Ex-Ireland player no longer 'embarrassed' at winning only one cap

Former Leinster and London Irish back-rower Aidan McCullen has revealed that he used to be embarrassed with his status as a one-cap wonder with Ireland. The forward, who also played club rugby in France with Toulouse and Dax, made his only Test-level appearance on a tour in 2003.

Ireland took on Australia in Perth before flying onto the Pacific Islands to play Tonga and Samoa and it was in that final fixture of the trip that McCullen was given what turned out to be his only chance by Eddie O’Sullivan.

Now 47, McCullen works in the delivery of workshops and keynotes on innovation and reinvention mindset and it needed a catch-up with former head coach O’Sullivan for him to stop feeling embarrassed over making just a single Ireland appearance 21 years ago.

In an online message on LinkedIn, McCullen wrote: “Several years post-retirement from rugby, I encountered former Ireland rugby coach Eddie O’Sullivan. I sought his involvement in some leadership development workshops I was designing and to address a lingering question regarding my rugby career.

“Eddie had chosen me for my sole international appearance for Ireland. My only cap is something I initially felt embarrassed about. However, two perspectives changed my view. First, a friend reminded me of the rarity of achieving an Ireland cap, noting I was the 978th cap in a list that, as of February 7, 2024, totals 1,156 players. The second is what Eddie said to me over breakfast that day.”

Here is how that chat unfolded:

McCullen: Eddie, this has been bugging me for a long time and I need to ask you a question.

O’Sullivan: Go on.

McCullen: Is there anything else I could have done to get more caps? Equally, was there anything I shouldn't have done (referring to me leaving Ireland on two occasions to play for Dax and later for Toulouse. National coaches maintain a policy of not selecting players who don't play in their native country)?

O’Sullivan: Aidan, there are three kinds of players. There is a disciplined player. Then, there is a talented player. Finally, there is a third type of player and this is the goal of the coach, to make the talented player disciplined… You, my friend, were amazingly disciplined.”

O’Sullivan’s answer, according to McCullen, left the pair pausing momentarily before then erupting in laughter. McCullen has now reflected on his short-lived Test career, writing: “It was exactly what I needed to hear.

“Eddie commended my discipline, providing reassurance that, despite my efforts, external factors like injuries and timing often dictate career outcomes. I felt comforted in the fact that I had controlled every input possible, but even then you can't control the output. But knowing you gave it everything means you can walk away without regrets.

“This ‘capability cap’ was the last piece of the puzzle. It was always my suspicion. You see, I was a very average athlete, I was often last picked, if at all, in the playground and it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I started to surpass players who were hitherto much better than me.

“I had a formula: Hard work, diet, sleep, sacrifice and belief pay off. I was 17 and five years later was playing for Leinster, and Ireland a year after. You often see this phenomenon play out when you enter a professional environment like when I joined Leinster. So many schoolboy heroes (which I never was) crumpled when they became professionals.

“The problem? They had never developed discipline and had always relied on pure talent. Now that they were surrounded by a majority of disciplined and talented players and (ahem) some ‘amazingly disciplined’ ones, they struggled. Their failure was often my gain.

“However, this ‘amazing discipline’ or ‘talent gap’ means that as the team or sport progresses, a ‘capability cap’ will eventually become apparent. This is not unique to sport. A critical aspect of organisational success is the alignment between strategic ambition and operational capability.

“This concept emphasises the need for companies to not only set ambitious goals but also to possess or develop the necessary capabilities, resources, and culture to execute these goals. Before we explore let me share another sporting experience.

“I’m grateful to have played for the top two clubs in Europe, Leinster and Toulouse. When I began in Leinster, the coach had a certain game plan in mind. This was his strategic ambition.

"For the team to be able to achieve that ambition, we had to build adequate skills: passing the ball in contact, adequate power to break tackles and speed, agility and quickness to evade defenders (to name just a few).

“Indeed, we soon understood the correlation between these skills in training and the pay-off on the pitch. Later, when I played for Toulouse, our off-field training was very different from the training we did at Leinster. We did a lot of judo, evasion skills and long-distance running.

“The Toulouse style of play was very different from Leinster's; it required the players to be extremely aerobically fit to achieve the style of play (strategic ambition) set by the club's leadership. If either club changed their strategic direction, it would also require updated capabilities to deliver those ambitions.

“As a highly disciplined player, as Eddie confirmed, I had a cap on how far I could go. My journey illustrated the shift from talent to the discipline necessary for elite success at the professional level. The concept of a ‘capability cap’ resonated with me, highlighting the limits of discipline without innate talent.

“For the best clubs to remain the best they need both talented and disciplined players. Yes, a player like me could fill in the gaps and maybe benefit from injuries or a coach who backed you, but would always remain somewhat limited.

“Today, the rugby world has progressed so far that these clubs have a conveyor belt of talent feeding a seamless supply of capability to deliver their ambitions. We see the same phenomena play out in the business field.”