ANDREW CONWAY HAS often seemed destined to earn senior caps for Ireland, from the time he helped Blackrock to a Leinster Schools Senior Cup to his exceptionally prolific two seasons with the Ireland U20s.
Conway celebrates after scoring against Cardiff Blues. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
His pace, rapid footwork and strength in contact despite a relatively diminutive frame have always made him an attacking weapon, but at the age of 24 the Dublin native has been restricted to training involvement with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.
Having starred at fullback in his underage rugby days, Conway has largely been used as a wing in the professional game, both with home province Leinster and then with Munster since his switch in 2013.
However, it’s his return to fullback that might give Conway his best shot yet at being capped by Ireland, with Munster head coach Anthony Foley believing that the youngster is ready for international rugby.
He’s been in and around the Irish squad for a number of years now,” says Foley. “He’s come through with a lot of pedigree from underage rugby and Leinster, and there’s no doubt he has the ability to play international rugby.”
The retirement of Felix Jones last month was a major blow to Munster, given his importance as both an intelligent, decisive fullback and as a key leader within the playing group.
However, Conway has softened the blow with some excellent form in the most recent four outings at fullback. Five Champions Cup starts last season on the wing brought Conway three tries, but he now looks an even more rounded player in terms of adding the important basic details to his attacking excellence.
Foley believes Conway has matured off the pitch, allowing him to show more on it.
“I think Andrew would say himself that he’s changed,” says Foley. “He’s changed a lot of his habits over the last six to nine months. He’s become a better player, a better person in and around the squad.
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Conway with Conor Murray and Foley at Munster training. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“I thought his performance at the weekend (against Treviso), there was times he fought hard not to let the ball bounce in the backfield, understanding the consequences if the ball gets loose in the backfield, like happened to them early in the game when Earlsy nearly got away.
“You can’t let the ball hit the ground in those conditions and I thought the catch where he slid into it was as good as you’re going to see. I thought his control in the backfield was excellent and I think if we can pick up some of the lines (where it looks like) he’s running into blind spots, but when you look at it in replays, there’s massive opportunities there.
“If we can pick off one or two of them it can lead to linebreaks for us. He’s definitely stepped up in and around his whole presence within the squad, not just on the pitch but in terms of him doing more off the pitch.”
The relationship between Conway and Foley hasn’t perhaps always been the cosiest perhaps, but the head coach’s demands on his player are simply born of his belief that Conway can be an exceptional player.
Foley and his coaching staff have pushed Conway hard in his approach to being a better player, and feel they are now getting results.
“I think we asked the question the whole time, ‘how are you going to improve and where is it going to come from?’ What are fellas doing from the start of the week to the end of the week that’s making them better?” says Foley.
“Some fellas will follow the itinerary and do nothing else, other fellas will go beyond the itinerary and understand themselves a bit more. I think Andrew now is starting to understand himself a hell of a lot more and hopefully he grows as a player because of it.
“There is a big difference between academy and senior rugby. It’s a big difference in how you cope with your weeks and you don’t just sign the contract and become a professional rugby player. There’s a lot of habits you need to break and there’s a lot of things you need to figure out.
Conway was strong against Treviso again last weekend. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“There isn’t a manual there, that you do this, this and this and you’re a professional rugby player. You have to figure it out, look at what the senior pros are doing, look at your coaches, and get a fair bit of understanding for yourself.
“What I often find is that if people keep telling you what to do, some people are stubborn and don’t do it the whole time. With other people, over time if you figure it out yourself it can happen a lot quicker.
“I think what has happened, not just for Andrew but a lot of guys, is that they’re asking a lot more questions, they’re challenging a lot more and they’re starting to grow opinions. That’s always good.”
Conway won’t have the opportunity to further build on his form this weekend after Munster’s Champions Cup meeting with Stade Français was postponed, but Foley believes there is more to come from the fullback.
This is a journey that Foley feels can end with Conway in the green of Ireland.
“I’d imagine the lad would have his goals about what he’d want to achieve and he saw there was cracks in what he was doing,” says Foley. “He’s amended a lot of those cracks now at the moment, but it’s still not finished. He still has a bit of a journey yet.
“Hopefully over the next period of time, if we’re successful as a team what tends to happen is that players tend to get recognition from that.
“If we can continue to win games, players can continue to perform to the highest level for each other, and we can expect a lot more of our group to be playing international rugby.”
Foley backs Conway for Ireland call after strong run at 15 for Munster
ANDREW CONWAY HAS often seemed destined to earn senior caps for Ireland, from the time he helped Blackrock to a Leinster Schools Senior Cup to his exceptionally prolific two seasons with the Ireland U20s.
His pace, rapid footwork and strength in contact despite a relatively diminutive frame have always made him an attacking weapon, but at the age of 24 the Dublin native has been restricted to training involvement with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.
Having starred at fullback in his underage rugby days, Conway has largely been used as a wing in the professional game, both with home province Leinster and then with Munster since his switch in 2013.
However, it’s his return to fullback that might give Conway his best shot yet at being capped by Ireland, with Munster head coach Anthony Foley believing that the youngster is ready for international rugby.
The retirement of Felix Jones last month was a major blow to Munster, given his importance as both an intelligent, decisive fullback and as a key leader within the playing group.
However, Conway has softened the blow with some excellent form in the most recent four outings at fullback. Five Champions Cup starts last season on the wing brought Conway three tries, but he now looks an even more rounded player in terms of adding the important basic details to his attacking excellence.
Foley believes Conway has matured off the pitch, allowing him to show more on it.
“I think Andrew would say himself that he’s changed,” says Foley. “He’s changed a lot of his habits over the last six to nine months. He’s become a better player, a better person in and around the squad.
“I thought his performance at the weekend (against Treviso), there was times he fought hard not to let the ball bounce in the backfield, understanding the consequences if the ball gets loose in the backfield, like happened to them early in the game when Earlsy nearly got away.
“You can’t let the ball hit the ground in those conditions and I thought the catch where he slid into it was as good as you’re going to see. I thought his control in the backfield was excellent and I think if we can pick up some of the lines (where it looks like) he’s running into blind spots, but when you look at it in replays, there’s massive opportunities there.
“If we can pick off one or two of them it can lead to linebreaks for us. He’s definitely stepped up in and around his whole presence within the squad, not just on the pitch but in terms of him doing more off the pitch.”
The relationship between Conway and Foley hasn’t perhaps always been the cosiest perhaps, but the head coach’s demands on his player are simply born of his belief that Conway can be an exceptional player.
Foley and his coaching staff have pushed Conway hard in his approach to being a better player, and feel they are now getting results.
“I think we asked the question the whole time, ‘how are you going to improve and where is it going to come from?’ What are fellas doing from the start of the week to the end of the week that’s making them better?” says Foley.
“Some fellas will follow the itinerary and do nothing else, other fellas will go beyond the itinerary and understand themselves a bit more. I think Andrew now is starting to understand himself a hell of a lot more and hopefully he grows as a player because of it.
“There is a big difference between academy and senior rugby. It’s a big difference in how you cope with your weeks and you don’t just sign the contract and become a professional rugby player. There’s a lot of habits you need to break and there’s a lot of things you need to figure out.
“There isn’t a manual there, that you do this, this and this and you’re a professional rugby player. You have to figure it out, look at what the senior pros are doing, look at your coaches, and get a fair bit of understanding for yourself.
“What I often find is that if people keep telling you what to do, some people are stubborn and don’t do it the whole time. With other people, over time if you figure it out yourself it can happen a lot quicker.
“I think what has happened, not just for Andrew but a lot of guys, is that they’re asking a lot more questions, they’re challenging a lot more and they’re starting to grow opinions. That’s always good.”
Conway won’t have the opportunity to further build on his form this weekend after Munster’s Champions Cup meeting with Stade Français was postponed, but Foley believes there is more to come from the fullback.
This is a journey that Foley feels can end with Conway in the green of Ireland.
“I’d imagine the lad would have his goals about what he’d want to achieve and he saw there was cracks in what he was doing,” says Foley. “He’s amended a lot of those cracks now at the moment, but it’s still not finished. He still has a bit of a journey yet.
“Hopefully over the next period of time, if we’re successful as a team what tends to happen is that players tend to get recognition from that.
“If we can continue to win games, players can continue to perform to the highest level for each other, and we can expect a lot more of our group to be playing international rugby.”
‘JJ Hanrahan left because JJ Hanrahan wanted to leave’ – Munster’s Foley
Munster’s game against Stade Français in Paris has been postponed
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