Ahern: Craig Is Perfect For This Tour, Everybody Will Get Behind Him

Tom Ahern has praised the leadership qualities of Craig Casey as the Munster scrum half prepares to captain the Ireland Men’s team for the first time during their summer tour.

The Munster duo are part of a 32-strong Ireland squad that has been training at the IRFU High Performance Centre ahead of their departure for Tbilisi, and next Saturday’s opening match under interim head coach Paul O’Connell.

The 6ft 9in Ahern is hoping that some hamstring tightness does not derail his plans to make his senior international debut in the coming weeks, especially with injuries having hampered his Ireland hopes in the recent past.

As one of twelve uncapped players in O’Connell’s group, he said: “I am buzzing, to be honest. I’ve been unlucky with a couple of injuries (before), but that’s kind of the nature of the game to be fair.

“So, kind of just taking these next couple of weeks in my stride. Just looking to improve. Being up here now, get a few work-ons, continuing to try to improve my game. Just keep getting better is the aim up here.”

Asked about Casey’s appointment as captain for the Tests against Georgia and Portugal, Ahern replied: “He’s a fantastic leader on and off the field. There’s not a more dedicated man in the squad, like all the stuff he does off the field goes unseen to most people.

“Such a good leader, and such a good guy in general. The perfect person for this tour because everybody will get behind him, and he’s great energy around the place.”