It sounds as if Jamie Heaslip got a little bit carried away with himself.
Ireland have been drawn in a decent World Cup 2019 pool after today’s draw in Kyoto Japan.
Irish rugby supporters will be delighted that their side has drawn hosts Japan and Six Nations rivals Scotland, as well as two lower ranked opponents.
We'll definitely take that.
Here we go! #RWC2019https://t.co/xCS8PB5dIH— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 10, 2017
Jamie Heaslip is expected to lead Ireland on their summer tour of America and Japan if he can prove his fitness to head coach Joe Schmidt. Both men are part of the Ireland contingent in Japan for proceedings.
Heaslip appears to have lost the run of himself when the pool draw was confirmed.
By all means, there are trickier pools but the reaction reported by Alex Lowe of The Times, who is also in Japan, is certainly lacking in grace.
Jamie Heaslip punched the air when Ireland were drawn in pool one with Scotland and Japan. "We are happy with it. There are tougher groups."
— Alex Lowe 📰 (@AlexMLowe) May 10, 2017
Heaslip also told reporters:
“We get to avoid South Africa, Wales and France and that is a big thing for us.”
Considering that Scotland beat Ireland in this year’s Six Nations and Japan, who will have the backing of an entire nation behind them, beat South Africa in the last World Cup, it may not be the handy draw many are claiming.
We completely back Heaslip’s post-draw comments – why shouldn’t Ireland be pleased with the draw? – but punching the air in celebration is a step too far.
BBC reporter Tom English was not the only person to call Heaslip out for his reaction.
Punched the air? Hmm. Silly boy https://t.co/2750b7yKIa
— Tom English (@TEnglishSport) May 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/DougallChops/status/862228957286064128
https://twitter.com/ChipHarrison100/status/862226618177245184
Heaslip would be a few months shy of his 36th birthday by the time the 2019 World Cup rolls around.
It remains to be seen if he will still be around the Test scene to back up his words with deeds.
