WEST’S AWAKE AND FARRELL IS READY TO RUMBLE
“I went through many phases in lockdown”
AUGUST can’t come soon enough for Tom Farrell. The promising Connacht centre has been out of action since he suffered a shoulder injury in a European clash with Toulouse last November, but he is relishing Irish rugby’s post-Covid restart next month.
The western province will lock horns with Ulster behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium on August 23. And Farrell’s is raring to go.
Getting his shoulder primed to deal with the many collisions on the rugby pitch was a challenge when social distancing was paramount. Luckily, he could rely on his housemate and Connacht comrade Gavin Thornbury to test it out.
‘We had some tackle bags and different sorts of padding like sausage bags so we were kept busy with them,’ the 27-year-old says.
‘Gav was my human tackle bag for a few weeks!’
Like every other professional rugby player in the country, Farrell is adjusting to the new normal. Connacht tentatively returned to training in the middle of June.
Week by week, the provinces are easing back into some semblance of normality but, for now, every precaution — on and off the pitch — is being taken to ensure the health of safety of all staff and playing staff.
Farrell’s day currently begins by filling out a ‘wellness questionnaire’ prior to arriving at training. Once you arrive through the gates of the Sportsground in Galway, it becomes something of a military operation.
‘It’s a one-way system, you drive into the back car park and you go into a screening hub where your temperature is taken,’ Farrell explains. ‘You then walk through into the gym and then you’re allocated your own space. Your strength and conditioning coach is there waiting for you. He’ll essentially place you where you’re meant to be, you gather what you need — whether it’s different weights, different bands and accessories — and you keep that in your zone.
‘You use that for your entire session and then at the very end, it’s up to you... we have a 10-minute spell at the end of every session to wipe down anything you’ve used and sanitise all your stations. It’s the norm at the moment. It’s just about getting used to that really.
‘It’s totally different now, but that’s just a fact of life. It’s just about dealing with it. All these procedures have been put in place: different screening tests, working in small pods and groups, cleaning stations in the gym, oneway systems around the Sportsground — just all this little measures put in place just to make sure we’re playing our part as well as we can.’
Certain habits have to unlearned in Covid-19 times. Since the days of Pat Lam, it has been customary for all staff to shake hands with everyone they meet when they arrive on site in the morning. It’s all elbows and nods from two metres these days.
‘We would still have that social aspect but it’s just a bit further away,’ says Farrell. ‘We still have that bit of camaraderie around the gym and the bit of craic. It’s just a bit quieter and in smaller groups. It’s the way of life at the moment, isn’t it? It’s just about dealing with that new existence.’
Ironically, the vast majority of players, including Farrell, have returned to action in the shape of their lives. ‘They were probably training more than ever because it was just a way to fill the day,’ he says. ‘We usually get up, get a session in between nine or 10, then get another one in around midday, whether that’s a skills or a gym session, but it was just something to keep you occupied during lockdown.
‘I went through so many phases during lockdown, to be honest, whether it was furnishing the house or DIY in the garden. I actually picked up the guitar to try and learn it for a few weeks, believe or not, but that failed. A bit of Netflix bingeing. We went through a lot of phases.’
And for Farrell, who was part of several Ireland training camps under Joe Schmidt, there is plenty of unfinished business.
‘It’s been quite a long time since I stepped on a rugby pitch so I’m raring to go now.’