RUGBY:JERRY FLANNERY and Gordon D'Arcy have undertaken similar routes from the treatment table to the Test match arena but their respective journeys have been appreciably different. There was a commonality of ambition framed by the upcoming Rugby World Cup in New Zealand but while one player was dogged by uncertainty, the other banished any doubts early on in the rehabilitation process.

On Saturday in the sweaty, claustrophobic confines of the media corral at the Aviva Stadium they independently provided flesh to the bones of their respective tales. Flannery has been plagued by injuries for over a year and during that period endured the frustration of mini-comebacks thwarted by recurring injury problems.

There were mental scars to accompany the physical ones. He admitted: “Yeah, there were a good few times I thought I was going to have to pack it in. Even up to maybe six weeks ago I wasn’t completely sure, and I just . . .” He lets the end of the sentence drift away.

“Brian Green and Eanna Falvey have been incredible with me, and Declan (Kidney) has shown me so much patience. Obviously I would have imagined it being different than losing three games on the trot, getting to play in the three of them but I’ve got to be a bit thankful for where I am now. I suppose I could have been trying to escape the World Cup.”

He appreciates the quiet support that Kidney has provided and the more hands-on nurturing from Green; the latter’s ministrations and diligence, along with that of the player, allowing Flannery his cameos in the World Cup warm-up schedule.

“The week before the Scottish game I went out on the Monday and it was the first time I was able to play rugby again; just running around with the guys. It was better than being on the sideline. Even at the start of pre-season I was off doing my own thing, doing stuff with Greeny.

“It’s soul-destroying after a while because you’re wondering when you’ll be back or if you’ll ever get a chance to get back in. So I’ve really enjoyed every chance I’ve got to play and I feel very, very hungry for rugby now.

“It got to the stage where I was playing things around in my head, where I didn’t feel great a lot of the time. Eventually I said, ‘well look, the World Cup is coming up here and we have these games, so I’m either going to make up my mind and go for this and if I break down, I breakdown’.

“So I just went for it and week by week it’s been good. It’s kind of a case now where you don’t worry about it. I’m not 24, I’m not worried about retiring, I just want to go out and play as hard as I can all the time.”

D’Arcy’s path to physical well being was more clearly defined following his ankle surgery in early summer. He was in possession of the facts, others having to rely on conjecture. He explained: “You go on the medics, how they see things. I think people were doing their own maths on things and taking bit parts of what Declan (Kidney) and Paul (McNaughton) were saying, and then trying to do their own calculations.

“I wasn’t too worried about it. I remember sitting down with my fiancée and kind of laughing about it because I had done a full week’s training and then reading on a Monday that I was a doubt not to go to the World Cup. But a paper’s never going to refuse ink.

“Obviously if I was coming back for a World Cup it would be different if I didn’t make any of these games. I always kind of knew in the back of my head that I was going to get a game and a half, or a full game: whether involved in the Connacht game and maybe playing a half against England.

“I got a specialist’s okay on it. I think after four weeks I started to do some jogging on this specialist treadmill down in Kilcock. The ankle reacted really, really well. So we started with 40 per cent of my body weight and after 10 days we were up to 100 per cent. Once we started doing that I knew there would be no issues with it.

“When I came off I probably wasn’t walking for two or three minutes, I was probably blowing for two or three minutes, but I got my wind back and I was hoping to go again, but the decision was made at that stage. But eight weeks ago if I was told I could have 65 minutes against France I would have taken that with both hands: so that’s great.”