Edogbo Feels ‘More Than Ready’ For Ireland Opportunity

Edwin is currently in Quinta do Lago at Ireland’s training camp ahead of the start of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, which begins for Andy Farrell’s men with a blockbuster first round clash with France next Thursday night.

The recently-turned 23-year-old is certainly making up for lost time, coming back from a near two-year absence – due to two serious Achilles tendon injuries – with an impressive run of nine games for Munster, scoring three tries as well.

A delayed concussion prevented him from travelling with the Ireland squad to Chicago in October as cover, but with Farrell noting how much of a ‘handful’ the young second row can be for opponents, he has put himself right in the running for a debut in Paris.

“The body’s feeling good and I am feeling very confident. I do feel ready right now,” said a smiling Edwin, one of three uncapped players in Ireland’s Six Nations squad, alongside Nathan Doak and injury call-up Billy Bohan.

“Any time you get selected for an Irish squad, there is that bit of pressure to perform, but I think it also came with a huge sense of gratitude and kind of excitement with it.

“You must be doing something right to get selected for such a squad like this. It gave me a bit of confidence that I’m on my way to where I was before and maybe elevating my game.

“If the opportunity came around (to play against France), I would be more than ready for it. But with the nature of the squad, competition is huge and everyone’s fighting for positions.

“And I think there’s a huge learning aspect of this for me that shouldn’t get lost as well. I’m enjoying being around lads like Joe (McCarthy), James Ryan, Tadhg (Beirne), getting a bit of snippets off them and seeing what I can add to my game.”

The foundations of Edwin’s rugby journey were laid at Cobh Pirates RFC, where he first picked up a rugby ball as a 13-year-old after Seán was first to try it out. From a big sporting household, they had watched their older brother Moses play rugby before, and also enjoyed soccer, GAA, basketball, and tennis growing up.

Rugby was the one to stick, though, and the two brothers, who were born in Cork after their Nigerian parents, Patience and Augustine, had moved to Cobh, rose through the ranks with the Pirates and Munster’s age-grade teams.

They gained their first international experience with the Ireland Under-18 Clubs squad in separate seasons, with Edwin’s first and only cap in the green jersey to date coming against an Italy Under-18 Academy selection in 2019 when Ethan Coughlan, his current Munster team-mate, was captain.

Position wise, he started initially as a centre before moving into the back row ‘as the size came on’. Now standing at 6ft 5in and weighing 127kg, he is very much in the powerhouse lock mould, as was seen against Toulon and Castres Olympique, his two-try cameo against the latter being particularly impressive.

Before linking up with the Ireland squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre last weekend, he was at Virgin Media Park with his mum and sister Favour to watch Seán, the 21-year-old Academy flanker and former U-20 international, mark his Munster bow with a player-of-the-match performance.

Edwin has a close relationship with his younger brother (pictured below), especially as they both have big dreams they want to fulfil on the rugby field. Their mum is not short of a few tips too as she has become a big lover of the game.

“Myself and Seánie, we played one game with the Pirates in the Under-18s-and-a-half together, and that was good fun. We got a taste of that, and then we wanted to have a few more games together, so hopefully, we get that in the future.

“Best mates is pushing it now! No, we do get on well, which is special, especially when we have to go to work together. We know that it’s so important to get away from the game and have our own time and actually be brothers instead of rugby players.

“It is such a good caveat to have a brother who also plays the same game but thinks differently from you. It’s good to bounce ideas off each other and different stuff that he might be good at in his game that I don’t have, and stuff that I might have that he doesn’t have and always try and help each other in that aspect.”

Reflecting on his Ireland call-up, Seán’s first Munster cap, and what they both meant to the family, he admitted: “It was amazing. Just to see the family group chat popping off and then going back home and seeing everyone’s smiles across everyone’s faces is very special.

“Then for him to get a man-of-the-match that Friday as well, and a brilliant performance, it was almost a cherry on top. Hopefully we see him get more of them in the games and I can be there with him.

“My mother wouldn’t have been the biggest fan of rugby when we were growing up, just with it being such a high-contact sport, not much protection, but now she loves every bit of it. She’d be critiquing our games sometimes! It’s great to have that support system.”

The support of those around him mattered a huge amount when he endured a nightmare time with injury so early on in his professional career. He tore his left Achilles in October 2021, just weeks before being announced as the first Cobh Pirates player in history to join the Munster Academy.

The injury ruined his hopes of playing for the Ireland Under-20s that season, and he suffered a further crushing blow during his third and final year in the Academy, rupturing his right Achilles during the St. Stephen’s Day derby against Leinster in 2023.

It was a very long road to recovery for such a promising young forward, who had to wait until October of this season to make his competitive return. Munster’s careful management of his body has paid off, building his match minutes in recent months both as a starter and in an impact role off the bench.

He was keen to give thanks to those who worked so diligently with him to get his injury right, as well as his nearest and dearest, saying: “Having it at such a crucial time was a tough pill to swallow.

“But I’m grateful to the Munster staff and everyone – friends and family – who helped me get out of that hole when I was in it and ultimately get me to this point at the moment. They got me away from the game whenever I got a bit too much. They were a huge part (of my recovery).”

Enduring those dark days have shaped the player he has become, emerging now as a bright prospect for the Test arena. It has been a fascinating rise to this point, and the final year UCC Economics student looks set to offer Ireland’s engine room plenty of value.

“I think the dream to play for Munster came first, to be honest with you. I think growing up that was almost the goal in my mind,” he explained.