Former Munster Player Cian Bohane retired for a very unique reason

For many professional rugby players retirement is something that is often forced on them when they are still relatively young, however this wasn’t the case for Bohane.

The utility back from Cork was captain of the victorious British and Irish Cup team last season and made five Guinness Pro12 appearances. He made the decision to retire at the age of 25 to pursue a degree in college he had always wanted to get.

 

In an interview with Munster recently Bohane discussed his decision

“It was a combination of things really. There was obviously the major decision with knowing I needed to go back and do the sports studies degree which I’ve wanted to do since putting it down first on my CAO back at school. Then I didn’t get in through the random selection in Coláiste Stiofán Naofa where I could make the tough move and call time on the rugby, because I wasn’t going to be able to do both at the same time.

“My contract was up at the end of the year anyway, and it between going to back college and having family and my girlfriend here in Cork, that was the decision I took.

“I was going for a coffee with James Cronin the other day and he asked me if I regretted the decision, and hand-on-heart I don’t. Obviously I didn’t make it on a whim, and since telling Rassie (Erasmus) in December I haven’t looked back.”

The centre gave up rugby completely over the last few months but has since recently joined up with UCC for their pre season preparation ahead of what will be a tough 1B campaign. The B&I winning captain will also be doing some coaching with Kinsale.

“I was helping my Dad out at home with painting, and being the amateur I am I stepped straight off the ladder into a bucket of paint which was a bit of a disaster! But I’ve kept myself busy since the end of the season, and I’ve been doing a lot of training as well, I’ve kept myself going!

“I never had the chance to play with UCC when I came out school, and while Dolphin was absolutely brilliant, it was something I suppose it’s something people have said to make sure you do to play for the College, that it’s a really enjoyable experience and competitive too.

“I really enjoyed Brian Walsh’s style of play from my time in Munster, and now that he’s joined UCC it’s swayed my decision to go and sign for them. I’m really looking forward to playing amateur rugby and throwing myself into that too. There’s a great bunch of lads there, and it was great to get a rugby ball back into my hands after a few months.

“The Kinsale thing came about through one of the rugby committee members, Gary Byrne, who got my number through Johnny (Holland) whom he knew well from his own time in UCC. The club has a new vision and new direction, and wanted to build a culture there, and with Wayne coming on board, they wanted a young and vibrant coaching staff.

“I jumped at the opportunity. It’s exciting for me having never really coached before on a club basis, it’s something which I relish and having known Wayne through coaching the women’s, it’s something I’m really looking forward to. I’ve never had aspirations to coach professionally, or even as a head coach of a club side, you never know what the future holds of course, but certainly the assistant role is something I’ve always wanted to do.

“There’s a lot you can take from different players as well as the coaches, definitely what I took from Rassie’s time is the importance of building a culture around the team and the importance on working for each other. Even the smallest of details like punctuality, you’re a sponge as a player and soak up as much as you can. And ultimately it’s about coupling what you know with making sure everyone is enjoying themselves, especially at club level.”

Bohane will have a huge amount to offer both UCC and Kinsale now having been involved with Munster for the last six years. The important thing for him is to be enjoying his rugby and on top of that this season he will be able to learn a lot about coaching when he joins up with Kinsale and their head coach Wayne Falvey.

 

 

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