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Isa Nacewa talks to Off the Ball about his return to Leinster and coming "home"

After taking some time out of the game, the former Leinster player has returned "home", as he put...



Isa Nacewa talks to Off the Ba...
Rugby

Isa Nacewa talks to Off the Ball about his return to Leinster and coming "home"

After taking some time out of the game, the former Leinster player has returned "home", as he put it, to spend another season playing with Leinster.

Speaking to Ger Gilroy on Off The Ball, Nacewa described how it was an easy decision to come back, and that returning to a very familiar place played a huge role in the process. 

Nacewa spoke about how his break had given him some time to learn more about both the game and himself, and the time off has been fantastic for him physically: "The time away did wonders. The fact that I could actually do nothing for six months really helped my helped my forearm and my wrist and has given me my strength back, and now it's not an issue at all".

Speaking about the ability to take a career break from the game, Nacewa said "hopefully my time away has taught me a few more things that I wish I knew when I was around 24, 25. Little things like recovery, and the benefits of prehab and rehab these days. If I knew that earlier, I would have put a lot more emphasis on it."

With Ireland's World Cup campaign about to kick off, he also spoke about how a similar break would benefit some of his Leinster team-mates: "I look at how Seanie O'Brien has carried a lot of injuries over his time [...] and there's just no downtime for these guys. If Sean could have had six months off a couple of years ago, then he would be in even better shape going into this World Cup". 

Nacewa's return was welcomed by Leinster fans with genuine excitement, but can they expect the same player that they knew and loved a few short years ago? "I wouldn't have come back if I couldn't contribute. I'm going to chase a trophy just as hard as the guy next to me in the changing room, and there's going to be some stiff competition for places".   

You can listen to the full interview below.

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