Caelan Doris looking to revitalise usual strengths that ‘haven’t been up to to standard lately’

Caelan Doris is enjoying life having celebrated Christmas with his family in Mayo, tucked away a freshly inked three-year central contract, and, on New Year’s Day, he will be handed the opportunity to stretch the legs again in a rugby context when Ulster visit the RDS.

Doris might appreciate the words of Franklin D Roosevelt that “there are many ways of going forward but only one of standing still”. There is no danger of that with the 25-year-old number eight, he has no intention of pressing pause as someone who regularly refines his goal focus.

He explained: “I think with a new year being around the corner and this game being on New Year’s Day, it’s kind of a natural process that I do at the halfway point in the season. It’s less of a big picture thing, but more so what I want out of the rest of this season.

“It’s a process I’ve started over the last day or two and will continue to do for another day or two. I think it’s important to do it at the start of each season and then a bit of a reset and really look at how things have gone so far, and what I want to improve on for the rest of the season.”

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It’s not as if he’s struggling for impact on the pitch. New Zealand colossus and number eight Ardie Savea was voted 2023 world player of the year but the regard in which Doris is held internationally can be gauged from the fact that he still made World Rugby’s team of the year, squeezed in at blindside flanker.

The accolades are nice, but the most stringent judge is often the player, driven by an internal monologue that demands more. There are aspects of his game at which he would like to be better. Some are previous strengths, that feel less so these days, are in need of buffing. Others relate to the evolution of skills, to try to climb closer to the pinnacle of all-round brilliance.

[ Sam Prendergast starts at outhalf as Leinster make 14 changes for Ulster clash ]

There is also competition that comes from within the province, Jack Conan, Max Deegan and the latest tyro, former Under-20 Six Nations player of the tournament, James Culhane. Broadening the talent pool, Dave McCann in Ulster and Munster’s Brian Gleeson are maturing impressively and are long on potential.

Doris said: “There are parts of my game that I haven’t been very happy with. There are parts that were strengths maybe a year ago, my carry for example. It hasn’t been up to the standard that I’d like it to be lately.

“There are some obvious ones that I’m chasing after, but then there’s also the element of competition and looking at guys like James Culhane in here or Brian Gleeson down in Munster. Guys who played very well for [Ireland] 20s, who are now pushing on to senior level and playing well.

“There’s no room for complacency at all. You don’t feel good if you’re not chasing the potential and I know there’s a lot more left in me. It’s something that I’m aware of and I’m trying to chase down.”

He has prioritised defence and is pretty happy with that before adding, “bar giving away a few too many penalties here and there”. Two keynote attributes that have underscored his talent since his school days are his athleticism and footwork, that ability to create and then exploit the gaps that ensue: outstanding in dominating the gainline tango.

His game intelligence is another asset. Doris made the point that it is perhaps something that he’s taken for granted a little of late and that he needs to rediscover a bigger appetite in “his hunger to get on the ball”, albeit that he’s not going to sweat a little dip in those standards.

Drilling a little deeper into the issue he offers a more detailed answer. “I think part of it is, instead of looking for space around me, to take the right option in terms of a plus pass or a minus pass, sometimes it’s just about picking a defender and trying to beat him one-on-one.

[ Matt Williams: Don’t try to cut down Leinster’s tall poppy, hail the home-grown excellence ]

“I’d probably gone a little bit away from that, putting more attention into looking for space around me and trying to put someone else through a hole. But that’s not always the right thing to do so I think the best players can give a plus or a minus [pass] when it’s on and carry and make yards too when that’s the right thing to do. So, I’m trying to get all of those balanced.”

Leinster have won nine of 10 matches in all competitions, their only defeat in the opening URC match of the season away to the Glasgow Warriors. They have shown great resilience at times, produced some cracking rugby in bursts, but need to find a more even keel with fewer peaks and troughs.

Doris said: “There have been plenty of examples of good stuff in a game but never quite getting the 80-minute performance and it’s hard when you’re playing different quality opposition who are throwing different tricks at you. But a big focus has been, regardless of what has gone before, whether it’s positive or negative, being present and playing what’s in front of you, as cliched as that is.

“And the more we train together under these new coaches we’ll get more cohesion and things will naturally come together a little bit better.”

Monday evening in Dublin will provide another chance to discover that equilibrium.

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