GOOD NEWS CAN land when you least expect it. Calvin Nash was in Limerick city getting fitted for his new Munster suit when he found out he had been called up to the Ireland senior squad for the first time.
One of his Munster team-mates suggested that Nash should check his email, so he scrambled to the app and felt the shock flow through his body.
His girlfriend, Ciara, was with him at the time last week and she burst into tears of joy when he read out the message.
“I tried to hide the face because she had tears in the eyes and I didn’t want everyone thinking we were in a fight,” explained Nash yesterday.
His family have understandably been beaming with joy over the past week and Nash hopes to do his late grandfather, Eamonn Maher, proud if he gets a chance to win a cap.
On his left forearm, Nash has a tattoo of the words ‘I See the Moon’ in Persian, the name of a song his grandad used to sing to him.
“He was a big role model for me when I was growing up,” said Nash.
The Munster wing is now ensconced in Ireland camp preparing for the upcoming autumn Tests against South Africa, Fiji, and Australia. There’s also an Ireland A game against the All Blacks XV next Friday that Nash seems likely to be involved in.
Advertisement
Nash's tattoo in honour of his grandfather. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Sitting in a changing room at Ireland’s high performance centre on the Sport Ireland Campus yesterday, Nash had his notebook of plays and calls alongside him, getting his homework done before heading into another meeting.
The experience so far has been a bit surreal, but Nash is determined to make an instant impact with Andy Farrell’s squad.
“You’re used to seeing these faces on TV and then you’re actually meeting them and they’re saying, ‘I’m Johnny [Sexton]’ and I’m like, ‘I know who you are.’
“Faz spoke about it this morning – the challenge is to get up to speed as quick as possible. Even if we had six months to spare, he would want us up to speed as quick as possible. That’s what I am trying to do, carrying the notebook around and trying to get the info in.”
Nash has had to wait until the age of 25 for this first senior call-up, having played for the Ireland U20s in 2017 alongside the likes of Caelan Doris, Ciarán Frawley, Gavin Coombes, and Rónan Kelleher.
Having come through Crescent College Comprehensive SJ in Limerick and played club rugby with Young Munster RFC, he got his Munster debut in 2016, but he has had to be very patient at times since. So far, he has played 39 times for his province.
With the likes of Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, and Simon Zebo vying for places on the wings, it hasn’t always been easy to come by game time.
“I won’t lie, it was kinda frustrating,” said Nash of the past few seasons with Munster.
Nash has had to be patient in Munster. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“I felt like sometimes I was getting a bit of momentum and then I’d pick up a knock and it would set me back a bit or it would be a big game, so Earlsie and Bomber [Conway] would be picked. You’re trying to keep that momentum with you, even though I might have only played every four weeks.”
This season has started much better for him, with two starts in the red jersey as Munster’s new coaches back less experienced players to step up.
And Nash enjoyed the experience of going on tour with Emerging Ireland to South Africa, where he started two games.
“I feel like I’ve been able to have a flow to my game and stay in it that way,” said Nash.
“From a personal side of things, I was obviously really nervous coming up to the Emerging Ireland squad because I had never really been involved from Ireland 20s on.
“Getting to learn the calls, how the lads are playing, it made coming in here a lot easier and I felt happy with how I went. I gave it my all down there and was quite happy with it.”
Nash watched Ireland’s historic series success in New Zealand from his couch at home last summer, having just had his wisdom teeth out.
Nash hopes to win his first cap next month. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The brilliant rugby he watched helped numb the pain and now Nash is hoping to get a taste of the action out on the pitch.
“The last time putting on an Ireland shirt before Emerging Ireland was the 20s and I remember singing the anthem then and thinking, ‘Ah, this is unreal’.
“We obviously didn’t do that for Emerging Ireland but to do it in a packed Aviva would be an unreal experience. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It’s the dream stuff when you are growing up.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
7 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'To do it in a packed Aviva would be an unreal experience. It’s dream stuff'
LAST UPDATE | 26 Oct 2022
GOOD NEWS CAN land when you least expect it. Calvin Nash was in Limerick city getting fitted for his new Munster suit when he found out he had been called up to the Ireland senior squad for the first time.
One of his Munster team-mates suggested that Nash should check his email, so he scrambled to the app and felt the shock flow through his body.
His girlfriend, Ciara, was with him at the time last week and she burst into tears of joy when he read out the message.
“I tried to hide the face because she had tears in the eyes and I didn’t want everyone thinking we were in a fight,” explained Nash yesterday.
His family have understandably been beaming with joy over the past week and Nash hopes to do his late grandfather, Eamonn Maher, proud if he gets a chance to win a cap.
On his left forearm, Nash has a tattoo of the words ‘I See the Moon’ in Persian, the name of a song his grandad used to sing to him.
“He was a big role model for me when I was growing up,” said Nash.
The Munster wing is now ensconced in Ireland camp preparing for the upcoming autumn Tests against South Africa, Fiji, and Australia. There’s also an Ireland A game against the All Blacks XV next Friday that Nash seems likely to be involved in.
Sitting in a changing room at Ireland’s high performance centre on the Sport Ireland Campus yesterday, Nash had his notebook of plays and calls alongside him, getting his homework done before heading into another meeting.
The experience so far has been a bit surreal, but Nash is determined to make an instant impact with Andy Farrell’s squad.
“You’re used to seeing these faces on TV and then you’re actually meeting them and they’re saying, ‘I’m Johnny [Sexton]’ and I’m like, ‘I know who you are.’
“Faz spoke about it this morning – the challenge is to get up to speed as quick as possible. Even if we had six months to spare, he would want us up to speed as quick as possible. That’s what I am trying to do, carrying the notebook around and trying to get the info in.”
Nash has had to wait until the age of 25 for this first senior call-up, having played for the Ireland U20s in 2017 alongside the likes of Caelan Doris, Ciarán Frawley, Gavin Coombes, and Rónan Kelleher.
Having come through Crescent College Comprehensive SJ in Limerick and played club rugby with Young Munster RFC, he got his Munster debut in 2016, but he has had to be very patient at times since. So far, he has played 39 times for his province.
With the likes of Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, and Simon Zebo vying for places on the wings, it hasn’t always been easy to come by game time.
“I won’t lie, it was kinda frustrating,” said Nash of the past few seasons with Munster.
“I felt like sometimes I was getting a bit of momentum and then I’d pick up a knock and it would set me back a bit or it would be a big game, so Earlsie and Bomber [Conway] would be picked. You’re trying to keep that momentum with you, even though I might have only played every four weeks.”
This season has started much better for him, with two starts in the red jersey as Munster’s new coaches back less experienced players to step up.
And Nash enjoyed the experience of going on tour with Emerging Ireland to South Africa, where he started two games.
“I feel like I’ve been able to have a flow to my game and stay in it that way,” said Nash.
“From a personal side of things, I was obviously really nervous coming up to the Emerging Ireland squad because I had never really been involved from Ireland 20s on.
“Getting to learn the calls, how the lads are playing, it made coming in here a lot easier and I felt happy with how I went. I gave it my all down there and was quite happy with it.”
Nash watched Ireland’s historic series success in New Zealand from his couch at home last summer, having just had his wisdom teeth out.
The brilliant rugby he watched helped numb the pain and now Nash is hoping to get a taste of the action out on the pitch.
“The last time putting on an Ireland shirt before Emerging Ireland was the 20s and I remember singing the anthem then and thinking, ‘Ah, this is unreal’.
“We obviously didn’t do that for Emerging Ireland but to do it in a packed Aviva would be an unreal experience. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It’s the dream stuff when you are growing up.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Call-up calvin nash crescent Ireland Munster November Tests