And here our lads are, in the gym, bulking up no end and worrying about muscle mass.
New Zealand have been the standard bearers in world rugby for well over a century.
There have been the invincibles, unbeatables, we-can’t-keep-upables and a whole legacy of no-nonsense, grip it and rip it teams that have thrilled and terrified the world.
The past two World Cups have seen the All Blacks back up their all-conquering ways with silverware. Are they finished? They never finish; they never stop.
In their first two outings since winning the Webb Ellis trophy, last October, they ran roughshod over Australia, clinched another Bledisloe Cup and set themselves up for another Rugby Championship title.
Ronan O’Gara equates New Zealand’s success on the rugby pitch to Kilkenny lording it up as hurling Gods – youngsters picking it up at an early age and playing it with a genuine sense of joy.
Girvan Dempsey tapped into that on his recent ‘continuing personal development’ trip to New Zealand. The Leinster backs coach visited the Super Rugby set-ups of franchises Auckland Blues and Waikato Chiefs over the summer.
What he discovered was not so much a reinvention of the wheel but a new-found appreciation of it. Dempsey says:
“You look at what they do and it’s not massively different to what we do up here. There are a few tweaks and things here and there.
“The Chiefs, in particular, have a very strong culture, they’re very clear about how the club works. It was surprising that some of them do double rugby sessions [two in one day], which not a lot of teams do up here. A few little things here and there about the pace at which they train.”
One of the changes Leinster initiated has been bringing in Charlie Higgins [formerly Queensland Reds] as head of athletic performance. Dempsey continues:
“Overall, what they do in New Zealand isn’t vastly different to what we do up here. I think the biggest focus is on simplicity. Simplicity in what they do and making sure that everyone is really, really clear on what they’re doing. That interaction between different groups within the team is really important.”
There we have it. Double rugby. Getting the ball in hand. Giving it a spin and pegging it around with your mates.
Of course, there is still that steadfast commitment to hitting your GPS, gym and Key Performance Indicator [KPI] numbers. But it is also about getting back to that reason why you first got involved in the game – the love of a good game, played hard and fought fair.
Demspey says Leinster have no plans to bring in double rugby for training this session.
There’s always next year.
The new GAA Hour football podcast is here. Listen to Colm Parkinson, Senan Connell, and Barry Cahill dissect a classic between Dublin and Kerry. Subscribe here on iTunes.
