The life of a substitute is a life that is largely lived in the unknown.
A substitute is constantly waiting, always watching, never quite knowing whether they’ll be needed but never allowed to act like they won’t.
Leinster utility Joey Carbery has experienced both ends of the substitute spectrum with Leinster and Ireland over the last two months.
The 22-year-old was seen warming up minutes before Johnny Sexton’s match winning drop goal against France in the opening round of this year’s Six Nations, and then at the end of the tournament, with the Grand Slam on the line against England at Twickenham, he was thrown into the mix in the biggest game of his life; first as a blood sub and then as a permanent replacement later in the game.
Carbery has commented before that he just tries to play what’s in front of him when coming off the bench, regardless of the situation, however, in an age where Leinster and Ireland are widely considered among the very best club and international sides in world rugby, he seems to be coming into more games where he’s protecting leads rather than chasing them.
“Saracens posed a huge threat on Sunday and we knew they were going to come out and try and throw everything at us so we just wanted to close out the game and play pressure rugby,” said Carbery.
The fact that Carbery entered Sunday’s match with an 11 point lead over the two-time defending champions tells you everything that you need to know about this Leinster side.
They had already scored 30 points by the time Carbery had his number called. A nightmare for opposition defences and coaches but a dream scenario for Stuart Lancaster and Leo Cullen.
Leinster’s head coach and their senior coach know the talent they have at their disposal but so do the players, after all, many of them are all experiencing the same success at the same time with 20 of the 23 players that played against Saracens capped at international level, while 11 players were aged 25 or under.
Seven of those 11 players – Carbery, Garry Ringrose, Luke McGrath, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Dan Leavy and Andrew Porter – were all involved in Ireland’s recent Six Nations campaign and Carbery says that their shared success with Ireland has made their young group hungry for further honours with both club and country.
“We learned from last year’s semi-final defeats and we’ve got the bit between our teeth now,” said Carbery.
“Everyone is pretty focused and we’ve had a taste of what finals rugby is like now. We’re a bit more prepared and obviously with the Irish team, for those that were involved, we’ve got that taste of silverware and I suppose that makes everyone a bit more hungry this year.
“We’re all in the same boat and it’s all pretty new to us but I suppose it’s nice having people around like that that you can just go chat to them about how crazy all of this is and how big these games have been.
“It’s good to have people around you that you’re good friends with as well. It makes it that bit easier.”
It’s nice to have friends that you can enjoy shared experiences with, but it’s also nice for Carbery when those same friends happen to be exceptional rugby players.
Carbery has been an exceptional rugby talent for most of the 22 years he’s roamed this earth but there’s still parts of his game that he can improve upon.
Last summer’s tour of the USA and Japan was a steep learning curve for the New Zealand born playmaker and he’s made a point to take more command of the backline this season in what is only his second full campaign with Leinster.
“I’d say being more comfortable on the pitch and being more assertive with the players around me,” replied Carbery when asked what he’s tried to improve this season.
“It’s very important for a 10 to be assertive and direct their players so I think being a bit more assertive with the forwards and with the play calling I’ve had to learn and get better at that.
“I feel like I’m better than I was last season with that.”
In the past he’s said that he wants to be considered among the best players in the world, and while he cites Beauden Barrett serving behind Dan Carter as a notable comparison to his current situation where he sits behind Johnny Sexton, if he becomes one of the world’s best, there’s a good chance that he’ll take a few of his friends with him.
Tuesday, 3rd April 2018: Avonmore Protein Milk is teaming up with International Rugby Player Joey Carbery for its new ‘You’ve Got This’ campaign. Throughout the ‘You’ve Got This’ campaign Avonmore Protein Milk will inspire others by showcasing what it takes to make it in high performance sport. The digitally led campaign will highlight the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice top athletes make to reach their goals, by telling Joey Carbery’s story.
