CONNACHT BOSS PETE Wilkins believes his tighthead Finlay Bealham is pushing strongly for the starting place in the Irish no.3 shirt after a big showing against Italy on Sunday.

It was a rare start for the 32-year-old from Canberra, just the ninth time in his 38 Irish appearances that he has been in from kick-off.

And while Tadhg Furlong is expected to recover from injury for the Welsh game, Wilkins reckons Bealham has given Andy Farrell and his management team plenty of food for thought.

“I thought he really seized the opportunity, particularly around that scrum against an Italian pack that are strong in that area,” said Wilkins.

It’s been a hectic time for Bealham whose wife Sarah gave birth last week to their first child, a son they have named Joaquin, and his Connacht coach Wilkins said the prop has handled everything superbly.

“It was obviously a massive week for him personally and to round it off with a performance like that, we were all delighted for him.

“What Finlay has shown off the bench consistently is that he belongs at that level — not that he can just survive at international level but that he can contribute to the team’s performance.

“When you are coming on in the second half or for the final quarter, there is always a context that’s prepared for you and you are hopefully contributing to that, whereas that chance for him to start and impose himself on the game, it’s just a brilliant opportunity.

“It’s a neat challenge for Andy Farrell in terms of how he uses all those tightheads,” added Wilkins.

The Connacht coach is preparing for a trip to Cardiff on Saturday, sitting ninth in the table with five wins from five as they head into the second half of the season.

“I feel like we have a bit of an even ledger, but I am optimistic about the rest of the season,” said Wilkins. “For that to materialise, we have to win games in this second half of the season, so we have to pick up points against those teams that are around us, and Cardiff is obviously one of them.

“I always feel Cardiff and Connacht are fighting for a similar position on the ladder at the end of the season, always pushing hard to get into that top eight, and as a result the games against each other tend to have a big sway on how each other’s season turns out.”