Fla says hanging around in international camp isn’t all bad and how Jay Z could inspire our national side to greatness.
International camps can be hard going, away from your friends and family, cocooned away in a hotel but we used to have a saying; ‘the only place worse than being in camp is not being there’.
It can get boring but the minute you’re not in, you’re going in the wrong direction. One of the main things that used to stand out for me in my mind was how aware you were of your team's standing going into national camp. Early on in my career I was lucky enough that Munster were winning consistently but it was probably only in later years when our consistency waned and Leinster took up the torch as the premier side that I realised just how much it helps transitioning from a winning provincial side into the national side.
A lot of people talk about provincial rivalry as a challenge that must be overcome to develop a successful national team but I didn’t see it like that. Leinster’s success was a massive motivating factor for me and whilst I was definitely jealous of their success, that jealousy was underpinned by an admiration for the work they had put in to get where they were. Players feed off each other so you try to take advantage of the energy and confidence that comes with success.
No doubt camp can be a bit boring but they do try to make it better for the lads. I don’t know how Joe Schmidt will run it but under Declan Kidney the timetable would go a bit like this.
Monday morning would start with weights in your own centre at home, then up to Dublin for a review/preview and training that afternoon. Tuesday was our heaviest pitch session of the week with some weights again in the afternoon. Then you had the option to shoot home Tuesday night and stay at home on Wednesday. Then back up on Thursday morning for a short sharp pitch session with a light captain's run on Friday before the game on Saturday. That was the primary structure of the week with extra lineout sessions and additional speed/weights/conditioning sessions added in for players based on individual needs.
It sounds small but breaking the week up like that is so important to keep lads mentally fresh. Getting home to see your friends and family is a great way to switch off from the pressure of a match week and players come back into camp really hungry for work. The management were also excellent at introducing activities to help make it more bearable. Xbox tournaments, table tennis tournaments and darts tournaments help to pass the time and feed players' competitive instincts.
In the past we’ve been lucky enough to have visitors such as Christy Moore, Mumford and Sons, Hermitage Green and Christina Aguilera*. I remember Christy Moore’s visit quite vividly as it was something special to sit there in the room with him and hear him belt out a few tunes.
In discussing camp life with the Irish rugby team, one man cannot go unmentioned, the great Paddy O’Reilly, aka Rala.
Rala has been the bag man, or the master of baggage as he calls it, for over 400 years now. Rala is a fantastic character and without doubt the most popular man in camp every year. He’s seen it all over the years and luckily for those outside the national squad, Rala has managed to put it all down on paper and released a new book entitled “Rala: A Life in Rugby”. I haven’t had a chance to peruse it yet but if Rala has even put in half the craic he’s witnessed over the years I’m sure it’ll be a fantastic read and well worth a purchase.
Rala has even got together with Jamie Heaslip and created a little video series on YouTube called “Coffee with Rala” to help promote the book. The videos are incredibly natural, just two lads who happened to be wearing microphones and sat down for a coffee and a chat. Luckily there were also cameras filming them so that we could all enjoy the banter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5meSxhf06xc
Granted it’s a little unsettling that Jamie seems to be in love with Rala, but Rala’s a very charming man and different strokes for different folks as they say.
The captaincy is a big question now for Joe Schmidt. The contenders seem to come down to Jamie Heaslip, Paul O’Connell, Rory Best and possibly Peter O’Mahony. Paul O’Connell is an obvious choice and Schmidt wouldn’t go far wrong by appointing Paul.
However, continuity is an important part of developing a culture within a squad and for this reason Schmidt may want to continue with Jamie Heaslip. I’d imagine they have an excellent relationship from their Leinster days. Jamie is a solid, dependable player, a proven winner and is probably the most robust guy I’ve ever played with.
It's been mentioned that somebody like Brian O’Driscoll, at this stage, might be a bit intimidating to the young lads (just because of his iconic status and seniority in the game) whereas Jamie would be a bit younger and more accessible and that could help the group, especially the new faces. Jamie also named his dog Jay Z, so this would be a pretty interesting topic for young players that wanted to break the ice and get chatting with him.
Jamie Heaslip -“Fuck's sake, Jay Z took a shit on my couch last night!”
Paddy Jackson - “You’ve got to be kidding me, that’s insane! Where did you meet him? Why would he do that, does he have some sort of bowel problems? Was Beyonce there? He hardly took a dump in front of his missus, did he? That’s so HOV!”
Jamie Heaslip - “Ah Paddy! Don’t be silly mate, I’m on about my dog! I’ve only gone and named my dog Jay Z!”
Paddy Jackson - “Jamie, you’re a gas bastard, c’mon lets go win the Six Nations!”
*Christina Aguilera did not play for us, this is a blatant lie.
