Players feel the benefit of slow start
The Ireland management have opted for a softly, softly approach to training as the 28 players that flew out last Tuesday and arrived in Queenstown on Thursday attempted to get over the jet lag and fatigue that accompanied their arduous journey from Dublin.
D’Arcy and Healy left Ireland on Saturday having been kept at home to allow their respective calf and eye socket injuries to heal but they will have to undergo a further medical assessment on arrival and it is doubtful whether the pair would be involved in the first big full-contact training session scheduled for tomorrow.
The bulk of the squad were given a spin session on arrival followed by a game of five-a-side indoor soccer and on Friday morning went through a light workout as the medical and fitness staff attempted to get the 35-hour journey out of the players’ systems.
It is an approach endorsed by Munster lock Donncha O’Callaghan, amongst others, as he described the feeling of doing physical work after stepping off a long flight.
“It was funny, we went to the gym and I was training with Fla [Jerry Flannery] and I don’t drink but he said ‘this is how it feels to be hungover’. Just that you’re low on energy,” O’Callaghan said.
“I couldn’t relate to it, it felt like there was something leeching out of my legs and Fla said ‘that’s being hungover, boy’. It had to be explained to me.
“It was smart, today, just going through moves, there was more learning in it than knocking the s**t out of each other. That’s probably the best way to go about it.
“We’ve got off planes here a few times and in Australia and gone full bore and you end up having about 12 dropped balls and the confidence goes out the window then. This has been good. Well, it will only be good if we train well from here on in.”
The first test of that will be tomorrow. The squad were allowed some free time on Friday evening to explore the lakeside and ski resort town of Queenstown and then spent Saturday participating in a range of group activities. Those activities proved to be rather adventurous, varying from a jet boat outing along the Shotover River, a helicopter ride to the top of the Skyline gondola complex on Ben Lomond a go down the luge run, while nine players were brave enough to go bungy-jumping off the side of the mountain.
Yesterday saw the squad take part in a 90-minute open training session before spending time signing autographs the Irish party was taken back up the mountain for a civic welcome ceremony, an extended version of the traditional Maori Powhiri they were afforded at Queenstown airport on Thursday, this time conducted by leading Maori elder Tipene O’Regan.
O’Regan referred to the Irish side of his heritage, specifically Clonakilty, Co Cork, and in English wished the team “every success, except the ultimate one.
“But if you can deal with Australia along the way it would be greatly appreciated,” he added.
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