‘Surely not? Doing it all again in the exact same spot?’ - Jack Conan's worry

Fit-again Ireland back-rower Jack Conan suffered flashbacks to Japan four years ago as he contemplated being sent home injured from a second successive Rugby World Cup.

The 31-year-old feared his tournament was over before it had begun during a bumpy road to recovery from another foot issue.

Conan is pushing to feature in a pivotal Pool B showdown with Scotland on October 7 after “flogging” himself back to fitness from torn ligaments sustained in his country’s warm-up win over Italy on August 5.

The British and Irish Lion was optimistic about his rehabilitation before travelling to France but then felt he was “cooked” following a setback which left him with a crushing sense of deja vu.

“It’s been very frustrating,” said Conan. “I was doing very well before I arrived over here and then I hit a bit of a road-block that pushed it back a few weeks.

“I ran the Thursday morning before we left and it went really well, my best running session.

“Literally, two days after that it capitulated to some degree and I went for scans.

“I had flashbacks to sitting in some random Japanese hospital in the middle of nowhere with Ciaran (Ruddock, Ireland’s assistant athletic performance coach) four years’ ago, with Ciaran again, and I was saying: ‘Surely not? Doing it all again in the exact same spot?’

“Thankfully, this one’s had a far better outcome.

“I tore a few ligaments in my foot against Italy. Then I was coming back from that and ended up over-compensating with other bones in my foot and got bone bruising.

“There was definitely a stage where I thought: ‘this is me, I’m cooked’. Three or four weeks’ ago, I thought I was going home.”

Number eight Conan came off the bench in Ireland’s 2019 World Cup opener against Scotland but then suffered a stress fracture in his foot ahead of the shock defeat to hosts Japan, resulting in his early departure.

The Leinster player is hoping for another crack at the Scots on the biggest stage as he seeks to repay the faith of head coach Andy Farrell.

“To get pulled aside and to say: ‘Look, we’re going to keep you on, we know you’re going to get better, we going to give you the time you need’ filled me with a lot of confidence,” said Conan, who was selected ahead of Connacht’s Cian Prendergast and Munster’s Gavin Coombes.

“It took the edge off me a little bit.

“I was able to relax and just focus on getting better and not be worrying that they’re going to send me home or anything like that.

“In fairness to Cian and Gav, the two of them had incredible pre-seasons and I’m grateful they were patient with me.

“My one cap in a World Cup so far was against Scotland so it will be good to add another one.

“Hopefully I get that opportunity next week but it’s such a joy to be out running around with the lads and get back with a ball in your hands and switching off from all the rehab a little bit.”

Ireland are on the cusp of the quarter-finals after backing up bonus-point wins over Romania and Tonga by defeating reigning champions South Africa.

“The lads have gone unbelievably well the last few weeks,” said Conan.

“It’s always a bit strange watching on from a distance and the lads are out on the pitch, I’m flogging myself on the rower or in the gym. It’s great to be back.

“I’d much rather be playing. It’s a lot more easier on the heart than it is sitting in the stands.”

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