“I was 10 years old when we came to Ireland and Gaelic football was my first love. I played with Templeogue Synge Street for years and I just loved it.”
The rest of Ireland can be thankful for small mercies. If things had gone differently, Niyi Adeolokun could have been lining out in the blue of Dublin.
Jim Gavin’s team are dominant enough without over 15 stones of pure, unadulterated speed added into the mix. Think a rocket-powered Jack McCaffrey with the build of Diarmuid Connolly.
Adeolokun took a different route and after starring for Trinity College in the AIL he took the now well-travelled road to Galway in 2014.
There's ripped and then there's Niyi Adeolokun https://t.co/jD9Lnjrnze
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 10, 2016
In his second season of professional rugby he won a scarcely plausible PRO12 title and, on Saturday, he is in line to become Ireland’s first Nigerian-born Test international.
He is named on the bench for the November international against Canada at the Aviva and, should he be called upon to replace either Keith Earls or Craig Gilroy on the wings, his Connacht team-mate Kieran Marmion warned the Canucks to be ready for some speed.
“I train with him every day at Connacht. When he gets a bit of space with the ball in his hand, he’s one of the quickest wingers out there. He gets given the ball early, given time and I’d back him to beat most defenders one on one.
“In Connacht we use him quite a bit, get the ball into his hands. Even in training the other day he got a chance to show a bit of his pace. he’s not afraid to try things. So long as he gets the ball, he’ll show people what he can do.
“It’s pure acceleration off the mark. I’ve seen him beat lads in a five-metre channel, just taking them on the outside channel. If he beats you he’s probably going to score.”
The 26-year-old also dabbled with football, playing for Shelbourne’s Under-20 side, but as he stands on the verge of making his Test debut few would argue he chose the wrong career path.
Joe Schmidt has been praised for selecting a fast athletic team, but the greatest athlete of all could be starting from the bench.
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