He attended Presentation Brothers College, Cork, where he played in the Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup, though injury prevented him from breaking through at age grade until under-20 level, during which time he won an U20 inter-provincial title with Munster.
Er besuchte das Presentation Brothers College in Cork, wo er am Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup teilnahm. Verletzungen verhinderten jedoch seinen Durchbruch in der Altersklasse bis zur U20, in der er mit Munster den interprovinziellen U20-Titel gewann.