ENGAGING AND HONEST, it comes as no surprise to hear Jack Conan offer such a blunt appraisal of his year. There were many good days, but the bottom line is that the Leinster number eight wanted to be involved in more of the bigger days.
Conan admits he would have snapped your hand off for the six Ireland caps he won throughout the course of a memorable season for Irish rugby, yet the disappointment of missing out on many more lingers.
Conan starts for Leinster against Munster tomorrow. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
He played an integral part in Leinster’s double-winning campaign, but ultimately lost his starting place for the Champions Cup final against Racing, and then — unable to dislodge CJ Stander in the green jersey — wasn’t involved for Ireland’s home Test wins against Argentina and New Zealand.
A stellar year by most standards failed to satisfy the 26-year-old’s insatiable hunger.
“At this stage last year, if you told me I’d go on and play six more times for Ireland, I probably would have bitten your hand off and said ‘That would be fantastic,’” Conan says.
“But in saying that, I think it’s just the nature of any athlete in any professional sport that it’s never enough and when you get to any kind of level, you always want to push on.
“As great as those days were, and obviously being involved in fantastic things over the last 12 months whether it be with Leinster or Ireland, the big games I wanted to play in.
“To miss out on those big Tests against Argentina and the All Blacks at home – those are the days at the end of your career that you’ll always remember.
“It’s tough looking back and not having been selected for those. Hopefully I’ll push on and get more opportunities in those really high intensity, high pressure moments because that’s why we do it.”
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He continues: “I don’t think I’d ever look back and say I was happy with that. It was great, and I experienced so much and achieved a lot of success, especially here at Leinster, but I look back and not starting that final over in Bilbao, only playing the two games in the Six Nations.
You’re always going to be hungrier and never settling and wanting more for yourself.
As good as 2018 was, Conan wants more in 2019. He wants to become first-choice for both club and country, he wants to be involved in more of those big occasions and he wants to become a big part of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup plans.
“Hopefully in 2019 I can push on,” he says. “Obviously, it’s a massive year for Irish rugby and please God things go well and I’ll be on the plane over to Japan.
“But there is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, especially here in Leinster where we’re looking to go back-to-back champions in Europe.”
After sustaining a shoulder injury in the November Test win over USA, Conan has been left frustrated by his lack of minutes at such a crunch time of the season, but after starting against Bath in round four of the Heineken Champions Cup, feels back to full fitness.
He, along with many of Leinster’s frontline internationals, were given last week off as Leo Cullen’s side extended their winning run to seven games with a last-gasp win over Connacht, and Conan is now chomping at the bit to be given another starting opportunity.
Tomorrow will see the 11-times capped Ireland international go head-to-head with his familiar foe and friend in the much-anticipated heavyweight derby between Leinster and Munster at Thomond Park [KO 5.15pm, eir Sport/Premier Sport].
Ready to go: Conan will win his 83rd Leinster appearance tomorrow. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Conan — who is now looking over his shoulder at the emergence of Caelan Doris and Max Deegan at Leinster — doesn’t get the chance to go up against Stander in direct competition often, so it’s an opportunity he relishes, particularly in front of Schmidt and Andy Farrell.
“Any time you’re going up against one of the other provinces it’s a good opportunity to put your hand up against someone who could potentially be ahead of you or getting the nod to be starting ahead of you,” the number eight admits.
“It’s going to be massive for me and I quite enjoy those opportunities when I get to play against any of the other internationals. I look forward to going head-to-head with him [CJ]. I think we’ve been lucky to come out on top the last few times but it’s always a tough day down there in Thomond.”
For Conan, the focus will be on his game and not what his opposite number, who captains Munster on Saturday, will be doing.
“What he does and the way he plays is nothing to do with me, and it has no impact on how I play or what I do so I don’t worry or think about it,” he insists.
If he’s going well, great. It just adds to the competition in Ireland. He’s in good form so it will be a good test for me and the rest of the back row.
Conan started last year’s St Stephen’s Day derby in Limerick, as Leinster continued their strong recent record over their provincial rivals in a game remembered for Jordan Larmour’s superb individual score.
Leo Cullen has named a considerably stronger team this year — a selection which only adds to the intrigue of the contest at a sold-out Thomond Park — as the eastern province bid to extend their lead at the top of Conference B even further.
“It was massive,” Conan says of last year’s win. “The year before we’d gone down and been embarrassed, really sold ourselves short, but last year you had lads going down to experience Thomond Park for the first time, and doing it the day after Christmas Day, a lot of lads hadn’t experienced that before.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting the performance we put in, and the way we won. You had James Ryan and Jordan playing their first games against Munster down there, I think it’s set the bar and we’ll look to go down this week and repeat it.”
Murray Kinsella, Gavan Casey and Andy Dunne look back on a memorable year for Irish rugby.
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Conan relishes head-to-head battle with Stander as he aims for big 2019
ENGAGING AND HONEST, it comes as no surprise to hear Jack Conan offer such a blunt appraisal of his year. There were many good days, but the bottom line is that the Leinster number eight wanted to be involved in more of the bigger days.
Conan admits he would have snapped your hand off for the six Ireland caps he won throughout the course of a memorable season for Irish rugby, yet the disappointment of missing out on many more lingers.
He played an integral part in Leinster’s double-winning campaign, but ultimately lost his starting place for the Champions Cup final against Racing, and then — unable to dislodge CJ Stander in the green jersey — wasn’t involved for Ireland’s home Test wins against Argentina and New Zealand.
A stellar year by most standards failed to satisfy the 26-year-old’s insatiable hunger.
“At this stage last year, if you told me I’d go on and play six more times for Ireland, I probably would have bitten your hand off and said ‘That would be fantastic,’” Conan says.
“But in saying that, I think it’s just the nature of any athlete in any professional sport that it’s never enough and when you get to any kind of level, you always want to push on.
“As great as those days were, and obviously being involved in fantastic things over the last 12 months whether it be with Leinster or Ireland, the big games I wanted to play in.
“To miss out on those big Tests against Argentina and the All Blacks at home – those are the days at the end of your career that you’ll always remember.
“It’s tough looking back and not having been selected for those. Hopefully I’ll push on and get more opportunities in those really high intensity, high pressure moments because that’s why we do it.”
He continues: “I don’t think I’d ever look back and say I was happy with that. It was great, and I experienced so much and achieved a lot of success, especially here at Leinster, but I look back and not starting that final over in Bilbao, only playing the two games in the Six Nations.
As good as 2018 was, Conan wants more in 2019. He wants to become first-choice for both club and country, he wants to be involved in more of those big occasions and he wants to become a big part of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup plans.
“Hopefully in 2019 I can push on,” he says. “Obviously, it’s a massive year for Irish rugby and please God things go well and I’ll be on the plane over to Japan.
“But there is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, especially here in Leinster where we’re looking to go back-to-back champions in Europe.”
After sustaining a shoulder injury in the November Test win over USA, Conan has been left frustrated by his lack of minutes at such a crunch time of the season, but after starting against Bath in round four of the Heineken Champions Cup, feels back to full fitness.
He, along with many of Leinster’s frontline internationals, were given last week off as Leo Cullen’s side extended their winning run to seven games with a last-gasp win over Connacht, and Conan is now chomping at the bit to be given another starting opportunity.
Tomorrow will see the 11-times capped Ireland international go head-to-head with his familiar foe and friend in the much-anticipated heavyweight derby between Leinster and Munster at Thomond Park [KO 5.15pm, eir Sport/Premier Sport].
Conan — who is now looking over his shoulder at the emergence of Caelan Doris and Max Deegan at Leinster — doesn’t get the chance to go up against Stander in direct competition often, so it’s an opportunity he relishes, particularly in front of Schmidt and Andy Farrell.
“Any time you’re going up against one of the other provinces it’s a good opportunity to put your hand up against someone who could potentially be ahead of you or getting the nod to be starting ahead of you,” the number eight admits.
“It’s going to be massive for me and I quite enjoy those opportunities when I get to play against any of the other internationals. I look forward to going head-to-head with him [CJ]. I think we’ve been lucky to come out on top the last few times but it’s always a tough day down there in Thomond.”
For Conan, the focus will be on his game and not what his opposite number, who captains Munster on Saturday, will be doing.
“What he does and the way he plays is nothing to do with me, and it has no impact on how I play or what I do so I don’t worry or think about it,” he insists.
Conan started last year’s St Stephen’s Day derby in Limerick, as Leinster continued their strong recent record over their provincial rivals in a game remembered for Jordan Larmour’s superb individual score.
Leo Cullen has named a considerably stronger team this year — a selection which only adds to the intrigue of the contest at a sold-out Thomond Park — as the eastern province bid to extend their lead at the top of Conference B even further.
“It was massive,” Conan says of last year’s win. “The year before we’d gone down and been embarrassed, really sold ourselves short, but last year you had lads going down to experience Thomond Park for the first time, and doing it the day after Christmas Day, a lot of lads hadn’t experienced that before.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting the performance we put in, and the way we won. You had James Ryan and Jordan playing their first games against Munster down there, I think it’s set the bar and we’ll look to go down this week and repeat it.”
Murray Kinsella, Gavan Casey and Andy Dunne look back on a memorable year for Irish rugby.
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