Leinster well-served by comeback of Isa Nacewa

Comebacks in sport more often end in tears than glory. Career obituaries around the world are littered with them, stories that fail to reignite. The fire is still there but the spark, once it’s gone it’s gone.

Isa Nacewa’s return to European competition this week is his first after two years away from the game working as a commentator and mental skills coach in New Zealand.

Enticing him to return after he had left Dublin "for personnel" reasons was at one time seen to be a calculated punt by Leinster. Instead the club made him stand-in captain, then permanent captain and on Sunday he leads Leinster out against Wasps, his sixth game into the season after more than two years away.

“Sure we’d all love to take a sabbatical of two years and come back fresh,” said Seán Cronin this week. “He is a great professional, was when he was here and he’s come back in fantastic physical shape and played really well.”

‘Consistently performs’

It has always been thus with Nacewa. When he was here, when he was gone and when he came back the admiration from other players about how he consistently performs and largely stays healthy has become one of the enduring tales in rugby.

“Isa is a fabulous player, fabulous leader, huge pedigree at the club,” adds Cronin. “A lot of lads look up to him so I think it (captaincy) is a great choice.”

In Nacewa coach Leo Cullen obviously saw rugby savvy, experience and, within days back in Dublin, proof that his body and mind had not degenerated in the intervening 24 months.

But he had to prove himself and Cronin too is at a stage where he needs, not exactly to prove himself but perhaps remind Cullen of his range of ability around the park but also show Joe Schmidt that he should think again before excluding him from Ireland.

The hooker choices for Ireland's last World Cup games against France and Argentina were Rory Best and Richardt Strauss.

In that sense Cronin goes straight into a head to head with the South African-born frontrow for a starting place with the province.

Schmidt, says Cronin, told him it was a “horses for courses decision.” Cronin will live with that. He has to.

“Yeah, it was a bit of a disappointment at the time both from a personal point of view but also going out at the quarters,” he says. “You’d always be there sitting asking: ‘what could I have added?’ I’d have loved to have been involved at that time, but I’m happy to be back in this environment. Happy to be back playing.

“I got 50-55 [minutes] against Treviso, I was supposed to be involved last weekend but I’d a slight calf problem, so I’m just looking forward to playing rugby again, to being involved here, to make an impact as best I can.”

In Leinster’s last European game against Toulon back in April, it was Cronin who started in their 25-20 defeat in Marseille. In a world where frontrows now rarely play a whole match, he went for 65 minutes before being replaced by Strauss.

Terrific backrow

In Wasps what he remembers from their last outing and most recent game against Gloucester is their terrific backrow.

Currently sitting eighth in the Premiership table, they hit Gloucester last week in the Rioch Stadium 23-3 with Joe Launchbury and Bradley Davies and a backrow of James Haskell, George Smith and Nathan Hughes, Christain Wade scoring the only try of the match.

“They’ve recruited well with George Smith, I watched them [versus Gloucester] and Hughes seems to be playing really well, he’s a fabulous player,” says Cronin.

“So, I presume they’re going to pose the same sort of threat – they were missing Haskell this time last year when we played them, so there’s a small bit of an advantage – have recruited well with [Charles] Piutau. Getting Piutau for a season isn’t a bad recruit, so they’re very strong across the park.”

Whoever starts at hooker Cronin hopes to make an impact. Leinster fans haven’t seen much of him yet. But, as Nacewa has shown wonderfully, that doesn’t matter if you turn up.