With a name like Lorcan McLoughlin, you would expect the accent that accompanies the man to be a thick Irish brogue. So the English one that follows is something of a surprise.
“My dad and grandparents are Irish, so they would have pushed Ireland on us as kids,” grins the English-born back-rower.
To this point, McLoughlin has had to play the long game with his rugby career, both to get his opportunity with a professional team and then once he got that chance.
Having began his rugby career with Sherborne School near Exeter, McLoughlin caught the eye of former Ulster centre Kevin Maggs, who was in charge of the IRFU’s Irish Qualified system that targets players outside of Ireland who qualify for the nation.
The flanker impressed on a tour to Limerick that led to a sub-Academy contract with Ulster, but it was timed just perfectly to coincide with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were some dark days, by McLoughlin’s own admission. Having to go to training as part of a small bubble was tough, while not getting the chance to stand out to the coaches in a competitive environment was frustrating, too.
“There weren’t any games, it was just training down at Newforge and you’re not really sure where to go because you can’t prove yourself,” explains McLoughlin.
“We did small bubbles for training and then we had one ‘A’ game where I played 20, 30 minutes. I was balancing uni with it as well so it was early mornings and late nights.
“It was a weird time, going from playing every week for your school to coming over here and playing one game in a year. I needed the time to buff up in the gym anyway, so it helped out a bit.”
Although his match action was limited to just one game, the 22-year-old progressed onto an Academy contract having done all the right things in the sub-Academy, while he was also part of the Ireland Under-20s side that won the Grand Slam in 2022 which enhanced his status at Ravenhill.
Lorcan McLoughlin
That culminated in a long-awaited senior debut in November 2023 against the Emirates Lions and at that point, things looked like they were only on an upward trajectory. But once again fate intervened with a lengthy lay-off.
“That December I unfortunately did my knee on that combined Academies tour and was out for 11 months, which wasn’t ideal,” grimaces McLoughlin.
“Being injured for 11 months was tough because I had a few setbacks and questions over whether I should get surgery or not. We decided to do it the natural way.
“It was tough to see some guys doing so well, but since I’ve been back I’ve been training hard and trying to give them a reason to pick me.”
He’s done that and then some. Although he’s only been back for three months playing All-Ireland League rugby for Queen’s, he did enough to convince head coach Richie Murphy — who was his head coach in the Under-20s, too — that he was worth a shot for the Ulster senior team against Zebre Parma last time out.
The result may not have gone the way they wanted, Ulster subjected to an embarrassing 15-14 loss on home turf, but it was still a big night for McLoughlin.
“It was awesome. It wasn’t a great night but it was really fun. I had three of my four brothers and my mum fly over to watch the game, so that was special,” he smiles.
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“Personally I thought I carried well. There were a few errors in the game that I regret but, going forward, as a team we prepared well but we went in with our heads too high and we didn’t respect them enough.”
McLoughlin will get an immediate chance to make up for it, getting the start at openside flanker in Friday’s friendly against the Queensland Reds, but his focus is primarily long-term.
“I’ve got to keep putting my hand up and keep making the most of my opportunities,” he adds. “That’s all I want to do.”