ENGAGING AND HONEST, it comes as no surprise to hear Jack Conan offer such a blunt appraisal of his year. There were many good days, but the bottom line is that the Leinster number eight wanted to be involved in more of the bigger days.
Conan admits he would have snapped your hand off for the six Ireland caps he won throughout the course of a memorable season for Irish rugby, yet the disappointment of missing out on many more lingers.
Conan starts for Leinster against Munster tomorrow. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
He played an integral part in Leinster’s double-winning campaign, but ultimately lost his starting place for the Champions Cup final against Racing, and then — unable to dislodge CJ Stander in the green jersey — wasn’t involved for Ireland’s home Test wins against Argentina and New Zealand.
A stellar year by most standards failed to satisfy the 26-year-old’s insatiable hunger.
“At this stage last year, if you told me I’d go on and play six more times for Ireland, I probably would have bitten your hand off and said ‘That would be fantastic,’” Conan says.
“But in saying that, I think it’s just the nature of any athlete in any professional sport that it’s never enough and when you get to any kind of level, you always want to push on.
“As great as those days were, and obviously being involved in fantastic things over the last 12 months whether it be with Leinster or Ireland, the big games I wanted to play in.
“To miss out on those big Tests against Argentina and the All Blacks at home – those are the days at the end of your career that you’ll always remember.
“It’s tough looking back and not having been selected for those. Hopefully I’ll push on and get more opportunities in those really high intensity, high pressure moments because that’s why we do it.”
He continues: “I don’t think I’d ever look back and say I was happy with that. It was great, and I experienced so much and achieved a lot of success, especially here at Leinster, but I look back and not starting that final over in Bilbao, only playing the two games in the Six Nations.
As good as 2018 was, Conan wants more in 2019. He wants to become first-choice for both club and country, he wants to be involved in more of those big occasions and he wants to become a big part of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup plans.
“Hopefully in 2019 I can push on,” he says. “Obviously, it’s a massive year for Irish rugby and please God things go well and I’ll be on the plane over to Japan.
“But there is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, especially here in Leinster where we’re looking to go back-to-back champions in Europe.”
After sustaining a shoulder injury in the November Test win over USA, Conan has been left frustrated by his lack of minutes at such a crunch time of the season, but after starting against Bath in round four of the Heineken Champions Cup, feels back to full fitness.
He, along with many of Leinster’s frontline internationals, were given last week off as Leo Cullen’s side extended their winning run to seven games with a last-gasp win over Connacht, and Conan is now chomping at the bit to be given another starting opportunity.