LONDON IRISH’S longest-serving player in the professional era hung up his boots last week.
Declan Danaher, who joined the Exiles in 1999 and went on to make 275 told the Irish Post that the achievements of the squad between 2006 and 2010 were among his proudest.
“That was a hell of a team,” said Danaher, who scored 23 tries in his career.
“We went to a Premiership Final, the semi-final of the Heineken Cup and the final of an Amlin.
“Some of those guys from that period are my best friends too. Those years hold some of my fondest memories at the club.”
The loyal back-row forward’s 15-year contribution to Irish was marked at Saturday’s St Patrick’s Party fixture at the Madejski including a rapturous pre-match guard of honour for the London-born player.
Danaher said he was “massively excited” to remain at the club as forwards coach with the academy.
“Any sportsperson the wrong side of 30 starts thinking about retirement,” he said.
“I made a conscious decision a year ago to start coaching after I was kindly asked by Brian Smith to start at the academy.
“Before, I’d always focused solely on my rugby game.
“Coaching has always been at the back of my mind and was something I’ve wanted to do. I love coaching.”
Family played an important part in the flanker’s decision too, he said.
“Rugby doesn’t always set you up for life. And I’ve made a good living at the club.
“But at some point, if you’re not in the one or two per cent who go on to do TV work, you have to start thinking about your options.”
Danaher added that support for the new academy from the club’s backers was an important factor in his decision to commit further to the club.
The forward joined London Irish at 17 years of age, starting at Under 19 level.
“Dick Best was the first coach that gave me a shot at London Irish. There was no academy then, so you went straight into the first team. I spent a year there, not really able to get a game.”
And while the 34-year-old’s debut came against Gloucester at the end of the 1999/00 season, Danaher recalls his first full-season game as a 20-year-old away to Northampton in 2000.
“I got five or 10 minutes and from then on I had the buzz and wanted more,” he said remembering a rugby education alongside the likes of Conor O’Shea, Justin Bishop and Kieran Dawson.
Prior to London Irish, Danaher revealed that Gaelic football was his first passion.
“I was adamant I wanted to be a footballer,” he said.
“It’s funny, but rugby wasn’t even a sport I really wanted to do.”
Gaelic football at Ruislip was great preparation for becoming a future athlete, for Danaher.
“I remember as a four-year-old getting dragged down to Gladstone Park with my younger brother, we played for Frank Shanley’s Kerry Gaels team. I also played for Holloway.”
Danaher, who turned to rugby and went on to represent Ireland at U19 level and England at U21 level, agreed that with the club’s new backers the aim is to match those clubs who have taken the game to a higher professional level over the past few years.
“The transition might not happen quickly. You’re building something for the future. It’s going to take four or five years for the academy to fulfil its potential.
“In five years’ time I hope we are playing Heineken Cup rugby.
“I hope to see five or six young guys who have come through the academy and are the bedrock of the team.
“I see them coming through now. There’s currently a group of 17-year-olds who are coming through now and, if they fulfil their potential, they’ll play for their countries, without a doubt.
“My job is to help them mentally and physically to do that. If they do, London Irish is in a good place.”
Asked about his own goals for the club in the future he said: “People have asked me: what do I want to be, a director of rugby? Head coach? But I’m happy to learn my trade in the academy over the coming years.
“I will focus on getting a pride and a passion back into this club — and loyalty as well.
“Everyone’s different. Hopefully I’m proof it can be done. I hope I can inspire these young players coming through to do what I did and get one or two of them to stay for life too.
“There’s a well-known saying: ‘If you want loyalty, buy a dog’. I guess that makes me a pretty loyal dog.”
See More: Declan Danaher, Exiles, London Irish
