WHEN JOE SCHMIDT named his 34-man squad for the Six Nations last January, aside from the exclusions of Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy, there were few surprises.
Despite three uncapped players featuring, the squad was dominated by the usual suspects – with 18 players from Leinster, eight from Ulster, five from Munster, and just one from Connacht.
Only two players based outside of Ireland featured: Racing Metro’s talisman, Jonathan Sexton, and Cardiff’s all-action no8, Robin Copeland.
A clear message was sent by Schmidt and it was far from a coincidence that, ahead of next season, Copeland had agreed to join Munster just one month before the squad announcement.
“It was a tough decision to move back home”, Copeland told TheScore.ie.
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“I’ve got a good thing going here in Cardiff and get on well with everyone. Obviously, going somewhere new is a worry. If things don’t go your way, you lose that big reputation you’ve built up. Ultimately, it was just for the opportunity to get into the Irish team. If I can establish myself at Munster, being home is the best place for me to do that. There are a lot of good back rows at Munster, so hopefully having [Axel] Foley there will make a big difference for me. Axel was a great, attrition-centered no8 and, hopefully, I can learn a lot from playing under him.
“This past season has been my first at no8 and I still have a lot to learn. It’s a position that seems to suit me quite well and it’s definitely one I’m going to stick with and try to improve at. I know, myself, I’m not quite there yet but all I want to do is keep learning and improving. I’m trying to break into that team and play with those international players week in, week out. Getting to know them, and playing against them, is going go a long way to improving me as a player. That was my main drive.”
Leaving Cardiff – where Copeland has spent two successful seasons after spells with Plymouth Albion and Rotterham Titans - was clearly a difficult decision for the Wexford man.
This anguish was further exacerbated by Copeland’s recent two-week suspension for a stamp on Liam Williams against the Scarlets.
Copeland initially feared that he had played his last game for Cardiff, but the 26-year-old is available for the Blues’ final game of the season against, ironically, the Scarlets on Saturday.
“I didn’t really know what to do with myself for the past a week or two. The lads were at training and it felt a bit strange. I’ve been back in this week, so it’s all going well. I would’ve been gutted if I didn’t have the chance to play that one last game for Cardiff. I’m still gutted to be leaving, because Cardiff have been great to me. This week has been pretty emotional.
“Everyone is saying their goodbyes and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, this will be the last time I’ll do this and this will be the last time I’ll do that’. It’s all starting to sink in now. When I think about the two years, the people around me – more than anything else – were the highlight. They’re a great bunch of lads. Cardiff’s been a great place to live, with great people. There’s always something to do and it’s great fun around here.
“There are lots of good memories to take home, but I suppose, rugby wise, the Toulon game would be a big highlight. Even the Exeter game before that, when I came on, that was the moment when everything changed for me. I had to up my game, in a big match, and I came on and did quite well. I knew that if I didn’t play well in the Toulon game, the performance against Exeter would’ve meant nothing. That was a big turning point for me and a realisation of what could happen and where I could go.”
Brian Lawless
Brian Lawless
This fine form for Cardiff led to Copeland’s first call-up to the Ireland squad but, amid fierce competition in the back row, Copeland did not feature in any of Ireland’s games at the Six Nations.
However, being around the camp at Carton House proved a crucial experience and the 26-year-old is already looking ahead to potentially winning his first cap with Ireland.
“I was pretty surprised to be involved in the Irish set-up for the Six Nations. It’s great to have a look in, and hopefully I’ll kick on. It was great just to see what’s expected of you at that level and what I had to do. It’s a big jump, especially with Joe Schmidt being such a technical coach – who expects you to know every single piece of detail inside out. That first week up there at Carton House was the first time that rugby felt like proper work.
“You trained, but you were also in front of a laptop for four or five hours going through moves and line-out calls each day. It was a big eye-opener and it was great to get that experience to know that I need to up my game to get into that set-up. That challenge excites me and drives me to keep on improving. I have a lot to learn in a relatively new position for me, but [Jamie] Heaslip was always trying to help me and give me tips. If he was sitting out for a move, he’d help me along and tell me where to go. I need that direction, as well. It’s dragging me up to their level and that’s what I want.
“I’d be lying if I said the Argentina tour is not on my mind, but I try not to think too far in advance as it’s pretty daunting. I just think of every training session and every game as a stepping stone in pushing on to where I want to get to. It’s all a big step, so I’m trying to keep it at the back of my mind.”
"I would’ve been gutted if I didn’t have the chance to play one last game" - Robin Copeland
WHEN JOE SCHMIDT named his 34-man squad for the Six Nations last January, aside from the exclusions of Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy, there were few surprises.
Despite three uncapped players featuring, the squad was dominated by the usual suspects – with 18 players from Leinster, eight from Ulster, five from Munster, and just one from Connacht.
Only two players based outside of Ireland featured: Racing Metro’s talisman, Jonathan Sexton, and Cardiff’s all-action no8, Robin Copeland.
A clear message was sent by Schmidt and it was far from a coincidence that, ahead of next season, Copeland had agreed to join Munster just one month before the squad announcement.
“It was a tough decision to move back home”, Copeland told TheScore.ie.
“I’ve got a good thing going here in Cardiff and get on well with everyone. Obviously, going somewhere new is a worry. If things don’t go your way, you lose that big reputation you’ve built up. Ultimately, it was just for the opportunity to get into the Irish team. If I can establish myself at Munster, being home is the best place for me to do that. There are a lot of good back rows at Munster, so hopefully having [Axel] Foley there will make a big difference for me. Axel was a great, attrition-centered no8 and, hopefully, I can learn a lot from playing under him.
“This past season has been my first at no8 and I still have a lot to learn. It’s a position that seems to suit me quite well and it’s definitely one I’m going to stick with and try to improve at. I know, myself, I’m not quite there yet but all I want to do is keep learning and improving. I’m trying to break into that team and play with those international players week in, week out. Getting to know them, and playing against them, is going go a long way to improving me as a player. That was my main drive.”
Leaving Cardiff – where Copeland has spent two successful seasons after spells with Plymouth Albion and Rotterham Titans - was clearly a difficult decision for the Wexford man.
This anguish was further exacerbated by Copeland’s recent two-week suspension for a stamp on Liam Williams against the Scarlets.
Copeland initially feared that he had played his last game for Cardiff, but the 26-year-old is available for the Blues’ final game of the season against, ironically, the Scarlets on Saturday.
“I didn’t really know what to do with myself for the past a week or two. The lads were at training and it felt a bit strange. I’ve been back in this week, so it’s all going well. I would’ve been gutted if I didn’t have the chance to play that one last game for Cardiff. I’m still gutted to be leaving, because Cardiff have been great to me. This week has been pretty emotional.
“There are lots of good memories to take home, but I suppose, rugby wise, the Toulon game would be a big highlight. Even the Exeter game before that, when I came on, that was the moment when everything changed for me. I had to up my game, in a big match, and I came on and did quite well. I knew that if I didn’t play well in the Toulon game, the performance against Exeter would’ve meant nothing. That was a big turning point for me and a realisation of what could happen and where I could go.”
This fine form for Cardiff led to Copeland’s first call-up to the Ireland squad but, amid fierce competition in the back row, Copeland did not feature in any of Ireland’s games at the Six Nations.
However, being around the camp at Carton House proved a crucial experience and the 26-year-old is already looking ahead to potentially winning his first cap with Ireland.
“I was pretty surprised to be involved in the Irish set-up for the Six Nations. It’s great to have a look in, and hopefully I’ll kick on. It was great just to see what’s expected of you at that level and what I had to do. It’s a big jump, especially with Joe Schmidt being such a technical coach – who expects you to know every single piece of detail inside out. That first week up there at Carton House was the first time that rugby felt like proper work.
“You trained, but you were also in front of a laptop for four or five hours going through moves and line-out calls each day. It was a big eye-opener and it was great to get that experience to know that I need to up my game to get into that set-up. That challenge excites me and drives me to keep on improving. I have a lot to learn in a relatively new position for me, but [Jamie] Heaslip was always trying to help me and give me tips. If he was sitting out for a move, he’d help me along and tell me where to go. I need that direction, as well. It’s dragging me up to their level and that’s what I want.
“I’d be lying if I said the Argentina tour is not on my mind, but I try not to think too far in advance as it’s pretty daunting. I just think of every training session and every game as a stepping stone in pushing on to where I want to get to. It’s all a big step, so I’m trying to keep it at the back of my mind.”
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Axel Foley Joe Schmidt Munster robin copeland Cardiff Blues The Long Goodbye