THIS TIME LAST year, Andrew Conway was absolutely flying. He started all three of Ireland’s 2020 Six Nations games up until the postponement of the championship, delivering a particularly impressive performance in the victory over Wales.
Having been excellent for Munster in the 2019/20 campaign too, Conway had his sights set on earning a place on the 2021 Lions tour as rugby moved towards its resumption last August.
And it was a realistic objective, given that the Dublin native had been playing excellent rugby on a consistent basis.
But it has unfortunately been a frustrating time for the wing recently, with a head injury slowing Conway’s momentum and others pushing ahead of him in the competitive back three battle in the Ireland squad.
Conway has made only three appearances for province and country since November. He has been part of the Ireland squad for the current Six Nations but hasn’t featured on the pitch.
In that sense, his return for Munster for their away win against Edinburgh two weekends ago was very welcome. A linebreak late on was a reminder of how dangerous Conway can be.
Conway, who signed a new three-season deal with Munster last year, was back in Ireland camp last week but didn’t feature in the win over Italy and is now on provincial duty once again as they prepare for Friday night’s Pro14 clash with Connacht at Thomond Park.
Having shown glimpses of his true quality against Edinburgh, there’s no doubting Conway will be motivated to build on that this weekend as he aims to muscle back into Andy Farrell’s Ireland team.
“Andrew’s in a very good place,” said Munster boss Johann van Graan yesterday.
“Obviously he played against Edinburgh for us, it was a comeback performance after quite a bit of time away from the game. He’s in a very good space and he’s available for selection on the weekend.
“He’s still one of the premier wingers in Ireland and still one of the important players – phenomenal in the air, his finishing ability, his X-factor.
“There’s a long season to go and he’s very important for us in terms of where we want to get to in the coming weeks.”
