Centurion And 'freak' Healy Still Adds Cutting Edge To Irish Pack

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Oct, 2020 ) :Cian Healy has been a DJ, an artist and turned his hand to knife-making which makes his feat of reaching the 100-cap landmark for Ireland on Saturday against France even more praiseworthy.

The 33-year-old prop also battled a serious neck injury in 2015 -- the "dark days" as he calls them -- which nearly prompted him to retire.

That had come shortly after tearing his hamstring off the bone and a serious ankle injury to boot.

Little wonder Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said: "The key word for Cian is resilience." Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton says of his close friend "he's a bit of a freak of an athlete." Sexton recalls sitting on the bench in 2009 when Healy made his debut against Australia and wondering whether he realised he had been selected as a prop.

"The debut that he had was filled with line breaks," Sexton said.

"It was almost like he was playing in the centre." Healy admits he was a bit cocky when he made his debut but adds being a ball carrier is what he prefers.

"I love when I get a chance to carry with the ball, not that I don't love to defend, but I love getting the ball in my hands and running at people and running through holes," he said.

"That's the most enjoyable part of it for me."He is no softie though, hiding behind the bigger members of the scrum.

"He's very abrasive, gets stuck in, all the things that you want from a prop, good set-piece," said Sexton.