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Ireland

Ireland star doing his best to keep up with 'Anchorman' on tour in South Africa

"I'm on news from home on the bus," he groans, "so I'm doing my best news reporter impression from the top of the bus. I'm not much craic with it but am working on it."


  • Jul 04 2024
  • 11
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Ireland star doing his best to keep up with 'Anchorman' on tour in South Africa
Ireland star doing his best to


Calvin Nash is distinctive when it comes to the Ireland squad, somewhat shy and soft-spoken among the group.

The coaches Andy Farrell, Paul O'Connell, Simon Easterby, Mike Catt have been working on trying to get him to come out of himself a bit more.

Or maybe the players' ad hoc committee - the one that hands out duties and fines - are trying to take the proverbial michael as Nash has been tasked with researching the news this week and delivering a news bulletin every day.

Read More: CJ Stander Exclusive: Rassie Erasmus rivalry is with Ireland team - and maybe Ronan O'Gara - not with nation

Sort of Munster left-winger as anchorman Ron Burgundy, if you will...

"I'm on news from home on the bus," he groans, "so I'm doing my best news reporter impression from the top of the bus. I'm not much craic with it but am working on it."

But then it is Nash's first fully-fledged tour and it is up to him to ride the wave.

"It's been good so far," he says, "I suppose same as any other camp, just try to throw myself in and get the connections built up again with lad's you haven't seen in a while.

"It has been class to get over here and spend more time with the lads and get to know people more.

"It's obviously a massive challenge coming down to South Africa where it's hard enough to win a game in the URC down here so I can imagine what the international tests are going to be like.

"The coaches have obviously told us how much of a massive challenge it is and Paul O'Connell was saying to us that only one Irish team has actually one down here internationally.

"So that's another massive challenge and something that we have to get over ourselves and hopefully come up with positive results."

Those coaching as well those tasking Nash know just how lucky they have been, the Munster star has come in for the supposedly indispensable Mack Hansen at international level and proved one of Ireland's top Six Nations performers.

Munster’s Calvin Nash and Matthew Devine of Connacht
Munster’s Calvin Nash and Matthew Devine of Connacht



He played all 80 minutes in each of the wins against France, Wales, Italy and Scotland and takes little blame for the loss to England as he left the field injured after six minutes.

His return from there also show-cased some blistering form, six straight wins with Munster before developing a problem late in the URC quarter-final.

"It was actually the last 10 minutes in that Ospreys game, my calf started getting real tight and I felt it was going to tear.

"Stupidly I didn't come off but then later on in the week I just wasn't able to run on it and I was in a good bit of pain and I had to pull out of the Glasgow game unfortunately.

"It was a game that turned out tough to watch to be honest, all the lads were devastated and so were the fans I suppose.

"We felt like we didn't really account well for ourselves on the day. that's the way it goes and fair play to Glasgow for going on to win it."

Nash will be looking to pick up his seventh cap this Saturday, a player who at 26 years of age qualified as a late starter.

"The Six Nations helped me a lot to give me a lot more calmness, I suppose, coming into the international stage.

"Just getting to know the lads was probably the main thing for me, so I can know what they're doing on the pitch but, at the same time, off the field relationships are massive and they are probably what helps the team be stronger."

The idea that the opposition is South Africa works in an odd way for him, he is aware of the Head Coach Rassie Erasmus from his time coaching Munster.

And has first-hand experience of a number of their players as he was a starter on the Munster side that defeated Lions in Johannesburg and Bulls in Pretoria on consecutive URC weekends as recently as last April.

"Rassie gave me my debut," he shurgs of Munster against Zebre in Parma in November 2017, "but other than that I didn't really have much dealings with him.

"I suppose I tried to learn as much as I could off Rassie and Jacques when he was there and, look, they are two masterminds of rugby and great coaches as well.

"Some of the players will have been playing in the URC as well so it makes it a bit easier to find some footage of them.

"You would just be all over their traits and what threats they have as well.

"Other than that we try to focus on ourselves, conscious of the threats and the strengths that they have but other than that just focus on ourselves and our own connections."

Indeed Ireland have 'focussed' quite a bit on their Six Nations loss to England in the last few months.

The match may have been lost to a last minute Marcus Smith drop-goal but coach Farrell highlighted a number of areas he wasn't overly pleased with.

"Actually, after that game we did look at the way we exit and the way we chase our kicks so I feel like we've rectified that after the English game.

"We were probably caught too easily in that game and I remember it now because we watched it back."

Meanwhile Ireland will be borrowing from the Munster play book when it comes to playing at altitude - that is don't place too much pre-game attention on it, try to play your game as normal.

"There is no real effect on mindset, rugby is still rugby at the end of the day.

"You have to be a bit more worried about kicks going a bit further but it's just a heightened awareness around that.

"Other than that we are seeing similar pictures so it doesn't really change too much and at the end of the day both teams have to play at altitude so whoever deals with the best, hopefully, will win."

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