A TAXING SCHEDULE awaits Ireland’s players on this latest tilt at the Rugby World Cup, and that’s without even accounting for the regular rigours of international Test matches.
By the time World Cup quarter-final weekend rolls around, Ireland will (fingers-crossed) be on the go a full four months on from the beginning of their preparations under Joe Schmidt in mid-June.
Peter O’Mahony mentioned during his interview with Second Captains yesterday how mentally draining and intense World Cups can be. Now, the blindside isn’t a man you would normally consider quick-to-moan about circumstances and workload – in the same interview he labelled he ruptured ACL in the 2015 pool clash with France as ‘not ideal’ – so it’s worth considering the toll on the mind that goes unseen behind the body blows that happen on the field.
“It’s intense, man,” says Jamie Heaslip, who has been to two World Cups, helping Ireland progress through the pool unbeaten on both occasions before bowing out at you-know-what-stage.
“They’ve been training since June and – they haven’t been at home since June, they’ve been in camp since June, right,” says the former number 8 as he begins to slow his sentences, dragging out words for emphasis and introducing the ringmaster driving the pressure dials north.
So they’ve been in a hotel with the same guys, doing the same thing, day in, day out. And Joe’s just cranking that up, cranking that up, cranking that up…
“And you have to do that, because you have to build up the pressure. Even if he’s not doing it, the pressure is naturally building because there’s different cuts at different times or one or two lads might get injured.
“And then you’re playing these fitness games and you don’t want to get shown up by other people. And everyone’s watching, it’s getting recorded. It’s intense, man.
“That’s the real skill of being a good pro, it’s knowing how you react to that environment and knowing how to release the tension.”
Every player, every character has to develop their own approach to installing a release valve on that pressure. For Heaslip, the secret was planning. Marking out his free time, time away from camp and so knowing when to go full throttle through his workdays.
“I used to plan so much, because you’d know you’d have the weekend off. So you spend time with family and friends, you’re getting away, doing stuff just to relax completely. Because when you’re in there (you can’t).
“That’s why it worked well for me as a player. Because when I’m in I’m all in. But away from it, I was very easily switched off. You have to.”
Come World Cup time, switching off gets a little more complicated as the squad is pushed tighter than ever while the easy-out of family time is not always quite as straightforward as it can be when players are working out of a fixed base in Maynooth.
Down days on tours or at World Cups in the past have featured fishing trips, rollercoaster rides and bungee jumping. Heaslip offers the example of Chicago 2016 as a case when the organised change of scenery just wasn’t what he felt he needed to perform that week.
“On a day off a load of lads went out to the Chicago Bulls (training facility). I was like, ‘nah, I’m good. I’m going to go meet my wife,’ she was over with her mother. So I meet them, chill out, get a massage. You figure out what you want to do.
“Some days you just want to sit around and watch Netflix all day and not talk to a soul.
“That’s where your rooming buddy becomes important… you learn how to get on with people. Myself and Church just knew each other inside out. We knew when to talk to each other, knew when to just say nothing and then you’d just hear: ‘brew?’ and we’d both bolt for the door.
“That’s your little home from home.”
“You’ll have an entertainment committee and there’ll be lads organising cinema trips – Thursday if the game is Saturday – there’d be lads going for dinner on a Tuesday night and might have Wednesday off.
“There’s usually some sort of activity planned during the world cup. (in 2015) we went to Alton towers, we went to a driving centre, clay pigeon shooting one Wednesday… there’d be random things on.”
Each one a valuable window of escape from the pressure, driven from all corners, of their task at the World Cup. Get beyond the quarter-finals and the four-month stretch will suddenly feel like a heartbeat for this group.
Guinness’ ad “Liberty Fields” tells the inspirational story of a group of women who defied societal norms in 1980s Japan by forming a women’s rugby team.
Let’s hope he gets enough good ball to show what he can do. He definitely brings a creative spark that sometimes lacks from our play.
@Brian O’Driscoll: Given question marks over Sexton fitness we can’t have too much cover in this area. He should go.
Hope Carty has a great game and this team get back to winning ways
@Finnster1977: to be fair I think this game given the welsh team they’ve picked will create doubt either way unfortunately. Damned if you do well cos they were muck or damned if don’t cos it was like a training game with errors or zero patterns.
@Chicinho: Gatland is not treating this as a training game irrespective of unofficial agreement with Schmidt
Fair play to him! Sounds like he’s geared up for it! Im really lookin forward to watchin him the lads give it a lash today. Coybig ☘️
Hope he does great. Interesting that Friend gives him a license to play what’s in front of him.
He won’t have that in the Ireland 10 shirt. He has prospered with the Connacht approach.
Will be interesting to see how he copes with a very structured approach.
Marmion can win the number 9 shirt with a good performance today.
Murray is still not at the races and if he keeps getting picked whilst struggling our WC will be a disaster.
Coaches are going to finalise the WC squad after today’s match.
How does that effect someone like Conor Murray who isn’t playing today?
Has he done enough at Twickenham to get a seat on the plane?
Or was he going to travel anyway?
Interesting sub plots.
They could have just finalised the squad next week when more guys have had a chance to show some form.
@Oran Burns: Murray is going even if his form is dire as there is no viable backup bar Marmion. If Marmion has to play while Murray rediscovers his form then fine but Murray at his best is world class he just needs to remember his best, get to rucks quicker and get quicker ball away without taking those two steps which allows defensive lines to advance so quickly onto the Irish attacking line.
@Oran Burns: no they couldn’t, world rugby want the squad sunday
@Oran Burns:
“Friend gives him a license to play what’s in front of him”
You are talking about a PRO14 game, there is a little difference between that and WC rugby::.When Murray is on his game he is world class but Marmion at his best in not near that :: If he does a half decent job he is on the plane:: I said that last week whoever got picked against England got the hard card and did not have much of chance of Japan:: Marmion is on the plane::
Big day out for Carty, with Byrne failing to flatter last weekend a semi decent performance from Jack should see him on the plane.
I’d be expecting a big push back today from the team- performances both individually and collectively and a result is what’s needed to get things back on track and get a bit of confidence back into the group. Really looking forward to today’s game.
When was the last time a Welsh squad had no player called “Jones”?
@JoeO: Ha!! probably never.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK AND GOOD LUCK TO DAY
Scannell, Bierne , Carty and Conway have a great opportunity to book their place for Japan or even lay the foundation for a starting position against Scotland. Conan also of course. If he and Beirne have outstanding games today then I believe they should be involved next week again against stronger opposition for further scrutiny at the highest level.IMO they are too talented not to be starting.
@Tom Reilly:
The most interesting thing about this game regarding players is “Beirne ” How he will get on with the other B/R players and will they make a good unit ???
@Martin Quinn: Yeah good point Martin. It’s a pity VDF isn’t at 7 as the BR would look more balanced.
Really interesting to hear Ryan is vice captain.
Strange looking Welsh side. Still play what’s in front of you. I expect Gatland to crush us in one or other, maybe both matchs. Shouldn’t happen today even if it’s Cardiff. Oh and good luck Jack and COYBIG