IRELAND WELCOMED THREE new members into the international club yesterday as Dave Foley and Dominic Ryan started their first Test and back row Robin Copeland was introduced as a second half replacement in the win over Georgia.
Speaking post-match, Leinster flanker Ryan admitted he was feeling the nerves on the morning of the big game.
“I was very nervous. It was like waking up on Christmas morning goin; ‘ugh, today’s the day,’” joked the 24-year-old.
“I just kind of got butterflies. The anthems were fantastic and then it was just back into the rugby.”
He added that once his first collision arrived, it helped him settle into doing a job for his former provincial coach.
“It took me a couple of minutes to get a good contact, but it was good.”
“They’re a big physical team. Maybe the pace wasn’t one of the quickest internationals that there is, but maybe I’ll experience that in the future.”
Of course, second row Foley overshadowed his fellow debutants (and a few experienced heads) with a man-of-the-match display to make a dream debut in green. However, the message continually coming to new men within the squad is to enjoy every chance you get.
“The big thing is the importance of cherishing each cap,” responds Ryan when asked what he learned on his debut.
“It might sound clichéd, but they don’t come often. You talk to other guys in the team, the likes of Darren Cave – he got his first cap in 2009 and it was his eighth today – they mightn’t come often, they might be years apart. It was just a big day for me, so I’ll just cherish the first cap really.”
Originally published Sunday, 21.00
