James Lowe: 'I won’t know if I’ve figured it out until I’ve got bloomin’ Rees-Zammit trying to run around me'

A debut with Ireland last November was backed up by five more appearances but issues with Lowe's defensive performances proved to be a common theme

‘The whole mental health and ability to block out things, and only put energy towards people whose opinions really, really matter, that’s huge. And that’s not just in sport, that’s in all walks of life, for sure.’ Picture: Inpho/Morgan Treacy

Four weeks before the ribbon is to be cut on a new rugby season and James Lowe sounds like he can hardly wait. The Leinster winger is up and out of bed a good half-hour by the time his alarm sounds at seven in the mornings.

That he should be so eager to get stuck into the day is no surprise given how last season unfolded, and the opportunities that await across a campaign to come that ends with Ireland visiting his native New Zealand.