John Cooney’s career has been characterised by being late to the party

John Cooney’s career has been characterised by being late to the party.

The scrum-half had to wait until he was 27 to get Ireland recognition, playing against Japan in 2017. By that stage, he had done the rounds for seven years as a provincial fringe player with Leinster (his home province) and Connacht.

It was Ulster who gave him a shot as first choice the same year. But even when applying for that career-reviving opportunity in Ravenhill (following Ulster’s decision to cut loose Springbok icon Ruan Pienaar) lateness was part of the narrative.

Scrum-half John Cooney’s rugby career has been characterised by being late to the party

He had to wait until he was 27 to get Ireland recognition, playing against Japan in 2017

‘When I went to meet the Ulster management, I got a flat tyre on my drive up and I was around four hours late,’ recalls Cooney.

‘I couldn’t believe it, I looked up and saw the petrol station so I was able to get there. Then went to change it, I didn’t know how to change it. My best friend picked me up and drove me to Belfast so I could meet Les (former Ulster coach Les Kiss).

‘I was four hours later but I think he [Kiss] was pretty happy that I still got there. I was like, “I wanted to make sure I came to meet you”. The next day, they offered me a contract so I was thinking, “This worked out well”.’ 

That is an understatement. Cooney has been sensational for Ulster – the province’s best player during a 2017-18 season that brought unprecedented challenges on and off the pitch. His inspirational performances, including world-class goal-kicking, have blown away the doubts that had surrounded his low-key signing as replacement for Pienaar.

During his difficult stints with Leinster and Connacht, when injuries were as big an issue as the quality of competition, he visited a psychologist in Galway and his mental strength has been a hugely significant factor in his career taking off in his late 20s.

Cooney is looking to get his seventh cap for Ireland in the Six Nations match against Italy

‘People were disappointed to lose Ruan and they mightn’t know much about me, but I got to work quickly up there. I knew hard work and putting it all on the field would make them warm to me.

‘When I started, I wasn’t even a frontline goal-kicker but they didn’t really have a goal-kicker and I end up getting to kick for them. Everything ended up working out pretty well.

‘The coaching staff were brilliant. Johnno Gibbes was there and he had coached me before (at Leinster) and he’s a pretty tough character. He let me do what I wanted which gave me confidence so I’ve loved it. Everyone’s settled in well. They’re a great bunch of lads.

‘There was pressure but I don’t think it really phased me, it goes back to the whole training your brain. I’m quite into psychology and I was reading about the laws of attraction and what you put out into the world comes back.

‘I was getting pretty into that at the time. I knew if I put myself under pressure and put it out there that this is what I wanted to fulfil, this is what I wanted to do, I knew it would come back to me. I found all season things kept coming back my way, it might seem like a fad but it worked for me.’ So much so that Cooney has now amassed six caps for Ireland and, as well as being in line to gain his seventh against Italy on Sunday, he is well in the mix for a place in Joe Schmidt’s 31-man squad for the World Cup in Japan.

 John Cooney will be going in search of a spot for Ireland at the rugby World Cup this year

It may have gone under the radar this week but the decision to allow Kieran Marmion remain with Connacht rather than be included in the squad for Rome was a change in the scrum-half pecking order.

Marmion confirmed his return to fitness by playing in Connacht’s victory over the Cheetahs last weekend and has been the go-to selection behind Conor Murray. Leaving him out for Cooney to make his third appearance in this Six Nations demonstrates how successfully the Ulster man has slotted into the national set-up.

Cooney says that, no matter how difficult things looked, he never lost the belief that he could make the breakthrough and it has strengthened his determination now to make it count.

‘It was very important that my family always had faith in me. When times got tough, they were basically the people that got me through it.

‘It’s easy for you to give up, but I had people who believed in me. I always thought every day if I was to give up it would have a knock-on effect to those around me.

‘That mentality has stuck with me and, even now, when I got my first cap my sister stuck up a post online saying, “We knew this day was going to come”. It’s important to reflect on the people who supported you at the time,’ stresses Cooney, who admits that making the plane to Japan is a major goal this year.

Cooney has been sensational for Ulster – the province’s best player during the 2017-18 season

‘You’d be lying to say you don’t think about it and it is something that I can cover 10. I don’t really play 10 but I can cover it if needs be. I didn’t start kicking until three years ago so it’s something I did adapt and added to my bow. I always thought I could kick and my brother always used to tell me to kick so I should have done it sooner. With that mentality shift, I started getting better at controlling my emotions and I started kicking and it worked out well.

‘I don’t know if I did it consciously or subconsciously, but I did realise I needed to have a point of difference and that became goal-kicking.’ If scrum-half Cooney makes it to the World Cup, it will represent one of the more remarkable career turnarounds of the professional era. He may have developed a habit of being late to the party but he has proved that when he gets there, he makes it count.