Jack Conan turned 30 in Bali. With his partner Ali, the moment, he says, merited a pause. He didn’t wear it too well. Ten years had flown by and if he counted his career in World Cups, the last one, which was the first, ended with his broken foot in a moon boot and on a plane flying out of Japan.
For professional athletes 30-years-old is a wry smile more than a bout of heavy sobbing. But it is moving to a different place and internally the head cruelly understands that there is more rugby behind than in front. Partly, that is what makes this season the most important of Conan’s career.
But the mood music is good. Maybe physically still in his 20s but mentally in his 30s is a sweet balance. As a sign of intent, the Irish and Leinster backrow came back to work two weeks earlier than he had to.
“I had a few moments of not-too-quiet reflection on the eve of my 30th birthday. Myself and my partner were in Bali. I wasn’t dealing with it too well. I was shocked that the last 10 years had gone as they had.
“At the last World Cup, where I had to go home early through injury, I felt I never really got my shot on the biggest stage. Obviously, I played against Scotland in that first game, but I didn’t get a run, a good crack at it.
“As you grow as a rugby player and as a person, it is never really enough given the sport we are in. You always want more. So, I am eager to add to the things I have accomplished so far.”
Conan has Seán O’Brien coaching at Leinster this year. He views that as a rich source. The commonality of their positions means O’Brien has an intimate grasp of the nuances and already the intel is flowing.
Conan admits he would have enjoyed more game time on the summer tour in New Zealand. But being part of it was enriching. He has returned energised and really framing this season as one he wants to shape in his own image. It is a desire and a requirement.
“He was a ruthless competitor,” he says of his coach. “He had that ability to flick the switch and then go on to the pitch. Those little moments of controlled aggression that he was able to bring to everything he did was something that always stood out for me when I played with him or saw him train.
“I think a lot of it is probably more mindset and attitude. Like, there’s no bad rugby players in here. I think the attitude and having that bit of violence when you get your opportunity in those close-quarters is something that Seánie is always teeing up, always mentioning. He has those small drills before training, sharpening that axe the whole time.”
With another World Cup at the end, Conan is not the only player hoping to make this season one where he can blossom. The debrief of the summer by Stuart Lancaster is complete and the what-comes-next bits are done.
The eagerness to get going is in part because of the projects he intends to conduct around making his game better. Josh van der Flier when he worked on his carries, Andrew Trimble when he developed more aggression; in the right player they can be transformative.
“So, the first thing to try and get right physically and I’ve definitely done that,” he says. “I’m incredible fresh the last few weeks and I’m feeling stronger and fitter than I have in a long time, which is great.
“For me, too, probably the impact I can have on both sides of the ball. I know how good I can be when I get my hands on the ball going forward in a bit of space and get to run hard lines. How much can I be better on the other side of the ball, that is probably the biggest area for growth for me.”
This weekend he will likely begin the process in Leinster’s BKT United Rugby Championship match against Benetton on Friday. The 30-years-old thing brings wisdom, too, and the Italians in the RDS is his start to a 12-month spree that involves aspects over which he has no control – luck, timing and injury.
“You can’t always foresee all the junctions on the road,” he says. “Things are ever-changing. Winning makes you weak to some degree. Now that we have gone last season without a win for the first time since 2017, that bit of despair drives the desire massively.”
The page turn in Bali might not have been a bad thing. Conan, eyes wide open, never off the goal.
