‘Those days are done’ - Andrew Porter sees breakdown of mental health stigma

If the maxim that players are happiest playing matches is to be believed, then Andrew Porter’s good cheer is understandable. Five Test matches for Ireland since summer, including the 2-1 Test series win against New Zealand in which he chipped in with a brace of tries, and 517 minutes across 10 matches (three tries) for Leinster, underlines a busy schedule to date this season.

He’s enjoying his rugby, contributing handsomely for both province and county, the upshot of being diligent physically and mentally in his preparation and application. He admitted: “That’s nearly that is nearly half the battle, if your head is not in the right place, how can your body be in the right place?

Porter has spoken previously about losing his mother at a young age and the mental challenges it posed, so his latest work away from the pitch, in making a Tackle Your Feelings (TYF) video for a schools programme campaign, is near and dear to his heart.

Players aren’t automatons, instead susceptible to anxiety and insecurity like anyone, but one thing that has thankfully changed is the faux macho rubbish that enveloped rugby like a pall in the past.

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Porter explained: “It’s incredible to see how much around the whole stigma of mental health, particularly for men [has changed], not just in the dressingroom but in public in general. The whole stigma [in the past] was ‘you’re a man get over it.’ Those days are done.

“If you are not okay, it is okay to feel that way. More and more people are accepting of that, and they are willing to reach out, educated on how to reach out in that sense. It is a skill that you really must develop.

“Your mental strength and your mental health are some things that you need to work on, you can’t just expect it to be 100 per cent all the time. You need to fine tune it as you would any mental skill. Like your skills on a rugby pitch you need to practice them. It’s been a big work-on in the past in my years of playing rugby.

“I have been lucky to be in the position I am in. It doesn’t come without struggles. You could be struggling with injury or non-selection or whatever it is on a rugby pitch, but also things off the pitch. It’s relationships, family issues, college; you could feel like there is a mountain in front of you that you can’t get over at times.

“That’s why the Tackle Your Feelings campaign is so important. [It] gives you the tools to climb that mountain.”

Porter is in a good place. Leinster’s 100 per cent record in the URC and the first two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup leaves them ideally placed and if they can maintain that momentum through a trip to the Ospreys at the weekend and then the final two pool matches in Europe against Gloucester and Racing 92, the loosehead prop can then recalibrate his focus on Ireland.

No player can afford to take anything for granted in sport, the most recent reminder Johnny Sexton’s facial injury sustained against Connacht that could keep him sidelined for about six weeks. Leinster and Ireland have managed in the past and that is the challenge once again.

Porter admitted that while it was “gutting to lose such a high player calibre player like Johnny,” no successful team can be beholden to an individual.

He added: “In terms of Leinster, Garry Ringrose has stepped up incredibly well, as captain. He is more than capable of fulfilling that role.

“At Leinster in terms of outhalves, we have Ross Byrne, we have Harry [Byrne], we have so many great options there across the board and as well as that with Ireland we’ve lots of young talent that can step up; Jack Crowley, Joey Carbery, we’ve loads of lads there. But it’s gutting to lose Johnny like that so hopefully he’s not going to be out for too long.”

[ Gordon D’Arcy: Pecking order at outhalf beneath Sexton about to come into sharp focus ]

Ross Byrne’s temperament is something that Porter singled out. “Yeah, he was incredibly ballsy taking that kick against Australia, the game on the line and then he puts it over like that. It just shows you the kind of character that he is, he’ll step in for you and it’s like he was never gone. It’s similar to what Johnny does, that laser focus.”

At the end of the month Porter will board a plane for Portugal where Ireland will prepare for the Six Nations where, amongst others, he’ll be reunited with Andy Farrell. Those that watched the recent RTÉ documentary on the New Zealand tour got more of an insight into the Irish head coach’s character.

Porter said: “I know it gave you a small snippet of what he’s like, but I think that was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what type of guy he is. He’s an incredible man manager, you’d run through a brick wall for him.”

Andrew Porter was speaking at the launch of his new video for the Tackle Your Feelings (TYF) Schools programme campaign, in which he discusses the impact of his family and friends on his mental wellbeing since the passing of his mother at a young age, and the importance he placed on being surrounded by a strong support network.