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SHANAHAN WANTS TO BE THE PASS MASTER
DAVE SHANAHAN
“It was such a great experience, a big crowd, the
team playing some wonderful stuff, and it just
whetted my appetite for more of it!”
Dave Shanahan, the 22-year-old Dubliner who
has made Ulster his home, was still excited by
the memory of making his European debut in the
Champions Cup trouncing of Oyonnax at Kingspan
Stadium three weeks ago.
“I’ll never forget that feeling, of being part of
something special, and though that 56-3 win
wasn’t enough to see us through to the knockout
stage, everyone had done their bit, and getting on
the field to replace Paul Marshall was special,” the
engaging pivot says.
It was a reward of sorts for a young man who
makes decisions on the pitch, and isn’t afraid to
make them off the field either. His move to Belfast
was one he weighed up carefully having been
amongst a crop of outstanding young scrum-
halves in Leinster.
He’d played for the prestigious Belvedere College,
and his smart passing and movement won him
Leinster and Irish Schools honours, and his star
kept rising - international Under 20 World Cup
selection marking Shanahan out.
“Allen Clarke was involved with Irish Schools, and
I suppose a seed was planted there. In Leinster,
and through the age groups, Luke McGrath
always seemed to be just ahead of me, and there
was never anything solid in terms of a future with
Leinster, while Clarkey made it clear there was a
place for me in the Academy at Ulster.
“I felt I needed a change of scenery. I’d played
with Rory Scholes, John Andrew and Connor
Joyce so I knew the sort of talent that was coming
through here, so though I might have been a bit
apprehensive about leaving the security of my
parents’ home, I came here in the summer of
2013,” and he says it was the best decision in his
rugby career to date.
“From day one, working with Kieran Campbell,
Academy Manager, I knew I was in the right place
to develop, to be part of something big,” he says.
“Kieran’s a former Ulster scrumhalf. He doesn’t
mince his words, you know where you were with
him, he tells you where you need to improve, and is
quick to tell you what things are going well.
“Scrum-halves need to be assertive, to be vocal,
and he’s brought that to the fore in me, and since
we moved from Newforge to the facilities at
Kingspan Stadium, it’s just been getting better and
better, with Neil Doak and Niall Malone also being
very important figures in my time here, encouraging
always, but always with key messages, good
advice.
“We have the coaches, the Strength and
Conditioning team, a gym second-to-none in
Europe, and an atmosphere where everyone is
working to improve themselves and the Ulster
teams.”
He still finds it exciting that he can find himself
sitting beside established internationals who treat
him as one of them, and are eager to offer advice
and encouragement. He singles out Andrew
Trimble as someone who’s always seen him as a
team-mate, whether in the side together or not, and
from Paul Marshall he’s learned so much about
what professional rugby, particularly at the base of
the scrum, is about.
“Paul is so helpful, always so approachable. I owe
him a lot, and even though I know I’m competing
in his position, he’s always giving me tips and
guidance. Just watching Ruan Pienaar is a
masterclass of scrum-half play, he makes it look
so easy!
“And after arriving at the Ulster Academy, just a few
months later I was playing alongside many of the
senior players against Edinburgh; I hadn’t really
got to know them, but I was treated as part of the
squad, there to do a job, it all just felt comfortable,
and it’s just got better in that way,” says Shanahan,
who is determined to be ‘in the mix’ for selection
for the important PRO12 games which lie ahead
during the Six Nations.
“I’ve played in the senior jersey eight times, and
each time you want more, and I had always
targeted this time of the season as a period when I
might get a chance of some game time.”
He’s always been noted for his sharp passing
game and his swiftness around the pitch, and
these base skills are not taken for granted.
“At training sessions we go through a lot of
complicated moves and phases, but like other
players, I’ll stay on to work on the pass, to develop
my kicking game.
“I was on the pitch for about 15 minutes, and the pace was so great
that my legs were going at the end, but I just didn’t want that final
whistle to blow!