Joey Carbery’s resilience has been tempered by disappointment and frustration associated with injury, setbacks that have periodically sidelined his rugby career. Bones and ligaments heal but it’s not possible to apply a cast or a splint to the damage inflicted by the mental side of the rehabilitation process.
The 26-year-old has learned that pain comes in different forms. Having surrendered a large chunk of playing time to an ankle injury, he could scarcely believe his misfortune when suffering a freak injury to his elbow in the Heineken Champions Cup win over Wasps in Coventry.
He recalled: “To be honest, I actually couldn’t believe it. I was incredibly frustrated, just the nature of it. It could have literally missed me by a centimetre but his head just clipped it (the elbow). It was obviously quite sore when it happened but it wasn’t that sore afterwards.
"But then when I got the scan and the result, it was obviously very disappointing. I was just thankful it wasn't as bad. I knew I had been through worse. There was still a chance I could make the Six Nations, so that was always in the back of my mind. It was something for me to look forward to and work towards."
Carbery, the newest brand ambassador for the Tackle Your Feelings campaign, explained: “I almost have a set way of dealing with these things now. The main thing I do is, I chat to friends and family and try to bounce a few things off them. It helps me to open my mind a bit more. I think that helped me get through those tough days and keep me focused on what I wanted to do.”
Comfortable
A hamstring injury to Ireland captain Johnny Sexton gave Carbery the number 10 jersey for the French game and despite the defeat the Munster outhalf produced a performance of substance. Remarkably it was his first start in a Six Nations game on his 29th cap.
In that context he was asked about where he currently feels he is as a Test outhalf. “There is always work to be done and the more games I can get under my belt the more I will feel comfortable and the more I will be able to get better in those situations and those environments.”
He accepts the assertion that the way Ireland set up from an attacking perspective suits the qualities he possesses as a player. “I think so. It’s (about) playing to the space, and I am getting better at that.
“As a whole (as a) 15, a 23 and a squad we are all getting better at it so that actually makes my job a whole lot easier, having guys in the forwards who can see the space and play to the space quite well. It’s an incredibly satisfying and enjoyable environment to be in a team like that.”
There were flashes of Carbery’s pre-injury rugby persona at the Stade de France, the vision, the footwork and the range of kicking and passing; a pep in his step, as he projected an image of playing by feel and instinct, within the team parameters.
He accepted the suggestion, explaining that prepping well allows him to be more confident in a match environment. He underlined the importance of being able “to chat to the quality of coaches that we have, helps me mentally a lot. Being able to be calm and be in the moment is a big thing as well.”
He was asked about whether the Joey Carbery that celebrated his 21st birthday in the week of making his Ireland debut against the All Blacks back in 2016 would have coped with the demands of last Saturday's game in Paris.
He smiled: “I don’t think so. I think since then I’ve obviously had a few more days and a few more games under my belt and where I am now is that I’m a lot more mature and mentally I’m a lot more calm than I was probably back then.”
Goal kicking
So what specifics pleased him most last Saturday? “I was happy with my goal kicking; there were a few tough kicks in there. And when we got going into our phases we made a few line breaks. I feel like (as a) team, we were taking the space quite well; that’s not just on me but it does make my job a lot easier when these guys around me are seeing it. Personally I think we did quite well there.”
Andy Farrell said in November that it was up to the other outhalves to knock Johnny Sexton off his perch but Carbery's attitude to that challenge is a little more nuanced. "I'm looking at it that the better I can get, the more I'm going to put my hand up to get that jersey.
“So I suppose if I keep getting better and keep getting the experiences like I did on Saturday under my belt I’ll be better for it. Being able to compete with each other in training brings out the best in us in games. That’s because you’re competing with someone and you want to put your best foot forward, and that obviously helps the team.
“So it’s a really healthy place to be and I can obviously learn so much from the guys around me, Johnny included; it’s a good place to be.”
Carbery manages to shimmy away from a question about whether he's done enough to retain the 10 jersey for the game against Italy at the Aviva stadium on Sunday week. He suggests, diplomatically: "I hope I put my hand up but I suppose that's down to Faz (Andy Farrell) and his coaching staff.
“I’ll take away a lot from it (the French match) and hopefully train well at the end of this week and next week and see where that brings me.”
