Ireland: Jack Carty all smiles as he looks to take Six Nations in his stride

Ireland and Connacht fly-half Jack Carty has revealed he is feeling a lot less pressure on his game as he approaches the upcoming Six Nations.

Carty, 29, could be in line for a place in the matchday squad in Ireland‘s opener against Wales next weekend, with his provincial form this season rewarded.

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Should he feature it would be his first international minutes since the 2019 Rugby World Cup but he is not letting that opportunity to play weigh him down.

“Initially when I did come back from the World Cup, my form wasn’t good enough to warrant selection,” he said.

“Previously I was so hell-bent on getting to that end goal that maybe off the field I was probably a disaster to be around at times.

“I think when I play best it’s when I have a smile on my face. If I can set up things off the field to be in a place where they need to be, it enables me to excel and do what I want on the pitch.

“When I was playing rugby for many years I probably looked like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, whereas now I really enjoy what I’m doing.

“I am enjoying this new environment, it’s been brilliant, the lads have been really welcoming.”

Carty, who is with Ireland at a pre-tournament training camp in Portugal, won each of his previous 10 caps in 2019 under former head coach Joe Schmidt.

He received a late call-up from Farrell in November after Johnny Sexton was ruled out of Ireland’s final