Irish Daily Star - Inside Sport
You don’t think you are ever going to get back to where you need to be
BRIGGS RELISHING NEW ROLE WITH IRELAND
THE PROCESS is the same.
Physio, gym, bike, swim, repeat.
But the goal is a modest one these days.
“When you are playing you are always rehabbing towards a goal, you are rehabbing to get back, to play a tournament, to play a match,” says Munster and Ireland legend Niamh Briggs.
“Now I’m just rehabbing to be able to walk out my door and go for a run.
“Sometimes it’s a lot to think about. Sometimes it’s very difficult not to let that overpower you.”
It’s two-and-a-half years since Briggs suffered a horror injury while playing for Munster against Ulster.
She dislocated her ankle and suffered catastrophic damage to her ligaments and fibula.
Despite her best efforts — Briggs was no stranger to bouncing back from serious injury — her playing days were over.
The toughest part mentally, however, has been the knock-on effect.
Injuries
“I have had a huge amount of injuries over the last few years, including one that has stayed with me since 2019, which I can’t really seem to shake,” the new Ireland assistant coach told the Irish Daily Star.
“That has been the big focus, because your quality of life is impacted by it.
“It can kind of get you down at times. I’m an incredibly positive person, but I am also not agin to finding things difficult and trying to work my way out of things, especially when my body is not playing ball, or doing what my mind wants me to do.
“That can be frustrating, for sure.”
Briggs still has sporting ambitions, on top of her work as a member of An Garda Síochána and her new role in Greg McWilliams’ coaching staff.
But her plan to complete a triathlon — and then another one, and another one after that — is on hold until she gets the allclear from medics.
Right now she has no idea when the green light will come, making the process all the more gruelling.
“I can’t even tell how far off I am, because I keep thinking I’m close to it and then something else happens,” she said.
“I have obviously had a lot of injuries and I’ve missed out on a huge amount.
Quality
“You think they are the worst points, but now that I have finished playing and this injury affects my quality of life, it is definitely something that plays on my mind a lot.
“I am still relatively young, I’m not that old, and when you can’t walk out your door and go for a 5k run, or some days you can’t walk around the block, that’s tough going.
“When you know you are coaching and you can’t run after
people, because you are just not able to run fast, it’s more frustrating than anything.
“But I am very aware of the fact that I went into playing rugby knowing that it was a collision sport and I’d be under pressure physically. I get that.
“It’s just tough to take now, because it affects my quality of life.”
Briggs finds solace in her daily workouts. She has found ways to stay active without setting her rehabilitation back.
She spent “a few grand” on a new bicycle last summer and signed up to the Cycling Ireland app.
Moment
“I needed something that was going to push me without breaking me, because my body at the moment is not good enough,” she said.
“We all know the benefits of exercising and being healthy, not just for your body and mind.
“But for me it is especially good to get out and do something, because things can fester in my mind. The hamster will go and go and go.
“For a long time I couldn’t do anything. You become very insular in your thinking and you probably don’t think you are ever going to get back to where you need to be.
“But that comes in fits and spurts. I’m definitely a positive person, so I like to think about things I can do and other ways I can keep myself fit and healthy.
“That’s a big challenge, but it’s probably one that I am enjoying too.”
Her recent appointment as Ireland assistant coach — ahead of next month’s Six Nations kick off — has also helped take her mind off the long and winding road from Musgrave Park in August 2019.
Intense
“It’s class. I’m super excited. I love coaching. I didn’t think I would when I was playing, because I was so cranky and intense when I was a player,” Briggs said. “I used to think, Jesus, I wouldn’t like to be dealing with 30 of me. “But when I stopped playing, I think with the injuries and things being taken out of your control, it makes you see the other side of things.
“I also got a bit of my life back too and it makes you remember what you were missing, if that makes any sense, more than anything else.
“You start to relax and become a little bit more mellow.
“When I started to coach I realised that it was more about the people than the rugby, and I loved that.
“I love connecting with people and challenging people. It’s a big challenge and one that I am really looking forward to.
“I am very excited to work with Greg. He is class at what he does.
“I definitely know I am going to be a better rugby coach, but I am also going to be a better person from working with him, and that is a really good thing to be involved with.”