Jones just loves the big stage

Having endured a number of injury-plagued seasons, Felix Jones is glad

No-one will enjoy tonight’s Leinster-Munster showdown at the Aviva more than Felix Jones. Not because he’s been going to these games since he was kid, the majority of players tonight will have grown up doing that. Nor because he’s a player who left his native province and crossed the fence to join the neighbours, there’s a few of those in both camps.

Neither is there a particular point he feels like proving to Joe Schmidt, at least that he’s prepared to air publicly, with tonight’s opposite number 15 Rob Kearney standing between him and further Test recognition beyond his five caps.

No. At the grand old age of 26, Munster’s full-back takes all of those in his stride and instead relishes the occasion of an interprovincial dust-up in front of 51,000-plus supporters simply because he’s happy to be anywhere near such an important occasion.

“You always want to play in the big games and especially, my injury history is well documented but particularly after my neck injury in 2009, I’ve come to just really enjoy these occasions,” Jones tells The Irish Examiner following a photo shoot at the University of Limerick in his role as an Under Armour ambassador.

“It mightn’t seem like it to anyone around me building up to it, but I’m enjoying it. You might not be talking as much, you are a bit more focused; you might be a bit more snappy with people but although that might be happening, I’m actually loving the occasion, and there’s no better feeling afterwards, especially after a win in a big game like this, being in the changing room afterwards, you have that 24 or 48-hour window before the next training and you can just enjoy the moment with the lads. It’s a great feeling.”

It should be noted that it was Jones and nobody else who brought up the subject of injuries, the myriad setbacks — starting with that neck injury just three months into his Munster career having left the Leinster academy in the summer of 2009 — well chronicled as he suggested but also dealt with increasing perspective as each time on the sidelines came and went.

“You have to deal with them otherwise you can just fall away. Everyone gets injured and you can get down on it, as I have, and let it affect you, but if you get too many of them you have to come at it from a different angle and try and get out of it what you can or it will beat you.”

Jones’s current bid for international recognition is not motivated by that cruellest of blows on the eve of the 2011 World Cup when he picked up a foot injury against France in Ireland’s penultimate warm-up game scuppered his place in Declan Kidney’s tournament squad.

“I wouldn’t say that feeds into it. I wanted to play for Ireland and get as many caps as possible, but I’ve had to park that (disappointment) a long time ago. I’ve put it away and it’s about done and I’m looking forward to this year and the great opportunities with Munster. We’re in with as good a shout as anyone in both competitions and there’s a tour to Argentina at the end of the year but, look, that’s out of sight and out of mind. It’s all about this weekend and after this weekend it’s all about the next one, and the next weekend, and so on.”

This particular weekend will see Jones go toe to toe with Ireland’s incumbent full-back Rob Kearney, whom he shadowed throughout the victorious Six Nations campaign without getting a sniff of a cap from head coach Joe Schmidt. He insisted it was not as frustrating an experience as it sounds.

“I try to focus on the positives and I think that thinking positively can affect you in good ways. So from my point of view I was happy. I was coming in off the back of our Heineken Cup wins in Gloucester and againstEdinburgh and I was happy that Joe had put me in the panel, delighted with that.

“But look, any player you talk to will say they want to play for Ireland and I’m the same. They want to be involved in the game and so not to be involved is disappointing but I was still happy to be up there, getting the feedback from Joe, from Les (Kiss, assistant coach), from the lads, and improving as a player.

“I wasn’t going to go up just to sulk. I still wanted to get something out of it and improve and on top of that, if I can bring anything back down here I’m getting some positives out of it. I’ll always take something positive out of it rather than let it affect me negatively.”

Jones was released back to Munster during the championship to play two RaboDirect Pro12 games for his province and reappeared once again last Saturday to win the man of the match award against Treviso on a filthy night for full-backs to ply their trade. He downplayed his individual contribution to the victory in favour of the collective effort but does he believe he came back to Munster a better player for the Ireland camp experience? “Yeah, I think so. It’s hard to tell and I suppose you’ll find out over the next few games. Anyone who gets those awards will tell you it’s the guys around you. We’re blessed in Munster there are guys doing a lot of selfless jobs so someone else can get the try or the break and that’s the way it is, so I probably wouldn’t read too much into that. But I’ll take it.”

Now, though, comes the step up, from getting rid of Treviso to pitting one’s wits against league leaders Leinster and then ratcheting up the intensity even more in order to face Toulouse in next week’s Heineken Cup.

Playing Leinster first is a much-needed port of call before the showdown with France’s four-time European champions, although tonight’s opposition very much demands undivided attention and no allowance for casting an eye forward.

“There’s no chance of that happening when you’re playing Leinster. It’s just a different fixture. And to be fair that’s the same with most interprovincials, when we’re playing Leinster, Connacht and Ulster it is different and I’d imagine it’s the same when Cardiff are playing Scarlets or the Welsh playing each other.

“So in a way that can help us, having to raise our levels of intensity and standards because we’re playing a great side will hopefully stand to us the following week and give us a marker of where we are.

“Everyone knows about the rivalry and anyone who’s been to one knows it’s just mental, crazy from minute zero to minute 80, everyone’s just going at it as hard as they can and it’s great, especially leading into a Heineken Cup quarter-final. It’s great way of preparing us for what is another step up.

“You just notice things are happening faster, collisions are slightly bigger and everyone on the pitch doesn’t want to let their team-mates down. Not that that’s different from any other week but there’s the added thing that you probably know the guy opposite you at any given time pretty well and that makes it more interesting. The supporters who come to watch just want to see guys going as hard as they can and that’s what happens.”

Taking a marker from a team Munster head coach Rob Penney describes as the benchmark for his players is all well and good but Jones agrees there is a danger the men in red could put Leinster on too high of a pedestal.

“Their record is what stands to them and that’s all anybody can really judge a side by. They’ve won the most trophies in the last few seasons. But I think it’s a thin line. On the one side you’ve got to respect them for being at the forefront in Europe and there is a respect thing there but having said that, no team ever goes into a game without full confidence and full belief they can win that game.

“So yes, they are where they are, as are Toulouse, but there’s no fear. There’s a full belief that we can do the job.

“We’re not exactly massive underdogs. Our record this year, I think is fair to say, is good. I don’t know what the bookies have it but I think any time we’ve ever played it’s always come down to a score and that’s what makes it great. It’s going to be tight right down to the wire. It could easily be a one- or two-point game that could hinge on one penalty or a kick.”

Making sure that kick goes in Munster’s favour will keep Jones focused above all else, with any personal happiness of a job well done and the rewards that might lead to firmly in the background.

“Whether it’s in rehab, in training or out on the pitch I’m doing my absolute best. I’m happy enough with my form but to enjoy it you have to be winning so come back and ask me in three or four weeks and we’ll see if I’m happy with where we are.”