Ireland and Munster star Calvin Nash has admitted that it was tough not playing a single minute during Ireland's recent Autumn Nations Series.
The Irish team faced New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Fiji, recording three wins and one loss during that period.
Andy Farrell's team selections remained fairly consistent, meaning players like Mack Hansen, who had just returned from injury, played in all four games. Nash, on the other hand, did not feature.
Having already earned eight caps for Ireland, the missed opportunity to add to that tally was difficult for Nash to take.
“It was obviously tough, but I tried to take the good with the bad,” said Nash this week to the Irish Independent.
“If I got stuck down on selection all the time, I’m going to affect the lads on the team as well, and probably it won’t be a great atmosphere or attitude around training."
However, as a consummate professional, he emphasised that he would take positives from the experience and focus on improving aspects of his game.
“So I tried to take some positives out of it. Rarely do you get to train against such high-quality internationals, and training’s always at a quicker pace than a game. I thought if I could focus on training at such a quick pace, then hopefully when I come back into Munster or if I get a game, I’ll be ready to go, and I’ll be sharp.
Calvin Nash of Munster (Photo By Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile via Getty Images)“I just tried to focus on that. I still have a lot I’d like to improve in my game, so there are areas I was trying to focus on in training, get better in training, and bring back into Munster to practice. So just take as many positives as I can, I suppose.”
Professional sport can be competitive at the best of times, and positional rivalries between teammates often arise as a result. Although Nash found it difficult that Hansen was chosen for all of the November games, he acknowledged that the "unbelievable" Hansen has been outstanding for Ireland.
“Definitely. Look, I’m not saying it was easy when I wasn’t playing for Ireland. It was obviously tough, but I knew Mack [was] coming back—he’s an unbelievable player, and he’s been class for Ireland as well,” Nash explained.
“So I knew coming back it was going to be tough; there was going to be competition, and competition is only good for the team. Yeah, I did catch myself one or two times in a rut after selection, but I think that’s only natural, and you’ve just got to kick on and do what’s best for the team.”
Munster plays Castres tomorrow in the Champions Cup. That game kicks off at 8 pm.
