How handy that Leinster should put Jack Conan up for media duty this week — handy for the small knot of journalists that met him in UCD on Thursday afternoon, anyway. Not only did we get to ask him about captaining his club in Bristol this evening. We also had the chance to pursue a rumour that has been brewing for a couple of months.
It was towards the end of September that the story appeared in the French media: Conan was on Racing 92’s shopping list for next season. It was plausible: Stuart Lancaster is head coach at Racing.
Caelan Doris’s accession to the Ireland captaincy gives him an even firmer grip on the number eight jersey; Conan will be 35 come the 2027 World Cup.
Another possible strand to the story is that Conan hasn’t featured for Ireland since March. He missed the South Africa tour in July because of the birth of his first child. A torn hamstring meant that last month was a write-off. It would be understandable if he was feeling a little detached.
Except that Leo Cullen and Andy Farrell made sure this wasn’t the case. Cullen has entrusted him with the captaincy whenever Doris has been away. Farrell was typically understanding when Conan opted out of the South African tour and also invited him to the Aviva for the Australia game last week. Conan appreciated the gesture.
“You do feel a little bit on the outside,” he says. “You don’t want to be getting in the way or distracting lads. But I absolutely loved it. I was very appreciative to get in and even to be down pitch-side before the game, watching the lads warm up and everything. It was class. It would make you miss it even more — that kinda special environment and how great it is to be involved.”
This opens the door nicely for that question about his contractual situation. Leaving for the Top 14 offers a life experience and a bump in salary but would signal the end of his international career. So, how strong is the lure of playing for Ireland?
The experienced No8’s leadership is greatly valued at Leinster
SAM BARNES/SPORTSFILE VIA GETTY IMAGES
“It’s huge,” Conan says. “It’s the biggest decision. It’s the thing that’s at the forefront of my mind constantly, because if I was to leave …”
And here he pauses, before his conscience gets the better of him. “I’m more than likely not going to leave but …”
Then another pause before he concedes: “No, I won’t be leaving.”
Cue general laughter.
The moment is revealing. Conan hasn’t actually signed with the IRFU yet. He knew coming into the interview that he would be asked about this. Maybe he thought he’d bluff his way through with vague
answers. But vagueness is mercifully beyond him. His honesty is what makes him such a likeable bloke and surely such a highly-valued team-mate.
He admits that becoming a dad for the first time made him consider the financial benefits of a move to France — and a few clubs had expressed an interest, he says. But playing for his country trumps
everything, and that includes three Test caps for the Lions in 2021.
“When I was making the decision, I had that thought: Have I played my last game for Ireland?” he says. “That was something I wasn’t ready to admit to myself.
“And because I was playing so well the last few months, bar the injury and stuff, I still feel like I can produce at that level. So yeah, I’m just not ready to walk away from it. It’s the greatest honour, Lions
included.
“It’s what you dreamt of growing up. I never thought about playing for the Lions. It wasn’t ever on my radar, really, you know? I didn’t grow up in a rugby household so it wasn’t really a thing. It’s an incredible honour but playing for your country is the greatest thing you can do as a rugby player. Now look, maybe I don’t get in there again. But I just couldn’t make that decision.”
Ireland missed Conan’s directness last month, his energy and reliability. But Leinster can now benefit from his leadership without him having to untangle himself from a month with Ireland and all of the de-learning and re-learning this entails.
The first European game after a Test window is traditionally when Leinster are at their most vulnerable. Cullen has had to re-integrate 19 internationals this week, as well as adding the recently-arrived Jordie Barrett to the mix. By Thursday there hadn’t been time for Conan to consider the emotional aspect of returning to a tournament which has caused the club so much heartbreak recently.
“You can’t bring the Ireland players back in to this highly pitched emotional environment,” he says. “They need to get across their detail. There’s no point being highly strung, so we haven’t stoked the emotional fires yet.
The arrival of baby Remi meant missing the summer tour
BRENDAN MORAN/SPORTSFILE VIA GETTY IMAGES
“It feels like Groundhog Day saying this again but we’ve had a tough few years, falling short by the smallest of margins. But you look at the group with RG [Snyman], Rabah [Slimani] and now Jordie coming in, and it’s a pretty special time to be here.”
And what of Barrett, who will make his Leinster debut off the bench? “He’s absolutely massive!” Conan says, laughing. “I can’t get over the size of him. He’s unbelievably imposing so everyone is excited to see what he can do. You can see that he’s a real student of the game. He seems a very curious bloke, having lots of conversations to get on top of detail. I think he’s going to be huge for us over the next few months.”
Bristol are unlikely to test Barrett’s aerial ability, simply because they rarely kick the ball anyway. Pat Lam’s wide-wide pattern game has brought them success in the Premiership (currently second, they trail Bath only on points difference) and will remind viewers of the strategy that brought Connacht a Pro12 title in 2016. Coincidentally, their fly half today is AJ MacGinty, while Kieran Marmion is on the bench.
Last week, the Bears stormed The Stoop, scoring six tries to Harlequins’ three — though Leinster won’t allow them anything like the same space to run and to off-load.
Lam’s philosophy — “to make it uncomfortable for our opponents” — relies on high-risk and high tempo, but it’s hard to imagine that Leinster’s fitness will be found wanting. Conan certainly looks in the shape of his life. One benefit of rehabbing from calf and hamstring injuries is that he’s recording personal bests for speed and power.
Missing the odd tour is no harm, if it promotes longevity. Once he and his wife Ali knew that they were due for July 11 — two days before the second Test against the Springboks – Conan was straight
on to Farrell. The coach was typically understanding.
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Conan says. “It really is. I’m loving it. We’re blessed. Remi is fantastic. She’s so relaxed. Nothing is worth missing the birth of your first child. There was no decision to be made.”
As it turned out, Remi arrived two weeks early, just after the squad touched down in Johannesburg, but Conan didn’t bring up the possibility of arriving late on tour. “I didn’t ask,” he smiles. “I’m not
brave enough for that.”
He’s a smart decision-maker on and off the pitch. No wonder Leinster and Ireland value him so highly.
Bristol Bears v Leinster
Champions Cup
Sunday, kick-off 5.30pm
TV Premier Sports