'No case for panic': Jack Conan urges calm for Leinster and Ireland

Michael Bolton

For Ireland and Leinster, it has not been the easiest start to the season, but Jack Conan can see no reason to panic.

After Ireland lost two out of their four November series games, including a defeat to South Africa, attention quickly turned to European rugby for Leinster.

While not perfect, Leinster were able to get the bonus-point victory against a weakened Harlequins side last weekend.

After three defeats already this season, Leinster find themselves in unfamiliar territory, with Leo Cullen's side usually impressing in the early season.

The tasks don't get any easier, with Leicester Tigers waiting for them on Friday at Welford Road, but a challenge Conan is looking forward to.

"I have no doubt that they will be a highly motivated, top-quality side. A great club with fantastic history, pride themselves and working hard and the nuts and bolts of the game, and you know, they're pretty pragmatic and how they play.

"We speak about that the whole time, to the importance of making an account and appreciating where you are, because, you know, careers are short, and we will be going on some stage, so make the most when you can and enjoy it. I

"It is obviously a lot of pressure and but it's, it's incredibly special place to be as well. So you need to make the most of it."

Conan is one of the few Leinster players with a Champions Cup medal from 2018, with four final defeats in the years that have followed as that fifth star has continued to be a step too far for Leinster.

While this season has yet to prove this will be the year the European drought ends, the 33-year-old is convinced Leinster will put it altogether when it matters.

"We've fallen short in the last few years in Europe, and in the big games in particular, but a lot of times we get to that stage of the year, and we haven't lost many games, and you learn a lot about yourself when you are not winning big matches.

""I don't think there's any case for panic. It's definitely been a harder start to the year.

"There are other upsides as well, getting a younger cohort of lads out there to play, especially those first few games in South Africa, I know it wasn't ideal, but it's never bad when lads are gaining experience and finding out what's required to play at this level.

"It hasn't been ideal, but you can always have it your own way. Once we take the lessons from it then we'll be all right.

"Then you look back and think, 'right, well that was worth it in the end', but if it comes to the latter stages of seasons and you fall short again, you'll be disappointed, but it's 'Magic 8 Ball' stuff at the moment."

One of the possible reasons for the slow start to the season is a lack of game time, with Conan making his first start for Leinster in last weekend's victory.

Having not played since the Lions tour before the defeat to New Zealand, the Leinster number eight is among the players still getting to grips after the British and Irish Lions tour.

With Ireland the main contributor to the side, the effects have been seen in Ireland and Leinster's form, with Conan admitting the mental challenges of getting back to full fitness.

"Look, you can't replicate games, really, no matter what you do in training, you know, just the kind of speed of thought. But it's probably more that's more than more the mental side of things.

"You know, when you haven't played, then you go straight into international games, it's hard to be mentally sharp as you want to be.

"I won't speak on behalf of other lads, but I definitely found it a little bit harder, just because the openings and gaps, they flow so much quicker.

"The way you got to mentally, has to be that bit sharper and faster, that's probably the real challenge.

"You can do as much conditioning and training prep and all like that, but it's the mental side of the game when you get in there, reading cues and being as sharp mentally as you need to be to play at that top level, which is difficult when you haven't played any games.

"But that's no excuses from myself or anyone else who's who hasn't played a whole lot. That's just the nature of the beast, and the way that happened. It was great to have so many Irish lads on that Lions tour during the summer.