Six Nations: Five things to know about the tireless Irishman Caelan Doris

Ireland’s Caelan Doris was nothing short of magnificent in his team’s massive win against France last weekend in the Six Nations.

The number eight’s performance earned him the man-of-the-match award and plaudits from all corners of the rugby fraternity.

In light of the superstar’s stunning form, Planet Rugby has put together five things to know about one of Ireland’s most in-form stars.

Origins

Doris was born in northern Mayo in a small town called Lacklen near Ballina, where the star went to a small primary school. The school was tiny, with only 35 people in the entire institution and only two people in his class.

Blackrock College

After primary school, Doris followed in his father, Chris’s, footsteps by attending the prestigious rugby school Blackrock College.

Doris would thrive in this environment, and his rugby would develop rapidly, elevating him to the first team early on. In 2014, he was part of the Blackrock team, which won the Leinster Schools Senior Rugby Cup with the likes of Joey Carbery and Hugo Keenan.

The star would continue to grow in the school and captained the first team in 2016, before he joined the Leinster academy a year later and subsequently featured for Ireland U20 for two years straight.

Concussion battle

Doris would burst onto the scene and make serious strides in the Leinster set-up, eventually earning a call-up to Ireland. Unfortunately, his deserved debut was cut short after only four minutes as he suffered a concussion.

The Leinsterman would come back stronger after missing the 2021 Six Nations to perform well at the end of the year and was named Player of the Series for the November Tests.

During his time struggling with concussion, Doris spoke openly about the experience on the Rugby Pod.

“It was tough. At the start, I was able to compartmentalise, I was enjoying the rugby and I was playing quite well and on a bit of an upward trajectory. I was able to hide it [concussive symptoms] and say I will be able to deal with it later if they keep going on or push it to the side,” he said.

“What I can say now, and what I can say with the benefit of hindsight, is if there is anyone going through something similar just get it checked at the very start.

“The likelihood is you are going to be fine, maybe take a little break and you will be absolutely grand. The opposite of letting it build up and build up potentially you could do some damage and there might be bigger repercussions. So get it checked while it is a smaller issue.”

Interest in psychology

The 24-year-old did not forgo his studies in his pursuit of a professional rugby career, having completed his undergraduate in Psychology at University College Dublin.

The star is now enrolled in his Master’s at King’s College in London with a focus on Applied Neuroscience.

“Applied Neuroscience. My undergrad was psychology, my brother actually did this one. It’s in King’s College in London. It’s part-time, fairly flexible. Broad ranging, a good bit of psychology in it as well with the neuroscience which is a good bit more rooted in science than psychology,” he said.

Open about player mental health

The Ireland man allows his psychological background to approach mental health as a rugby player. Following Ireland’s recent win over France in the Six Nations, Doris opened up about the expectation put on rugby players.

Speaking to The 42, Doris outlined the challenge of social media on mental health for sportsmen and sportswomen.

“I think everyone has struggles, insecurities, worries and anxieties; the more we can talk about them and get them off our chests the better,” he said..

“I actively try not to read too much. Things slip through on social media, on family WhatsApp groups and stuff like that. But, I try and stay clear of as much of it as possible.

“I also try and think of me as a kid, of how much I’d love this – being where I am. It’s probably something that others would resonate with as well.

“I do therapy every week, partly just out of interest. I studied psychology, my parents are psychotherapists. I’ve been doing that for a year now, I find it beneficial in being more comfortable in my own skin.”

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