Ireland's Cian Healy admits that he is not motivated by individual achievements like becoming the country's record cap holder. Instead, he is driven more by team success and trophies.
The Dubliner broke Brian O'Driscoll's long-standing cap record against Australia on Sunday by featuring for the 134th time. The Aviva Stadium crowd gave the Leinster and Ireland legend a huge roar when history was made.
Healy admitted that the roar from the crowd gave him a positive jolt, but his main focus was on different aspects of the game.
"I got a vibe from the roar; alright, it perked me up a little bit," Healy said to RTÉ Sport.
"I guessed during the week what my thoughts would be, whether it's a lineout or scrum, and I was right. So in for a scrum and hunker down on what I had to do there, but it was a nice moment. I enjoyed it."
Ireland ended their series with a win over Australia, and Healy, the man of the moment, was asked how he finally felt about breaking O'Driscoll's record on Saturday.
Cian Healy was struggling to contain his emotions during Amrhán na bhFiann.pic.twitter.com/EPVjzpCKQx
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 30, 2024
Healy responded by saying, "I’m not driven by the number of caps. It is not something that pushes me on.
The 37-year-old prop has played 18 seasons of professional rugby at the highest level, and it wouldn't be out of the question for him to pack it in for good soon. However, he does harbour dreams of playing in the 2025 Six Nations next spring.
"Winning and success with the group, trophies, and that drives me on. Please God, now I can keep playing and not get injured or anything like that, and Simon [Easterby] might consider me for the Six Nations."
The Six Nations is awhile away; for now, Healy admits he will unwind with the family and possibly watch the Australia game back.
"I’d like to sit down and just watch the game at some point over the next few days. It’s what I do with most games and how I start my review. But it would be nice to sit down with the family and watch it at home," he added.
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