World Cup can't come quick enough for Ireland duo Tadhg Beirne and Stuart McCloskey
CANT WAIT: Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahony. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The World Cup cannot come quick enough for Ireland duo Tadhg Beirne and Stuart McCloskey yet there is also recognition of squad-mates who did not make the cut.
Six days out from the opening Pool B match of the campaign against Romania in Bordeaux, Ireland have successfully settled into their hotel and training base since arriving in the Loire Valley city of Tours last Thursday.
And with the big kick-off fast approaching second-row Beirne, 31, said: "It's just excitement for the whole group.
“Getting on the plane is the first challenge, getting through pre-season in the best possible way we could.
“We're here now and it's just all focus on Romania first. We're really excited and the games can't come quick enough for us. We're mad to get stuck in."
This will be Beirne’s second World Cup having made the 2019 squad as a relative newcomer to Test rugby following his return to Ireland the previous summer when he left Scarlets for Munster.
McCloskey, also 31, made his Ireland debut two and a half years earlier than Beirne but while the lock has 41 caps, the Ulster centre has had to be more patient for his World Cup debut with eight of his 14 international appearances coming since last November.
"It's brilliant,” McCloskey said. “I suppose it's something I didn't think I'd be able to do a couple of years ago but the last few years have been brilliant for me.
"It's been great coming here, it's a great group of lads over the whole pre-season. Everyone has enjoyed it here so far, it's a great spot, great facilities, and hopefully it stays that way.”
There were mixed emotions for McCloskey, however, when he learned he had made the 33-man World Cup squad ahead of last weekend’s final warm-up game against Samoa in southern France.
"We sort of found out through bad news for other guys, the guys who heard they weren't going. It's a process of deduction that there's only 33 left in Biarritz, that sort of thing.
"I was obviously ecstatic to get the nod but we also had that game against Samoa coming up, it was before the Samoa game, so it was just concentrating on that and it sort of took my mind off it.
"I wasn't overly emotional. I'm not really a massively emotional person, but yeah it was nice to hear. It was strange, it was sort of mixed. I was rooming with Jacob (Stockdale) at the time and Jacob obviously didn't get to go.
“It's hard to be very upbeat and positive when you're feeling bad for Jacob not going when he was rooming with me for the whole week. It was mixed but it's been a great pre-season and I'm happy to be here.
"It will probably hit home more on Monday when we get into our proper match week schedule. We'll do the walkthroughs on Monday and get a fair idea of what the team is.
"Everyone is gearing towards that first game against Romania. It's a similar vibe to Tadhg. Everyone is looking forward to getting started."
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
