Joy of being fit drives Jennings on

Shane Jennings had already played 200 times for Leinster before last Friday’s PRO12 meeting with Connacht, but the flanker flew around the RDS like a teenager.

Head coach Matt O’Connor said as much afterwards and Jennings himself admitted the run-out was appreciated more than most in his long career given he had spent the previous three months on the sidelines.

It was against Connacht back in mid-September when he hyper extended his knee backwards, a misfortune that caused his hamstring to go pop. A grade two, the medical profession call it. Eight to 10 weeks was the phrase that stuck in Jennings’ mind.

In the end, it took 13.

“I’m 33 so you take things for granted and it’s just another game, week in week out. But when it’s taken away from you, and you are on the outside and you’re looking at lads playing, it sort of solidifies the thoughts in your head, that you enjoy it. You want to be back and you want to be involved. I’m coming to the end of my career, not that it’s going to be next year or this year, but there are not many years left. You actually go ‘do you know what? I actually enjoy it and I want to be involved’.”

The inactivity was made more unbearable by the nature of the ailment. Broken bones are nobody’s idea of fun, but at least there are recognised time frames with them. Hammys, by contrast, don’t do schedules. It was over a month before he could even run again and he lined up in Ballsbridge last weekend still unsure if the thing would stand up to the strain of a Pro12 interpros start. Being honest, he didn’t think it would.

It’s why he isn’t so bothered about the annual intrusion on Christmas that is life as a pro. Normally he rues the ability of others to overeat and sip a few beers. That is all overshadowed by the sheer joy of being fit again this year.

Not that it is all sweetness and light and goodwill to all men.

Leinster’s form book is impressive of late with just the one defeat in nine games, but the side’s lack of fluidity and a myriad of other issues have been met with constant criticism both in the media and on the online forums.

Jennings nods when asked if there has been too much negativity attached to their performances and the resultant answer stretched to a lengthy 261 words though much of it has been delivered before by his colleagues and the coaching staff.

Bottom line: people can’t understand the inner workings in their dressing-room, know of the injuries with which some players are playing or take into account their still breathing ambitions in the league and Europe.

Yet, there is an acknowledgement that there have been issues, that maybe there has been a lack of detail and certainty in their play that had affected confidence before a return to basics for the Connacht win.

Whatever about the contradictions inherent in his argument, Leinster and Munster – who have lost their last three games – will lack for nothing in terms of motivation when they meet in Limerick apart from a slew of their rested Irish internationals.

“It’s the way this game has been put there and that’s the reality, said Jennings matter-of-factly. “The last time we played them in the Aviva in October they beat us up. They had a 20 or 30-minute period where they dominated us and that was the winning of the game for them.

“Knowing Anthony Foley and the way the Munster guys play — its the old cliché and you have all heard it — but they’ve a massive pride when they play in Limerick and play for Munster. So, its going to be a big challenge for us and we are going to have to improve on what we did last week.”