Jack McGrath: No perfect game, but form and enjoyment are back

Sometimes the solution is hidden in plain view. Six weeks ago Jack McGrath spoke honestly about returning for pre-season training under-cooked physically after his exploits with the Lions in New Zealand, the legacy of which was a loss of form and his pre-eminent position as the number one loosehead prop with Leinster and Ireland.

Cian Healy took both jerseys and McGrath's involvement in the November Test series was limited to a start against Fiji as he slipped to third in the national pecking order. He resolved the fitness issues, working on extras so that his conditioning improved to the extent where he could properly represent his obvious quality as a player.

The upshot was increased game time but also a sense of enjoyment that had been sucked from his game as he sought to sought to regain form. Healy's level of performance remained irresistible and earned him the starting jersey against France in Paris last weekend with McGrath replacing him for the final 20-minutes.

The two players will swap roles for Saturday's game against Italy at the Aviva Stadium. It's a familiar set-piece that dates back to when the 28-year-old McGrath make his Leinster debut almost eight years ago, the ensuing tussle for pre-eminence has ebbed and flowed.

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Square one

McGrath admitted: “I’ve worked hard since November. I just went back and sort of started from square one again. I wasn’t where I needed to be in November. Luckily I have been able to put a string of games together and do what I’ve needed to do off the pitch to get the head right.

If you start looking into it too deeply, you nearly confuse yourself as to what the actual problem is. It's not a lot of things

“I’ve just started enjoying myself again playing because when you’re not, and you’re struggling to get around the pitch and not playing well, it’s hard to enjoy it. That’s why you play the game, to enjoy it.”

He pointed out that Healy had been brilliant in the last Test match before the start of the 2018 Six Nations, against Argentina in November, and for Leinster so deserved to start last weekend.

Now it’s his turn. His ability to declutter his mind has been an important tool. He explained: “If you start looking into it too deeply, you nearly confuse yourself as to what the actual problem is. It’s not a lot of things, it’s one thing, so peel it back, do this and everything else will roll on from there.

“Everyone goes through peaks and troughs. If you’re worrying the whole time, it is mentally draining. From my experience of playing at a high level now, I know you don’t have to be worrying all of the time. There are certain times when you are able to switch off and certain times when you have to be sharp.

You do have to stay in tune; if they are doing something in the scrum, you have to be aware of what the lineout call is, what the play is

“I think for a long time, I probably worried about stuff that was uncontrollable. For me now, when I make a mistake, I just get on with it. You are never going to play the perfect game. You want to try and play the best game of your life every time you go out but it does not always happen but what you can do is try and control things to make you try and play the best game.

Confidence

“And prepare well, just go into games with a confidence and enjoy it, because people would give their left arm to be where you are and sometimes you forget that. When you get away from that, I think, for me, it is difficult.”

There’s another plus to starting, not having to keep a watching brief on the bench, and scrutinising every detail. He admitted: “You do have to stay in tune; if they are doing something in the scrum, you have to be aware of what the lineout call is, what the play is, if guys are missing certain rucks, anything like that. Then you come in at half-time and if you’ve anything to say you can say it.”

He laughs and says watching is an emotional drain because there is no physical outlet to relieve pent up feelings and the call to arms can be uncharted. That and the fact that he cannot remain detached emotionally.

“I find I get kind of into it, caught up in it, which I don’t think is a bad thing, either. To be involved, you kind of have to get yourself into it as well.”

Right from the start on Saturday.