Ireland captain Caelan Doris attributes the remarkable longevity of history-maker Cian Healy to cold showers and curious sleeping habits.
Veteran prop Healy is poised to move ahead of Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland’s most-capped player after being named on the bench for Saturday’s autumn finale against Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
The 37-year-old, whose Test debut came in a 20-20 draw with the Wallabies at Croke Park in 2009, will make a 134th appearance for his country if he comes on.
Doris recalls watching Leinster team-mate Healy during his schooldays before later becoming his room-mate at international level.
“His longevity has been unbelievable,” said Doris. “Like 134 caps is just wild.
“I think that’s in large part testament to how well he looks after himself.
“I had the pleasure of rooming with him in Ireland for about four years and he’s up to all sorts of tricks in terms of his recovery.
“Sometimes sleeping on the ground with his legs elevated, sleeping on acupressure mats, mindfulness and even all sorts of cold showers, loads of stretching and it’s stood to him in terms of his body and the ability to stay going at this age.”
Healy equalled O’Driscoll’s record during Ireland’s 22-19 win over Argentina a fortnight ago before being rested for last week’s 52-17 victory over Fiji.
He has won five Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, across his distinguished career, while a serious ankle issue denied him a cap on the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour.
The loosehead has largely been used as backup to Andrew Porter in recent years, with his only start since the 2022 Six Nations coming against Samoa last summer when he suffered a calf injury which ruled him out of the World Cup.
Doris revealed Healy enjoys some unusual pastimes away from rugby, including knife-making, roller blading and being a “bit of a coffee snob”.
“He’s a great fella, very popular amongst the squad,” continued Doris.
“I’ve obviously watched him from not quite my primary school days but early secondary school days and remember him exploding on to the scene and changing what it was to be a prop.
“He was so dynamic, some of his carries back then. We were actually watching some of his highlights during the week from his debut against Australia.
“He’s very much his own man as well. People were saying during the week how he hasn’t changed a whole lot since when he first came in.
“He’s got his own unique and obscure hobbies and does his own thing off the pitch but yeah he’s true to himself, which is a good thing.”
After bouncing back from defeat to New Zealand by beating Argentina and Fiji, Doris feels the outcome of this weekend’s clash will define the success of Ireland’s autumn campaign.
One last match! 🔥#AutumnNationsSeries #IREvAUS pic.twitter.com/j5q4VPnxXe
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 28, 2024
“We’ve the chance to go three from four and improve our performance,” said the 26-year-old.
“I think a lot lies on this weekend in terms of the success of the autumn for us and how that’s viewed in terms of how we get our performance right because last week was good, the first half was good against Argentina, we weren’t where we needed to be against the All Blacks.
“If we can show the progression in our performance this week, I think there’s a lot on the line there.
“They (Australia) have definitely improved a tonne this season and we’re ready for a big challenge.”
