THE KELLEHER FAMILY entered dressing room four shortly after 7pm, sidestepping the discarded socks, bandages and boots, before approaching cap No1113.
He’s just a kid, in a way. Twenty-two, just about eligible to vote in the last election, barely out of college. Yet this was a different kind of graduation, minus the formalities, all against the backdrop of concrete walls, a physio’s table, minus the gown and the scroll.
“A special moment,” Ronan Kelleher said. And you can easily understand why. He and Caelan Doris came through the ranks at Leinster together. Now here they were, representing their country for the first time. “It was extra special to get my first cap with Caelan. It was unfortunate what happened to him (in terms of his injury), but I am still delighted we got our debuts together.
“Despite the injury, Caelan was in good spirits in the dressing room afterwards. Obviously it was worrying at the time when he went down. But he came through it.”
As did Kelleher, who dealt with the troubled lead-in to this game, where he wore a protective glove to alleviate the pain in his hand.
“To be honest, when I had the injury, I was just focusing on getting back to play for Leinster. It was a massive bonus to be included in that stock-take in December and to be in the squad for my first Six Nations, I was delighted. Hopefully I can get a great run of form now.
“Being a part of that, getting the win, it’s incredible. Before the game, Johnny (Sexton) talked about how important it was to get that opening day win, because momentum plays such a big part in the Six Nations.
“I was thrilled to be a part of it. And sure, I’d like to get more game-time but the overriding ambition is to win the whole thing. That is the main thing about the whole squad, to just go out there and win it.”
Late on in this evening’s game, it looked as though they may not. But somehow, despite the endless waves of Scottish pressure, Ireland hung on.
“It was very tough; but those ten minutes, I was buzzing off adrenaline more than anything else,” Kelleher said. “That kind of got me through it. It was tough, relentless, quick but I thought we did really well to dig in. I feel like I’m in a good space. My hand has recovered well and I’m looking forward to getting back in to getting a good run of form.
“Competition for a place in this squad is huge. You’ve the three of us, Sean (Cronin) back in Leinster, Niall Scannell in Munster, Del in Connacht. There is huge depth in that position. It’s about being on form when you get the opportunity.”
