Determined Mike Sherry targets Irish return

After a couple of months of the 2013/14 season, Mike Sherry looked a very sound bet to challenge Rory Best for Ireland’s number 2 jersey. He had more than 70 impressive appearances for Munster under his belt, along with an Irish cap.

At 6 ft 1 inch and 16 stone 9 lbs, he had the required physique for the job: a strong ball carrier blessed with buckets of pace and guts and comfortable with finding his jumpers at lineout time.

However, Sherry’s career came to a crashing halt in November 2013, when he sustained knee and shoulder injuries that necessitated a succession of operations and kept him out of the game up to a few weeks ago.

As he rehabbed for 21 long months, the days when Sherry, 27, became one of the province’s youngest captains in 2013 and earned his first international cap on the 2013 tour of North America must have seemed an awful long time ago.

However, to his credit and that of the Munster medical team, he shrugged off the debilitating effects of 21 months on the sidelines and is now poised to regain the jersey and reestablish his Ireland ambitions.

“For myself, the recovery has to be exactly spot on,” he says. “ I need to plan my weekends very carefully after a game, there’s no resting around like I did when I was a young fella and I didn’t have so many bangs and bruises.

“It is something I will have to look after for the rest of my career. It’s not that there’s a weakness there, it’s the same strength as the other shoulder, but there are certain exercises in the gym I’m unable to do. Someone with a bad knee wouldn’t squat, they alter their exercises, me with a shoulder, there are things I wouldn’t do.

“On the pitch, tackling was a big problem in the pre-season games. I did a lot of work with Ian Costello and was very happy with it up to the last game, when I was disappointed with two pretty weak attempts at tackles but otherwise I’ve put in a lot of work and I feel confident in that shoulder; and there’s no difference in my mindset.”

As for the hectic programme of matches that lie ahead, Sherry is quietly positive; “There is no feeling sorry for ourselves after a loss or no resting on our laurels after a win,” he asserts.

“It’s a case of straight back into preparing for the next match. It’s very exciting to have that many games in a row, to get our own structures in place, get the internationals back, to get into Europe and into the big games in the Pro 12.

“Having Ulster coming down adds a lot to Friday’s match. It would be a big fillip for them to beat us at Thomond Park. Last season there were kicks in both games for us to draw and for them to win so it’s always tight. There are Irish places going, you want to look good against your opposition to try and get up to camp so, yeah, there’s a lot riding on it, definitely.

“I had a couple of seasons when it was myself and Varls (Damien Varley). Now it’s Duncan (Casey) and no, it’s not a case of me snapping at his heels. Rather than the other way around, because he got in there last year and did very well.

“I’m coming back into the squad and if I get the chance, great. But if not, he’s the fella to target and try to get ahead of.

“I’m very good friends with Dunc as I was with Varls so I’ll try to learn off him, his work rate is something I can certainly aspire to so it’s good competition and I’m really looking forward to it.”