Limerick winger Calvin Nash says making Ireland debut was 'surreal' experience

MUNSTER Rugby's Calvin Nash is fast becoming a rising star after impressing Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and winning his first cap during the summer Rugby World Cup warm-up games.

The Limerick winger gained his first senior international cap against Italy after coming on as a replacement in their 33-17 win at the Aviva Stadium in August.

Speaking about getting onto the pitch in the Aviva, Nash said: “It was a surreal experience, just even getting the call into the Irish squad.

“At the time I wasn’t really expecting it but Andy decided to give me my first cap and I tried to get straight into the game off the bench and I’m delighted to get the first one under the belt.”

Starting out with Young Munster, while attending Crescent College Comprehensive, Nash was a member of the Munster U18 Schools side that celebrated Interprovincial success in 2014/15 and quickly moved through the ranks.

After his schools success he tasted his first experience of International rugby while featuring on the Ireland U18 Schools and U19s sides before he won his first Ireland U20 cap against Italy, going on to captain the side against France, Wales and England in the U20 Six Nations.

Nash then made his first appearance for Munster against Edinburgh in 2017, going on to score two tries in his seven appearances that season.

After suffering an unfortunate ankle injury in a Munster ‘A’ game in the Celtic Cup early in the 2018/19 campaign which removed him from for large portions of that season, Nash has been lucky enough to have an injury-free run in recent years allowing him to break on to the Ireland scene.

Nash continued by saying that his time in the Irish camp has brought him closer to the squad members.

“I tried to just get to know everyone in the camp and that was a big thing for me. On the rugby side of things, the coaches are obviously unbelievable and I have definitely learnt loads over the last few weeks and now that I am back I am really trying to bring that back into Munster.”

Nash, who is 26 years-old, was also selected in the Emerging Ireland squad that travelled to South Africa last year and started in their two wins against Griquas and the Cheetahs.

The 2022/2023 season saw Munster win their first silverware in 12 seasons and Nash was one of the leading lights in that success.

He scored seven tries in 17 starts for the province and helped Munster win the URC title down in South Africa.

As a winger he has always looked up to fellow Limerick man and winger Keith Earls. Earls, who is set to appear in his fourth World Cup in the coming weeks, won his 100th Ireland cap recently.

Nash said: “It is class having him around the presence he has at meetings and stuff and obviously the experience he has is incredible. He is a great lad to ask about anything on and off the pitch, if anyone was to get 100 caps for their country it would be Earls. He 100% deserves it and I majorly look up to him in a lot of ways.”

Nash is hoping to bring the knowledge he has gained from the Ireland camp into the Munster set-up ahead of the new season.