Jamie Heaslip sits down with Hot Press after a disappointing weekend; his Leinster side were turned over in the big provincial derby at the Aviva. Generously ignoring the grin of his Munster-born interrogator, he begins by explaining how he goes about getting over a defeat like that.

“Well, I’ve lost loads of big games!” he laughs. “I don’t use it as motivation, either; I just move on. For fans, the conversation continues after the game; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it’s always there. As players you can’t do that. This is my ninth professional season, and with that experience it becomes easier to think about it methodically.”
Heaslip’s means of coping with defeat is thoroughly modern.
“I always, in the dressing-room afterwards, write down how I felt about the game. You always remember; you don’t forget, but rather switch your focus. If you keep looking back, you’ll never be able to go forward.”
Going forward this year involves assuming a leadership role at his club; the retirement of Leo Cullen has seen Heaslip elevated to captain. While he cuts an intimidating figure, the No. 8 says he’s not one for Churchillian rants in the dressing-room, preferring to let his play speak for itself.
He explains: “The best thing I can do, I always feel, is to do it; show, don’t tell. Talking is easy; everyone can talk. But you do, as captain, have to keep an eye on the squad mentality. We have a younger squad now, compared to what we have had previously.”
With that young squad, already decimated by injury, approaching the start of the inaugural Champions Cup, the talismanic back-rower knows that to emulate the successes of previous years – which have seen Leinster win Europe’s premier competition three times – will require redoubled efforts.
“If you want to go far in Europe, you have to be capable of putting out 80 minute performances. Rugby is a really simple game; if you get quick ball, you’ll have teams under the pump.”
It might be tempting to look towards the weeks beyond – the November Series, Six Nations, or even the World Cup – but that’s just not Heaslip’s style.
“It’s a long season; there’s… actually, I don’t even know how many games there’s left! I’m never one for looking too far down the track.”