Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JOEY FACES A BIG TEST
Van Graan: Carbery’s a huge part of my plans but it’s a long journey to get back to his best
JOEY CARBERY can return to his best – but it will take time for him to hit the heights again, warns Johann van Graan.
Carbery, 25, returned to action for Munster when he came off the bench in the victory in Cardiff last weekend, immediately sparking hopes he can be a game-changer at No.10 for the Reds and for Ireland.
Munster head coach van Graan is preaching caution and patience as the former Leinster starlet finds his feet again after 13 months out with ankle and wrist injuries. But while van Graan will look to manage Carbery’s gametime and work-load, he does believe the mercurial out-half is in top-class shape.
“Firstly, I guess the main thing is that you just have to look at his upper body and see that he’s had a very long time in the gym,” said the South African in his press conference ahead of Friday’s clash with Connacht.
“He looks in fantastic physical form.
“In terms of the rugby part of his development, Joey is a true pro. That’s why he started playing international rugby at a very young age.
“He’s a very good example to others so I think the biggest credit I can give him is he’s exactly the same as he was before he was injured, very focused and quietly confident
MUNSTER v CONNACHT THOMOND PARK, FRIDAY, 7.35PM as to where he and this team needs to go. “In terms of the ankle, I’m no medical person. Like I’ve said before, a lot of credit has got to go to the Munster medical staff and the IRFU medical staff that have worked together in getting him to this place.
“In terms of getting back to his best, all evidence at this stage suggests that yes he can.
“It’ll be a journey. You don’t just go from not playing for 13 months to getting back to Test standard.
“He will make mistakes along the way like every player in rugby does. He will have some good games and he will potentially have some average games. Obviously we hope he has a great game every time he puts on the jersey.
“I’ve got a lot of belief in Joey and so does the rest of the team. I think that’s an important message from our side, for me and for us, it’s all about the team.
“He has bought into the club and where we want to go and the journey that we are on.”
Van Graan (inset) revealed yesterday that World Cup winner RG Snyman started straight line running again on Monday after sufferinjury ing an ACL on his debut in
August.
There is no specific timeline for his return – sometime between
“March and June”, said van
Graan.
But Carbery will be firmly a part of his plans during that period.
“Joey has just been himself, quietly confident, very responsive, very alert, doing his preparation as he would do normally,” van Graan explained.
“You wouldn’t think he was out of the game for a very long time.
“That’s just the nature of his character, he doesn’t speak a lot but when he speaks he says the right things, specifically in his position.
“I think the most important thing for Joey is Munster and that’s for Munster to be successful. He’s bought into that from his very first day.
“He’s in a very good space and is really looking forward to the coming months.”
IAN BARACLOUGH is confident Northern Ireland will benefit from an away friendly double header in Turkey and Ukraine at the end of the season.
The Irish FA confirmed yesterday that the national team will face Turkey in Antalya on May 31 followed by a trip to Kyiv on June 3.
The Turks and Ukrainians are using the fixtures to prepare for the rescheduled Euro 2020 finals which kick-off on June 11.
Northern Ireland last met Ukraine at Euro 2016 when they celebrated a famous 2-0 win in Lyon, while their last outing against Turkey was a 1-0 friendly defeat in Adana in 2013.
Baraclough, preparing for the start of the World Cup qualifiers later this month, said: “This is a great way to continue building towards a
potential World Cup 2022 spot.
“It will allow the players to regroup after a long season in sunnier climes and face off against some solid opposition. Clearly we would rather be competing at the Euros but it will be an enjoyable week and a chance to look even closer at our pool of players.”
Northern Ireland, who missed out on the Euros when they lost November’s playoff to Slovakia, kick off their World Cup campaign in three weeks’ time.
They face Italy in Parma on March 25 before welcoming Bulgaria to Windsor Park on March 31.
Those two qualifiers bookend a first ever game with the USA in a friendly in Belfast on March 28.
After the summer friendlies in Turkey and Ukraine, the World Cup campaign resumes against Lithuania (A) and Switzerland (H) on September 2 and 8.