David Walsh has an excellent interview with Cian Healy in today's Sunday Times. In it we learn about some of the little things that have got the Leinster and Ireland prop to where he is right now.
Including, carrying sandbags up the stairs of his parents' house everytime he made the trip between the ages of eight and ten. Dragging his father's car along Dollymount strand at the age of thirteen. And changing his year of birth from 1987 to 1985 so he could get into an adult gym.
He goes up against Toulon's Carl Hayman today in the scrum today and David Walsh got Healy to articulate the mentality which he carries into a huge game like today's Heineken Cup quarter-final.
I was thinking about this. Years ago he was definitely considered the best in the world and I watched him, never thinking I’d end up scrumming against him. I’ve looked at a few of his scrums because Feeky [Leinster’s scrum coach, Greg Feek] makes me look at scrums. So I look at a few of them. ‘Ah yeah, grand, I see what he does’.
My view is that no matter how much I look at him, it doesn’t matter a fucking squat. I can know everything about him and then go out and not perform. If I’m mentally where I like to be, believing my opponent doesn’t deserve me to look at him, if I believe I’m a stronger, better scrummager, if I’m in that place then I’m just going to dominate this person.
I've thought for quite a while that Conor McGregor is Ireland's most confident sports star. Cian Healy is definitely a contender for that crown right now.
Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
