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Heart on his Sleeve

I have been marching behind the Leinster Rugby squad for 5 years now. At least that’s my perspective. If you asked them I might be a spectre ahead of them, a sign of what’s to come.

My role as the Personal Development Manager is to help players prepare for their second career. It’s a little bit of everything but I can sound a lot like the grim reaper “congratulations. You’ve made it. You’re a professional athlete, but it’s going to end and it could be soon, we need a back-up plan”. It seems Andrew’s Dad had the same concerns that I do.

This book, his gym, his education, his reputation, are Andrew Porters’ back up plan. He’s been in Leinster Rugby longer than me, but I’ve got to walk alongside him for the better part of his 20s. When I saw he had written a book and planned to publish after the Lions tour I knew I’d have some family requests for Christmas gifts. I bought three copies for them and then the audiobook for me because Autumn traffic took hold and gobbled up all my quiet time.

I was crying ten minutes in. Post-competition blues is my speciality. I’m an expert in assisting elite performers manage the slump after a big push. And I was so relieved to hear Andrew tell the truth. All of it. He has bared himself in this book and it’s nothing short of courageous to do it.

I imagine working with these athletes is a lot like being a teacher. You prepare them for the world. You see them safely through numerous life transitions. You build them up. You help them learn confidence. You learn their individual quirks; when to ease off and when to deliver a firm kick. All the while knowing that you’re going to say goodbye. And while you know what that is, they don’t (yet).

Reading this book, I think about the great teachers I had. And how even though wellbeing wasn’t on the curriculum yet that I knew they cared for me. I think Andrew had that experience too. In the book he talks about the teachers that helped him settle into school after his Mom died from cancer – Mr Jones and Mr Hehir.

He also talks about the mentors who stayed with him, including Leinster Rugby’s beloved Dave Fagan. And I suspect that those influences are why he wanted to get involved in the TYF campaign in 2023. In the first campaign. Andrew, Elaine and Andrew’s Dad (and Pablo the dog) featured in an animation that show Andrew talking about not really understanding his Mom was sick and the power his support network gave him over the following years. Later he was seen on the Late Late Show shaving his head to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

In the final chapters of the book Andrew says,

“It was an easy decision to get behind the TYF initiative when I was asked. It’s especially aimed at younger people in schools, and that means a lot to me. I know what it’s like to be isolated and lonely during the most challenging years of life, and if I can share my experiences, that might help someone else.”

Telling his story with TYF so that others wouldn’t feel alone was his first generosity on a path to a feature in the Netflix series 6 Nations and now this book. Every step he’s been a little braver and shared a little more of the immense weight he’s carried. It’s no wonder he shines in the front row. A scrum is rugby’s purest test of unity and power — eight players from each team bound together, shoulder to shoulder, crouched low and driving as one. At its heart are the front-rowers, like Andrew Porter, who bear the weight of the team and channel thousands of kilograms of force with precision and trust.

When the referee calls “Crouch… Bind… Set!”, the packs collide, and the ball is fed through the tunnel between them. The hookers strike, the props hold firm, and the contest becomes controlled chaos — strength, balance, and teamwork in motion. It’s not about glory but grit; the unseen effort that lets others play with freedom.

I think Andrew’s honesty about his experience with ADHD will be a game-changer for young people. In the book, he says “I know, however, that I’m one of the lucky ones when it comes to living with ADHD. My brain is ideally suited to the single-mindedness that’s needed in professional sport. I can really use the hyperfocus to zone in on what I’m doing and keep pushing”

You might expect to read about rugby and hard-fought wins in the autobiography of a Leinster, Irish and Lions rugby player (and there is some in there) but this book is rooted in gratitude and stoicism. It emphasises the values of mentorship and friendship. This book is for rugby fans, but it is also for everyone who takes an interest in the lives and stewardship of young people. It has heartened me to read about the impact and influence a few good teachers can have in a young person’s life, even when their life has been touched by tragedy. At the time, Andrew’s family couldn’t reach him, but his teachers did.

The picture you build of Andrew as you read this book is exactly who I know him to be. Leading with his gratitude to others and taking a wide lense of what the world is. He’s an outstanding role model and I would encourage anyone to welcome the TYF program into the classroom so you can see the impact Andrew has as a role model for your young people as you mentor them through life’s difficulties.

Dr Emma Burrows is a sports and wellbeing coach with 18 years’ experience working with recreational, performance pathway, Olympic, Paralympic, and professional athletes. She works with Leinster Rugby as Personal Development Manager.