With Ireland's players set to be living in close proximity as preparations for the 2019 Rugby World Cup continue, Alan Quinlan believes that captain Rory Best will possess the necessary experience to ensure there is no repeat of previous mistakes made.
"You get a bit of cabin fever, there's no doubt about that," assured Alan Quinlan when considering the lengthy build-up that comes before a Rugby World Cup.
"If you're in on a Sunday night and there until Friday evening, when you're getting those two days over the weekend they can go by very quickly.
"I don't have the schedule for the next week and I'm sure they'll have half-weeks and short weeks, but ultimately as a player that is the sacrifice you have to make.
"There will be a demand on their time in the next while to try and get things right."
Two-months before Ireland play their opening Pool game against Scotland in Yokohama, the players are firmly ensconced in a pre-tournament camp that could, hopefully, see them remain as a unit until the Rugby World Cup final in November.
Alan Quinlan, who himself traveled with Ireland to the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, nevertheless believes that keeping such close quarters comes with certain issues that will need to be carefully monitored.
"It will take a bit learning from the past, and Rory Best who is captain now was there in 2007. He will remember that whole period and the intensity of the whole thing."
Conceding that Joe Schmidt will be looking to harness a "competitive edge [whereby the players] are kind of narky and going at each other in training," Quinlan believes that the current crop of Irish internationals may be better suited to deal with these demands then their '07 counterparts.
"In 2007, we had a lot of dust-ups in training," admitted Quinlan, "it was usually the forwards, when they go at each other in the scrums and line-outs.
"I've a really good feeling about this group that they are going to be physically and mentally in a good place come the World Cup."
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