A FIRST INTERNATIONAL cap is an enormous day for any rugby player. And, even after the final whistle goes, the nervous uncertainty doesn’t stop.
Match preparation is all second nature, every game treated equally as a best practice. But by the time you’re showered and suited after a Test there are plush post-match functions to stiffen your lip and keep the top shirt buttoned through.
“I have no idea, man,” said Finlay Bealham when asked where he might get a chance to crack open a beer tonight.
“I have been following Nathan White around when I’ve been in camp, so maybe follow him. I’d say he will be glad to see the back of me when this is over. (It’ll be about) enjoying this win tonight and prep for Scotland tomorrow.”
Bealham played 15 minutes as Jack McGrath’s replacement at loosehead prop, but the Canberra-born man has grown more-accustomed to the tighthead side of the scrum. Still, with Ireland well on the way to a landslide win over Italy he was able to enjoy a relatively comfortable first Test outing.
“It was good to throw the ball around a bit. We are coming out of that winter weather and the lads are relishing throwing the ball around. We had a bit of a focus this week to finish some of the chances we had been creating in previous game but didn’t quite finish. We improved on that a lot today.”
Bealham found out on Thursday that he would be replacing Cian Healy in the matchday squad. He gave his parents back home a wake-up call to celebrate the news, but immediately after the final whistle, he went to his fellow Connacht men: Kieran Marmion, White, Ultan Dillane and Robbie Henshaw.
“If you told me that five of us would be playing a Six Nations game against Italy I don’t know what I would have told you,” the 24-year-old said with a laugh.
“We didn’t say too much at the end, we just all looked at each other and had a big smile.
“We were all thinking the same thing: really humbled and just really happy we were all there. Hopefully some more lads will come in in the future.”
Marmion bore an even wider smile when he considered the representation from the west:
“Connacht is in a good place, there are a lot of lads playing good rugby who have improved throughout this year and last year,” says the scrum-half.
“It is great to go out there and play with them, knowing them inside out from playing with them. It gives us confidence when we go out there too, playing with the Connacht lads.”
The established Henshaw excluded, if there was one of the five making the biggest, most exciting impact on the Ireland set-up, it’s Dillane. Bealham knows the lock better than most and is thrilled to see Dillane wreak havoc as he continues up the levels.
“I have been playing with Ultan since he played for Corinthians,” says the prop.
“He has been playing like that since I first started playing with him. Just to see him bring it through to Pro12 level and then international level is a credit to him and the work he has put in. He is a real good mate and I am just happy for him.
“I tend to stay away from him at training. A couple of years ago he was a bit skinnier, he was all bones, and he’d put his shoulder in you and you’d be feeling it for days.
“I would stay away from him. He’s a tough man. He puts a lot of work in and he keeps striving to get better. It’ll be good to see how far he can go.
“People might be playing club rugby now and think that in a couple of years you could be playing for your country. It’s just a matter of working hard and proving yourself and the rewards will come.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
