READY TO PUSH ON
Conan is driven to rise ranks in 2019
JACK CONAN has experienced delirious highs and devastating lows at Thomond Park. For the fourth year in a row, Munster will welcome Leinster to their Limerick base for a postChristmas battle and Conan knows all about the intensity of this fixture.
In 2016, the Leinster backrow was part of a pack that was demolished by their provincial rivals, with his Ireland No8 rival CJ Stander taking home the man-ofthe-match award as Munster cruised to a bonus-point victory.
Conan and a youthful Leinster side stormed Thomond Park the following season thanks to Jordan Larmour’s 60-metre wonder try and an impressive display from second row James Ryan, who was still getting to grips with the rigours of professional rugby.
That 24-34 defeat will be a reference point for the Munster squad this week. Johann van Graan’s men won’t be lacking for motivation come kick-off time tomorrow evening. ‘It was massive,’ Conan recalled. ‘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 and repeat it. It’s going to be a massive challenge and exciting considering the guys have that bit more experience.’
This weekend’s inter-provincial battle will be an opportunity for Conan to finish a frustrating year with a flourish.
Niggling injuries and form issues have hindered the development of a powerful backrower who was tipped to seize the No8 jersey at Leinster following Jamie Heaslip’s retirement and put pressure on CJ Stander in the Ireland pecking order.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way thus far. Stander has been virtually ever-present under Joe Schmidt’s watch since the South African became residency qualified in 2016. Last month, Stander was the main man for the big Tests against Argentina and New Zealand while Conan was called upon for the meetings with Italy and US Eagles.
His position at Leinster has come under threat as well. Leo Cullen handed Dan Leavy the No8 jersey for the visit to Bath. Conan was recalled for the rematch at Lansdowne Road, and he delivered a powerful reminder of his power and skills in the loose with a barnstorming try, swatting away Jamie Roberts in the process.
He will be looking to make up for lost time in 2019. There are domestic and European titles to defend at Leinster, a Six Nations and the big one in Japan looming on the horizon, and Conan will want to be front and centre for all of it. ‘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,’ he said. ‘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 it is great being involved in fantastic things over the last 12 months whether it be with Leinster or Ireland — it’s the big games I wanted to play in and not 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.
‘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 at not starting
that final over in Bilbao and only playing the two games in the Six Nations. You’re always going to be hungrier and never settling and wanting more for yourself.
‘Hopefully, in 2019 I can push on. 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 as champions in Europe.’
Munster possess arguably the best breakdown specialists in the country in the form of Peter O’Mahony and Tadhg Beirne, and Conan’s ball-carrying will be vital to counter the threat of the Munster scavenging duo but he knows he can count on Ryan to share the workload.
‘You look at James Ryan, he is probably the most dynamic ball carrier in Irish rugby at the moment,’ he added.
‘He had 16 carries against Bath and I only had 10. I had three defenders beaten. He had five. With that logic, we could stick him in there (at No8) and he could do a fantastic job.
‘Once you are getting over the gain line, it is harder to poach, it’s harder to slow ball down.’
With Conan on board, Leinster can count on plenty of go-forward ball. As far as the No8 is concerned, he is only heading in one direction from now on.