JACK CARTY HAS been told that if he can produce the goods at a wet, windswept Sportsground, he can reproduce them in Japan where the humidity is set to take its toll not only on the players, but the ball.
Carty and Ireland arrived in Chiba, a prefecture just outside the capital city of Tokyo, in the middle of last week, and the local weather has been decidedly inconsistent since.
Just like home, chimes the Connacht out-half, who will hope to feature off the bench for Ireland in Yokohama this Sunday despite his Munster counterpart Joey Carbery training fully for the first time following his ankle injury on Monday.
“Yeah, first day or two, jet lag and that,” Carty said. “But got over that now.
“It’s been a bit strange. I suppose two days ago it was really warm, I got scalded and now today is rain. It’s a bit like Galway nearly. We’ve all settled in. The locals here in Chiba have been really welcoming to us. It’s just been great so far.
“I got scalded in Galway as well!”
While Carbery’s return to fitness is a timely boost for Ireland ahead of their probably pool decider with Scotland, it has been overshadowed somewhat by two potential blows. Rob Kearney (calf) emerged as an injury concern only after Carty spoke, but the 27-year-old had been long aware of the prospective loss of one of his former partners in crime, Robbie Henshaw (hamstring), whose impact in Ireland’s final warm-up victory over Wales was marked.
“Look, Robbie last week — you could see the energy he brought, especially in defence,” said Henshaw’s fellow Marist College alumnus.
“I think obviously for himself it’s probably a bit of a blow, but if you look at the three lads who are there — Bundee [Aki], Ringer (Garry Ringrose) and Chris [Farrell] — they bring their own little things to the pitch and when they’re at their best, they’re world-class. Look, it’s obviously really bitterly disappointing for Robbie, he’ll be working hard to try to get back. I suppose it’s an opportunity for the other three lads to step in and step up.”
On sound footing, then, for now.
But for how long? Scotland have been training with shampoo-soaked balls in a bid to replicate the greasy effects of Japan’s humidity, while Wales have opted for a dousing of baby oil ahead of their own Pool D kick-off.
Heavy rain is currently forecast for Ireland’s pool opener with the Scots, which will present its own difficulty underfoot and with ball in hand.
Carty, though, doesn’t expect to slip up if or when he’s called upon, be it on Sunday or beyond.
“Pretty similar to what I’m used to in Galway,” he says of the Japanese conditions.
I was doing a few kicking reps with Enda McNulty there today and he was just putting scenarios in my head and look, it was quite windy where we were and quite wet, so I suppose it’s nice to have had those conditions regularly throughout the year.
“So I think whether it’s that (warm, rainy) — which it looks like it could be — at the weekend, or whether it’s going to be drier and humid, we’ve obviously had our warm-weather conditioning training in Portugal and that, so I think we’re well-prepped for whatever it is at the weekend.”
If you can do it in the Sportsground, you can do it anywhere?
“Exactly — he actually said that! That’s what Enda said. So, touch wood, it will all go well.”
Carty also shed light on how All-Star-winning former Armagh footballer McNulty goes about replicating a high-pressure environment during a kicking session: essentially, by acting the berk:
When you’re lining up a kick, he might say the odd time, ‘It’s the 66th minute’, or he might say, ‘A howling windy day’ and he’ll come over and kick the ball off the tee. So it’s about not trying to get too annoyed with him for doing that; trying to stay cool and calm and obviously go through the process again, that you’ve already went through because he’s kicked the ball off the tee. Yeah, they’re the things that he did today, so they’re quite beneficial.
“I find it works. Obviously, if that scenario does come up at the weekend or throughout the tournament or whenever, it’s obviously something that might tap into the back of your head: ‘You’ve already done it’. It’s good to get them done now.”
Carty will meet up with his friend, Kiwi-native former Connacht openside Nepia Fox-Matamua, on Thursday.
Ireland could well face Fox-Matamua’s homeland in a World Cup quarter-final, but Carty is also relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against another man from New Zealand.
“I think we have a training session against one of the teams in a couple of months, Kobe Steelers. I think Dan Carter is with them, so it would be pretty cool to train against him if he was playing.”
Former Ireland performance analyst and current coaching wizard of OZ Eoin Toolan joins Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey to predict Ireland’s World Cup, break down every pool, and call the overall winners.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
