‘This Team Always Found A Way To Win’ – Culhane
Emerging Ireland captain James Culhane is pictured during a post-match interview at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
After captaining Emerging Ireland to their third tour win, James Culhane was delighted that the players grasped the opportunity to ‘show their points of difference and really express themselves’ during the series in South Africa.
Simon Easterby’s young guns scored late on in both halves, through Andrew Osborne before half-time and then replacements Matthew Devine and Danny Sheahan, as they signed off with a hard-earned 33-24 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs.
Number 8 Culhane, one of two returning players from the 2022 Emerging Ireland tour, was pleased with how the current squad came through their toughest test of their short campaign in Bloemfontein.
“It did (mean a lot to win), it’s just a credit to how this group has come together,” said the Leinster back rower, who has nine provincial caps to his name.
“We only met two weeks ago, back in Ireland. I think the bonds we’ve formed and the memories we’ve made on this trip have just been unbelievable. It’s something I won’t forget for a while.
“I think we showed that in every performance. Each performance was better than the other. I think it just means a lot when you can get three from three again.”
With Sam Prendergast ever-present and pulling the strings from out-half, Emerging Ireland scored 15 tries across their three games, including a penalty try during their opening 36-24 triumph over the Airlink Pumas.
Forwards got on the scoresheet nine times, and recent Ireland Under-20 internationals Evan O’Connell and Sheahan joined Alex Soroka in crossing the whitewash last night against the 2023 Currie Cup champions.
Frans Steyn’s charges are building towards the pool stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup, and made sure it was a bruising battle for Culhane and his team-mates, regularly applying pressure in the contact area and at set-piece time.
Asked if he was concerned that the Cheetahs scored twice off mauls, and that the tourists left points behind them from similar situations, the Enniskerry native replied: “I think it’s frustrating when you can’t execute there, but this team always found a way to win and that’s the most important thing.
“I suppose it’s a flip of a coin, if we had ended up losing by one point it’s something we would have been looking at a lot. But I think we’re just delighted to get over the line.
“That game had a bit of everything, I think, and physicality was the number one thing that won it in the end.”
With Easterby and his fellow coaches doing well to manage resources across three quick-fire match days, they were able to run the rule over as many potential future senior internationals as possible, as well as manging match minutes and being mindful of the players’ provincial commitments in the immediate term.
Culhane will turn 25 during the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027, and has clear ambitions to be part of the next wave of back row talent progressing through to the Test arena.
“Simon kind of mentioned it when we first met back in the HPC (High Performance Centre) in Ireland, about just the clear pathway, that this is a stepping stone towards the Six Nations.
“We talked about how on the last tour that I think there were 48 caps for the senior team that came from that. So it’s definitely not a million miles away, and I think everyone is trying to push towards that.”
He added: “It’s something we talked about, these opportunities don’t come around often. So it’s about showing your point of difference and really expressing yourself out there.
“I think, as a group, everyone was comfortable being themselves, and I think we just formed connections so quickly and we’re just absolutely delighted to come away with that now.”
Having been part of the successful Emerging Ireland tour from two years ago, Culhane was able to impart his knowledge amongst what was a younger squad this time around, and also display his leadership qualities in helping the team to come from behind to beat the Cheetahs.
He revelled in the sheer ‘pride we took from wearing the jersey’, and one player who was deservedly beaming with pride after the final whistle was teenage prop Alex Usanov, who played in all three matches despite only coming into the squad as an injury replacement.
Usanov was back in South Africa after a hamstring injury hampered his involvement in the summer’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship. He seems to have thrived with this platform to further develop and gain an understanding of what is required to perform for Ireland at the highest level.
Emerging Ireland head coach Easterby said the 19-year-old Leinster Academy loosehead is like a ‘mini Church’, paying him the ultimate compliment in comparing him to Test centurion Cian Healy, a fellow Clontarf clubman.
“Alex is incredibly strong, incredibly powerful. A lot of rough edges to his game, which there would be, but credit to him,” he said, with Usanov starting the final two matches against Western Force and Cheetahs, during which he scrummaged against Wallaby Tom Robertson and Robert Hunt, who weighs 122kg, respectively.
Going in at the deep end and coming up against much heavier and more experienced opponents is nothing new to the young Dubliner, who made his Energia All-Ireland League debut for ‘Tarf twelve months ago before playing with the Ireland Under-20s.
He has come under the wing of Ireland U-20 scrum coach Aaron Dundon and now John Fogarty, the national scrum coach, on tour, taking his chance with both hands after being called up in place of the unfortunate Jordan Duggan (ankle).
Culhane believes Usanov’s involvement with Emerging Ireland, which saw him accumulate 150 minutes of game-time, will be great for his growth and development as an exciting front row talent.
“I think it’s just a brilliant experience. You learn a lot and you get a lot of belief from the lads around you as well. Sometimes when you’re in those scrums, I guess for Alex, you’re not really thinking about the opposition, you’re just focusing on yourself.
“Alex only came a day before we left. I don’t think he was originally on the 33-man squad, and what a character! He’s just taken everything in his stride.
“He’s played every single game, he’s got minutes in every single game, and he’s just a great character around the group.
“I think his personality and his confidence was a big part of that as well. I think he’s a guy that can really push on, and he’ll take great experience from this,” he added.