Diarmuid Mangan - another of the Kildare contingent with Leinster Rugby

SALLINS native, Diarmuid Mangan, was enjoying the training and the adulation from the young fans as he joined Leo Cullen’s Leinster Squad for an open training session in North Kildare Rugby Club on Tuesday afternoon.

“It's good to come back to there and to a rugby stronghold like North Kildare and to get out and do a session and see all people,” Mangan told the Kildare Nationalist. The 21 year old back row played his schools rugby with Newbridge College and his early club rugby with Naas RFC. “There's a great gaelic and hurling culture in Sallins but my grandfather and my dad were big rugby fans so I went down the road of playing with Naas RFC,” he explained. “I played there all the way up from I think U5’s/U6’s to about U14. Then I went on to Newbridge College but I still follow Naas and I’m a proud Naas RFC man,” Like his fellow Newbridge and Kildare colleague, Sam Prendergast, Diarmuid Mangan was a part of the successful Irish U20 Grand Slam winning side. “Playing with the Irish U20’s was unbelievable and winning the Six Nations two years ago and then getting to a World Cup Final. Obviously, we fell short but it was an unbelievable experience and the memories we made with lads from all the different Provinces was unbelievable,” he explained.

Mangan is now in his third year with the Leinster Academy. “I spent one year in the sub-Academy over in Donnybrook and then three years in the Academy now. I'm really enjoying it and just hoping for to get something this season.” “Unfortunately, I broke my hand in a preseason game against Bordeaux so I just got back there and played two AIL games with UCD, and I was reserving then in Connacht for a game. Hopefully after this block I get some URC game time,” he added.

The Sallins native is ambitious for the rest of the season but he realises there is a lot of competition for places. “I’m just kind of kicking on, trying to get as much URC game time as I can. As you can see here this is a very competitive environment with obviously a lot of lads, especially back rows/second rows,” he said. “Lads are gone to the Irish set up and they have to come back in, so I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity while I can and just keep getting better.” To add to Diarmuid Mangan’s excitement this week his younger brother, Ciarán, was called up for the training session in North Kildare RFC. Another brother, Darragh, is seen as an exciting prospect for the Kildare footballers. “He (Ciarán) is in the sub-Academy so it's unbelievable to train with him and having him and a few of his lads from the sub-Academy up here, it just kind of really brings us on,” Diarmuid told us. “It's really cool to train with my younger brother, it’s something we probably always dreamed of like playing rugby and stuff at the back garden. And yes, it's really cool that finally it's happened,” he smiled.