Training gets tough Straight back into training once more – we had another squad session last weekend. We covered much of the same as the previous weekend but with a higher intensity, and the coaches expected to see more from us.
On the Saturday morning we split into units immediately, with the forwards focusing on the scrum and backs doing backline attack and defence. Although we weren’t hitting the scrum machine at full tilt, it was tough all the same as we were doing so much, you just feel the burn in your legs. After lunch we moved on to game-related play; we were split into two teams and played modified games in controlled situations.
However the intensity of the weekend began to take its toll, and a number of people were stepping out with injuries. Poor Gillian got a knock to the head, which after four hours in A&E was revealed to be a mild concussion. It’s after sessions like this that you are thankful of some recovery time. We always do a good stretch in the pool, followed by a very competitive game of water volleyball – we just make up the rules as we go, so as you can imagine there are many arguments!
Dinner on Saturday couldn’t come quick enough, and I have to say the food at the Green Isle Hotel has been excellent. After dinner we had a meeting that took a different slant than normal as we discussed match situations: how we would deal with things and what decisions would be made in certain areas of the pitch, if weather conditions were bad, if we were down points with a certain amount of time left, etc. It was very interesting to see what options people would choose and their reasoning behind it.
The meeting only lasted an hour, which was short and sharp, and meant that people could relax for the evening – except for Eoin the physio, who was kept busy most of the night. I visited him myself with my ongoing shoulder injury and I also had a niggle in my calf – what pain he puts you through when you are on the table! But it’s all for a good cause.
On the Sunday morning there was more of a focus on decision-making and game appreciation; there wasn’t too much contact in this session as we needed to save people for the match in the afternoon. That ended up being a 13-a-side game, which wasn’t exactly ideal, but we got to put in place some of the things we were practicing.
I was happy enough with how things went personally, but one area I’m really going to concentrate on in the next few weeks is my defence. I nearly got my nose broken by Germaine Healy as I went too high and she just handed me off right in the face – very painful indeed. Then after the game we had what were the coldest ice-baths I have ever experienced; our manager really excelled herself in getting as much ice as she possibly could.
The squad was supposed to be cut prior to 15 December; however I’m unsure if this will happen as some of the injured players have not had the chance to prove themselves yet, so they might be given another chance.
Our club game on Sunday was against Highfield from Cork. They are the only team to beat us in the last four years in the league, so we knew it was going to a tough one. Due to the abysmal weather conditions, I was convinced the pitches would be waterlogged, but the grass at UL Bohs was in great shape.
I was back playing my normal position as prop. In the first half we played very well against the wind and retained the ball as best we could, but at half time the score was only 5–0. In the second half we started making the wrong decisions and although we owned the ball, we could not convert possession into points.
The final score was 12–5 to us, but to be honest, we were quite disappointed with our second-half performance as we know we are capable of better. Without doubt, the toughest game of the season to date will be against Blackrock next Sunday, so we have a lot to work on.
Fiona Coghlan is an Irish International rugby player. Her column appears every fortnight in Metro Eireann
