'I loved it. Every second of it': Ryan Baird and Craig Casey born ready for big stage

When his 18-minute cameo was done on Saturday Ryan Baird sat back in the changing room at the Stadio Olimpico and soaked up the sights and sounds of a scene that he has imagined most of his young life

Ireland's Ryan Baird with his first cap after his debut game against Italy. Picture: INPHO/Tommy Dickson

Ryan Baird kept his digital footprint to a minimum last week.

The Leinster second row and Munster scrum-half Craig Casey were advised to limit their time spent on texts and phone calls and to give social media something of a swerve ahead of their senior debuts against Italy in Rome.

All of that stuff can drain the batteries when a man’s energy is best preserved for the mental and physical test to come on the field of play, but Baird did take note of one message that dropped into his in-tray.

Andy Skehan was (and still is) the director of rugby at St Michael’s school in Dublin when the 21-year old was pursuing his education in the classroom and on the playing fields. His advice was short and sweet. Enjoy it, Skehan said, you only earn your first cap once.

Baird did just that. When his 18-minute cameo was done on Saturday he sat back in the changing room at the Stadio Olimpico and soaked up the sights and sounds of a scene that he has imagined most of his young life.

The extraordinary thing about both Baird and Casey was the apparent ease with which they digested it all afterwards. Andy Farrell shared how he had been waiting for the first flash of nerves from the newbies all week but they never showed.

Baird did admit to the usual flutter of butterflies over breakfast two days ago but they were no different to anything felt before, just the usual realisation that he was about to front up physically to 15 other massive men later in the day.

“Myself and Craig put so much time into getting our process and our detail down to a tee that, at the end of the day, and it’s something I kept saying to myself even in the warm-up, it’s just another game of rugby.

“You’ve just got to boil it back to what it was and treat it like that. Obviously there was a bit more to it with it being my first cap and all that but when I got on the pitch it was like, ‘right, this is what you do and then do it again’.” 

Casey hit a similar stride when the pair jogged on for the last 18 minutes and it was probably inevitable that the scrum-half would garner more of the attention given his role offered plenty of scope to get his hands dirty and direct traffic.

Ireland's Craig Casey with Ryan Baird after they both made their international debut. Picture: INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli

Johnny Sexton’s observation afterwards that Casey’s work ethic reminded him of Jonny Wilkinson’s famously obsessive approach to rugby only increased the spotlight on the Munster man but Baird’s elevation shouldn’t be overlooked.

That these two got to enter the fray together actually made for a nice moment given their paths have crossed over so much. Casey first came across the Dubliner when they were playing schools rugby.

“He was quality back then,” said the Limerick man. “I went on to play with him on the Irish U18 Schools and U20s. He's been class throughout.

"He's absolutely unreal, a freak athlete. He's ran over 10 metres per second, which is terrifying for a fella so big. He has all the capabilities to push on.” 

Casey’s big day was delayed by a fortnight when he was an unused replacement against France in the round two loss to France but Baird, for all the undoubted buzz about him, has had to display even more patience in making it this far.

He was limited to two cameos back in 2019 when Casey was starring with an U20s side that claimed the Grand Slam and then there was a mooted debut with Andy Farrell’s side in 2020 that was scuppered by the first lockdown and then injury.

Left out of the initial squad for this Six Nations, he found a route back in when Quinn Roux fell foul of injury and there was an air of excitement rather than wonder when he discussed what it was like to finally ascend that last step to the summit.

“You never get a chance to take breath,” he said of the Test game. “I noticed that. There is always something to do, always something to be dealing with, somewhere to go. It is just about keeping one foot in front of the other and keep pushing.

At this level, as I found out, it is a different step up and I just loved it. Every single second of it.

"I went out with the mindset to be myself, to bring intent and a big attitude to the game, to try to impose myself in the way I normally do and felt I could.” 

Tougher tests await but Baird and Casey look like they were born ready.