Ahead of the start of the URC knockouts this weekend, Simon Zebo knows that he has a maximum of three appearances left in the colours of Munster.
The 34-year old recently announced that he would be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, bringing to the end to an illustrious career that has seen him shine in both Ireland and France.
The Cork man has made close to 250 club appearances with both Munster and Racing 92, as well as earning 35 caps for Ireland. He picked up a pair of URC crowns and a Six Nations title along the way.
Léigh an scéal seo trí Ghaeilge ar Liathróidí.ie brúigh anseo.
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Simon Zebo wonders if Ireland career came at wrong time
As successful as Simon Zebo's career has been, there is a sense that we perhaps should have seen more of him in the colours of Ireland.
His move to France of course played a part in that, but there was even a sense prior to his exit that his face did not necessarily fit during Joe Schmidt's tenure. In a setup that put an emphasis on a conservative and repetitive game plan, his maverick nature was not necessarily conducive to that approach.
Zebo was eligible to return to the Ireland squad after he re-signed for Munster in 2021, a mixture of injury and other options in his position meant he was never brought in by Andy Farrell.
Speaking ahead of Munster's game against Ospreys on Friday evening, Zebo suggested that his approach to the game would be much more welcome in the current Ireland squad in comparison to the one he previously played in, going on to share his admiration for Andy Farrell.
It’s a hard one, yeah; it doesn’t linger with me, no. I would have loved to (have played more with Ireland), but it is what it is.
You see how Mack Hansen behaves, other people, and they’re totally comfortable and at ease. I was doing that when it was different, let’s just say that!
It’s funny, I love Andy and I’ve always loved working with him, all the way back to the Lions, and I would have loved to have had more time with him...
I never limited myself to anything or ability to play at any level. But at the same time, the journey has been incredible.
In the old days, I would have been getting a few queer looks from [Ronan] O’Gara, [Paul] O’Connell, John Hayes, Alan Quinlan, the list goes on and on.
But after a few months training they see that’s how you operate and they see my ability and then they’re like, ‘OK’. There’s no judging.
Simon Zebo will be hoping to end his career on a high over the coming weeks, with Munster entering the URC knockouts as one of the favourites to win the tournament after a fine run of form in recent times.
It would be a fitting way to bring down the curtain on his time with the province.
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