WHEN ANDY FARRELL’S name flashed up on Jack Conan’s phone, he sensed bad news. It was a Tuesday evening, this time last year.
The Ireland squad was to be announced the next day. Conan knew he was out. You only get the phone call from the head coach if you are getting the chop. “Look, it’s great to see you back (from injury) but we just don’t think you’ve had enough game time,” Farrell told Conan.
It was a quick conversation preceded by a long recovery from injury. Ever since the 2019 World Cup, he’d been fighting one thing or another. But by last February he was ready to go. It just so happened that the only place he was heading to was Rodney Parade, a dozen miles or so from the Principality Stadium but a world away from a Six Nations weekend.
Those days the URC was called the Pro14. The Dragons were hosting Leinster, Conan there to win his 100th provincial cap. Luke McGrath, their captain, asked him to lead the team out. “Why?” Conan asked. “It is not as if there are any fans.”
McGrath persisted. So out he went, playfully waving at the empty terraces, a form of self-deprecating humour to recognise the surrealism of the moment. “So, I felt like a bit of a mug. I think the lads played up to it a bit and stayed in the sheds a bit longer than you normally would so I was out on that pitch by myself for a few minutes.”
Two weeks later, his purgatory was over. Farrell liked what he saw from Conan in that Dragons game. He’d him back in the squad for the France game and then back in the team for the England one. Since then, the No8 hasn’t looked back, going on tour with the Lions, excelling with Leinster, starring in Ireland’s November series. Today will be his 22nd Ireland cap but the first time he has started a game on the opening weekend of the championship.
“It’s been a long time coming and something I’ve been thinking about for years,” he says. “I feel very fortunate.”
Earlier in his career, rejection had knocked Conan back, prompting him to prioritise things that matter more: the need to have more fun. Every morning, prior to training, he has a word with himself. “Enjoy it, because once you enjoy yourself, you play well.”
That was the pep talk he had before the England game last March, the game that changed people’s perception, not just of him but also of Andy Farrell as a head coach. Neither man has looked back since.
“That England win was hugely important and hugely enjoyable. I had never played against them and had only started, I think, once at home in the Six Nations – so to start against them was massive,” Conan says. “They are one of the teams you always want to play against when you’re growing up.
“Aside from that, it was a good springboard for everything else that came after that with Leinster.
“Rugby is a landscape that is ever changing so I won’t be resting on my laurels anyway. I’ll be looking forward to bring plenty more to the table.”
His motivation that day was to reach a level he’d never previously scaled, just to satisfy an inner yearning.
“That was a hunger that was built over months of frustration over injuries, rehabbing and everything else so it might be different motivation but it’s always really high and there’s no greater motivation than playing for your country at home in Dublin in front of family, friends and loved ones in a full house.
“My motivation changes from time to time but it’s always of the utmost importance.”
Today will be an easy one to get up for. He’s a first choice player – and at 29 – that means he has served a long apprenticeship.
“It has probably taken me a bit longer than I wanted to but a few injuries and then obviously a lot of quality players around as well and probably been guilty of under-performing myself over the years as well.
“But I feel like I’ve gone a long way in my game. I’ve had a fairly consistent last 12 months and that’s put me in a good spot.”
One of seven Leinster players in the pack, he is in familiar company.
“Look it definitely helps to have so many lads from one club playing and being so used to each other. I think, speaking specifically for the back row, the three of us complement each other very well. It’s an absolute joy to play with the two lads. You know what you’re getting every single time. Their work-rate is through the roof.
“I’m always thinking that I just want to be pushing them and at their level and we’re all bringing the best out of ourselves and I think that’s something we’ve done really well over the last few months, whether it be in green or in blue.”
