Hard-nosed Heaslip hitting the high spots

A QUICK examination of Jamie Heaslip’s curriculum vitae, and you realise why he has come so far so soon.

In fact, a few months ago, when the All Blacks triumphantly toured Europe, there was surprise among the younger set of Graham Henry’s squad that Heaslip hadn’t figured in Eddie O’Sullivan’s autumn plans.

James Ryan, one of the young stars Down Under, played against Heaslip in an Under-21 World Cup final in Scotland two years ago.

He asked: “Any news of that guy Heaslip? He was one hell of a tough customer who made our lives very difficult in that final.”

Ryan played against Ireland at Lansdowne Road; Heaslip was on the fringes, waiting for a call to arms from O’Sullivan.

The big, flame haired New Zealand second row declared: “He was a fantastic player in that tournament and, while we beat Ireland in the decider, it was without doubt our toughest game physically and every other way,” he said.

Fast forward a few months, and Heaslip is edging ever closer to the Holy Grail, after being included in O’Sullivan’s 35-man squad for the RBS Six Nations championship.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika believes the youngster has all the credentials to become a regular on O’Sullivan’s side.

Cheika observed: “On the one hand, he is a very relaxed player but he is very confident. He backs himself a lot, which I think is a great quality for a young bloke. He probably still has a bit to learn, about positioning, placement and control but his ball-winning, his defence and ability to keep the game alive is second to none. He has really been outstanding for us so far this season.”

Hard-nosed enough? “Yeah,” said Cheika. “Every player is different; they’ve all got their personalities. He won’t be a Foley, he won’t be a Costello; he will just be a Heaslip, who will bring his own dynamics to whatever team he plays with.”

Heaslip will be back in the Leinster team to play Bath at the Recreation Ground tomorrow, having recovered from a brief illness that kept him out of last weekend’s Heineken Cup victory over Glasgow.

He described his call-up to the national squad as “a huge bonus”, but promised not to let anything interfere with his preparation for this game.

“All my concentration has to be on this weekend; it’s such a huge game for us. I just hope I can play well, contribute to a big team effort and get a win out of it.

“So far, the season has gone pretty well for me, but it has been a learning curve, getting used to playing with the guys, getting used to the little things other guys do, or are likely to do.”

The return of Brian O’Driscoll and Denis Hickie has been a major boost for Leinster. Heaslip said: “When you have guys with that talent, that experience, anything is possible. They just bring an extra dimension.”

And while many doubt Leinster’s bottle to go to the Rec and win against the already-qualified Bath, Heaslip disagrees. Relating back to the defeat in Dublin, his first Heineken Cup experience, Heaslip is convinced Leinster have taken a big leap forward in terms of development.

“I’m sure we’re better than we were then. We’re firing now, and we are more confident. I think we have more options.

“We are a much more experienced team.

“I think the big turning point of the season was after we were turned over badly by Munster. Since then, there has been a very different, more focused, and I think we are a much better team since that defeat.”