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Heaslip ‘not doing cartwheels’ for Connacht, but can see a very bright side for Irish rugby

LIKE MOST LEINSTER players, Jamie Heaslip was more than a little shell-shocked in the immediate aftermath of Connacht’s stunning Pro12 final victory on Saturday.

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Along the post-match sideline, there was a row of white jerseys with thousand-yard stares as John Muldoon led Connacht’s delirium and claimed the prize for job that was perhaps done better than ever before.

Yet Heaslip was one of a handful of Leinster players who made the difficult stop-off into a raucous dressing room to congratulate the men he knew best; current internationals and former Leinster players.

“I was in just to congratulate some of the guys. I went in to see some of the lads I played and trained with and say fair play to you.”

Ultan Dillane wasn’t one of the backs slapped on Saturday, but Heaslip was placed square in front of one of Leinster’s chief tormentors when the lock was taken away from the Galway celebrations to launch a new Ireland jersey and a new four-year sponsorship deal.

“I went into the changing room afterwards and I didn’t see him. God knows what he was up to,” Heaslip says with a wry smile with the Aviva Stadium pitch behind him.

“It was good to see him this morning and congratulate him in person. He was looking… a little bit tired.