1
'I was dying for a game before I got the opportunity and angry...'
Veteran prop Cian Healy has insisted he is not going anywhere as he battles to regain a starting spot for Ireland. The 34-year-old was restricted to three cameos during the Autumn Nations Series, with Leinster teammate Andrew Porter switched from tighthead to loosehead for Dublin wins over Japan, New Zealand and Argentina. Healy also had to settle for coming off the bench for two of his country’s final three matches of this year’s Six Nations after Munster’s Dave Kilcoyne was preferred by head coach Andy Farrell.
ADVERTISEMENT
With the start of the 2022 championship little more than two months away, Ireland’s fourth most-capped player is intent on reclaiming the No1 jersey and says his desire to play international rugby remains as strong as ever. “Go back to the beginning of November, I was dying for a game before I got the opportunity and angry that I wasn’t getting the opportunity earlier,” said Healy, who has made 112 appearances for Ireland.
“You are representing your country and it doesn’t matter what (shirt) number it is – if you get an opportunity to get on the field you have to be doing your best and push the lads on and put pressure on Dave and Andrew to try and get that position myself.
“And that is going to bring them up as well, and we have to do each other justice. If you were to just lax off and not push people for that number one spot, then you are probably not going to end up in camp – that is the realistic part of it. You have to push standards, my desire to push those standards is the same as ever and I’m loving every minute of what I do, so I’m not going anywhere.”
Healy claimed the sixth of seven Ireland tries in Sunday’s 53-7 success over Argentina, having begun the month by scoring as a replacement in the 60-5 triumph against Japan. The Ireland team which finished the clash with Los Pumas had an average age of just 24 after international rookies Harry Byrne, Craig Casey, Dan Sheehan, Ryan Baird and Tom O’Toole were brought on from the bench.
"The red-carded Tomas Lavanini did illustrate this fixture still has a place for villains but…"
– @heagneyl 👨💻 was at Aviva Stadium where a once monster rivalry was given its last rites#IREvARG #AutumnNationsSeries #Ireland #Argentinahttps://t.co/2URndycatZ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 21, 2021
Healy, who was the third oldest member of Farrell’s squad this month behind captain Johnny Sexton and wing Keith Earls, is pleased to see young talent earning the chance to impress. “It’s class, it’s deadly,” he said. “It’s so important to environments to see people coming through and see people getting opportunities.
“If you are good enough, you’re old enough and they have certainly shown that. As a whole we are building pretty well, just getting everyone on the right page and playing the style of rugby that we want to.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments