Whether he was back in his native Australia or still in Dublin, Scott Fardy would still be in lockdown and urging his parents to stay at home as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect people’s lives all over the world.
The Leinster and Wallabies forward decided to stay put in the capital rather than return to Oz when both the Irish and Australian governments began imposing restrictions on movement as the coronavirus reached their shores.
Fardy, 35, is comfortable with the decision as he, his wife and two-year-old son adjust to life in lockdown in South Dublin as he explained when speaking on behalf of Rugby Players Ireland to promote their Tackle Your Feelings App, one of the resources available to players and the general public to support mental wellbeing.
“We were talking about it the other day, even if I was back in Australia I couldn’t visit many family and friends,” Fardy said.
“They have gone into similar lockdown levels as Ireland has now.
“There’d be no point being in Australia, you could be lonely anyway so in a way this is the best place for us to be at the moment.
“If we went back to Australia we’d have to spend two weeks in a hotel with a two-year-old, which is not something we want to do.
“We’re happy here, we’ve made our home here, this is home for us at the moment.
“We’re coming on three years nearly, three years in July, so we’re really happy here at the moment.”
Fardy stressed the importance of staying in contact with friends and family during this public health emergency.
I’ve got brothers in the US as well so we had a family zoom call the other day, my sister organised that all so it wasn’t too bad.
“I didn’t have to organise anything. A good sister always organises everything for you anyway.
“I stay in contact with my mum and dad and make sure they’re not going out anywhere cause they’re both over 70 and I keep having to treat them like I’m the parent at the moment.
“Telling them to stay at home as much as I can. It’s been really difficult because mum’s fighting me every time.
“There’s four kids in the family all saying the same thing but they still don’t listen to us.”
Speaking days after Leinster should have played their Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Saracens at the Aviva Stadium, Fardy also spoke about looking forward to returning to training with his team-mates.
“I look forward to spending time with the boys, having those relationships.
“As much as I am enjoying my family time you miss the chats and a nice meal together and those things are fantastic for the group and getting back in and start training and get ready and start preparing to get your purpose back in order.”
Yet Fardy is also realistic about the need to remain home.
“At times like this you look back and say well it’s just sport isn’t it, it means so much at the time and it means so much to fans and everything but at the end of the day your health is your wealth and you want to make sure everyone’s feeling good.”