MACK HANSEN MAY have taken all the headlines on Saturday, but Ireland’s 29-7 defeat of Wales also represented a special occasion for two other members of Andy Farrell’s squad.
Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan and Ulster centre James Hume both came on as second-half substitutes to make their Six Nations debuts as Ireland got their campaign off to an impressive start at a wet and windy Aviva Stadium.
Sheehan – who featured twice during the autumn internationals – did well across the final quarter, handling his lineout duties comfortably and delivering some big hits as Wales attempted to play their way out of their own half.
Hume – the only Ulster player in the matchday 23 – came on for Andrew Conway just after the hour mark to win his second cap, having debuted against the USA last summer.
The centre would have liked to see more of the ball during his 20 minute cameo – a period in which Wales outscored Ireland 7-0 – but he still managed to show some flashes of the quality he’s delivered so consistently for the province this season.
His first notable involvement arrived a minute after he entered the action, Hume producing a solid tackle to stop the impressive Taine Basham in his tracks shortly after Caelan Doris had spilled the ball in the tackle, a series of play which ended with a brilliant Peter O’Mahony turnover.
Hume then showed some excellent footwork to step Dan Biggar and Basham and win a couple of hard-earned yards with his only carry of the game.
And while he didn’t get a huge amount of touches, his work without the ball is also worth noting, Hume running some smart decoy lines and getting through some good defensive work.
“It was a nice scenario to come into obviously, 29-0 up, but a tough situation with Wales wanting to play and get some points and us wanting to push on and get some points as well,” Hume said.
It was a tough game to get involved in in the last 20 minutes but I absolutely loved it. I knew that the calibre of player wasn’t going to be the different thing because I’ve played against some world-class players over the last two years and if I could be calm and not let the occasion overtake my head I would be alright.”
While Hume has enjoyed an excellent season with Ulster, few would have expected to see him make a Six Nations debut on the opening weekend of the championship, including the player himself, given the quality of options available to Andy Farrell.
The more experienced trio of Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki would all have been ahead of Hume in the queue for the centre positions, but injuries to Henshaw and Keith Earls opened the door for the Ulster man to step up.
“Obviously I was preparing as though I was going to be playing in the first game but the way things were lining up with Robbie, Bundee and Garry, I really wasn’t expecting much until the Italy game,” Hume explained.
“To get the call-up for that first game was a great moment. I just had to try to keep calm and composed and do my best.
“It was just on the pitch (in training) because there were a couple of injury doubts and I think Earlsy was originally on the bench and he (Andy Farrell) said ‘Earls is out, you’re on the bench’ and I was like ‘sweet, perfect’. That’s it.
“I texted my girlfriend and my mum and dad. I kept it a close circle. I didn’t want to shout about it so I could focus on the job I wanted to do for the weekend and how I could contribute to the team.”
And so a milestone occasion awaited the 23-year-old, but Hume came into the game with a clear head, his preparation during the week serving to help him feel fully prepared for whatever might come his way on the day.
I wrote down a load of stuff myself in my notes and I almost made a completely separate page when I found out I was on the bench and just wrote everything down that would reassure me when my mind started wandering.
“Like, ‘what if this happens, what if that happens, what if I get really nervous, what if I go on in the first minute’ type of thing. I’ve just got those little reminders of why I’m there and the sacrifices I’ve made to get there.
“I’ve played at a good level before. It’s just another step-up, it’s where I want to be.”
Next up it’s France, and while Henshaw will hope to return to the mix for the trip to Paris, Hume has at the very least provided Farrell with another strong option to consider going forward.
“That’s all I can do, take what I can from that game and keep putting my best foot forward in training and make him pick me. That’s my focus.
“Having a win like that to start off the Six Nations is a great first step for a long campaign. It’s obviously a huge challenge next week away to France and it would be huge to get a win away from home.
“That would obviously fuel momentum but it is a huge job. That could push us on even more if we could get the win out there.”
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