‘There’s A Lot Of New Faces, But Still A Good Core Group’ – Garryowen Lock McCall

Now at at the age of 25, he is emerging as a key forward for Garryowen in Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 1B, the continuation of a remarkable rugby story.

From Tipperary to Galway, to New Zealand, and back to Limerick, McCall has already lived a rugby life rich in experience. His path may not have been the traditional one, but in the famous Garryowen light blue, he is looking to shape the next chapter.

Growing up, rugby was always in the background for McCall, although opportunities were limited. He did not get the chance to play in school, so his formative years were spent with his local club Clanwilliam FC in Tipperary. He cut his teeth with them at junior level, never imagining that the sport might one day take him across the globe.

It was in Galway, while studying and lining out with NUIG, that the adventure began. A player exchange scheme saw him offered the chance to travel to New Zealand, where rugby is more than a sport, it is a way of life. For McCall, the experience was transformative.

The local press affectionately dubbed him ‘the gangly Irish lock’ as he quickly made an impression with Whangamata RFC, before stepping up with the Thames Valley Union. Success followed, but so too did perspective.

Speaking to IrishRugby.ie, McCall recounted how the whole trip transpired and helped him eventually move to Garryowen once his time abroad came to an end.

“I’m from Tipperary originally. My home club from minis up until a bit of first team rugby was Clanwilliam FC in Tipperary town. And then from there, I went to college in Galway in NUIG, and I played for NUIG for a couple of seasons,” he said.

“And that’s how I actually got over to New Zealand. And with that club, Whangamata and NUIG have kind of struck up a relationship where they send a few players over to gain a bit of experience and hopefully come back a better player. So, I was lucky enough to be selected to go there.

“Then I went out, I played well, got a bit of interest from the provincial side, Thames Valley, who asked me to stay the first year, but I needed to go home and finish my degree. I went home and then they got in touch again for the following season.

“I said I might as well give it a shot. So I went back out, and then while I was over there, I was coming to the end of my time in New Zealand and I realised that I wanted to move on. I wanted to find somewhere else to play in Ireland. Garryowen got in touch and I decided to go with them.”

While playing over in New Zealand for Whangamata, that rich community-based culture surrounding the rugby club was apparent, and McCall can see that now playing with Garryowen in Division 1B.

Energia All-Ireland League rugby was never really in his future while at school and playing underage, but since the trip abroad he was bitten by the rugby bug. He is now loving his experience of playing back home with Mike Sherry’s men.

“It was a brilliant experience. It’s such a community game over there. I really felt that where I was. The club I played for felt like the whole town got together. Got behind you every weekend.

“Anytime you’re walking down the street, someone is stopping you, asking you about the upcoming game or the game that just went by.

“I also experienced a different way of playing. It just opens your eyes to new ways of playing and getting a few new skills and experiences from that as well.

“I always loved my rugby and getting better and all that. But when I was younger and being in school, AIL rugby wasn’t really on my radar in a way.

“Coming from a junior club like Clanwilliam and the school I went to wasn’t too interested in rugby. So I suppose going to New Zealand, I felt I really made a lot of gains in my game out there. I came back and played really well when I came home.

“Speaking to coaches and stuff then, that gave me the confidence to push on and find something. It definitely just gave me more experience of what I suppose rugby can offer, even at a community level.

“Garryowen is great. Great group of players there. Everyone was very welcoming from the outset. Great backroom staff and everything. That’s the main thing. When you join a new club, you want to feel like you’re welcome and that’s definitely something Garryowen does well.”

Back in Limerick however, McCall had some explaining to do. His surname, his New Zealand stint, and even his online player profile combined to create a touch of confusion when he joined Garryowen.

He explained: “It was funny. When I joined the Garryowen team last year, I was introduced by the coach, and he said, ‘He’s after coming over from New Zealand’, but he didn’t specify that I was actually from Tipperary!

“A lot of the lads were confused and they weren’t sure if I was Irish or from New Zealand or half-New Zealand or what was going on. It took a little bit to set the record straight, but it was funny. My dad is Scottish, so it’s a Scottish name, I think everyone’s clear on it now anyway.”

After dropping down from Division 1A at the end of last season, Garryowen are determined to make an immediate push back to the top flight.

Their 2025/26 campaign kicked off with a hard-fought 22–19 defeat of UCC, a statement win in front of their own support at Dooradoyle last Saturday. Next up is a trip to Queen’s University, before meetings with promoted club Instonians and Blackrock College round out October.

McCall, who featured regularly last season and has played for Connacht Eagles, knows all too well the intensity of the challenge, but wins late last season provided confidence for the Light Blues, and now they hope to push on and go right back up.

“I missed the start of the season and got into it after that. So, it was a funny one falling into it. We were still playing well in parts, but just not quite getting results.

“We kind of went on a downward trend, but with a few improvements towards the end, a few wins at the end of the season gave us a boost to come into this season with some confidence that we can really go and perform and build on that, and hopefully go straight back up again.

“The win last weekend was huge. It was a match we were obviously working towards for all of pre-season. We came across UCC in the Munster Senior Cup just two weeks before.

“We kind of were familiar with them and they were familiar with us. So, it was always going to be an interesting one after having a run against each other only two weeks before, but it was massive for us.”

He added: “It was great to get the win, it went right down to the final minutes of the game really. They were going strong right to the end. We were delighted to come out with the win there really.

“I think we had 19 players gone since last year. There’s a lot of new faces, but there’s still a good core of the group that were there last year battling through it.

“It’s good to add a few faces. We’re trying to create an environment that’s full of momentum and working for each other. Getting that first win was crucial to continuing to create that environment and hopefully building on it as well.”

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