Craig Casey - little man, big heart, try scorer, super showing in physical battle against Fiji
"The first ten minutes were a bit of a rude awakening. I got sent to the ground twice but it’s all part of playing teams like Fiji."
Craig Casey put in a first class display, possibly his best-ever Ireland outing in a starting role, despite being bashed from pillar to post.
There was added responsibility too given he was starting alongside a rookie out-half albeit it was Bundee Aki's brick-outhouse presence at no12 that proved Ireland most solid bulwark - indeed Bundee picked up the Man of the Match.
“Yeah, it was tough," said Casey afterwards. "The first ten minutes were a bit of a rude awakening. I got sent to the ground twice but it’s all part of playing teams like Fiji, I think. Serious, serious athletes.
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"Going into it you are almost expecting it and trying to hype yourself up for the hits. Just mistimed them but I will learn from it.
"As a game I thought it was a very good one. I thought we stamped our way and our game on it well. They are a very good side and I think you saw that over their autumn games so a good win.”
Casey was one of seven personnel and two positional changes following Argentina.
“We’re kind of used to it, everyone has to know the detail in and around the squad, everyone has trained in groups over the last few weeks.
"In Portugal we mixed and matched who was with each other over the whole week and that week before Tests gives you a nice variety when it comes to who you were training with.
"I mean I was very comfortable playing with Sam, we’ve got a good relationship as it would be with any of the No10s. The young lads coming into the squad – I’m not old – but the lads getting their debuts were class all week and gave great confidence to everyone.”
There was a try for scrum-half too, a first in 17 caps from the Shannon RFC product.
“I don’t know about spectacular," he said of a finish where opted to take the aerial route. "Gus did very well to hear me and delivered it really well, it was a nice finish in the corner.
"But to get my first international try is a dream come true. It is something I dreamed about going to internationals when I was younger and seeing the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and the lads doing it. You want to replicate it.”
Half-back partner Sam Prendergast was in the wars in all sorts of ways too, but did well.
“Very good, very happy with him. The yellow card obviously wasn’t ideal and he probably wasn’t happy with that himself but he is just so calm for a 21-year old.
"It’s crazy how calm he is. Nothing flusters him and you saw when he came back on how calm he was. He just drove us on and didn’t let it affect him whatsoever. Brilliant.”
This was the best performance of the three November Series games to here.
"We were very disappointed with the New Zealand loss although they are a very good side but we hold ourselves in a bit more esteem than what we produced that night and we are very disappointed with how we rolled into camp with that loss.
"The last two weeks we have taken our learnings. There has been really honest feedback to each other and learnings and honest discussions.
"This was a step forward again, we probably put our game onto them more than the other games, although I thought the first-half last week was outstanding.
"We just needed to do it for 80 minutes. We probably did it for 75 this time. It’s all about next week now. Australia is going to be a colossal Test match.”
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