James Culhane may at one point have watched a black cat walk across his path from right to left – left to right is lucky apparently – spotted a single magpie, spilt salt, broken a mirror, and perhaps inadvertently witnessed many more harbingers of bad luck.
It might explain his ridiculously unfortunate injury profile that dates to his teenage years. There are invariably two conversation topics when chatting to the talented 22-year-old Leinster backrow, his prowess on the pitch and his resilience in the face of periodic setbacks that might have broken players of lesser character.
He’s got a lovely sense of gallows humour that’s evident in his assertion that “this will last a long time”, when asked to discuss his injuries. Culhane explained: “The worst one was in fourth year [in Blackrock College]. I started getting really bad lower back pain, got a scan and [it revealed] a stress fracture in my L5. They weren’t really sure if it was genetic from when I was born or if it had developed over time.
“I was in a back brace for six months to let it heal. Then they re-scanned me, and the same defect was there, so it was pretty much genetic from when I was born. That had me out for about 11 or 12 months, pretty much all of fourth year.
“I came back in fifth year and I was healthy but, unfortunately, we got knocked out in the first round of the Senior Cup by Gonzaga, so I didn’t play a huge amount of rugby. Sixth year was okay.
“In first year in the [Leinster] academy I injured my ankle and had ankle surgery. Then the year after I obviously had that bad injury in Galway” (a reference to a torn hamstring and fractured shoulder suffered in the same match). “I’ve probably had about three surgeries in two years.”
The fact that Leinster gave him a professional contract on a, relatively speaking, slim body of rugby – 16 appearances since making his debut against Cardiff in 2023 – speaks volumes for the esteem in which the 22-year-old is held by the coaches. It’s not as if they’re taking a punt.
When Ireland won an under-20 Grand Slam in 2022, Culhane was voted the Six Nations player of the tournament on the back of several brilliant performances. Even then, he couldn’t shrug off a medical jinx as he spent a month in hospital with a severe kidney infection. He was nominated for RTÉ’s Young Player of the Year.
What’s immediately obvious in watching him is his athletic prowess honed by a cross pollination of sports growing up from mini rugby in DLSP, through school, Gaelic football with Kilmacud Crokes and playing left back for Enniskerry, Wayside Celtic and Cabinteely soccer clubs.
He was selected for the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa last year and captained the team in their final game against the Cheetahs. His return to the country recently with Leinster didn’t quite meet the same success, as he was concussed five minutes in that first game against the Bulls.
Breaking into Leinster’s backrow requires not only a set of disparate qualities but also the capacity to play right across the unit.
“Yeah definitely you can’t really be one dimensional, you can’t just be able to play number eight, you have to play seven and six, especially when you’re trying to break into a team,” said Culhane.
“It’s important. If you’re breaking into a team, you’re probably starting on the bench, and you have to cover many positions, so it is so important to be versatile. I’ve been working on how I’m viewed as a player by the coaches, so they don’t see me as one type of player you know.”
Part of that process includes picking the brains of his team-mates. Culhane continued: “I think Caelan [Doris] especially and Josh [van der Flier] they’re just very easy to talk to, they’ve so much knowledge and they’re willing to give it to you as well.
“I have been asking them a lot of questions about how they approach the game, especially around the contact area and ball carry and just that element which is especially important for my position.
“It is taking that opportunity when you get it, especially when you’re involved with the team of internationals. On the weekend I was delighted to be playing with just so much talent around me, and the way they play elevates your game as well. When you get an opportunity to get your way into that team, you take it.”
Culhane certainly honoured that goal in the victory over Ulster, 25 tackles, one turnover and leading the team in successful carries. It’s more than the metrics though; his effectiveness is just as easy to spot with the naked eye. Top of his wish list: consistent game time.
