By Audrey Watson
Ahead of Ireland’s first match in the Six Nations on Saturday 2nd February we catch up with hooker Rory Best….
Apart from Ireland, who are the team to watch in this year’s Six Nations?
“France have had a couple of very strong performances and results. The way their teams are doing in the European Cup, they have to be strong favourites.
“Outside of that, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Ireland didn’t have a great result against Africa, but performed very, very strongly against Argentina.
“England had a couple of mixed results and then had a cracking run against New Zealand and Wales are the defending champions.”
Which team is the toughest to play?
“For me playing against England is always tough, but enjoyable. They have a big physical impact and want a scrummage. From a front row point of view, it’s always a huge battle. We’ve had a few losses, but we’ve also had a few very good performances against them.
“It’s always a good game to play and will be especially so this year, with it being at home (Sun Feb 10).”
Any stand out players you’ll be keeping an eye out for?
“England’s Dan Cole is a very, very good scrummager and he’s also a great player round the pitch.
“Wales’ back row are also very, very good. They’re young, they’re mobile and once they get hold of the ball, they’re very hard to shift.
“In France, there’s the No 8, Louis Picamoles, who is massive, very, very big, but very mobile, so he’s hard to tackle.”
How is your fitness at the moment? You’ve had quite a few injuries recently.
This season as well, I’ve been hampered by wee bits and pieces. I’m feeling pretty good at the minute. I came through last week’s game. It was a tough match, a bit of a war of attrition, but I felt alright.
It’s frustrating at the minute because I was injured a couple of games back and then
There haven’t really been any major injuries recently, it’s all just been little bits and pieces that have taken a couple of weeks each time to heal and get right.
Hopefully, now, I’m through all that and I feel great.
Is it a sign that you are growing old?
Yeah, probably. I turned 30 during the summer.
Ever tempted to take it a bit easier when you are scrummaging? Are you getting more nervous as you grow older when it comes to the really tough physical stuff?
I’m definitely not getting nervous. After a game, I probably feel the hits a bit more than I used to and you maybe have to make a few more sacrifices and adjustments to keep yourself in top physical shape.
If you don’t look after yourself really well, it takes that bit longer to recover from things.
I’ve got a fairly strict routine when it comes to my diet and lifestyle and I’ve become more interested in supplements and the importance of good quality nutrients, in particular the importance of Omega 3 for athletes and sports enthusiasts.
It’s renowned for helping avoid injury and facilitating recovery.
I’ve been taking Paradox OmegaSport every day and have noticed the benefits.
It’s great for improving concentration, I feel a lot sharper.
Every evening, I make up all my snacks and food for the next day and leave out my OmegaSport and take it first thing with breakfast.
As you get older you start to realise that it won’t last forever and you want to seize every moment, keep playing at a certain level, and make every performance your best.
My contract runs for another year and a half, so I could have anything from a year and a half to five years left in me and I don’t want to gradually fade away, I want to go out at the top and be remembered as a good player, not one whose performance gradually faded away.
Your brother, Simon, was also a very successful player, but had to retire from the game due to a heart condition, does that worry you, is it something you will have to keep an eye on? It’s not inherited or anything?
What happened to Simon was a bit of a fright, but thankfully, there was no genetic cause or family history.
A viral infection caused his heart to beat irregularly and in effect this caused a stroke.
But I was 25 when Simon retired, so I had to take the bigger view that I still had a lot of rugby ahead of me and any hesitation or worry, could have an adverse effect
He was my brother, we had grown up together and I was lucky to have been able to play with him for Ulster for a time.
What happened is always in the back of your mind and that’s another reason why lifestyle and nutrition are so important. Omega 3 oils can be beneficial to coronary health.
Apart from Simon, any other brothers and sisters (Mark, Rebecca)? Are they into rugby or sport?
Simon is the eldest, then there is Mark, me and then my younger sister Rebecca. Mark is also very into sport. He played rugby with the Irish Under 19s and is a very good golfer. Of all of us, he’s probably the most gifted all-round sportsperson. Rebecca plays hockey. We’re all into sports.
Rugby-wise what are you looking forward to most this year?
International rugby is something special. You are representing your country and playing in front of up to 80,000 people.
Ireland have a fantastic chance.
How do you chill out?
I do play a bit of golf, but it doesn’t necessarily chill me out! I enjoy working on the farm and spending time with the family – going to the park, or the swimming pool.