Healy believes it important to be positive in training and not an 'energy vampire'

Cian Healy puts his best foot forward when he steps into the training ground and be a positive influence within Ireland camp.

POSITIVE INFLUENCE: Cian Healy tries to be a positive influence in training camp. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

It was two World Cups ago that Cian Healy decided it was time to make a difference and become a positive influence within the Ireland camp rather than, as he succinctly put it, “an energy vampire”.

The now veteran loosehead prop, 35 years old, with 124 Test caps and staring into a fourth World Cup campaign next month, had seen the type, the squad-mates who sucked vitality out of the dressing room rather than injecting it for the good of the collective.

He was never one of those energy vampires but having evaded an early retirement due to a serious neck injury in 2015 in order to make that year’s World Cup squad, Healy set his sights on bringing extra energy to the table.

“I put (retirement talk) in the rearview mirror and the decision to make then is do you finish or can you give more? Can you be a positive influence on something? I decided to try be a positive influence and bring the best version of yourself to a group, and that's what I always try to do,” Healy said yesterday from Ireland’s warm-weather training camp in Portugal.

“I try not to mope in on a tired morning but bounce into a building, be a bit of craic and have the right energy for pitch sessions, and make sure I'm not the person who's making someone else feel, 'Jeez, this is a long day.'

“I think it's important not to be like that because I've trained with people in the past who were more energy vampires than energy givers. It has all been looking forward for me since then.” 

That is particularly important for Healy during a long pre-season, though the current regime under Andy Farrell have built a training schedule that has avoided blocks of training longer than two weeks, allowing the players to spend time with families and work on fitness schedules away from camp. That is a welcome development for the loosehead prop, though he has kept the demands on the Ireland players in perspective.

“You realise the position you are in. It’s not a normal job and it’s not a job that you get very easily. When you break it down you realise you are in a very privileged position to play for your country. You are spending a short time away when you think about it like that in terms of opportunity in terms of how long you have to play the game so it becomes a bit easier if you look at it like that.

Healy will become Ireland’s third most-capped Test player behind Brian O’Driscoll (133) and Ronan O’Gara (128) when he is next selected, possibly as early as August 19, the day Andy Farrell’s men welcome England to Aviva Stadium for the second of three pre-tournament warm-up games.

He equaled former front-row partner and captain Rory Best’s 124-cap mark earlier this month against Italy, a point of pride for the Leinster man in itself, as were the 123 previous appearances.

"Someone told me beforehand, it was one of them days. It is a nice thing,” he said.

"I don't massively count caps… I'll look back at the end and rate my career and medals and silverware and that's how I will hold that.

"Yeah, it is nice to have been in for that long and had that many opportunities in green.

"I actually love pulling the jersey on so every time, first, 100th or whatever, I've enjoyed every one of them.” 

The time for reflection will come, but for Healy right now it happens “very rarely”.

" I've a little wall in my house hidden away with my medals on it, I pass it the odd time.

"I wouldn't have too much of a thing for it but it is nice thing to walk past.” 

There is still time to add more baubles to the collection of course, and not just at this World Cup, which for Ireland begins on September 9 in Bordeaux against Pool B minnows Romania. Yet Healy answered in the affirmative to questions about his ambitions beyond the tournament. He plans to play on with Leinster, adding to his 265 provincial appearances while the hope is to continue representing his country.

"Ideally so, yeah,” Healy said, “Body's holding up well. The odd Sunday it would be sore now but holding up all right.”