Sibling rivalry driving John Devine on to greater things

All his life, John Devine has had tough acts to follow, though he's making a decent name for himself on his own terms.

His father Mike is a former Connacht wing, as well as an ex-Offaly footballer, while the Devine surname will also be familiar to those who followed the U20 Six Nations 12 months ago.

John's older brother Matthew was a key member of the 2022 vintage, scoring four tries in five games, helping Ireland to a Grand Slam along the way.

With just under two years separating the two of them, their lives have been one continuous competiton.

"I remember one day we raced each other to see how fast we could eat our dinner, and then the next day we raced to see how slow we could eat our dinner," John says, recalling the sibling rivalry.

"We were there at the table for about half an hour eating, we were about 12! That was kind of the system we had growing up, and it'll go on forever, because we live with each other in Galway in college."

The 19-year-old is quick to bring his older brother down a peg or two: "It's not that hard when he's not great himself," he laughs, when asked about following his Matthew's footsteps as an U20 international.

But when the joking is put to one side, he's quick to highlight the impact it's had on his development.

"To be fair to Matthew, since he was the only Connacht player last year, it was a good feat or him to get here. I was at home happy for him, but also thinking at the back of my mind, 'I have to get here next year'. Thankfully I did, and I got my chance last week [v Wales].

"Since we came from our club, seeing all of the school lads here is kind of a big feat for us club lads, and seeing Matthew doing it last year gave me a drive to do it this year."

The Ballinasloe native started at inside