Schools rugby: Brian Blaney

Brian Blaney - Leinster hooker and former schools' cup player with Terenure College, graduated in 2000

I thought it was a massive stepping stone to where I am today because you are playing in such a professional environment from a very young age. We were training every day.

Playing is everything. You are really nervous. Until you step onto the pitch, you don't see the crowd, you just get on with the game. I wouldn't really know, but I presume it developed my character.

It definitely hindered my studies. You'd be training Monday to Friday and then you'd have a game at the weekend. You'd just be so knackered after that. Getting home at six o'clock from training, you'd have your dinner then the last thing you'd want to be doing would be to crack into the books. Next thing you know it's 10 o'clock and you're off to bed.

I studied business and marketing in Portobello, but only after I repeated the Leaving. I didn't do very well the first time, because there was so much rugby. After the cup, there was the Irish schools as well, which meant I was off to France and England to play more matches around the same time as the orals, so it was tough.

I decided to repeat and I did better. A lot of people repeat due to rugby now.