Conor Oliver on leadership and loving golf

Conor Oliver discusses his recent leadership roles at Trailfinders, how rugby has evolved for the forwards, and loving golf 

Irish flanker Conor Oliver returns to the squad ahead of Round Four of the Champ. He has previously featured in Rounds One and Two for Ealing Trailfinders and got over the try line on both occasions. He will captain Trailfinders against Coventry this weekend.

Prior to playing in the Champ, Oliver played in the United Rugby Championship. He commented on the change of leagues.

“It’s been a really good start to the season. I was used to URC rugby for a long time but it’s quite similar coming here.

“I think the standard is really high as well as the standard of the team we have here as well. I think that our quality has shown with the number of points that we’ve scored this season. We’ve scored nearly 150 points across three games – it’s not bad going.”

Oliver scored on debut against Bedford at Goldington Road. The following week on home soil, he scored in eight seconds from kick-off against Chinnor.

“We have a chat before kick-off,” he said. “We have our attack plans and know where to target an opposition’s weakness.

“Scoring on debut makes us look good. We’ve seen that with Deago and Patrick scoring on their debuts.

“A lot of these things are pre-planned but sometimes it’s just being in the right place. Tobi Wilson tapped the ball back to me after the kick-off from Chinnor and the gap was there.

“Against Bedford, I think we still left a lot of points out on the field and we let in a few soft tries. But we were delighted with a first round win. We want to put convincing performances out on the pitch.

“The attack at the Club is what really excites me.”

Oliver’s try against Chinnor is up there with one of the quickest scored in the league’s history. His football background from playing as a teenager has meant that the chip and chase that was on display in that eight second try was a characteristic that had always been part of his game.

“I think from playing Gaelic football and football back home, as many Irish guys do, the coordination is there from a young age.

“Rugby was probably the last sport I picked up when I was growing up.

“I was brought up playing football mostly because my family are really into it. I eventually came into rugby after doing Gaelic football and hurling.”

Whilst Oliver plays at flanker, he hadn’t always been in the forward pack.

“I used to play in the backs. I played centre and stuff until I was probably about 15, 16. That’s maybe why I fancy myself with a kick chase.

“I think many players find themselves starting in the back line and eventually move to the forwards, or are pushed into playing front or second row. But that hasn’t happened to me yet.”

Across international and club rugby, flankers are playing a more hybrid role across the field. Oliver commented on how he feels rugby has developed and changed in recent years.

“I think the game has evolved a lot. Players aren’t fenced in to one position anymore. You can see that with second rows coming into the back row, and back rows moving into centres if they need to.

“We’ve done some training with the backs and some of that has included being on the wing. That’s only occasionally but it’s good preparation in case we get yellow cards in a match. It’s good to have it in the locker.

“I do feel like it’s a completely different sport to play on the wing. I not going to say I’d never like to play there – it might save the pressure on my shoulders a bit.”

Having led Trailfinders in two rounds of the Champ, leadership is something that Oliver has come to enjoy.

“I’ve probably grown into the leadership role. I was at Connacht for five years and I learnt off many of the players there.

“I’ve learnt to lead by example rather than talk too much.

“Moving to Trailfinders, the leadership quality is something the Club have emphasised that they’ve wanted from me as a player and person. I didn’t want to come in talking too much but the longer I’ve been here, the more I feel that I can voice certain things.

“I said I’d give the leadership thing a crack, whatever position I hold. Hopefully we can translate our recent successes to this weekend against Coventry.”

Outside of rugby, Oliver joins many of the Trailfinders players as a keen golfer. Whilst this is no surprise given the beautiful courses his homeland of Ireland boasts, Oliver stressed that golf has been a good way for many of the players to bond outside of rugby.

“There are some great courses in Ireland, but the only thing to let us down is the weather can be quite tough. Make sure you go in the summertime for a golf holiday.

“Golf has definitely been an area where I’ve been able to bond with the lads, do stuff outside of rugby and not talk about rugby.

“A few of the boys are members of the West Middlesex golf club around the corner from Trailfinders Sports Club so we try to play at least once a week.

“I’d say that I’m a keen golfer but not necessarily a good one. But the mentality of the sport is something that really interests me.

“I enjoyed watching the Ryder Cup. I won’t say that Rory McIlroy is my favourite player as that’s an obvious favourite. After watching the Ryder Cup, I’d say that Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka are my favourites at the moment.

“Both golf and boxing are sports that I enjoy. They have a top tier kind of mentality. I like to see how individual sports deal with stressful situations. I especially think it’s amazing in boxing given it’s a combat sport.”

Beyond the wealth of sport Oliver enjoys both personally and professionally, he is a dog dad to a seven-year-old Bulldog.

“He’s quite old for a Bulldog. Me and my girlfriend were worried that he wasn’t going to deal with the travel from Ireland to England well when we drove a van here and came on the ferry. But he slept for most of the journey.

“He’s just happy to be around us and go wherever we go.”