You have to go back to 2018 and Doris’s time as Ireland U-20s skipper to find his last prolonged spell as the main leader.
In the intervening years, the Ballina native has become one of the world’s leading No 8s, yet the captaincy is very much a newly-added string to his bow.
After all, he only captained Leinster for the first time against Ulster on New Year’s Day, and even that was because co-captain James Ryan was a late withdrawal.
That setback was the start of an injury-hit spell for Ryan, who had long been viewed as a future Leinster and Ireland skipper, and when his co-captain Garry Ringrose also missed a large chunk of last season, Leo Cullen looked to Doris to step into the role.
Just over a month after leading Leinster against Ulster, albeit having encountered a few issues in his dealings with referee Frank Murphy, Doris then led Ireland for the first time in the Six Nations win at home to Italy.
And thus began Andy Farrell’s mission to transform Doris into Peter O’Mahony’s successor as Ireland captain, which he did for the second Test win in South Africa last summer, with Cullen then following suit, as the 26-year-old overtook Ryan and Ringrose for the honour.
“I’m enjoying it a lot more at this stage than when it first came about,” Doris admitted.
“I would have said to you guys in the first couple of weeks, the sort of self-doubt and the bit of impostor syndrome, and feeling that there’s new responsibilities and getting used to it all.
“I’ve had quite a few weeks at it now and things feel a bit more comfortable, and I’m starting to enjoy it more. I’m feeling growth in the role, I’m feeling a bit of my capacity expanding a little bit, but I know there’s still a tonne of room for growth.
“I’m by no means the leader I want to be yet, the leader I believe I can be – where I’ve seen the likes of Johnny [Sexton] and Pete [O’Mahony] are at that stage of their career. It’s an enjoyable journey, I guess, and I’m enjoying the pushing of the comfort zone through it.”
Doris is a deep thinker, and while finding his voice has been a key part of stepping out of his comfort zone, he is already one of the most respected figures in the Leinster and Ireland changing rooms.
That’s mainly down to his remarkable levels of consistency and his durability in such an attritional position.
Since being named Leinster captain ahead of the new season, Doris’s form has been outstanding, as he linked up with the Ireland squad yesterday with an extra pep in his step.
“I think both coaches in Leinster, and ‘Faz’ [Farrell] especially probably, by putting me in the leadership group and by seeing something I didn’t always . . . like, I captained in school and at under-age as well but they really pushed it out of me when it wasn‘t always the comfortable thing for me,” Doris said.
“And especially as a young player, I wanted to focus more on myself and get the best out of myself and was trying to get a grip on how to be a professional and how to prepare as best as possible for my game.
“Stuart Lancaster as well from quite a young age when I came into Leinster with all young players to be fair, he was saying: ‘Find your voice, and if you have a point speak up’ etc.
“So, the two of them probably pushed it out of me a little bit and I’m grateful for that now at this stage, definitely.”
Despite everything seemingly happening so quickly, Doris is adamant that he does not feel overawed by going from never being a captain to leading his club and country in the space of a few months.
“I’m definitely excited by it and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I love being in both environments and we’re looked after very well. I’ve only played three games so far this season, so when I’m not playing there are other guys who are leading more so that week. So, it’s not as relentless as it might seem.
“Of course, you’re the official captain but there are so many other guys who are capable of leading and are leading as well. So, there’s not too much weight on my shoulders.
“Faz does such a good job of setting the tone. We were chatting about it a few of us recently that he’s been in rugby environments since 16, the whole way through and went straight from a player into coaching. He’s got such a good feel for what the environment needs, what the group needs. It’s a very inclusive environment, [there’s a] big emphasis on being yourself.
“The main message from talking to the coaches, through the conversation of me being captain, but also when I’ve gone to the likes of ‘Sexto’ or Pete, or even Garry and James, everyone’s main point is ‘The most important thing is the 80 minutes’.
“Your performance, lead through actions. I’ve got a pretty good process in how I prepare and I can’t let up on that while looking after everything else or the other responsibilities – the added responsibilities.
“My focus is still trying to prepare myself, while also taking other things into account, but not letting up on that in order to do the others. I’m trying to do that.”