WITH 25 MINUTES left to play at Aviva Stadium on Saturday Jack Conan was sent in to replace Peter O’Mahony in the Ireland backrow.
The home side led 10-9 at the time but England had been making life tough for an Ireland team suffering from some big game nerves and struggling to take full control of the contest.
Yet in the final quarter Ireland finally pulled clear with tries from Robbie Henshaw, Dan Sheehan and Rob Herring, with Conan’s introduction off the bench playing a major part in Ireland’s late surge.
“It was absolutely incredible,” Conan said. “To have our families, friends and our partners here, it’s just incredible.
There’s a bit of relief because we obviously weren’t at our best but we spoke all week about this being one of the greatest days of our lives and it really is.
“We made it tough on ourselves but what an incredible privilege it is to be a part of such a good group of lads, both coaching staff and players. It is the biggest honour of my entire life to put on this jersey with this group of men.
“Just incredibly humbled and honoured to be standing here with this medal around my neck. To have even a small part in it over the last few weeks is just an incredible privilege and something that isn’t lost on me in this incredible moment.”
The Leinster player was disruptive at the maul and carried hard, but his most impressive contribution was the smart carry and brilliant offload which sent Sheehan over for his second try of the game.
“All I want to do is make an impact when I get the chance and I back my skill set,” Conan continued.
“I feel good, I feel fit and I was ready to make an impact and I’m happy I was able to do something when I got on.
“The boys had done great for 60 minutes but it was great to get a bit of time on the pitch and add to the momentum and the scoreline.”
His Leinster teammate Ross Byrne has also played an important part in this Grand Slam success and now looks a safe bet to travel to the World Cup as second in line to Ireland’s first-choice out-half Johnny Sexton.
Byrne isn’t taking any of it for granted. The 27-year-old didn’t even make the squad for last year’s Six Nations and for a long time, it looked as though Andy Farrell saw no place for the Leinster 10 in his plans.
Byrne worked hard on his game during his time away from the squad and speaking shortly after the full-time whistle on Saturday, he didn’t shy away from the fact he once thought days like this wouldn’t come his way.
“I actually got incredibly emotional when I got my hands on the trophy,” Byrne said.
“I suppose there were times when I thought I’d never be here again and to be here, it’s really, really special.
“Yeah, delighted. To win a Grand Slam at home is very special. To have everyone here is incredible.”
There’s been much to admire about Ireland’s run to Grand Slam glory, but the impact from the Ireland bench throughout, and the quality that runs deep in the squad, has perhaps been the most encouraging aspect.
Conan and Byrne have both impressed while Ryan Baird – who started against England – helped push Ireland over the line when sent in against Italy, Tom O’Toole has taken his chances and earlier in the tournament, Finlay Bealham was brilliant as Tadhg Furlong’s injury issues opened the door for the Connacht prop to make his first starts in the Six Nations.
“The whole squad, I don’t know how many players we used, obviously we lost three players last week (against Scotland) but before that we lost lads through the campaign and the squad effort has been absolutely incredible,” Byrne continued.
“And not only those here on the pitch but the lads who didn’t get to play as well, the effort they put in in training. And I suppose that’s a big difference for us, the competition is incredible.”
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