Christmas for most people in Ireland is a time to switch off. For rugby players, it’s time to switch on. Throughout my career, it always has been.
The interprovincial series is a brilliant end to the rugby year. There’s a festive mood, the crowds come out for the games and there’s always the notion over the few weeks that you are playing in Irish trials.
You are up against guys who you have lived with in the Irish set-up for a good part of the year. But the rivalries are back up and running again. Even when I had over 100 caps last season, it was an opportunity to face those players who I knew were competing against me and for the eye of Andy Farrell.
It also feels busy because the games arrive after the intensity of the November international series of matches and the opening rounds of the Champions Cup.
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So, there is interest and no better time than now for players to make their international shout. Everyone knows the Six Nations squad is announced early in the new year and there are always new faces and players with ambition.
If you take the scrumhalves, Jamison Gibson Park has a hold on the 9 shirt for good reason. He’s been world class for a long time. He’ll be fully aware that Craig Casey, Caolin Blade, Ben Murphy and Nathan Doak will see the matches as a litmus test for them, especially if they play against him.
They will gauge themselves in how they perform against the Irish 9. Their mindset will be “if I play against him and perform, it’s going to look well.”
Therefore, it’s an opportunity for them to take a step towards the Irish jersey as well as a challenge for Jamison to keep reminding them just why he is the number one.
It is the same for the outhalf, although it’s slightly different from the scrumhalf battle because the position hasn’t been nailed down. Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are still tussling to start, but now I think Harry Byrne is worth talking about.
He went on a loan spell to Bristol Bears and it has done him a lot of good. He’s always been a talented player but hasn’t had the opportunities.
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Going away, maturing and coming back to Leinster was a brave move and he has returned with a new lease of life. Leinster are backing him more and Leo Cullen started him last weekend against Leicester, which was a big hat tip to show that he was trusted in such an important game.
He is 100 per cent in that outhalf conversation now with Prendergast and Crowley, and I would be looking for Harry Byrne’s name to appear on the Six Nations training squad when Andy announces it in January.
Players will tell you they are focused on performance, over these weeks, they are aware that Andy, or one of the other Irish coaches, are in the stands watching.
At times when there’s a break in play and Andy’s image is flashed up on the big screen, it’s difficult not to look up because he gets a huge reception.
Although you know he is there, when you see him, it reminds you the next thing you do better be good. You know he’s watching every move with a keen eye.
So, there are subplots to the matches, which are consequential to the league table, with Leinster’s visit to Limerick next week one of the biggest.
It couldn’t be better timed because their 31-14 defeat to Munster in Croke Park in the United Rugby Championship in October was hugely important for the rivalry to ignite again. Leinster had been dominant for too long.
Munster had some wins under their belt, but Croke Park was different in the way they won the game. They showed better physicality, which was critical because Leinster have bullied Munster in recent times and that has been a bitter pill to swallow. The manner in which Munster won was important.
Leinster will have kept that defeat in their locker and they’ll bring it with them on December 27th when I fully expect them to throw a few punches.
I’ve never viewed these matches as tough or missing out on the festivities. If you’re playing just after Christmas, you know you can’t go out and meet friends in pubs, but you know they will all be at the game and you will be playing in front of them.
For that reason, my mindset was always to make sure I played well.
And it’s not as though you can’t have a big Christmas dinner. You can. There’s lots of good stuff in there and you must eat a lot before a rugby match anyway. But you steer clear of the cheeseboard and selection boxes because you don’t want to feel sluggish.
In the broader scheme of things, a rugby career is a narrow window, and for me Christmas has always been an easy sacrifice.
Because of the IRFU’s player welfare scheme, the international players are also given a rest for one of the matches and some players may even get a chance to relax abroad in some winter sun.
Ultimately it is about the different rivalries between provinces, four local teams competing in front of full houses for points and an international examination in the background. It’s definitely a time of year to switch on.
