“I thought the door had closed for me”

It's not a coincidence that Dave Heffernan embarked on a career in sport. He comes from a family steeped in sporting tradition. His father, Ivan, put on the green and red for Mayo for years as a goalkeeper. His uncle Niall also played county and is currently manager of reigning county champions Ballina Stephenites and his grandfather, Ivan, was a legendary figure in Ballina rugby.

Dave grew up with sport all around him and even well into his teens there was a strong possibility that he could have ended up in the green and red of Mayo rather than the green of Connacht. He was a talented footballer with the Stephenites until he went to Blackrock College and rugby took over.

“There I was approached by Connacht Rugby to play for their underage programme,”  he explained and so Dave chose his grandfather’s career path. Ivan Heffernan Snr was a prolific rugby player and was such a pivotal figure in the sport that Ballina RFC's home ground, Heffernan Park, is named after him. 

However, Dave's entry into a professional rugby career was anything but easy. Three minutes into his first match for the Connacht U-20 team he broke his leg. A huge blow: “I thought that was it rugby-wise. All the academy lads were in Galway, training five days a week and I applied for college and went back to University College Dublin. I thought the door had closed after that. You only have a very short window at underage level. If you get a big injury, you need to be very lucky to get a second chance”, Heffernan tells The Mayo News. 

But somehow he stayed on the Connacht radar. He must have made an impression. The Ballina man was called back a year afterwards and invited to join the Connacht Academy for 12 months. “Of course I accepted and went for it. My mother wasn't happy but here we are”, Heffernan explains with a smile on his face. 

Indeed, now 14 years later he has reached an impressive milestone - his 200th cap for Connacht. Most of those selections have been as hooker but at the start of his career, Dave lined out as flanker. “That’s how things started, but after a while it was actually the backs’ coach, who mentioned to me in passing, ‘If you want a long career, you might want to think about changing your position. You are not particularly tall for a flanker, but as hooker, you might play for Ireland.’ He only said that in passing, but he got me thinking and I went for it. Huge thanks to everyone at Connacht rugby who stood with me and supported me,” Heffernan explains.

Everyone who has an idea about the different requirements of the hooker position, can grasp how significant the change is. Especially with modern Rugby being so set-piece driven, the hooker throwing in the ball at the lineout is a crucial element for every team. And on top of that, the hooker is instrumental in the front row of any scrum. 

“It was a big move”, admits Heffernan. “They said they would give me a year and it was a long road for me getting comfortable with it, you constantly try to improve and there are good days and bad days, it’s a tough transition.”

But Heffernan made it, overcame that obstacle to a professional career as well. And all the work, toil and sweat ultimately paid off in 2016 when Connacht won the Pro 12 title in a fantastic final against Leinster in Murrayfield on a 20-10 scoreline.

“We were hearing ‘The Fields of Athenry’ walking off the bus. The whole year was magical. I don't remember lifting the trophy actually, but all the lads running onto the pitch and the homecoming at Knock airport when thousands were there was very special,” Heffernan remembers.

Yet, as joyful it is to bring back the moments of glory, Heffernan quickly moves to the present in saying, “Obviously the triumph of 2016 is something you always want to recreate. Unfortunately it didn't go right this year. We were in the semi-final last year and frustrating as it was, I think we weren't many miles away.”

Heffernan wants to keep playing, feeling he still has a few good years in the tank even though the little niggles after matches have become more prominent. Dave is a proud Mayo man and shows up at Ballina RFC when he can, helping out with coaching underage players in the club where his first Irish international jersey proudly hangs on the wall. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he returns to his home club at some point in the future, but first Heffernan will keep chasing more glory with Connacht Rugby.

The decision to switch from flanker to hooker made
Dave Heffernan an Irish international