Jackman in a good place as he baldly goes for glory

Johnny Wattersonmeets the poster boy for grunt and grit, who gets people off their seats. Sparks will fly when he meets Raphael Ibanez again today.

IN THE next room player grunts, falling dumbbells, slamming weight machines and rain hammering on the tin roof make today's Riverview experience a celebration of noise. Rat-a-tat-tat, clang, "Ugh".

Rat-a-tat-tat, clang, "Ugh".

Through the glass-panelled door prop Cian Healy is mid routine, trembling under one of those hernia-bulging weights that have given him a gym reputation.

This is the Leinster muscle factory, where you come in fresh-faced and soft from school and come out shredded, bicep-guns popping.

Bernard Jackman has finished his morning load and is leaning against a wall in the corridor, the lightest film of sweat still on his head and to the background noise of the roof-deluge and pumping iron, humorously talking himself down as an athlete.

Jackman is in a good place. A day before Leinster played against Edinburgh, Ben Jackman, little brother to Ava Jackman, arrived spanking new into the world.

With each passing year Jackman's life nudges one way and another. A new baby arrives, family commitment increases and rugby ambition with Leinster and Ireland sharpens. He has a playing perspective that year by year is narrowing but always aspiring and never less than truthful.

But lordy, yes, he is in a good place. Ever since William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran and Keith Wood followed a century later, Irish fans have come to love the hooker who runs and jinks and comes off the pitch bleeding. Jackman, the RDS poster boy for grunt and enterprise, gets people off their seats.

"Yeah," he says, affectionately. "They seem to get some sick satisfaction out of a fat, bald guy running with the ball."

Last week, he adds, "was not a good day in the office." But he says it as though it were an aberration, an act of God. Four overthrows at the lineout in the first half caught the public eye. In reference to that, he differentiates between excuses and reasons. Excuse is denial, reasons are a means to fixing what went wrong.

"There was a bit of an issue with the referee," he says. "I don't know what they are doing in the Premiership but he was very, very conscious of getting the ball in early to the lineout. Any delay at all and he was threatening to free-kick me. He free-kicked Edinburgh early on for not getting it in.

"There were four overthrows. I think three of them were just too early rather than overthrown. He was saying if I didn't get it in straight away, free kick. At half-time going off the field, I said: 'Ref, you're killing me here - within reason I understand the ball has to go in quickly but you have to give us a chance to get a call in'. He said: 'Yeah, I'll speak to the touch judges' and in the second half there wasn't a problem.

"I came in the next morning and put my hand up. I take responsibility for that completely. I should have handled that pressure of the referee better. I shouldn't have allowed myself to have to throw it in quickly.

"But I like that responsibility. I like the fact I can take ownership of certain aspects of the game with Leinster. When things go well it's great, when they don't you have to take it on the chin. This is one of those weeks. I'll be disappointed if the lineouts aren't massively improved this weekend. I've no reason to believe they won't be."

Jackman's poise is born of the knowledge he has picked up over the past few years. At 32 years of age, he believes he is reading the game better and understands players' ticks. He can divine what side they might step off, and when bodies scatter in a line break he can tell which side they prefer to offload on. His instincts also take him into pockets that three years ago he might not have known existed.

An understanding has grown that players coming in relatively green, like CJ van der Linde and Rocky Elsom, will take some time to acquire. That occasionally results in getting passes and opportunities to do some crowd-pleasing running. It means if he feels the gates have opened enough for him to take a cut he can with the backing of the team.

But the collision area is Jackman's real comfort zone. His eyes have rarely lit up when a gap opens on his own 22 and an invitation to an 80-metre dash flashes in front of him. His stand-out moments in a game have never been, as he says, "throwing three or four outrageous dummies to create space for someone". But as well as the bullock and brawn of the frontrow, he's a have-a-go hooker who will accept any invitation.

"Despite last weekend my throwing is very consistent now and I'm much more confident than I would have been a year ago," he says. "I've no doubt in my ability to throw this weekend. The rest of my game is good and I'm really enjoying my rugby and hungry to play more games.

"I know tests are going to come for us. We've got to make sure the leaders in the team, when the tests do come, have the nous and the heads on their shoulders to make the right decision. In terms of developing, we're there now.

"We should be there now. This is a massive season for us. But that's a challenge and that's something you look forward to - whether, in the heat of the moment, you're good enough to have an influence on the game and you're good enough to close the game out."

Jackman's hunger and his gamey enthusiasm are his edge and he will take it with him when he meets former French captain Raphaël Ibañez today.

It will be a reacquaintance with the master warhorse, who is three years older.

After Leinster last met Wasps in a losing Heineken Cup quarter-final, Jackman sought out the approachable Ibañez. The two sat down and had a drink. "Ibañez is a legend," he says. "He's a brilliant player on the pitch and a gentleman off it. He's someone I have looked up to over the years. I actually enjoy playing when you know who the hooker is and he's someone you admired. It's nice to have a cut off them and see how you rate. To be honest with you, I'd say he's a good presence in their dressingroom. He's a leader in that team.

"That's why I've always wanted to play Heineken Cup, to play these big games, play against players like him and Simon Shaw, a former World Cup winner, (Jamie) Haskell, Joe Worsley, all top-class players."

Jackman and Leo Cullen will know the apocryphal tales of Ibañez arrive without the less-flattering verities. His throwing under pressure, particularly, will be attacked by Leinster. Conversely, Jackman may find nine Wasps players in the lineout, including backline players. The ELVs ensure there will be a lot of bodies competing.

"Yeah, in certain parts of the field they put in an extra guy from the backs," he says. "That presents a challenge but the rewards are there. If you win quality ball, there should be space on the outside."

He opens the door to leave and in the background Elsom is in front of a camera and the rain has stopped. Leinster and Jackman wrapped up Edinburgh on Monday. Saw the good things. Saw the bad things. An imperfect win is better than glorious defeat. Now for Wasps.