The rugby 7s player made Ireland proud in Paris with the Irish squad to represent his country, an honour that isn’t lost on him.
“Younger me wouldn’t have ever in a million years thought I’d be representing Ireland and now, it’s mad to think I’ll soon be a double Olympian. It’s amazing to have gone to one, but to do it back-to-back is even crazier.”
The 30-year-old first found his passion for the sport late into his teens, and spent his twenties turning it into a career. Pouring himself into it, Jordan was thrilled to be given the chance to head to Tokyo in 2020, and this July, will do the same in Paris. While he was the one putting in the hours on the field, there’s been a troop of supporters behind him every step of the way – in particular, his mum, Jennie.
“She’s sacrificed a lot, brought me to every training session, every match. I’m only now starting to understand the sacrifices she made and to see how important it was for my career,” he said.
The pair have been through the highest of highs, and lowest of lows together. At the age of nine, Jordan, his mum and sister fled their home in Germany, after suffering at the hands of his stepfather. He was a child of domestic abuse, and for a long time, sadly witnessed his mum’s attacks, before they were able to raise an alarm and get to safety.
“It was difficult to comprehend what was happening at home, to see your caregiver, your protector, being beaten… It’s very difficult to intervene when you’re so small. I couldn’t do a lot, and I took that to heart. It was traumatic.”
Just weeks ago, a study by Women’s Aid was released which showed that domestic abuse cases are at a record high here in Ireland (40,048), and most recently, assault victim Natasha O’Brien’s attacker was given a suspended sentence following his actions, leading to national outcry over the treatment and protection of women.
“There’s nothing more that I hate than a man beating a woman, especially since I’ve seen it first hand. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s not a good precedence. It’s a scary situation to be in and I know what it does to a woman. Something needs to be done about this.”
When he’s finished with the Olympics, Jordan wants to put his voice to use and advocate for those in these situations, while continuing to build a new life for himself, day by day. Here, he tells us more.
Jordan, well done at the Olympics this year. Bring us back, tell us a bit about preparing for it.
The preparation for this Olympics has been much better than the last, which was so stressful. It was so tight and compact, Covid was around, it was crazy. Now though, we’ve had a good season, the team is looking strong and everyone’s feeling good. We feel calm and collected going into it. Whatever happens, if we get a medal or not, we just want to play good rugby and be proud of ourselves. There’s only three weeks ’til we’re out there and the excitement is picking up day by day.
Is it a bit surreal? For young Jordan who wanted to play soccer instead of rugby, what do you think he’d make of this?
Yeah it is a bit surreal! During the last one, I was like wow, I’m actually going to the Olympics. Younger me wouldn’t have ever in a million years thought I’d be representing Ireland in rugby. Now, it’s mad to think I’ll soon be a double Olympian. It’s amazing to have gone to one, but to do it back-to-back is even crazier. I can’t wait to throw that title around, tell people I’ve been twice! [laughs] It’s a big achievement and it’s the biggest stage in the world so I’m privileged to be able to say that. After all the work we’ve put in, we deserve it.
What’s the training regime like for it? How strict is it, how strict are you?
We’re playing well, we’re training well. The preparation for the last one was a lot stricter and we didn’t get a lot of freedom but with this one, the key part is that we’re not changing anything. We’re not changing what we’ve been doing over the last eight or nine months, we’re just going to keep going, staying on top of our diet. I myself have lost about three or four kg because I know I play better at a lower weight. We’ve been focusing on recovery, making sure our bodies are right. It’s what we’re used to, we’re maintaining a good level.
You’re actually going to be featuring in a Flogas docu-series airing on Virgin Media about your Olympic journey, showcasing all those who have supported you along the way. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Yeah, so I’m an ambassador for Flogas and they approached me with the concept. I thought it was so nice. There’s a focus on the athletes and what they’re doing, but with this spin, they want to focus on who’s behind the athlete and what drives them on. We do it for ourselves, but also for those people back home who’ve been behind us since day one. It went all the way back from my early rugby days to where I am now, looking at some very important people who have guided me. It was a great experience to touch base with old friends who’ve known me since I was a young lad, going through years of stories. It’ll be nice to watch back.
Do you enjoy tapping into that telly side of things career-wise? Between DWTS and your RTÉ show, Man Up, is it something you’d like to do more of?
Absolutely! They were incredible experiences. I always wanted to be on the TV and have had a taste for it now. Being able to present my own show, Man Up, I feel like there’s something there for me. Even after the Olympics, if there’s more opportunities out there I’d love to get involved, maybe with the likes of Ireland’s Fittest Family or another presenting job, a season two of Man Up would be a dream of mine.
Man Up was all about what makes a man in a modern world – what does that mean to you?
It’s an interesting one. I wanted to put out something important for young men who have this image of what a man is; people think you have to be big, have to be strong, have to be confident, but I wanted to showcase that it’s not the only thing that makes you a man, a respectable man. There’s so many other aspects, such as being respectful, kind, gentle, generous, being accepting, emotionally mature, all of these things come into play when it comes to being a good human. People look at me and think big rugby player, a strong lad, but there’s so many layers underneath that, which I’d consider make me a good man. It’s something older men need to teach younger generations, and it stems away from a toxic masculinity that you have to be hard. It’s ok to have a softer side. I’m a big rugby player but I’m a softie, a big teddy bear underneath and that’s ok. I’ve learned that from my mother and I’m very lucky in that way.
Were you surprised the teens opened up on the show as much as they did?
It’s so brilliant and important to see kids being upfront and honest. It made me really happy to see young lads expressing themselves. I think there’s a bit of a struggle there these days. I thought I’d have to warm up to them for a while, that they’d need time to get to know me before they opened up, but these guys were something else. They were all unbelievable, they were so mature when it came to speaking about their feelings. It was amazing. They weren’t afraid to like the things they like over fear of judgement, and it took me back, brought a smile to my face. The parents were doing something right. It was brilliant.
Can we talk about your childhood and the years which followed? A study from Women’s Aid released recently showed that domestic abuse cases are at a record high. This is something you very sadly understand…
Yeah, so I was a child of domestic abuse and I didn’t talk about it at all for a while, which was probably a mistake but I was only a kid. Growing up through the years, I’ve held on to that trauma. For me at the time and probably for my mother too, the easiest thing was to lock it away. It was a difficult time growing up in Germany. It created a lot of anger in me, a lot of anxiety, as a child I was always on edge. It was difficult to comprehend what was happening at home, to see your caregiver, your protector, being beaten. It’s very difficult to intervene when you’re so small. I couldn’t do a lot, and I took that to heart. It was very strange to have so much hate for one person. As a child, you shouldn’t have those emotions in you, and seeing that, was just horrible. It wasn’t easy, but we got away from it through the efforts of my mum who had to be such a brave woman to take two kids, with two suitcases out of Germany and into Ireland. She did that, and we thank her so much for that. Who knows where we’d be if we didn’t leave? I was so young, and that was the danger of it because it could have come with me throughout this walk of life. I don’t remember a lot of it, just the worst parts of that time. Getting away from it at an early age did help, escaping into the safe haven which was Ireland. So yeah, it was a traumatic time. Every time he was around, we were uneasy and the atmosphere was awful. The first part of my childhood was dark, and not a good one.
Speaking out is incredibly courageous but for many, there’s still so much fear and it’s difficult to ask for help. What are your thoughts on it?
I’m appalled at the latest judge ruling over the recent case with Natasha O’Brien. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. He was caught on CCTV, he had to be pulled off her, he was shouting derogatory terms about the gay community and he got away scot free. That’s not a good sign in Ireland today. It left me speechless. It set an example for men who are like him, thinking if he can do it, they’ll get away with it. It’s not a good precedence, it puts so much fear in to women. There needs to be safe havens or something. There’s the women, but also if they’ve kids, they’ll suffer as well. It’s a cycle. It’s a scary situation to be in these days and I know what it does to a woman. For the people who are like, ‘Whydon’t you leave?’, they don’t know how hard it is. If a man is threatening your life and threatening your children, what’s a mother going to do? Obviously she’ll protect her kids from harm and that’s how they can get stuck, trying to protect the kids until they can get out. Something needs to be done about it. I’d like to hopefully work with Women’s Aid about it. Men need to stand up for women, in support of women. We need to be able to scrutinise these men who are doing it.
Your mam was brilliant and got you and your sister out of that situation. When you moved back to Offaly, you began to experience a different side of childhood, how was this for you?
I’m so glad to have been able to get the chance to have normal teenage years. I remember coming into Tullamore and going into school four days later, meeting my friends who I’m still pals with now. There was something so calm about Ireland, in a way, laid back, so welcoming. I forgot about Germany so fast. I slotted in with the lads, started playing sports and they were really accepting boys. It made me really happy and they helped me get on my feet so quick. Having friends and family too with my aunties and everything, it was really nice. I’m glad I got a second chance of childhood in Ireland, it made me the person I am today. As I said, it was the safe haven we needed. I’m forever grateful for my mother being able to bring us here, closer to home, to her family at the time. It’s been really good.
What would you say are your fondest memories from your time there?
On my first week of school, my good friend Aaron came in a day after me, he looked around and goes, “Lads, who’s the new fella?” There was a big circle around me, I was chatting with the very little English I had and I remember having to teach them German curse words, so we’d be out at lunch or on the playground playing soccer, cursing at each other and we wouldn’t get in trouble. It was hilarious. I remember winning the hurling with the lads in fifth class, and then going into secondary school meeting more of my friends and that’s where my passion for sport began. I met so many amazing people who I still chat to even now when I go back home, they tell me stories of when I was a little nipper, and it’s nice to go down memory lane. It’s proper home there.
Let’s fast forward to the now, you and your mam seem so incredibly close, she looks to be a champion of all you do. She must be so proud of how your career took off.
She’s always been fighting in my corner, and the reason I was able to play rugby was through her support. A lot goes into it so you have to give credit where it’s due. She’s sacrificed a lot, brought me to every training session, every match. I’m only starting to understand the sacrifices she made and how important it was for my career.
You’re surrounded by great women! Now based in Dublin with your lovely girlfriend Anaelle. Tell us about her. How did you meet, was it love at first sight?
It was a modern day romance, through social media. I saw her on Instagram one day and she sparked my interest, I thought she was so pretty. I was thinking of stupid pickup lines, but I ended up just replying to one of her stories when she had headphones on and asked what she was listening to. She replied, we started talking to each other. I was doing Dancing with the Stars and we didn’t talk until like four or five months afterwards. She made me work for it! We then went for drinks in La Gueleton, and her being French, she thought it was a sweet move but I didn’t realise it was a French bar at the time [laughs]. We had lovely chats, then went for food and let down all the walls. I was so excited to see her again. It happened so naturally. I wasn’t looking for anything at the time, but I was so intrigued by her. I brought her to a show of a friend of mine, Erica Cody was opening in the Olympia, then we were just hanging out and I looked at her and said to myself, I could see us in a relationship.
How long are you together now?
Nearly two years.
You were chatting with us on the shoot about your future; dreaming of a house in the country with some kids and a few dogs running around. Is that the big goal for you?
Ah, it’s definitely something I want! Growing up in Tullamore with green fields around me, there’s something really calm about it. City life is great, but it’s hectic. Even her parents in Lyon live in the countryside, it’s really nice and it’s something we both want; a house with a back and front garden, with two or three dogs and kids. It’s in the future, but it’s something we’ve always talked about. I want to do it when I retire from rugby, so we’re not there yet, but there’s no harm having a plan set in place. I definitely want a house outside of Dublin, somewhere quiet where you can go for walks in a forest or on a beach.
Tell us Jordan, mentioning retirement, will this be your last Olympics?
It’ll probably be my last Olympics, but not my last year of playing rugby. I’m not hanging up the boots completely, but for the Olympics, do I have another four years to wait? I really don’t know. I’d be 34 then and who knows what’ll happen between now and then.
Would you say you’ve fulfilled your sporting dreams or is there still more to go?
If I was to go down the list, there’s a lot of boxes that I’ve ticked. A double Olympics, bronze medal in the Rugby 7s World Cup, we’ve never won a world series though so that’s a box I’d love to tick at least once. If I do that, then I’ve everything ticked off – that’s probably the one that’s keeping me in there.
Looking forward, what are your hopes? What fills you with joy, sets your soul alight? What’s the next big thing you’re chasing?
I want to get the Olympics out of the way but I’m a person who lives in the resent. I can’t control the future and don’t look at the past too much, I live in the now. What makes me happy is my rugby training, my girlfriend makes me happy, I have my hobbies but my next goal would be to set something up for after the rugby, so it’d be in a year or two. It could be a different career path. As we mentioned earlier in this chat, it could be more TV work. I get really excited about that. I just want to be the real, authentic me, and be able to connect with people.
Jordan is an ambassador for Flogas, a leading supplier of electricity, LPG, Natural Gas, and Solar to homes and businesses in Ireland, Flogas are proud to be The Energy Behind Team Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. www.flogas.ie
If you’ve been affected by the details of this interview, you can contact Women’s Aid on 1800 341900
