Healy comes to terms with game-time conundrum

THERE IS a prevailing philosophical view among the Leinster players with regard to game time and Cian Healy is not immune. Back from injury, the Irish prop started against Exeter at the weekend only to make way for Heinke van der Werve in a pattern of take off and landing that is becoming so familiar as to be routine.

With props of such quality Joe Schmidt can feel satisfied with strength in that area, but for Healy it has taken some time to accept the deal. It has not always been what he wants but few would argue that the South African coming into a match hurts Leinster.

“I’d like to be able to get 80 minutes here and there,” says Healy. “But I have gotten to understand and accept how myself and Heinke work well together like that and either one or the other of us comes in as the impact. It does work quite well for the team and at the end of the day it’s the team, not me.

“It’s frustrating in a way but at the same time, you get used to it and you know what to expect. You know you can give it your full belt for that 60 minutes or whatever and you then know that there’s someone else coming in that’s at such a good level. It’s acceptable for you to be able to step back and say ‘go on.’”

More than most Healy bridges the gap between backs and forwards. His explosive speed is as much a factor of him being a prop than the arcane propping techniques of the bind or hit. But over the summer discussions about his physique fell on the idea that he should add a few kilos of bulk to his frame that might help come scrum time.

“We came up with it in a group brain-storming on what I could do in pre-season and we decided I’d get heavier,” explains Healy. “The diet went on the good books for a while, so it was all planned and specific. It was more of a trial. It wasn’t going to work wonders.

“Pre-season I put on a good few and didn’t like it, and took it off. I went up to 120 kg and back down at 116 kg now. I wanted to put it up just for scrums, just to see if the extra weight would help, and it was a lot of heavy lifting in the gym, and it was all very strength-orientated.”

On the face of it the experiment had the backing of the Leinster staff but in the end a bigger version of Cian Healy in the scrum rebelled in other areas around the pitch. For a prop whose trademark is yard-gaining carries, even 4kg was asking questions elsewhere.

“Then when we got into proper training and playing a bit of rugby, I just felt too heavy and sluggish so I had to get rid of it,” he says. “I was just seeing how it went. I’m still up a bit, but that jump to 120kg was too much. I wasn’t too keen on it, so I cut the meals in half for a while.”

It was a fine adjustment that just didn’t work as they had thought, much like the Leinster team as a whole right now.

For Healy the answer came quickly enough for him to readjust. But for Schmidt, striking a balance has become something of a search.

Game time all round could be the answer to both.