Through his nine seasons with Connacht, Eoghan Masterson had become well accustomed to the busy Christmas schedule.
Back to back Interpros between Christmas and the new year always mean indulgence is kept to a minimum for the professionals in this country, but having departed the province at the end of last season, the Portlaoise man is looking forward to putting his feet up after a relentless start to life in the bearpit of ProD2 in France.
The 29-year-old was released by Connacht in the summer, embarking on a new journey in the French second tier with Aurillac, and so far he's proven to be a hit.
Exactly half way through the regular season, the flanker/second row has been almost ever-present, playing 13 of their 15 games, and 12 of those from the start, while his 874 minutes on the pitch is more than double what he managed in the whole of last season.
Following last weekend's win away to Rouen, Masterson and his Aurillac side aren't back in action until 5 January, allowing him to take "full advantage" of the break and return home.
"We've been told to go off and enjoy Christmas as best we can," he tells the RTÉ Rugby podcast. It sounds more like an order than a recommendation.
"Obviously the Interpros over Christmas are massive games that you're really keen to play in, but it goes hand in hand. You can’t be a professional rugby player and expect to enjoy your Christmas like that as well, you have to choose one or the other, which was the case for the last nine years in Connacht.
"I’m not complaining about the break in the ProD2."
It's just under a year since he got the news that every rugby player dreads, that there would be no contract on offer for him in 2022/23.
Despite being a centurion at the province, and having played 19 times in each of the previous two seasons, he admits he'd been carrying a bad feeling with him for a while before Andy Friend confirmed the worst to him in February.
He'd been left out of the squad for the opening three games of the season, with Cian Prendergast cementing his place as the first choice blindside flanker in the squad. And although he started against Ulster and Leinster, he was living off scarps of game time in the first half of the season; seven minutes versus Munster in October, 16 off the bench at home to the Ospreys.
"You kind of start to get a bit of an uneasy feeling. Maybe I'm not in the plans? I’m not playing as much as I used to.
"I was no longer a 'young’ player that they were looking to progress down the line, I was a player with 100-plus caps. When you’re at that stage and you’re not in the 23 and not contributing on the field, you start to think, ’OK, maybe I’m surplus to requirements here...’"
The moment he knew he had to address it was in early February.
"There's definitely a piece of you that has to unlearn a few things, and adapt a little bit. There's that element of 'joue joue’, and 'see what happens', which I’ve liked."
Having come off the bench in a disappointing defeat to Glasgow Warriors at the end of January, he found himself out of the matchday 23 a week later for the Interpro against Ulster.
"We had a very bad loss, but I suppose from personal point of view I was kind of proud of my efforts on the field, and proud of what I had produced. Then, when the team came out or the next game, I wasn't involved again.
"I said it was time for me to go in and have this conversation, first of all around selection for the week, and then that led into a conversation around what’s the future looking like. I got the news then, that it was unlikely I would be staying on with Connacht.
"I’ve no qualms about how it was handled, Andy Friend was very respectful, and he was very helpful to me about taking the next step, whether it was staying in the game, or moving on to something different."
Aurillac made him an offer he couldn't refuse, mainly because there weren't any others.
"I'd love to say I turned down this and that, but Aurillac was the first concrete offer I got," he laughs.
"The hardest bit was probably February, March, April, May, when you're trying to find out what the next step is, and it’s just not very clear what that next step will be, if there is going to be anything in rugby for you."
He ended up in France thanks to a phonecall with a former Connacht teammate Paddy McAllister.
The Ulsterman, who retired in 2021, had played at Aurillac in 2014/15, and having spoken to Masterson, passed on his highlights reel to the club's vice-president.
A couple of days later, a two-year contract was signed.
"It seemed so bizarre that when it happened, it happened that quick.
"I had been searching for clubs all of February, March, April, May, and then within two days and a call from a friend I was heading over to do a medical in France. I took my three weeks holidays and was back into pre-season at the end of June."
He admits his research on Aurillac amounted to looking for it on a map - about three hours north of Toulouse for those wondering - and a couple of calls to the team's other Irish residents; former Ulster back Peter Nelson and Offaly hooker Ronan Loughnane. His Leaving Cert French hadn't been touched in years, but he started polishing it over the spring on the off-chance he ended up in France.
He's part of a healthy Irish contingent in the ProD2, among them his former Connacht teammate Robin Copeland is at Soyaux Angouleme, while ex-Munster pair Dave O'Callaghan and Darren Sweetnam have been playing for Biarritz and Oyonnax respectively in recent seasons.
It's not the most glamorous league, as Masterson's most recent away trip can testify, a Friday night game away to Rouen followed by an 11-hour bus trip home straight after the game, arriving back in Aurillac on Saturday morning.
With a two-year contract, and the option of a third, Masterson seems settled in France for the time being. In the past he'd been linked with a move to Scotland - for who he's qualified to represent through his Scottish father - and while he represented both them and Ireland at U20 level, he says there's never been an offer on the table from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
They brought a win back with them, but that's rare enough in France, just their second on the road from seven attempts, but eight wins from eight at home has helped them to sixth place in the table and very much in the hunt for the promotion playoffs.
What it lacks in glamour it makes up in fun. Thursday and Friday night rugby pull in decent crowds, and it those following from afar will seemingly get a viral clip from the league popping up on their social media feeds at least once a weekend.
"There's definitely a piece of you that has to unlearn a few things, and adapt a little bit. There’s that element of 'joue joue’, and 'see what happens', which I’ve liked.
"I’ve found myself getting my hands on the ball a lot more, and carrying the ball a lot more, and being involved in lots of tackles. I suppose then, just learning the language; I’ve managed to call the lineouts the last couple of weeks and that takes a bit of learning, and a bit of adapting, getting used to it.
"There’s definitely a bit less structure involved, but I’ve enjoyed that in a way, being able to have multiple involvements which has suited me."
News of his departure from Connacht was a surprise to may given how regularly he'd been involved down the years, and he's grateful to Andy Friend for giving him one final outing in green at the Sportsground, in the last game of the URC regular season against Zebre in May.
What a moment for Eoghan Masterson, who scores a try on his 119th and final game for the province.
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) May 21, 2022
Connacht are pulling well clear now. #CONvZEB
📺 Watch live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player: https://t.co/CStwnXf2cB
📱 Live scores: https://t.co/eKL7oYSFHL pic.twitter.com/tC8yeAbxen
He capped off his Connacht career with a try that afternoon, his younger brother Sean - who is still at the province - being the first player to pick him up off the ground after they scored on that rolling maul.
"It was a great day, someone said to me before that it was a fairytale ending, but it wasn't really. A fairytale ending would have been if it was in a URC final, or in the Champions Cup final!
"It certainly wasn’t a bad finish, for sure. It was a pretty cool day, and there were a few other lads playing their last games as well, so it was definitely nice to share that all with them. It’s something I’m very appreciative of."
With a two-year contract, and the option of a third, Masterson seems settled in France for the time being. In the past he'd been linked with a move to Scotland - for who he's qualified to represent through his Scottish father - and while he represented both them and Ireland at U20 level, he says there's never been an offer on the table from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
As much as he's jump at the chance of playing Test rugby for Scotland, he says he doesn't expect Gregor Townsend to trawl through the ProD2 on a scouting mission, and is keen on staying in France for as long as possible.
"If you can stay fit and available, opportunities will come your way.
"Your number one ability is your availability."
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