As you might imagine, it’s not pleasant.
Only those who have played Gaelic Football and have been hit full in the face with an O’Neill’s can testify as to just how painful an experience it is, especially on a cold day. It’s certainly not something that can be fixed with a quick dab of the magic sponge like most GAA ailments that’s for sure.
As such, there aren’t many men who will willingly allow themselves to be rattled with one of the densest round balls in sport, especially by a footballer as talented as Johnny Cooper, who won the All-Ireland title with the Dubs a little over a month ago.
In order to illustrate the durability of his product, co-founder of Impact Custom Fit Gumshields, did just that and as you might expect, the result was not pretty… but at least the gumshield remained intact.
As sore as James might have been feeling, at least he didn’t get smacked in the crown jewels, as was the case when he participated in a similar stunt with Leinster and Ireland out-half Ian Madigan earlier this year.
You’re a braver man than we are James, we’ll certainly give you that.
For more information on Impact Gumshields you can visit their website and find them on Facebook and Twitter.