When Hugo Keenan scorched the grass after Finlay Bealham lit the fuse, it was a grand sight.
Bealham, promoted into Tadhg Furlong’s role with a training ground move he continuously practised , mistimed plenty, dropped frequently and sometimes just got it plain wrong – but he got it right against France after only nine minutes.
Caelan Doris took the ball into contact. Conor Murray picked it and fired it to Bealham, who half turned animating to give it back to Murray on an outside dash.
That cleared players from the breakdown area as Bealham turned quickly from Murray and instead squirted the ball into the path of the Irish fullback blazing through the canyon at top speed.
[ Andy Friend backing Bealham to continue shining in an Ireland jerseyOpens in new window ]
The rest, well, Keenan ignored Garry Ringrose outside and finished his and Bealham’s creation with French fullback Thomas Ramos and outhalf Romain Ntamack scrambling across helpless and late.
“Look it didn’t work straight away when we were doing it at training. We had practised that a few times over the course of the last few weeks and I’d be lying if I said was perfect the whole time,” says Bealham.
“But we analysed it, figured out how it would work. Even in the captain’s run the day before with myself and Tom O’Toole in that position and Hugo and Murr [Murray] and all the other nines.
“We were repping the crap out of it. So fortunately, when the big lights were on, we were able to make it work and Hugo finished it superbly. I hung back on the 50-metre line and watched him glide in.”
[ Classic win over France fuels hope of even better to come from IrelandOpens in new window ]
Bealham has the braids working. Andrew Porter has the mohawk going. It’s a frontrow hair thing. For the Australian, who came to Ireland as a teenager and threw his lot in with an aspiration to play professional rugby, taking the shirt from the injured Tadhg Furlong brings its own rewards and demands.
Against Italy in seven days, Ireland will face the pack that gave France trouble in the scrum. But today there is no real fear factor with Irish players. There’s respect and wary caution.
There is an idea of not playing below a level and there is a preparation and mindset that has developed into something that is not bullet proof but more robust than it was in the past. That’s where the hair braids assist the Connacht prop.
“I’m a big fan of Vikings and stuff like that, same as Ports [Andrew Porter]. Ports has a bit of a mohawk going on, I have the braids in, like Ivar the Boneless or Ragnar Lothbrok. That’s where I took it from,” says Bealham.
“I feel like it’s part of the process. When the hair is done it’s getting close to gametime, getting close to going to Valhalla. They’re coming into battle and they have all the lids done, so I suppose it’s similar in a way. We’re going into battle at the weekend and I get my lid done as well.
“Lots of people have been asking when I’m going to cut my hair. But I won’t be cutting it anytime soon.”
There is some adjustment to be made though, Bealham has been starting with Connacht and the longer shift with Ireland and adjusting to the speed and lack of time has been challenging but not overbearing.
His first time in camp was 2016. Joe Schmidt was the coach. He then departed. Many of the players and coaches of seven years ago have gone too. If there is a significant calibration to make, it is being comfortable in the jersey of Furlong.
At 31-years-old Bealham has, as Connacht coach Andy Friend said earlier this week “come out of his shell”. Criticism was levelled at him when he came on as a replacement loosehead against Georgia in 2020. That seems now another moon on the dark side of the frontrow universe.
“Tadhg is a British and Irish Lion. He’s world class, and in my opinion might be the best tighthead in the world,” says Bealham.
“But he’s been good for me by helping me in all parts of my game, making sure I’m ready to go physically, mentally. How I am. He’s been keeping contact with me over the last few weeks.
“But I was confident with where I was physically and mentally off the back of some good form with Connacht and I felt the fittest I’d ever been. I just kept telling myself ‘this is where you want to be’. I knew there would be pressure. But I didn’t let it turn to stress. I knew there was big boots to fill.”
There always are boots to fill marching towards Valhalla.
