More to Heaslip than odd carry here and there

JAMIE HEASLIP smiles as he is surrounded by a phalanx of tape recorders, offering a light-hearted greeting. Ireland’s number eight is theoretically on a day off, at least from national team chores, but he is in a Dublin business park to fulfil commercial obligations to a sponsor.

Today he’ll head for Cork and a two-day Ireland camp that will herald the beginning of preparations for Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England at Croke Park on Saturday week. It’s been an excellent fortnight for Heaslip on a personal level, producing two exceptional performances for the national side in victories over France and Italy.

An outstanding try against the French was almost replicated in Rome, only to be thwarted by a last-ditch tackle a metre or so short of the Italian line. Heaslip is no longer cocooned in a green jersey by the collective noun, backrow, instead demonstrating his considerable individual attributes, whether making the hard yards off the base of the scrum or lengthening his stride in less confined spaces.

He’s quick to admonish the notion, though, that he doesn’t attend to the more mundane chores of his position. “The season so far I probably haven’t got as much ball as I have in the past with Leinster. I’m not going to give out too much about it. I think there is more to me than the odd carry here and there.

“I want to make tackles, slow up ball and poach ball when I can and get in for a few runs. I like the way we (Ireland) are playing. We’re throwing it about when we have to and playing it tight when we need to as well.”

He’s also quick to acknowledge that Ireland’s tight five has facilitated the impact he’s made in ball carrying terms from set-pieces. “The backrow didn’t really attack that much off the scrum but the week before we did and I couldn’t say enough about the front five.

“Especially John (Hayes), he was just making my life so easy to attack it was a joke! At 50 years old and he is still pulling these games out of the hat!

“You can’t say enough about the man. But I’d say he was a little bit annoyed Mal (O’Kelly) got on to keep ahead of him (most capped Ireland player record). Mal reckons he is going to stretch it out for as long as possible.”

Heaslip’s easy humour peppers the conversation but he was more straight-faced when paying further tribute to the front five. “Those guys are getting through an unbelievable amount of work, in rucks and making tackles. Stuff that maybe isn’t as glamorous but you look through that video and see the work they did. It loosens up things for the backrow and they can do their thing: it has a knock-on effect to the backs as well. The game always starts on how well your front five play and how they set the tone.”

The easy symmetry between Heaslip, Stephen Ferris and David Wallace in the backrow is an appreciable asset in Ireland’s last two games but as the Leinster player points out it is an understanding that has grown through time and application. There were bumpy beginnings in the November Test series but dialogue with management and additional hours on the training ground have smoothed over any wrinkles.

Ireland’s performances up front in the two matches are a tribute not alone to the players but to the work of forwards’ coach Gert Smal. Heaslip enthuses: “He’s good. With regards to the rugby, he is intense. He is very, very detailed. With regards to lineouts, he does an unbelievable amount of work along with Paulie (O’Connell) and I think you can see that with the way we are defending lineouts.

“In open play he does a lot of continuity and rucking drills and most of the time you are seeing the offloading and reasonably quick, clean ball. He loves his scrums, loves his front five. Off the pitch we’re trying to slag him about that punch he knocked out a Kiwi with, but he’s not really taking to that too well.”

The spectre of England looms and Heaslip will draw upon the disappointment he felt when losing at Twickenham last year. He wasn’t at Croke Park the previous year, taking an armchair view instead to marvel at the occasion. “It wasn’t nice last year. Losing never is – especially against England. I think a lot of people have written them off and it’s unfair. Wales took one chance that turned the game. It was a turnover ball and anything can happen with those. We’re going to have our work cut out.

“With England you are going to get a big mobile pack and they have good quality backs to pick from: they are going to be a tough side no matter what. It’s definitely going to be another war of attrition and I think you have seen that in the Heineken Cup when Irish provinces play English teams.

“They carry hard and hit hard and the only way to answer that is to do the same thing back and do it for the full 80 (minutes).”

The last sentiment is a familiar remit for Heaslip and Ireland this season in the Six Nations and one they’d love to extend both in performance and victory.