IT WAS HARD to miss Tom Stewart’s impact off the bench last weekend as Ireland beat Italy. Head coach Andy Farrell was certainly impressed, picking the Ulster hooker out for praise after his Test debut.
The Ireland boss had been pleased with Stewart for his attitude of making things happen rather than just hoping it would go well and letting a first cap pass him by.
22-year-old Stewart made four carries, three passes, and five tackles in his 28 minutes on the pitch, as well as getting to nine rucks and being strong at the set-piece, where he scrummaged well and successfully threw into three lineouts.
But the big thing that will stick with him is standing with his team-mates before the game for the anthems. Tadhg Furlong told him to look up at the top of the stand as the emotions hit him.
“I always thought singing the national anthem would be a big one for me,” says Stewart.
“I was standing in the line beside Tadhg and he nudged me and said, ‘Look at the roof’ and I was kind of holding it in, I looked up at the roof and soaked it all in.
“I always remember watching the national anthem and thinking, ‘Ah, one day I’d love to be down there on the pitch singing it in front of all these people, about to play the game that I love.’
“Once I was standing there about to sing Ireland’s Call, it just kind of hit me and I soaked it all in, so the main thing for me was just standing there singing the anthem with so many people behind me.”
Stewart has been part of Farrell’s wider training squad all summer but there’s fierce competition in his position.
Dan Sheehan, Rob Herring, and Rónan Kelleher are all more established than Stewart, so he knows that he’s trying to play catch-up.
“I think I’m just here to learn really,” says Stewart of his mindset in pre-season.
“It was kind of a bit of a surprise even to be here over the summer and I was delighted I got selected. And so really I’m just trying to learn off the boys, learn off Dan, Rónan, and Rob and see how they go about their day and get different perspectives on different types of the game that I’m trying to work on.
“So really I’m just taking each day as a learning day and kind of going from there.”
He loves being part of this Ireland set-up, in which Farrell has driven a family ethos. It’s different to Stewart’s experience in underage Ireland squads, where provincial divides could still be apparent.
“How close all the boys are, how well everybody gets on and everybody just mucks in and mucks out,” says Stewart when asked what has impressed him.
“If there’s ever any questions or anyone needs any help, you can turn to the guy left or right of you, they’ve got an answer or they’ve got something or can put you on to someone else to try and help.
“I always found in age-grade stuff that it was kind of cliquey but obviously it’s a different level here now, it’s international rugby and everyone has the same goal at the end of the day and they want to do whatever they can to achieve that goal.
“I just think the group is so special in the way that the boys get on and can mix in.”
Stewart has a keen eye for the tryline, as with most hookers these days. He was the top try-scorer in the URC last season with 16.
The man himself says “it’s a bit of a fluke” but there’s no doubt he has good timing off the back of the maul and that his power is useful from close-range.
One Irish maul briefly appeared to be rumbling for the Italian line on Saturday night with Stewart at the tail of it, but he had other concerns.
“I was more worried about getting into touch at one stage,” says Stewart.
“I think I spun out and was millimetres from the line so it was more staying in play and keeping the ball alive. keep my best foot forward, not try to make too many mistakes.”
He did more than that.
