Game-time shortage not a problem, insists Flannery
In an era when training is conducted at such a high intensity, Flannery believes a week in the company of the Irish squad was at least as beneficial as having a run with Ireland A when they took on the England Saxons last week.
Irish coach Declan Kidney resisted the temptation to throw Flannery into action for that game, instead keeping him in Dublin, and Flannery agrees that it was probably the better of two options.
Flannery gave an insight into what the training regime is like for international players these days when he said: “We don’t pussyfoot around in training these days, everyone is hitting on you and you’ve got to keep moving; you’re training alongside high quality players and everything is sharp, you’ve got to be fit and keep up so fitness won’t be an issue for me.”
Still, Flannery is relieved that his efforts on the training ground give him an opportunity to finally get on the pitch in a big-game atmosphere after weeks of hard work and rehabilitation, following an operation on his Achilles tendon in December.
That was merely the latest in a sequence of injuries he suffered since breaking his elbow prior to the Lions tour last May, and if he has learned one thing it’s the need to be patient.
“In the past, I might have tried to come back too early but this time I listened to, and took heed of, everything the medical staff said to me.
“The thing (reaction) to injuries, particularly a serious one, is that you spend a few days mourning for yourself before getting on with it; every day from then on you’re getting better and you tend to set yourself little targets. When you come to the very end of an injury and you think you’re going to be available to play the next week, that next week can be pulled off you; the end line might be within sight but if you’re not patient it can keep getting pulled from you so patience, and reality, is essential.”
Having concluded that there is no point trying to rush back, Flannery is still amazed at how quickly his most serious rival Rory Best managed to recover from a career-threatening neck injury and is now back on the bench for Ireland today.
“For starters, I hate seeing anyone, including guys rivalling me for my position, getting injured and I’m delighted to see him recovered, but I’m also amazed because he has clearly done something unbelievable to get back that quickly. He might well serve as an inspiration to others.”
In a different context, Flannery believes inspiration will be needed in abundance within the Irish camp today, and he won’t be amongst the group writing Italy off as a serious threat.
“What are they like to play against? Tough, to say the least, their set piece will be strong and aggressive; recent history suggests that if they lose games they tend to fall away a bit as the competition goes on, but this is the first game, they’re going to be hungry for success and keen to take a scalp; we would probably be seen as a pretty big one at the moment!”
The hooker is in no doubt that Ireland will have to cope with being hit from all angles and suggested the Italians could possibly be more dangerous without the ball.
“Apart from a good scrum and an aggressive line out, they thrive on putting pressure on the opposition to make mistakes. On top of this, they have some very good ball carriers and a few excellent play-makers; add on the typical passion they play with and it means we will have to stay disciplined and single-minded because they will do everything to knock us off course.
“We can never assume things based on the past, but previous games seemed to have us knocking heads with them for 60 minutes after which you hope to pull away.
“We will have to cope with confrontation and aggression and work very hard to stick to our plan; hopefully, with the kind of backs we have the holes can open in the last 20.”
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