Simon Zebo hurt by Ireland omission

Simon Zebo admits he was hurt by his omission from Ireland’s final Six Nations game against Scotland and feels he did “everything asked of him” during the tournament.

Zebo played every minutes of the tournament before he was excluded altogether from the matchday 23 for the Murrayfield finale, but he says he has no problem with the decision to prefer Luke Fitzgerald.

The winger said it was tough to watch Ireland play an expansive brand of rugby when he was out of the team after the side played conservatively for the first four games, but he claims the joy of winning the championship eclipsed his personal disappointment.

“Yeah, it did (hurt), I suppose. You can’t really say anything to the coaches, it is their decision,” said the 25-year-old Cork native.

“It was probably the one game where I probably would have thrived. It was kind of strange that all the ball seemed to be going out to the wings, and I was sitting in the stand.

“I just thought I did everything that was asked of me. It wasn’t a tournament where I got loads of ball or got massive opportunities going forward. It doesn’t really bother me personally, because we won the championship and that is the main thing.

“Yeah, I was happy with how I went. I was doing the basics as I was asked to. That is all I can do.

“It is just one of those things and I am happy to be back playing with Munster. Hopefully I will get my hands on the ball this time,” said Zebo, who has scored eight tries in his 15 Munster performances this season.

Zebo is expected to get the chance to play in Murrayfield tomorrow, as Munster go in search of a crucial four points against Europe-chasing Edinburgh. He did travel to the Scottish capital with the Ireland squad and took part in the trophy presentation celebrations and says it’s an experience he’ll never forget.

“It was probably the one big trophy that I have been a part of and won as a player, probably my first big thing. To be part of that was something special and there was a bit of goosebumps.

“But it is at the end of the season that you can really reflect on those things. There is still a lot of rugby to be played.

“We need to secure a home semi-final. That will be vital, I think, in who comes away with the trophy. Yeah, there are some really big games coming up, starting with a massive test this weekend against a team who are going quite well at the moment.

“They have already beaten us at home, so we can’t afford anything less than our best performance.”

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