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back to the grindstone

Summer's over: Here's how your favourite Irish rugby stars spent their holidays

Jackson and Henderson went to the woods, Heaslip acted out some Will Smith lyrics and everybody broke their diet plan wide open.

IT’S BACK TO the grindstone for Ireland’s best and brightest rugby players this week. Preparation for the World Cup didn’t really come to a full stop over the summer, so it can’t exactly begin now, but it does get serious as pre-season training takes hold.

Here’s how Ireland’s internationals wound down over their summer off.

First on the menu, some well-deserved deviation from the nutritional plan

It helps to be in the USA for maximised calorific-ness!

jamieheaslip / Instagram

Iain Henderson and Stu Olding took in their hot dogs at an LA Dodgers game. Always with the sport.

hendy_102 / Instagram

This place was always going to lure in Proper Church.

properchurch / Instagram

ON WITH THE HOLLIERS!

Jamie Heaslip started off in San Francisco…

jamieheaslip / Instagram

… before becoming a walking Will Smith song by hitting the Caribbean seas and then, hopping on a jet-ski (lounging by the palm trees etc).

jamieheaslip / Instagram

Half the Ulster squad went to America too

pjackson10 / Instagram

Well, Iain Henderson, Paddy Jackson, Craig Gilroy and Stuart Olding (plus their friend John Elliot) at least.

Iain Henderson hopped on the greatest bandwagon in sport by buying a Golden State Warriors hat. Jackson kept closer to his roots.

hendy_102 / Instagram

But like anyone with an Irish complexion, he needed bigger hat.

hendy_102 / Instagram

Cian Healy hit Vegas, and the gym!

Just to keep it all ticking over.

properchurch / Instagram

Conor Murray got stuck into a book in Portugal

We can’t be sure, but it looks like Red Notice by Bill Browder to us, a heavy enough read.

conormurray9 / Instagram

conormurray9 / Instagram

And the gang got back together to collectively dread pre-season while at Johne Murphy’s wedding.

conormurray9 / Instagram

Sean O’Brien spent most of the last month raising awareness about farm safety.

seanobrien678 / Instagram

Not to mention, practicing what he preached.

seanobrien678 / Instagram

All good things must come to an end

After Mike Ross shipped out of Ireland and into Boston, the return to reality was more real than he expected this week.

Bring on the World Cup so.

properchurch / Instagram

There’s an exciting sevens competition coming to Dublin this summer

Scotland’s World Cup jerseys are here and they involve tartan

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