This article profiles Ireland rugby player James Lowe's journey, highlighting his resilience in the face of pressure, his supportive team environment, and the lasting influence of a demanding coach.
James Lowe doesn't feel the pressure anymore. Having weathered the storm of hard lessons learned, he approaches challenges with a calmness that belies the intensity of the situation. His recent Leinster comeback against the Stormers, with Ireland 's Six Nations clash against England looming just a week away, paled in comparison to the arrival of his second child, a daughter named Renn Kokiri, ten days prior.
'There's enough pressure going around without having to put more on myself,' Lowe explained. 'My wife gave birth a couple of weeks ago, that's more pressure. I just run around, you know? What I do, I've been doing it for years. It's very instinctive and that's how I play. Rugby's what I do and it's what I feel I'm good at. I just need to make sure I'm fit and healthy and the performances will be off the back of that.' Lowe was undeniably brilliant against England. While he expressed mild displeasure at Chandler Cunningham-South for a mistimed tackle on Hugo Keenan, the 32-year-old played with his signature wide grin. Today's encounter with Scotland presents another fierce test, but his approach will remain unchanged. 'I just have a smile most of the time,' Lowe said. 'I used to get bullied for running around with my tongue out as a kid. Like, that's not something I'm trying to do on purpose!' With a hint of sarcasm, he acknowledges the inquisitor who reminds him of his demotion following Ireland's Edinburgh trip in 2021. 'I wasn't that flash in that game, yeah, thanks, and then I got dropped for the first time after that,' Lowe recalled. 'We've come a long way since then but look, we've had great memories at Murrayfield - we still managed to win. We won ugly. 'Then two years ago it felt like the wheels were coming off with all of our players going down. Obviously Garry (Ringrose) got knocked out - a horrific one - and Churchy (Cian Healy) was playing hooker, Josh (van der Flier) was throwing the ball in. A lot of things went wrong but we were still able to come out on the right side of the scoreboard.' The truth is that not much fazes him anymore, likely not since he was 'sprayed' by former Connacht boss Kieran Keane while Lowe was playing for Tasman in 2012. The teenager scored a try in a Ranfurly Shield game against favorites Taranaki, but that didn't stop Keane from delivering scathing criticism. 'Yeah, KK was an amazing coach of mine and he sprayed me at half-time,' he said. 'It was my second ever professional game, I was 19 and I just went completely into my shell. But I was fortunate enough to have some pretty smart campaigners around me.'Getting knocked out for the first and only time in his next game gave Lowe the mental space to recover from the shock of Keane's verbal assault. He continued: 'Campbell Johnstone, an All Black who came back to play for Tasman, and Joe Wheeler, they took me under their wing and told me, 'it's water off a duck's back, don't worry about it, everyone in the dressing-room backs your ability'. 'That was awesome and helped me being able to get on with it, being able to back myself and trust everything that I'd done. I did learn a lot from KK. I was very, very fortunate to have had him early on because he was staunch. It's probably exactly what I needed because I was pretty raw.' Lowe jokes that he's still pretty raw but he's grateful to Keane for keeping him on track and emphasizing the importance of minimizing errors. 'You've got to learn hard and fast, it's sink or swim, especially in professional rugby,' he remarked. 'I was fortunate enough that a lot of senior players put their arm around me and helped me to where I am now. 'Hopefully I can put my arm around some younger fellas if it happens to them now - not mould them, but help them through what they're going through. 'You've got to be careful in the changing room. Some people need cuddling, some need to be told straight up and down what the craic is. 'There's a lot of external things that can shake people off, it's not just in rugby.Everyone can probably think of something that has thrown them off in the workplace that has affected everything that has gone on in their lives. 'It happens in all walks of life.
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