As Ireland prepare to take on the All-Blacks at the Rugby World Cup this weekend, one man who knows just what it feels like to beat them won't be on the pitch, but rather in studio analysing their performance.
Jamie Heaslip joined Ray D'Arcy to discuss his time in the green jersey, the injury that ended his career and his new book 'All In'. Ray began by listing the former No. 8's stellar resume: from grand slams to European titles and a collection of record-breaking stats. Nothing, however, surpasses Jamie's wedding day or the birth of his daughter.
"Rugby has been great, it's been a great journey, it's given me a lot, I've been able to provide for my family, but family is the pure joy of life, I think."
Ray wondered if growing up with a dad who was Brigadier General in the Irish Army, was tough.
"I think he'd given up the ghost by the time it came to me. I was the one that got past the keeper… By the time I became a teenager, everyone else had left the coop and my dad was just like, 'ah give him what he wants and get him out of here'. He was old school, not tough, but definitely liked structure and discipline and a lot of that rubbed off on me."
Discipline and structure certainly played an important part in Jamie's preparations for some of the biggest days of his career. He shared with Ray some of the habits that helped to get his head right before stepping out on the pitch.
"I'd get my notebook out and I'd script how I wanted the day to go, up to the game, like feelings, what I'm seeing, I'd used a lot of metaphors… very emotive. Then on the other page it would be very prescriptive like, 'I am going to have really good entry to my tackles', it would be more action-based… then once I'd get to the grounds, I'd just look at the actions part, just before I'd go out onto the pitch."
Speaking of business on the pitch, Jamie went on to discuss the infamous 'Ireland playbook' with Ray. This is essentially a catalogue of plays devised by Joe Schmidt and his coaching team to outsmart their opposition. Ray marvelled at the players' ability to learn and recall so many plays in a high-pressure environment like an international test match. For Jamie, it's all about visualisation.
"You run through it on the field in real time speed. You walk through it a lot really slow. With visualisation, studies have shown, that if you've good practices, you're firing the same neural pathways as when you physically do it. You ingrain it, so it becomes automatic when someone like Jonny calls it out."
As the interview drew to a close, Ray wondered what career highlights stood out most for Jamie. Considering how many memorable moments he experienced in 13 years playing at the top level, one moment in the green jersey stands above all the others.
"The thing that eluded me for so long was beating New Zealand. 2016, Chicago, just stands out for me… it's the All Blacks and we pull it off."
Which begs the question, does Jamie fancy our changes against them this weekend?
"That group of players, Joe and the backroom staff, they won't be afraid of the All-Blacks. I'm really excited about it. This team can do it."
Here's hoping he's right. In the meantime – let's get visualising.
You can listen back to Jamie Heaslip's interview on The Ray D'Arcy Show in full, here.
Jan Ní Fhlanagáin