Danaher: I saw Ollie’s power from Day One
LONDON IRISH assistant coach Declan Danaher admits he was taken aback by England new boy Ollie Hassell-Collins’ raw power when he first set eyes on him as a 15-year-old.
Danaher, Irish’s record appearance holder, was working with the academy at the time and the Reading-born winger, now 24, made an immediate impression.
“The first time I met Ollie he was trialling for our AASE team, at St Paul’s, around the corner. I was taking a tackle drill and Ollie was in the middle and doing the tackling and he was absolutely slotting the ball carrier, cutting guys in half,” explained London Irish’s appearance record holder.
“I instantly assumed that he was a forward so he’s come out and I’ve asked him what position he plays in and he was like, ‘wing’. I had to put him back into the drill to make sure what I was seeing was actually happening and then he proceeded to slot another three guys.
“That, for me, was a sign, having played with a lot of very good wingers the likes of Delon (Armitage) and Topsy (Ojo), that if you have got that ability to do that at 15, to be that aggressive and to be that powerful, that he definitely had got something.”
In the nine years they have known each other, Danaher has become a father-figure to Hassell-Collins with the coach’s two actual kids joke that he is the third and favourite child.
The pair warmly embraced each other after the dust had settled on Hassell-Collins’ first cap last Saturday, the 29-23 defeat to Scotland, and Danaher said he was just glad to be able to share such a special moment.
“For me, I have seen the highs and the lows, the tears after games, the scoring a hat-trick to not scoring for a couple of weeks to dropping high balls to hours spent out on the training paddock.
“So for me, yeah, it was just a very, very special moment to be there and be a part of that because that was something that we had spoken about, that we have been there on this journey and it [getting capped] was going to happen.
“From a personal point of view that was what I always stressed to Ol, when he was banging on the door and he felt no one was answering, just to keep knocking.
“It was never going to be easy. It was always going to be hard and you are going to have to take the feedback on board. You obviously need a bit of luck as well. That always helps and so yeah, it was just massive.” HassellCollins’ selection on the wing ended a 10-year run without a London Irish player in the England starting XV. And now he has been joined in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the Italy game by fellow back-three star, Henry Arundell. To see the progress of those two and the likes of another rising young star, Michael Dykes, who became only the third player in Premiership history to score a hat-trick on his competition debut against Harlequins a fortnight ago, is a source of much pride for Danaher.
“For me it is the most rewarding thing, seeing guys fulfil their potential. And if they are doing it in a London Irish jersey, that makes it even better,” he said.
“It’s the nice bit of coaching, it isn’t about winning or losing, it is about someone’s journey.
“Whether that is Dykesy starting in the Premiership and getting a hat-trick on his debut, Jack Cooke (the Premiership Cup captain), Josh Basham, who has come back in, it is all of those guys.
“I think what it shows is the incredible amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to get these lads prepared, especially backs. Guys like James Lightfoot-Brown, Brad Davis, Kissy (Les Kiss), they put an incredible of hard work in to young wingers coming in.
“What I think we have done well is prepare these guys, it could be wingers or it could be any position, and it is about making sure it is long-term development not short-term development.”
On retiring from playing in 2014, Danaher said he wanted the London Irish academy to be restored to its former glories and that is now coming to fruition.
Success breeds success and the recognition of Hassell-Collins and Arundell at the highest level, he says, can only keep driving standards up.
“I think that is mainly what Dec (Kidney) wanted. If you are a young guy and you look around and you see guys above you setting standards, it makes it easier for the likes of Dykesy.
“And as a coach it no longer becomes a conversation you need to have because, they just look to the left and the right and go, ‘oh jeez, this is the intensity I have got to train at’.
“It creates a really good feeling in the club, and it is not just England, it is Scotland with Ben White – it was amazing to see him go out and score, that’s two Calcutta Cups now on the trot for him – and it is brilliant to see the Italian boys give it to France.
“I thought Dani (Fischetti) was outstanding and Luca (Morisi) too, with the way they played and attacked the game. It is a pretty cool thing to see and get behind.”