SM
Real Madrid vs AC Milan: 7 hrs 16 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Ireland

Preparation is key for Ireland's Dave Kilcoyne

:Headline: Preparation is key for Ireland's Dave Kilcoyne: ID:351458: from db_amp
The 30-year-old impressed in his first Six Nations start against Italy.

Dave Kilcoyne has revealed how Sunday night planning sessions have sharpened his focus as Ireland's form prop.

The Munster loosehead impressed in his first Guinness Six Nations start as Ireland laboured to an unconvincing 26-16 victory over Italy in Rome.

The 30-year-old has stood out for a string of fine showings for province and country this season, leaving him to joke he has taken a decade to become an "overnight sensation".

Kilcoyne has pushed ahead of Jack McGrath in Ireland's loosehead pecking order, and offered telling insight into the depth of preparation required to thrive at the top level.

"It's all about being really consistent, and disciplined in your prep," said Kilcoyne.

"Doing the same things day-in, day-out.

"It's like you're a 10-year overnight sensation!

"But you're not obviously. It's what you do in your pre-season, and even preparing for pre-season, and onwards from there.

Kilcoyne in action against Canada during the Autumn International match (Niall Carson/PA)

"Every Sunday evening I sit down and write down exactly what I need to get through in the week, in terms of my weights sessions, in terms of my diet and what I need to do in the team sessions, things I need to improve, areas I need to keep working at.

"And hopefully you do all that every single week and it builds performances.

"You have a system that works for you and you just keep trying to improve and improve and improve."

Kilcoyne appeared one of Ireland's calmest operators amid a tense and terse encounter with the obdurate Azzurri.

Italy led 16-12 at half-time, deservedly so too, with Edoardo Padovani and Luca Morisi bagging tries.

Quinn Roux, Jacob Stockdale, Keith Earls and Conor Murray claimed scores for Ireland's eventual bonus-point win, but this was a victory extremely short on incision.

Munster star Kilcoyne admitted his hard graft behind the scenes is boosting his confidence to negotiate even the toughest scenarios.

"It's about maturity; I have close to 200 professional games for Munster and Ireland," said Kilcoyne.

Keith Earls in action during the clash with Italy (Steven Paston/PA)

"If your process is strong, I feel I've consistently been at a level for Munster, and you build confidence in that.

"You're playing a lot of the same opposition week on week, and when it comes to playing international rugby it's about trying to find those little one-percenters where you think you can get better, whether in training, your five to 10 minutes in prep before training.

"It's true confidence in your prep. It probably looked like I was relaxed out there, but it's because I have the prep down during the week, and that builds a bit of confidence."

amp_article__351458 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-02-25 10:17:58:
html db last update - 2019-02-25 10:17:58 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Dave Kilcoyne

Click here for more stories about Ireland

Share this article now:
Read more about Dave Kilcoyne Rugby Union
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .