The overlooked Ireland U20s lock who forged an unlikely Super Rugby Pacific career
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Cormac Daly was working in an office this time last year. The Irishman had come through the U20s pathway back home and gained experience with Connacht and Leinster, but the lock appeared lost to the professional game.
Daly, who answered Ireland’s Call at the World Rugby U20s Championships in 2017 and 2018, had come through the academy ranks with Leinster as a teenager and seemed destined for higher honours. But life and rugby don’t always go to plan.
The talent out of North Kildare Rugby Club, which is about 30 minutes’ drive west of Dublin, moved on from Leinster’s junior ranks to link up with Connacht. Daly trained with the Westerners for quite some time before they signed him as injury cover after COVID-19.
But as Daly explained, “(I) never really got a chance I thought I deserved.” The second-rower was desperate for an opportunity to prove himself, but after a season with Leinster in 2022, Daly thought his professional rugby career was over.
“Being with Leinster, they have so much talent there now. Looking at some of the lads you’re competing against, James Ryan, Joe McCarthy, stuff like that,” Daly told RugbyPass.
“Lads are even fighting for a spot to get on the training pitch let alone to play a match for them so that’s probably why they’re so good.
“The most frustrating thing about it was I never really got a chance that I thought I deserved,” he explained.
“If I ever got the chance that I know I’d take it and I’d know that I’d be good enough to push on.
“When you don’t get the chance that’s when you lose confidence in yourself.
“I kind of thought I was getting a bit old, getting a bit on. Probably thought I’d missed the chance to play at a high level. Thankfully it wasn’t.”
Daly packed his bags and left professional rugby behind. The Irishman had missed out on “a lot of experiences” to travel abroad with friends over the years and wasn’t going to let this one slide.
The Irishman left the “freezing cold” behind by making the move to Sydney, Australia. Daly wanted to focus on enjoying himself Down Under but found his way back to the 15-player game with Randwick in Sydney’s illustrious Shute Shield competition.
Former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles coached the Wicks to the glory that season. Randwick brought an end to 20 years of pain by snapping their long-lasting drought with a 17-15 win over Norths in the big dance at Leichhardt Oval last August.
By all accounts, the celebrations were immense.
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Daly scored one of Randwick’s two tries in the final and secured a match-sealing steal at the death to deliver the famous shield back to the suburb in Sydney’s east. It was a history-making display from the Irishman who had taken that first opportunity with both hands.
“I came over just to come over and enjoy myself and to live in Sydney,” Daly said.
“Randwick got onto me then and we’re just a great match for each other. I got on with all the lads there, got on with the coaches, got on with everyone at the club.
“The rugby is a bit different to back home… it’s a bit more running rugby.
“I think it’s worked out well for me. Then obviously we won the league, the Shute Shield last year.. that was pretty special as well.”
But that was just the start of Cormac Daly’s rugby journey in Australia. After once believing there would be no more chances in professional rugby, the Shute Shield champion was recruited by the Queensland Reds.
Daly has played six matches off the pine so far this season, including a more than 30-minute cameo against the Brumbies at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in round six. The Irishman has already made his mark in a team that boasts plenty of quality.
“I do talk to some of the lads back home in Ireland… I’m over here, the weather’s unbelievable, getting a nice tan and stuff. They’re in the freezing cold back home,” he added.
“Not many Irish people get to play Super Rugby. It’s something cool that hopefully I can go on with now and something that I’ll look back on later in life as a pretty cool experience and not many people get to do it.
“You can probably count on your hands, on your fingers, how many Irish people play Super Rugby so it’s definitely something pretty cool.”
It’s true that Cormac Daly is the first Irishman to play Super Rugby for Queensland since international front-rower Peter Clohessy in 1997, so what you read next will come a bit out of left field.
Daly’s journey to the Reds is a full-circle moment.
Playing for the Ireland U20s side against Australia some years ago, Daly swapped jerseys with a young backrower on the rise. That man was Fraser McReight, as the pair spoke about recently. Daly also played against future Reds teammates Jordan Petaia, Tate McDermott, Liam Wright and more.
But that’s not all.
Queensland Reds boss Les Kiss coached an Ireland U20s side.
“To be able to work under him is a huge opportunity. To have someone of his calibre coaching, you’d be a fool not to want to be (playing).
“I’ve only been here a short time now and I feel like the last few months I’ve already gotten better and better. Every time I’m playing games now I feel like I’m getting better every week.
“Huge credit to the coaches… I’m just trying to hopefully fulfil as much potential as I can.
“It’s pretty special to be up north with someone like Les. He’s a great coach but first and foremost he’s a great man.”
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Daly is playing with a renewed sense of confidence in Australia’s Sunshine State of Queensland. The coaches back their Irish recruit to do a job, and the second rower has delivered during a series of performances in Super Rugby Pacific.
What that could mean for Daly’s professional career moving forward – having only signed a one-year deal with the Reds – remains to be seen.
But for now, Daly is firmly focused on this season with the Reds.
“When I was younger I was always told I was good enough to play.
“Even when I was involved with Leinster and stuff, I was always told I was good enough to be here.
“You kind of seeing now when I’m playing… it’s just getting a bit of self-belief. Definitely, hopefully I can keep pushing on our performance with the Reds and see what happens then.
“The coaches really, really give me a lot of confidence.
“As I said, it’s something that I never thought I’d be doing now so I don’t want to take it for granted. I’m trying my best and hopefully putting my best foot forward every time I get on the pitch.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
3 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments