Veteran Mike Ross still happy to answer Ireland call

When a friend and colleague retires it always gives pause for thought and Mike Ross is no exception, but Eoin Reddan’s decision to quit the game has not prompted a rethink for the Ireland prop.

The much-decorated tighthead may be almost a year older at 36 than his soon to be ex-provincial and Test team-mate but though he accepts his career is nearer its end than its start, he will remain willing to serve the Ireland side as long as his services are required by head coach Joe Schmidt.

“I still want to be putting my hand up but nothing is ever guaranteed. We all know that as professionals. I mean, I could go out in pre-season and do my knee, you just don’t know,” Ross said following his recall for tomorrow’s third and final Test against South Africa.

“Joe will keep picking me as long as I can do the job and when I can’t he won’t. It’s as simple as that. That’s all you really require from your coach. I trust his judgement well enough, I’ve seen him operate over the last five or six years and I have good faith in him.”

Ross admitted he had started to look at the direction his life might take beyond rugby and said: “I think I’ll increase it a bit more this year. It’s a tightrope in that you don’t want to lose sight of your day job and get too involved in stuff outside. You need to strike a balance. I’ve a young family too so I have to find time for them as well. Those would be my priorities at the moment.”

More immediately, he is fully focused on playing his part in the push for a series-deciding Test victory over the Springboks. Having been stood down last week to hand fellow Leinster prop Tadhg Furlong his first Ireland start and Finlay Bealham of Connacht further exposure off the bench, Ross is ready to go for one last time this season.

“Good to have a week off. This is week 52 of a 52-week season so I think there’s a lot of lads looking forward to a break but we want to go off into that break on top of the world, which is what we’ll be if we manage to win a series over here.

“I think we’ve a very good chance. I think that we probably let it slip last weekend. To be 16 points up with 20 minutes to go was a big opportunity and we were kicking ourselves afterwards that we didn’t hang on for a bit longer but at the same time, the South Africans are a very proud bunch of people and to hear them booing their own team coming off at half-time was something I hadn’t experienced before. I can imagine what the feeling was like in that dressing room.

“We know there’s nothing next week so we’re just going to empty the tanks on Saturday, just go as hard as we can. Hopefully, there will be a little history there for us. It’s a huge carrot for us.

“The last time I was on a three-Test tour was in New Zealand (in 2012) and that didn’t end so well (a 60-0 hammering), so there’s a lot of motivation to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Ross said he watched Furlong’s performance last week with “tremendous” pride and that both he and Bealham were at the forefront of young tightheads pushing him to keep his performance levels high.

“It’s a good challenge. I’m realistic enough. I don’t know when my last cap is coming but it’s probably not too far away so I try and take every opportunity I get.”