Jack Conan is, as ever, honest.
“The lads are pretty banged up,” he says.
There is a hint of frustration in his voice. The unblemished face. No cuts or bruises, no abrasions to show. The sense is Conan wouldn’t have minded had he arrived in the Irish team training camp in Dublin pretty banged up.
His frustrating season has been that way. A few things here and there, a cut on his eye. He just has not been able to get a momentum shift, and a backrow start.
He had 11 minutes off the bench against South Africa. Did a job. Didn’t concede ground to the Springboks, which would have cost the match. He’s grateful for it. But more time would have been a fuller meal and he understands why Andy Farrell kept faith with Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris.
Conan also knows that he wouldn’t be on the bench unless he was a competitive animal. Still, he wants more.
“Grand like, I’d 11 minutes. You just want to come on and not make a mistake that loses the lads the game,” he says.
No, he hasn’t made it a conversation piece with Andy Farrell. Time and place, he thinks and, well, there are two more games, a Six Nations Championship and a series of pre-World Cup matches next summer.
“No, no, I didn’t. Sometimes you feel the need to say ‘Why amn’t I playing here?” says Conan. “What more do you need to see from me?’ But it’s early on in the campaign, so I just wanted to take my opportunity when I got it at the weekend, and then hopefully I’ll be in with a shout for this weekend from the start.
“I didn’t feel like I got the opportunity to do a whole lot [against South Africa]. But that was just part of the nature of the last 10 minutes. We were trying to keep it tight and not give them anything. I’d one opportunity to jump in the lineout and contribute something. Obviously, I’d have liked more minutes. But the lads went well and it was a very tight game. So, I understand the lack of changes.”
His mild pique is normal, roundly expected and given the company around him required. The bench is a place of easily-found exasperation. But the season has been a niggle, a sore back, a bloody eye against Connacht, which on their own were manageable but injuries sometimes accumulate with compound interest.
But Conan has not missed any training sessions with the Irish team and physically has no issues. The feeling is that moving on, maybe on Saturday against Fiji, is at least a chance to be able to paint on a bigger canvas.
“Early on I was bit in and out,” he says. “I had a few knocks and things like that, so it was a bit of a stop-start kind of few weeks. But I’m feeling good, haven’t missed out on training sessions here. Body feels great so hopefully I will get an opportunity at the weekend and get a proper run out.
“I’ve just had little things. My back was at me one day. I had a load of just little things that were poorly timed with a lot of the games. I cut my eye open against Connacht and that was just something that couldn’t get fixed up in time to go back on. It’s great to be here. It’s great to be in camp back with Ireland and winning games.”
The expectations are for Fiji to provide a physical aspect to their game and to run the ball from everywhere and always. Talent is rarely an issue for Fijian sides. But structure and discipline have been aspects that in the past have not matched ability.
Last week against Scotland lock Ratu Rotuisolia saw yellow 90 seconds into his Test debut for a needless block on scrumhalf Ali Price from an offside position.
With Vern Cotter, the former Scotland coach, now guiding Fiji, things may change. Clearly Rotuisolia has shown that might be a longer road than Cotter anticipated.
“It’s a different challenge in Fiji, but again massive physical bodies, so it won’t be easy. South Africa wouldn’t play a whole lot in their own half, whereas with Fiji, it’s the complete opposite, they will play from anywhere,” says Conan.
“We were looking at clips today of them playing against Wales last year. Tuicuvu takes a mark on the 22. There’s 44 minutes gone. They’re down a red card. Most teams would just kick the ball and play in the other half.
“But he takes it quickly and goes, and they run 80 metres. So, that’s the challenge this week. You have to be on consistently for 80 minutes because you know that these lads are going to take any opportunity, even if it’s not on, they’re going to run and play. They’ll play far more expansively than South Africa will.
“The ability they have to a man to beat people one-on-one is some of the best in the world. So, there will be no time to switch off or catch your breath really. It’ll be a consistent performance that is needed to beat them.”
Players with points to make and rugby needs to satisfy, there is a strong chance of real game time. For Conan and others, that’s game on.
