Jamie Heaslip’s return to number eight bodes well for Leinster

Public opinion was wrong. Jamie Heaslip’s form never dipped. Certainly not in the mind of Warren Gatland or Joe Schmidt.

Selection for the British and Irish Lions was never in doubt. Why would Gatland do a Lions media day with the Ireland captain a full month out from naming his touring squad?

Why would the Leinster management nod towards their statistics board (where he reigns supreme in most of the forwards primary duties) or Declan Kidney champion him as a leader of men?

Schmidt summed it up perfectly after Heaslip's marauding performance in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final dismissal of Biarritz. "When we didn't have Seán O'Brien the plays are set up for Jamie to carry a bit more."

That’s all it was. These past three seasons Heaslip was readily shoe-horned into a hybrid role in both Leinster and Ireland backrows, part number eight part fetcher.

O'Brien's absence of late with a calf strain meant a more natural seven in Shane Jennings has freed him up.

Season-defining
Three tries in two season-defining matches was the pay-out. It meant the 29-year-old became a fully fledged number eight again, like, say, Toby Faletau or Sergio Parisse of Stade Francais.

Those two are likely to face off in Hong Kong on June 1st for the Lions and Barbarians, as the Leinster players will almost certainly be rested for that game after playing two finals in eight days.

“A lot of guys who are training now in Cardiff need to get some game time and that probably might be the priority there,” Heaslip said.

That means outplaying Parisse – as he did Imanol Harinordoquy of Biarritz – on Friday will provide another timely reminder that the incumbent Lions number eight intends to keep his jersey.

“I was chatting to (Parisse) for a good while after the Italy game. He was telling me he was going to be playing in the Barbarians game and he was looking forward to seeing me then. He’s a good guy and I can’t say a bad word about him.

"Attacking-wise he has got a lot of threats – he can carry it hard, he has got very, very good ball-playing and distribution skills and he likes to kick as well."

Elite number eights
As far as elite number eights in world rugby go, Heaslip remains among the aforementioned, along with Kieran Read and Pierre Spies.

The equally powerful and abrasive Scott Higgingbottom will be keen to join this short-list next month as the Wallabies are expected to employ him at the back of their scrum.

Speaking inside government buildings on Merrion Street yesterday, to promote a rugby event in UCD for The Gathering on August 17th, Heaslip was asked about what seemed, to the untrained eye, a return to form in recent weeks. “No, I’m very happy with how the year has gone, nice and consistent.”

You do seem more prominent? “No, again, I’m very happy. Nothing really special about the whole year really.”

He stands over every performance. Seven Ireland caps as captain, 17 Leinster appearances, playing 80 minutes on 15 occasions, with two more finals before the Western Force on June 5th or Queensland Reds on June 8th looking like the start of his second Lions tour.

“It’s been a roller coaster of a year alright. Someone was saying to me ‘would you like to be over in Cardiff right now?’ There’s two sides to that: yes I would, obviously, but also I like the fact that after such a long season we are playing for some silverware.

“We don’t go through all those horrible, cold and wet games in winter to not be playing for anything at the end of the year so we are really lucky to be challenging for something this weekend.”