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Cian Healy weighs in on the medals debate surrounding No1 Ireland

By PA
(Photo by Paul Devlin/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Veteran prop Cian Healy has insisted that becoming the most-capped Ireland Test player would mean very little without lifting the World Cup. Healy is the most experienced international in Andy Farrell’s squad and has an opportunity to secure a place in his country’s record books during the next year.

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The 35-year-old, who looks set to win his 120th cap by making a rare start when the Irish host Fiji on Saturday, needs just 15 more appearances to seize the top spot from Brian O’Driscoll. While the Leinster forward could potentially achieve the feat during the 2023 World Cup in France, his main ambition is silverware.

“I could have 200 caps and no medals and I know where I’d be happier,” he said. “I’d take another five if I got some more silverware for it, instead of another 20. I think a cap number without reward is not so important.”

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Healy sits behind O’Driscoll (133), Ronan O’Gara (128) and Rory Best (124) in the current Ireland caps list, with ten of his last 13 outings coming as a replacement. He has won three Six Nations titles, including the 2018 Grand Slam, in a Test career stretching back to 2009. Farrell’s in-form side held on to their position as rugby’s top-ranked nation at the weekend by downing world champions South Africa in Dublin.

Healy, who came off the Ireland bench in the 19-16 win over the Springboks, played down the significance of that status and, having been reduced to a peripheral role following Andrew Porter’s switch to loosehead, believes he still has plenty to offer. “Personally, I would tend not to look at that sort of stuff,” he said. “I wouldn’t take a ranking into account because I don’t have a medal for a ranking. That is how I look at things.”

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Speaking about his role within the squad, he said: “I have to drag the best out of myself and be in a position that, if called upon, I’m there to do a job. To me, that’s the fun part of it. The competition week in, week out and pushing for the top spot because if you lose that drive there is no point in being in here.”

Head coach Farrell is expected to make a host of changes for the Fiji clash at the Aviva Stadium before Ireland’s autumn campaign concludes against Australia a week later. Healy is likely to be joined in the front row by fellow prop Finlay Bealham, with first-choice pair Porter and Tadhg Furlong poised to be rested. Australia-born Bealham has won only four of his 26 caps as a starter.

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While he accepts permanently dislodging Furlong will be a major ask, the Connacht forward hopes to give Farrell further food for thought. “Tadhg is obviously a world-class player and he is a British Lion and everything like that but I need to be pushing him and making him better and making myself better,” said Bealham.

“I wouldn’t see myself as a backup player. I can fill that role and keep pushing myself and finding new limits to where I can go and see what happens. Tadhg has been very good to me. I work a lot with him in terms of reviewing training and preparation, just kind of bouncing ideas off him, learning from him as best as I can, and asking him questions about what I could do better, little things like that.

“We catch up most nights and sit down for an hour and go through training, go through scrums, all that fun stuff, and have a really good conversation about things. That has been an area where I have got a lot of growth so I’m very thankful to him for letting me.”

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JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

These kids have been playing in leagues comparable to SR, not the NPC

The likes of games these guys get introduced to are closer to NPC than SR.


This is the team Sam played with in his first Leinster game;

Ed BYRNE

Tadgh MCELROY

Tom CLARKSON

Alex SOROKA

Brian DEENY

James CULHANE

Will CONNORSE

Max DEEGAN

Nick MCCARTHY

Sam PRENDERGAST

Dave KEARNEY

Ben BROWNLEE

Liam TURNER

Tommy O'BRIEN

Chris COSGRAVE

It’s too short, not as competitive and there are (usually) no test players in that comp.

You’re talking about something else altogether, sure, I’m not saying people around the world want to watch the NPC, but locally its just the same with a large amount of internationals playing, even All Blacks.

The evidence the NPC is not on par is in the U20 WC. SH sides haven’t won it since 2017

You obviously have had very little exposure to New Zealand rugby. The NPC is made up all the Super Rugby players, plus the club battlers trying to get a gig. Far above u20 rugby level.

Guys like Attisogbe, Gazzotti and Louis BB were in those sides. They were Top14 regulars at the time and are test players now.

What you need to understand is that NZ rugby is not like France, basically the complete opposite. AB jerseys are not just handed out like that and there is very little room for u20 as every player in these squads is battling for an AB jersey basically. Super Rugby only has 5 teams, not 14. Sure, you can argue more exposure is better, but season length is not going to do that, you just have to get onboard with how NZ does it. They are the best after all.

NZ used to chuck talented youngsters in at the deep end in SR. Carter, McCaw and quite a few others from the 2011 and 2015 WC winning teams were in SR at 20, 21 and ABs a year later.

You are definitely star struck. I like it, reminds me of playing Championship Manager. It’s no different now, heard of Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Noah Hotham? NZ was one of the youngest squads going around and a good number of 20/21 yo’s coming into SR each year.


You don’t want players under pressure at that age, hence what teams do in those comps I mentioned. NZ definitely takes that to a different level for 17/18 yo, and even younger, but when you hear what happens to them when you don’t, I think that’s the right path.

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