Jamie Heaslip, in his role as Goal ambassador, came in contact with the media yesterday afternoon within the confines of leafy Merrion Square. There he stood, mere strides from the languid statue of a poet, a playwright, a journalist even, who knew all about the importance of being earnest.
“Most people are other people,” Oscar Wilde wrote. “Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”
Heaslip’s being the most interesting contract negotiation currently conducted by the IRFU and agents, it was understandably top of the agenda.
Recently turned 30 and so clearly a durable number eight, Toulon and Montpelier are believed to be circling. With Conor Murray, Donnacha Ryan – solid business by Ryan Constable to secure a three-year deal for a 30-year-old lock – and Rory Best deals recently inked, the attention switches to the most valued possessions of Heaslip, Paul O'Connell and Seán O'Brien.
“We’re here to talk about Goal lads not that.” Fair enough. Northampton? “Look, a typical rugby season you have 15, 20 big games. Some you win some you lose. You want to go out there and win them all.”
Unfortunately the Leinster captain has lost the last three – Australia, New Zealand and Northampton – games at the Aviva Stadium now.
'Grind it out'
"Sometimes everything goes according to plan and other times it doesn't and you have to grind it out. Sometimes you grind it out and you get nothing at the end of it. That's just the way it goes."
His expression after each final whistle revealed more than any interview could. “We’ll have to learn from that game for us going forward and the lads have the chance to do something about it this week in Edinburgh. The review wasn’t exactly great to be in but . . . you dust yourself off.
“Even if you win you don’t have time. There are so many games. You have to write about them every week, I don’t know how you keep up with them. There are so many games you just got to get back up on the horse and go again.”
The value of the Irish provincial system is most apparent over the next fortnight as Heaslip and most frontline Irish players are stood down.
Despite finishing well up the statistical rankings in Saturday night's defeat, making 12 carries for 34 metres, the handling error at the end is put to him like a cheap tactic to elicit false emotion. "I knocked it on. I didn't execute and he ran the length of the field and scored a try. How would you feel?"
Recharge batteries
This being his "booster week" the 80-minute man gets time to recharge the batteries. "It's our job," he shrugs when endurance is mentioned. "I like playing 80 minutes. I've got a good engine on me. I keep myself in reasonable shape.
“The season flies by. It’s a roller-coaster ride. You just sit on it and enjoy it. That’s how I look at it. The best form of protection against injury, I find, is just getting out there, training everyday and keep playing.
“I’d be doing this for free, it’s not like it’s a chore for us . . . just keep trucking.”
Now in its 32nd year, the Goal mile takes place on Christmas day at 114 locations throughout Ireland as well as London, Melbourne and Toronto while members of the Irish defence forces in the Golan Heights will take part this year.
Heaslip travelled to Calcutta with the charity in 2011 and may accompany chief executive Barry Andrews to Sierra Leone next year. "Hopefully Jamie might be able to come over, have a look at our programmes and become an advocate for that," said Andrews.
