herbie, is also causing waves in the St Michael’s Junior Cup team in the back row. Yet, a little surprisingly, Boyle had to work hard on his own renowned strength.
“Naturally I wouldn’t be that heavy. I’ve always struggled to put on weight, [but] I want to play at a weight where I still feel I can be dynamic around the pitch. I don’t want to put on weight and it’s bad weight.
“Dave Fagan, rest in peace, poor fella, he was really good over two years in the sub academy. He got my strength numbers right up, got everything up and then it was up to me to get eating more or less. But strength-wise it was a pretty big grind for a few years.”
Nor can schools rugby properly prepare a young prop for senior rugby due to the restrictions on scrummaging, which has made his time in the AIL with UCD even more invaluable.
“The big thing is time in the saddle, especially as a frontrower coming out of school where it’s not full scrums; it’s not a full contest. You’re pretty much thrown in the deep end, tighthead more than loosehead, out of school. The AIL is that stepping stone usually.
“But the other thing is getting reps against the likes of Tadhg Furlong or Rabah Slimani here. You learn from the best in the business too on the professional side of it.”
Boyle actually rooms with Slimani who, as the first Frenchman to ever play for Leinster, has extra novelty value. And the younger man has a balanced take on the IRFU’s decision to prohibit the provinces from importing foreign frontrowers henceforth.
“You have to always back yourself. I feel like if I’m playing well then, I deserve to play, but at the same time if they’re bringing in the likes of Rabah Slimani, you need to try and get as much information out of him as possible.
“I know he’s at tighthead now, but you don’t look at it in the way of ‘he’s blocking whoever’. You have to learn off him. He’s there to help you as well. It’s not just to block you.”
In addition, of course, Boyle could hardly have a more experienced duo of looseheads to learn from than Andrew Porter and Cian Healy.
“He’s unbelievably special in the group,” Boyle says of Healy. “I think we’ll only acknowledge it when he’s gone, he’s added so much to the younger lads coming through, not only around set-piece stuff, but off field, recovery, that kind of thing as well.
“We’re in a very special and unique situation in club rugby, to have the likes of those four or five front-rowers to learn off.”
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