JOE talks to Cian Healy about the PRO12 final, the Lions Tour and being hypnotised by Keith Barry

Ahead of a very busy few months for Cian Healy, JOE grabbed the Leinster man for a chat about tomorrow’s big game with Ulster, his first Lions tour and a whole lot more besides.

With an Amlin Cup winner’s medal in his back pocket, and a ticket to Australia in his suitcase, you would think Cian Healy would be in a relaxed mood ahead of the RaboDirect PRO12 final with Ulster at the RDS tomorrow.

But it is a mark of the man, and the Leinster set-up, that he has pushed all thoughts of Tests and summer holidays on hold to focus on finally landing the league title.

JOE: So, a massive game to finish the season off...

Cian Healy: Yep, it is and it is a good one as well as we have had trouble with them [Ulster] in the past. It’s a good opportunity to try and fix that and get over the line in the Rabo final...

JOE: Three losing finals in a row, surely a fourth is not something Leinster want on their CV...

CH: No, it’s a tough one after the success of Heinekens in previous years so we have been very serious this week, working on our recovery and moves to make sure we are sharp for Saturday so it doesn’t happen again.

JOE: We’ve heard the likes of Shane Horgan and Brian O’Driscoll speak lately about how disappointing the Rabo final defeats have been, taking the gloss off of Heineken successes. Can you tell us more about that?

CH: It just leaves a bitter taste in the mouth heading into the summer holidays. You’re only as good as your last game and it just dampened the mood and, to be honest, pissed everybody off that we let ourselves down. There’s a lot of players who held onto the feeling for motivation for this season, and some of us are just annoyed at it and want to fix it and headed into this season with that in mind.

JOE: As well as the final game of the season it is also the final one for the likes of Joe Schmidt, Isa Nacewa and Jonny Sexton. Is there extra motivation to send them off on a high?

CH: We’ve separated the game a bit from that and taken the ‘send off’ aspect away. We’ve focussed on the game and our performance and that’s when we play well. A win would be the best send off we could give them anyway.

JOE: You may have known before the rest of us but was the news that Brian O’Driscoll is giving Leinster one more year a boost to the squad?

CH: Nah, he didn’t give any of us any insight [laughs] but the news he was staying on was great and it speaks volumes of the man that the news was so well received in the squad.

JOE: And from Sunday then you face into a busy week...

CH: Yeah, probably not much sleep and then off. I’ve tried to put all that to one side so I can focus on Leinster but there has been one or two things like getting my gear in order so I don’t have anything to worry about anything come game time. My bags are all packed in Carton House so hopefully I’ll come through the game injury free and I’ll be ready to embrace it and get fully into the whole Lions thing.

In Lions gear with Jamie Heaslip

JOE: And would you fear an injury in your final game, the final hurdle if you like before the Lions tour starts?

CH: It’s not something that would really bother me but you just hear all those freak stories of guys who get injured so I just decided to park it and not think about the Lions too much but it is a hard thing to do with the Lions being such a big occasion. You don’t want to tee yourself up for disappointment but I have been lucky enough to get through all the games up to now so one more can’t make much difference.

JOE: By the way, did you watch the Heineken Cup final?

CH: Ahhh, I dipped in and out of it...

JOE: Were you not watching to see if Nathan Hines could get another win?

CH: It would have nice for Clermont to win, they have been close a lot and Hinesy was chasing another medal [laughs] so it was a disappointing loss for them, though Toulon stuck it out well.

JOE: Your good friend Cathal Pendred fights on June 1 in Dublin [defending his Cage Warriors welterweight title against Che Mills]. Will you get to see it and what have you made of his MMA career?

CH: I’ll have to sort out some internet for the fight alright. Cathal could have done what he wanted [he played on the same Belveder College Senior Cup team as Healy], he has a lot of talent and a lot of drive so I think he has chosen the right path for him and he’s doing very well.

JOE: And we just came across the video you shot with Keith Barry where he has you catching a rugby ball blindfolded. Tell us about that?

CH: He messed with my head [laughs] and I said to him he better not have me dancing like an idiot now whenever he feels like it. That was the deal before he put me under. I was in shock at the end of it to be honest. Amazing.

JOE: Thanks for your time Cian. Good luck against Ulster and good luck on the Lions tour.

CH: Cheers, thanks.

Cian spoke to us in conjunction with Berocca