Finlay Bealham back to basics after Chicago high

Amazing how perception can skew into accepted fact. And even legend.

Last Saturday’s game in Soldier Field, Chicago, offered up any number of memorable images, and among the first was the sight of replacement Ireland hooker Finlay Bealham, face scrunched up in what appeared to be a look of utter determination, as he stared down the All Black haka.

It held the screen for no more than a second and would have faded into obscurity had New Zealand won, but the manner in which events unfolded served to elevate even the most obscure of moments into a haven for those who deal in hindsight.