Waiting is over for Woody
It's now over 12 months since he played a competitive game of rugby and for one who thrives on competition, it's been a tough dose to take.
During his year of injury hell he underwent half-a-dozen shoulder operations the only thing that kept him going at times was the thought of playing in his third World Cup.
Had the William Webb Ellis trophy been up for grabs in a different year the likelihood is the hooker would have called it a day. But now the grinding effort appears to have paid off and come Saturday evening in Gosford, Wood will be champing at the bit to get into the action.
The pre-world cup games he played against Wales and Scotland were just shadow-boxing; now he's raring to get into some full contact against the Romanians.
"I'm really looking forward to it," says Wood. "There's obviously a lot of nervousness about how things are going to go in the world cup, for the squad and for me personally. But it's about bloody time that I'm back. I've had a year of injuries and that's enough for anyone.
"For me, the most important aspect over the last 12 months was going on tour in the summer, even though I didn't play. I was able to train with the squad, come to grips with the changes that have happened within the game and the technical things that I need to go through. But if I hadn't been on tour in the summer, I wouldn't be here now."
It's easy to forget how much changes in rugby over the course of the year and doesn't Wood know it. When he returned to the squad in Australia, Tonga and Samoa, it was like learning to ride a bicycle all over again for the hooker. He also found a few changes within the character of the squad.
"If you're away from the game for a few years you'd find that the game has changed an awful lot. Every six or eight months, there are law changes or there's changes in style or technique, something has greater importance, the scrum might become more important to a maul. Or maybe you'll find that certain types of line-outs might change or the way they're defended or whatever.
"Within the side I'd say there's a lot more players capable of leading the side, a lot more generals. You have a lot of guys who will now take control of the situation, they won't be looking for guys to take control for them, that's one of the biggest aspects of it." Apart from the playing side, Wood's reintegration into the Irish camp has been hugely important. The 31-year-old former St Munchin's College man is a huge believer in team spirit and he takes his role as captain very seriously on a day-to-day basis. He's adamant that modern day rugby is about the 30 man squad, not just the 15 that start on any given day, and now he's confident the Irish squad is willing and able to fulfil the requirement.
"We have a team picked for the weekend and that team has to go out and play to the best of its ability," says the captain. "But for the first time we have a level of depth in the squad where a lot of guys could easily come in instead. I know Ireland's view over the last few years has been to play its best team for every game and for Saturday this is our best team.
"But if there's an injury or a dip in form there's someone there waiting to play. It's very important that the guys who don't play, who don't sit on the bench, are totally in tune with to the team. The focus is the squad, we are here to do a job for as long as it might be and that will take every one of the players."
As for Saturday against Romania, Wood is expecting a hugely physical contest against the Eastern Europeans. At times during the past week, the Irish management team appear to have been talking the true worth of their opponents up, but the hooker doesn't need convincing from anyone that he'll have a few bumps and bruises come Sunday morning.
"I think there'll be significant pressure up front," says Wood. "One of the aspects of the game I think that gets breezed over very easily is the fact that the majority of international rugby sides play at an incredible physicality and intensity. Certain sides might be better, but there's no such thing as an easy game. I don't doubt for one minute that it'll be a physical challenge."
You get the sense that he wouldn't have it any other way.
