Jack Conan says that he has unfinished business with the Rugby World Cup ahead of Ireland's opening warm-up game against Italy on Saturday.
The Leinster back-row is deep into his third World Cup training camp with Ireland, but neither of the two previous campaigns worked out the way he would have liked.
Conan trained and made his debut with Ireland in the 2015 warm-up against Scotland but didn't make the final cut, and although he was in the form of his life coming into the 2019 tournament in Japan, a foot injury suffered in training after Ireland's opening game saw him ruled out of the rest of the competition.
"Four years ago was obviously incredibly gutting," says the back row.
"I think I played 40 minutes against Scotland and then I was due to start the week after [against Japan] but got injured and was then out for six months."
The 2021 British and Irish Lion turned 31 last Saturday, and says he wants to make up for lost time if selected for next month's World Cup in France.
"I definitely feel like I haven't had the opportunity to perform on the world stage. Obviously, I’ve played in the Six Nations and stuff, New Zealand last year and whatever else, but the World Cup is definitely something special.
"With my age profile, I’m not sure I will be knocking around in four years time. So I am excited to be at my best and put my hand up in these few warm-up games and then hopefully into the World Cup to show what I can do on that big stage."
The timing of that injury in 2019 could barely have been worse. Having needed surgery on his foot, the Covid-19 lockdowns meant it was 11 months before he was back on the pitch with Leinster, and it was the 2021 Six Nations before he was able to wriggle his way back into contention with Ireland.
Since getting back into the Ireland squad just over two years ago, Conan hasn't looked back. Some brilliant form late in that 2020/21 season saw him called up to the Lions, where he started all three Test matches, while he's been a consistent selection in the Irish matchday 23 in the last two seasons.
"Firstly, it was a big thing to overcome. The injury itself, there was no guarantee I would come back from it. There are a lot of lads who retired from the same injury I had – not that it ever got to that point but you knew it was going to be a physically and mentally testing journey from the outset.
"I think every injury changes you. For the most part it changes you in a good way. It definitely tests your perseverance and your mental fortitude. I had a really difficult time coming back from that injury.
"It was incredibly slow and it made me grateful too for the life I have and the opportunities that I've worked hard to get, but the opportunities that have come to me over the last few years.
"Again, bowing out on that stage in the World Cup and getting injured just makes you so much hungrier to do it again and be back there and get another shot at it.
"Not that I wasn’t grateful four years ago, maybe I just didn’t grasp the magnitude of playing for Ireland in a World Cup but I think because of the experiences I had in Japan they definitely make me appreciate the position I’m in at the moment.
"Hopefully I can take that into the next few weeks and it definitely means a hell of a lot more to me now."
Six weeks after gathering at the Irish Rugby high performance centre, the 42-man squad have finally been able to turn their attention towards a real game as they take on Italy in the opening match of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series on Saturday (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
And while Conan says it's been a physically demanding camp, they've made significant changes to their pre-season programme from four years ago.
"It's vastly different, if I am honest. Probably got a lot of things wrong four years ago that I don’t really want to get into now, but the way we are training now, it’s all rugby-related.
"Its getting fitter through rugby and performing under fatigue. I think it’s really going to stand to us.
"We’re just adding layers and layers on top of the things we have already been trying to perfect over the last few years, going back to the basics and continually trying to get better.
"So I think we’re in a great spot and it’s a really, really exciting time to be a part of the journey of it."
"We have put in some great building blocks over the last few weeks, trained really hard, to be fair to the coaching staff, they have looked after us as well.
"They have been very good and it has been hugely enjoyable. It's definitely the best pre-season I have ever been a part of. It’s great. It sets us up really well for this weekend."
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