SIMON ZEBO RARELY seems short of confidence but the way he’s been playing this season, the versatile back is feeling particularly sure of himself right now.
Four years on from his Six Nations debut — a win at Wales’s Millennium Stadium — Zebo sees himself as a more complete player but one who has remained loyal to his instincts.
Having enjoyed a number of high-profile wins for club and country over the past four months, the 26-year-old has earned praise for his performances at fullback and on the wing.
But the Corkonian, ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Scotland, insists the best is yet to come.
“I probably won’t be at my best until I’m 28 or 29, I would feel,” Zebo says.
“I still have a good bit to go but personally I feel like I’m getting there.
“I’m excited about the way I’ve been playing and the way that we are trying to play in Munster and in Ireland, so hopefully we can keep playing in this positive way and hopefully I can play as much as I can.”
His mention of ‘playing as much as I can’ hints at the strength in depth Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has at his disposal in the back three, and at times Zebo’s difficulty in holding down a starting spot.
However, on the back of a run of such impressive displays, which included four tries for Munster in the Champions Cup group stages, it could be argued that Zebo’s grip on a first-XV jersey is firmer than it has been for quite some time, whether that be No 11 or No 15.
Zebo is quick to praise the work of Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and defence coach Jacques Nienaber in his development this season, explaining the South African pair have allowed him to express himself on the pitch guilt-free.
And that, especially to a man of Zebo’s disposition, has been music to his ears.
“They’ve been massive,” Zebo says of Erasmus and Nienaber.
They’ve probably influenced me most I’d say in such a short space of time.
“They’ve given me a different kind of, I don’t know … confidence or something, not that I needed it but just a different … like if you make a mistake [it's] no problem.
“I probably haven’t heard that too much in my career when I was coming up. I don’t know whether it’s where they are from or whatever, but they’ve just been excellent in allowing me to play with no fear.
“We’re on a good run of games with Munster and I think a lot of that is down to those two lads, especially taking us on from where they had to, the confidence they give the players … they’ve had a pretty big impact on me as a person and a player.”
Zebo is a man who loves an offload; he’s prepared to take risks on the field, and he makes no apologies for that approach. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.
“It’s risk and reward really. I back myself to offload from anywhere,” Zebo explains.
“If I go with my gut instinct, nine times out of 10 I feel like it’ll come off.
“If I make a mistake, I’ll live with it. Rugby careers are too short to be playing with that kind of fear.
“I still go out and try to play the way I did when I was 19 or 20, play with a smile on my face, enjoy myself and not be afraid to try things.
“I back myself to do things on the pitch that ultimately contribute to winning matches. I try to go out with that spirit.
“Obviously there are areas of your game you need to improve as you get older, little things, but in terms of the game, my mindset hasn’t changed.
“Looking back on it now I’m proud of myself for sticking to my beliefs in how I play the game, having no fear to try things.”
Speculation around the Scots targeting Conor Murray has dominated much of the pre-match discussion but Zebo insists his Munster colleague “can take care of himself”.
As scrum-halves go in world rugby, Zebo reckons Murray is peerless right now. And as well as his good mate might be able to deal with any extra attention coming his way, his importance his hard to quantify, Zebo admits.
“He’s a class act, he’s the best in the world, no doubt.
“He’s unbelievable, he has every string to his bow, there is not one part of the game he’s not able to do.
“If he stays healthy and fit he’ll help both teams (Munster and Ireland), without a shadow of a doubt.”
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I could get over them having wanted to play for England if they were going in fully committed, but the way Bamford seems to be yanking McCarthy’s chain has me seriously questioning him. In or out ffs. We’ve always been technically weaker than other teams but team spirit and commitment has generally been what’s bridged that gap. It can’t be under-valued or taken for granted. If he’s this non-committal, odds are he’s not going to give 100% when he comes in. That’s not to say being born and raised in Ireland is any guarantee of this. Just compare Jon Walters and Stephen Ireland. Bamford really not endearing himself though by ignoring Mick’s calls and the like.
@ScewMadd: totally agree! Whether you like Bamford for not he does have links to Ireland but the “I’ll consider my options” stuff is getting really old.
@ScewMadd: he’s had serious injuries. If Leeds lost him now then it would be disastrous for their promotion bid. Bamford stalling for the moment makes perfect sense. Leeds fans would never forgive him if an injury for Ireland against Gibraltar cost them the promotion they crave
@Stanley Baggins: completely agree I don’t want him near that Ireland squad until the season is over for Leeds.
I agree with Kevin Kilbane that Patrick Bamford’s first choice was England, but Ireland aren’t in a position to be picky right now. He’d be a very good addition to the Ireland squad at the moment.
@James Clancy: Spot on,yesterday’s squad announcement showed the squad needs to be supplemented with quality.
@James Clancy: not buying it, your either Irish or English, not just Irish when your not good enough for England
@emmetnichol: reality is vast majority of players would pick England over Ireland if they’ve been born and raised there. Its a more natural choice and u have your agent in your ear telling you how many more zeros on your career earnings it’ll make. Kilbane is the exception. He was immersed in Irish culture since birth.
Clinton could have played for the mighty Jamacia but he decided on us..legend
Granny rule players used to declare for Ireland because it put them in the shop window. If they nutmegged Baggio in a game then that often resulted in a move to Liverpool or Everton a few weeks later.
Today players even in the championship are on such nice money that they don’t need International football anymore to retire wealthy…. So when a great player wants to play International football for us where we pay nothing to them in return, even if they only decided at 25 years old to join, then we should still welcome them with open arms.
Sweet god… do we ever learn. Laughing stock..
You can only laugh at the very small minority who knock granny rule players when we’ve just named a squad containing the likes of Glen Whelan and Padraig Amond. No disrespect to those two at all who are wonderful professionals but they’re hardly Aldridge, Townsend, Houghton etc
Another Clinton Morrison, albeit a lot more talented
@Seán Ó’Sionúir: The Clint did very well for us.
@Seán Ó’Sionúir: you should watch the sky YouTube interview of Clinton on playing for Ireland. He’s was 100% committed to the irish setup from the outset, unlike wasters Bamford, Rice, Grealish, Noble, Nolan etc
@Facundo: you should leave Noble out of that list, he was approached and did the honourable thing and said he felt English so he wouldn’t declare for us.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
@Panch Murphy: Yeah and he also went out of his way to have a whisper in rice’s ear about declaring for England, along with rats John Terry, gold and sullivan, swaying his decision. Beautiful human beings, all 4 of them
Quality will improve by picking Irish players over English players starting at under age level