Every Wednesday evening, Dion O' Cuinneagain meets a group of friends for a bike ride.
Weather-permitting, they head up into the trails of Table Mountain overlooking greater Cape Town or alternatively, they gather at a Constantia bike shop for a high-altitude indoor session. This informal gathering has become a ritual, a break in the week of sorts. And irrespective of the weather conditions or cycling form, it is perhaps the social aspect that predominates over who is "king of the hill."
"I really enjoy the camaraderie that cycling has afforded me," says O' Cuinneagain of his midweek foray into the hills. "Sport is a great leveler, no matter the discipline. For me, it is all about fun, friendship, health and fitness."
Coming from a man who has achieved the highest accolades in professional rugby, this statement says a lot of O' Cuinneagain's personality and outlook on life. A medical doctor by profession, he matriculated from Rondebosch Boys High in 1990, after taking up rugby in what was then known Standard Nine. His natural talent and flair for the game was almost immediate, seeing him break into the senior ranks via sevens rugby.
"Sevens gave me the profile I needed," he says of the faster version of the game, in an era rich in depth at Western Province and Springbok level. "Bear in mind that this was the time of Skinstad, Fleck, Krige and so on. I got an offer from an Irish club and decided to speak to Bok coach Nick Mallet about my national prospects before accepting."
Realizing that he was ranked seventh or eighth in South Africa at the time and that his Springbok prospects were limited, a move to Ireland seemed logical for O' Cuinneagain but for one caveat; his medical studies. Already in his fifth year at the University of Stellenbosch, he approached his longtime lecturer and mentor, Professor Lochner, about the possibility of breaking course, if only temporarily.
"I was nervous in asking but the the Prof said 'You absolutely have to do it,'" recalls O' Cuinneagain with a smile, going on to add that he wrote back at the end of that first year for an extension. "Each time I wrote back, Prof Lochner accepted and I managed to keep that going for four consecutive years until my luck had run its course."
After an international playing career culminating in Irish captaincy at the 1999 World Cup, O' Cuinneagain returned to home shores in an effort to resume his medical studies. As one might imagine, his sabbatical proved quite a shock to the system, if only initially.
"There are no accolades in late-night studying," says O' Cuinneagain of the committed journey that is medicine. "Professional sport provides cheering and recognition and returning home to a solitary academic focus took some getting used. While I did manage a certain level of social life, my Sundays were generally spent with my nose in the books instead of "chilling" after a late night of post-match celebrating.
"Studying medicine is actually quite similar to rugby in the team aspect. A medical class becomes a close-knit unit, where everybody pitches in to help one another get through tutorials and compare notes. A special bond is formed and you are mostly a similar age. That was one aspect I was nervous about when returning after four years; how I would fit in to a younger class at such an advanced stage in the course."
Fortunately for O' Cuinneagain, he was afforded the opportunity to perform annual hospital work during each December holiday, something which he is eternally grateful for.
"Stellenbosch were ahead of their time in finding a compromise between academics and sport," he says of his Alma Mater. "They always seemed to find a way to accommodate talented sportsmen and women within the system. This together with some ad hoc work at Queens Hospital in Belfast and those Sunday studying sessions saw me maintain a fairly decent level of medical knowledge whilst playing overseas."
With this in mind, together with of his years of sporting and hands-on medical experience, what are O' Cuinneagain's thoughts on teenage athletes and sports, in particular schoolboy rugby?
"Rugby at a schoolboy level seems to transcend everything else and it shouldn't necessarily be that way," he reckons. "In terms of longevity in the sporting sense, rugby shouldn't be the be-all and end-all at school. Sure, many teenage boys have dreams of playing for their country but you have to be realistic given the broad talent pool. For instance, there are approximately one thousand first team high school in players in the Western Cape alone. After the filtering process of Craven Week and SA Schools selection, only a couple will eventually go on to play provincially, let alone nationally."
Of particular concern to O' Cuinneagain is the growing tendency to focus on extensive gym work and nutrition at a young age. Given his medical experience and time working at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, he has been afforded a unique insight into the notion of too much too soon.
"Added muscle bulk does not mean enhanced strength," he explains. "Putting on 10kg of muscle in the gym is very one dimensional and increases the likelihood of joint strain. Gym work for teenagers can be beneficial if focused on body weight exercises and low-weight/high-repetitions, but the inverse is actually detrimental to on field performance.
"The same goes for nutrition and supplementation. I only began focusing on nutrition during my second year at Western Province. Excessive consumption of synthetic protein from a young age may help add extra bulk, but that can turn to flab if a players stops playing rugby and becomes sedentary."
O' Cuinneagain prefers a more pure and varied approach involving several different sports at teenage level rather than narrow specialization. He sees athletics and waterpolo as examples of ideal activities to complement and actually enhance rugby aptitude, and would even welcome the introduction of mountain biking as an official school sport. Enjoyment is key as are sporting seasons, essentially letting kids decide on their own preferred sporting path instead of concentrating on one sport year round.
"Sporting longevity is important as well as acquiring a skill. For instance, I regret not learning how to play tennis as a youngster; I would love to play tennis on a regular basis now. Rugby has become a year-round sport and it shouldn't have to be like that.
"If I were to be a talented rugby player today, I'm not sure I would study medicine as the demands of the professional game would not allow for effective time management. I was fortunate that my sporting career allowed me to complete my studies, but that would not be possible now."
These days, O' Cuinneagain balances work and family in Cape Town's Southern Suburbs. Practicing family medicine in the leafy suburb of Tokai, he is content with his current lifestyle and is at peace with the fact that his playing days are behind him, in more ways than one.
"Fortunately I have two daughters, so I don't have the pressure of being involved with schoolboy rugby," he jokes, although with a certain sense of seriousness.
Mountain biking is now his sport of choice, introduced to him by a friend several years ago.
"I try to do four or five stage races a year," he says of his two-wheeled adventures. "Four or five hours of exercises, a few beers and a braai with friends; that is what sport is all about to me."
