Two weeks after his teammates’ Champions Cup loss to Toulouse, Ringrose was heartbroken to watch Leinster lose to the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship semifinal. Ringrose had been sidelined by a shoulder injury that had prevented him from playing in many Six Nations events since January.
The Ireland head coach has chosen Ringrose for the two-Test series in South Africa next month, even though he lacks match sharpness.
It took a lot of solid work during the year to get us to where we did, so it’s always painful to finish second in the URC and at the last hurdle in Europe.
However, I suppose it encourages you to persevere in certain ways and value every chance you get to try and succeed. You have more losing seasons than winning ones in Europe, including Ireland and the Six Nations.
It’s the struggle to press on, maintain motivation, and give the victories a little more appreciation.
The Springboks have been spiking the already fierce competition between South Africa and Ireland with remarks they have made in recent weeks.
