JACK CONAN SAYS that everyone in the Ireland camp is “well aware” of the rules and limitations regarding betting in rugby.

Wales’ World Cup preparations were thrown into disarray this week when assistant head coach Rob Howley was sent home from the tournament in Japan over alleged betting offences.

The former Wales captain was dismissed following an alleged breach of World Rugby’s regulation six which covers anti corruption and betting.

In the aftermath of the controversy, all the teams competing at the World Cup were required to attend a 20-minute briefing by World Rugby’s integrity unit.

Conan says that the Ireland players have been to similar meetings in the past and insists that nobody in their group will suffer the same outcome as Howley.

“We had the same meeting only there about two or three days ago. It was brief enough.

“We’re all pretty aware of what you can and can’t do. It’s not the first time we’ve had meetings like this, whether it was through Ireland or Leinster so to have this happen to a really high-profile person, for that to have happened is crazy but we’re all well aware.

I’m sure you won’t see anyone in this enclosure having the same fate.”

The players and staff who attended those meetings were instructed to turn off their phones one hour before each of their World Cup games in order to protect the integrity of the sport.

Conan says he has no problem obeying this rule but thinks some of his teammates may have to alter their match-day routines without their phones.

“That’s grand for me, I wouldn’t listen to music before games really. I’m not exactly sitting in the changing room flicking through my messages so… like some of the lads probably might change their pre-match routine a little bit.

Conan in action at a training session in Tokyo. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“Some of them like to listen to music or chill out until they have to go out and do the warm up but it won’t be a factor for me at all.” 

After making three appearances during this year’s Six Nations, Leinster’s Conan is effectively in direct competition with CJ Stander to wear the number eight jersey during the World Cup which gets underway this weekend.

Ireland will begin their campaign on Sunday when they travel to Yokohama to take on Scotland in Pool A.

Joe Schmidt’s side hold a favourable recent record over the Scots but Conan warns that trying to maintain that winning form will be much more difficult in a World Cup opener.

“Yeah, we have spoken during the week about familiarity breeding contempt as well, so it’s not something…we’ll prepare like any other game, we’re not going to rest on our laurels and think because we’ve had some decent performances against them in the last few years that it’s going to be any easier.

If anything, it’s going to be a lot harder this weekend, it’s the World Cup, first game and everything is on the line.

“If we don’t perform to the best of our ability, we’ll be in a different spot altogether. So a lot of hard work has gone on to get us here, but there’s a lot of work to do.”

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