Ireland scrum-half Luke McGrath says the players are 'champing at the bit' for a game after a grueling month and a half of pre-season work.
Ahead of a pivotal autumn for Irish rugby, the national team reported for the first day of pre-season way back on June 16th, three weeks after Leinster beat Glasgow to retain the Pro14 title.
The Leinster and Ireland scrum-half admits that it's been physically tough, agreeing that players are too exhausted to worry about the cabin fever of being in camp for such long stretches.
"It definitely was a very difficult pre-season," McGrath told RTÉ Sport.
"The first day we met was June 16th and there's been a few very tough physical weeks in there. But they've also given us a few weeks off which is important.
'It's definitely been a very difficult pre-season' - Luke McGrath on a grueling pre-season schedule which started on June 16 pic.twitter.com/TJpAOBuAUo
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) August 7, 2019
"But I think all the lads have been champing at the bit to actually play a bit of rugby. We've had a great training week and all the lads are deadly excited about it.
"Everyone is probably so exhausted, they don't have time to think about it. (cabin fever)
"There's a great buzz. It's an international which is a funny one for your first game of the season. It's a great opportunity for whoever gets the shirt this weekend.
"If you get selected this weekend, you're not sure when your next game is. Game-time is so crucial. Every time you're on the pitch you need to be clued in and focused."
