Duncan Casey: Is Irish rugby discovering a joie de vivre?

We are starting to see a more ambitious style of This is largely being led from the front, with players like Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris and Jack Conan as comfortable passing before and after contact as they are putting the head down and carrying hard. 

28 February 2022; UCD and Ireland rugby player James Ryan launches UCD Rugby's annual Daffodil Day collection, in aid of the Irish Cancer Society this Thursday March 3rd across the UCD Campus, as well as online. To date this annual event has raised €60,000 of vital funds for Cancer Research. The event is being run by the UCD BSc Sport & Exercise Management second year class who have assisted the Club in arranging this year’s fundraising initiatives. To donate to this year’s fundraising initiative please visit www.ucdrugby.com The Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day takes place across Ireland on March 25. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

I REMEMBER visiting my late grandmother in hospital once when I was around 12 years old. I saw a sign that was stuck on the wall in the nurses’ station that said ‘Smiling is contagious’ and featured a funny looking monkey grinning from ear to ear. That message has stayed with me throughout my life and while I don’t always remember to do it, it’s something I remind myself of as often as I can. If you smile at someone, you will often get one back. It’s human nature.

The same principle applies to certain things in sport. Certain actions are contagious. The more you see your teammates do them, the more likely you are to do them yourself. If you never see anyone do something a bit out of the ordinary, you’re less likely to try it yourself. The clearest example in rugby is when it comes to moving the ball and in particular, offloading.