HEADING INTO HIS fifth season with Connacht, Jarrad Butler feels less comfortable than ever.
It’s not that he isn’t at home with the western province or that he doesn’t enjoy life in Ireland. It’s simply that the 30-year-old feels more under pressure for his place than before.
With younger back rows like Paul Boyle, Cian Prendergast, and Sean Masterson having pushed through, along with the presence of the combative Conor Oliver, explosive Abraham Papali’i, and experienced Eoghan Masterson, Connacht have some fine back rows to pick from.
To be fair, Butler has been a consistently excellent performer for Connacht since joining in 2017. He has only come off the bench four times in his four seasons so far. When Butler has been fit, he has virtually always started for Connacht.
But the increased competitiveness is reflected in the fact that Butler’s title as the squad’s leader has shifted from ‘captain’ to ‘club captain’ this season.
“How that works week to week just depends on the team,” says Butler. “We wanted to make sure that everyone is playing for and competing for a jersey. If you’re not playing well, you’re not going to be in the team and that’s the same for me.
“It adds a lot of accountability for everyone and it doesn’t matter if you’re part of the leadership group. You need to be doing the job on the pitch if you want to be considered for the next weekend. We changed the wording to club captain and then we’ll play it week to week.”
When he joined Connacht from the Brumbies four years ago, Butler never imagined things working out so well for him.
“It has been a rollercoaster,” says the former Australia U20 international. “I came over here just looking to try something new I suppose, to play in the Northern Hemisphere. What I found here is a really strong club, a really strong community behind it as well, and I very much fell in love with the whole place and the whole set-up here at Connacht.
“I’ve been here a long time now, I feel like a journeyman almost. But this club is the one that I’ve been at the longest now. I’ve been here longer than I was at the Brumbies or the Reds and I was reflecting the other day that I wouldn’t have really thought that.
“I’m really enjoying my time. I don’t think I’m comfortable and actually this is probably the least comfortable I’ve been in a while because of where the squad is at and the competitiveness that we’ve had in the back row in particular. I feel like it’s getting the best out of me.”
While Butler was initially set to become Irish-qualified in 2020, the fact that he wasn’t capped by Ireland at that stage means he now has to complete five years of residency under the new World Rugby regulations.
It’s not something he is spending any time thinking about, with his focus entirely on Connacht and enjoying life in Barna, a village just outside Galway.
“We’ve had decent weather at the moment and I’ve been trying to play a bit more golf before we run out of time, the season kicks in and you’re tired all the time,” says Butler.
“Galway is the perfect place to live – it’s not too busy or built up, it’s quiet. For me, being an old bugger, I just sit out in Barna at home and then come in and train. Galway is beautiful and I’m enjoying it here.”
