Great Scott sure to play and party hard on his Dublin return

Simpson's creator Matt Groening, the late Kurt Cobain, rock band Nirvana's iconic front-man, and former Spurs and USA goalkeeper Kasey Keller are linked by a gossamer strand. If Stade Francais beat Leinster in next Friday's Amlin Challenge Cup final then Scott LaValla can offer his credentials for inclusion in a list of famous people born or who lived in Olympia, Washington.

The 24-year-old, 6ft 4in, 18st prospect has undertaken a road less travelled for a young American who only turned to rugby union in his mid-teens. It’s a colourful tale, a collusion of circumstance, dedication, friendship and athletic ability that has taken him to Paris via Belfast and Dublin.

His introduction to the sport came when a friend, Chris Harriage, invited him to try out for the Budd Bay Under-19 team, where the latter’s older brothers played. The two boys were keen to sign up but their parents were less enthusiastic in letting a couple of 15-year-olds mix it physically so far out of their age bracket. LaValla recalls: “They were afraid we’d get hurt so we played baseball that summer but the next year we went back.”

LaValla excelled but on finishing High School, North Thurston College, had to make a decision. He was offered a place as a ‘walk-on’ – a term for a non-scholarship player – at a college in Oregon but elected to go to the Under -19 World Cup in Belfast, where he captained the American team, who were competing in the B Division of the tournament.

His club coach, Pete Sullivan, contacted an old friend, Tony Smeeth, the Director of Rugby at Dublin University and advised him that it would be worth having a look at the player. Smeeth had spent 10 years in Seattle during which time he had set up, along with current US Eagles coach Mike Tolkin, the American Under-19 program (1992).

Sullivan stayed with Smeeth and the pair travelled to Belfast. LaValla was persuaded to choose Trinity where he earned an honours degree in Philosophy and Political Science during a four-year Dublin sabbatical. He admitted: "It was a chance to come to Ireland, to experience something different, far from home; learn a new culture."

'Partied hard'
Smeeth recalled: "He studied hard, played hard and partied hard. On the crappiest nights, lashing rain and cold, I'd see this figure trotting across the pitch after training looking for more drills. The backs trained on a Wednesday and he'd come down to the session, looking to work on his handling skills and lines of running."

He made a similar impression on his team-mates, one of whom is the outgoing Trinity captain, scrumhalf Michael McLoughlin. “I arrived in 2009, Scott’s third year here. According to Tony he was raw (in rugby terms) when he arrived lacked the skills but at that stage his technique was catching up with his athleticism.

“He was incredibly dedicated in everything he did. Our conditioning coach was Junior Charlie, the former Connacht player. We trained on a Monday and Wednesday; he trained (an additional) four mornings a week. He was a freak. You could see by his fourth year that he was going to be a professional rugby player.”

To captain Trinity, a shortlist of two players who must have played at least three All Ireland League games, are required to make a presentation to the squad. LaValla, an American, was voted in by his peers, an illustration of the esteem in which he was held.

McLoughlin laughed: “If you weren’t on the pitch for training, which started at 6pm, by 5.50, you had to roll the dice on a Saturday night after a match. The forfeits ranged from handing over your phone to buying crates, or in the case of one player who was twice later for training and missed a weights session in one week, three crates of beer for the team.

"He was very understanding of the fact that we weren't professionals and weren't going to be. He never had an attitude of being bigger than the team; he was incredibly popular. If we were going out on a Saturday night he would give 100 per cent commitment to trying to drink everyone else under the table. Everything he pursued, he did with a singular focus.

'Physical tests'
"We have five physical tests that we do three times a year, squats, press, bench, pull-ups and 150s (metres); he smashed all the records. The last match he played was the Colours in 2011 when he led Trinity to an unlikely victory, producing a man of the match display. He wrote to me before this year's Colours and he popped in before Christmas and re-did our lineouts; no hype, no fuss."

During his time at Trinity he played for Ulster A, spanning a couple of seasons before a fractured eye socket forced him out. The Irish province wanted him to play with Ballynahinch or Ballymena for a year by which they could free up a contract for a foreign international player.

He was tempted but Smeeth was once again to give his rugby career direction with a phone call to a friend, who happened to be the Academy director at Stade Francais. LaValla signed an Espoirs (Under-23) contract with the French club in June 2011 and the Eagles early departure from the World Cup in New Zealand that autumn meant that the player returned to Paris and got some game time.

The impact he made, playing in a variety of positions from secondrow right across the backrow, was reflected in the fact that he was offered a senior three-year contract in January 2012. Fluent in French in a matter of months he is studying for a Masters in International Politics and Conflict Resolution. It’s a two-year course that he reckons might take him three because he can only commit to two or three nights a week.

'Key player'
Rugby remains a priority. "My ambition is to be the best I could be. Initially I wanted to play for my national team, then in a World Cup, get a professional contract, get a spot in that team and then become a key player.

“Ever since I left (Trinity) I always wanted to go back and play for Leinster in Dublin. It has been a dream of mine. When I saw the draw for the semi-finals I knew the possibility was there. They are one of the best teams in Europe and we are very cognoscente of what’s in front of us. We have a lot of respect for them but I’m just very excited to be given a chance to play them at the RDS.”

McLoughlin invites any Leinster supporter to watch the dying throes of the Stade’s semi-final victory over Perpignan. “Sergio Parisse may be team captain but you can see Scott going round, telling the players to calm down. That’s him to a tee.”

LaValla should be in Houston to face Ireland during the summer tour where he will hook up again with Smeeth, who fulfils his role as Eagles back’s coach alongside his duties in Trinity. He’s perfectly placed to offer a final word. “We have many excellent rugby players go through Trinity in my time here but the two who had the greatest influence over the team on which they played, were Jamie Heaslip and Scott.”

As imprimatur’s go, it’s not too shabby.