CALVIN CLIMB
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for Nash as the on-song winger bids to keep Ireland clear at the summit
CALVIN NASH’S choice of song for his Ireland initiation is the perfect soundtrack to the side’s march towards Six Nations history.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was belted out by the Munster winger after his September Test debut against Italy in a World Cup warm-up.
And with the domination that Andy Farrell’s side have shown over the first three rounds and ahead of this afternoon’s trip to Twickenham, the song neatly sums up Ireland’s 2024 championship journey to date.
Nash swiftly silenced fears that Mack Hansen’s absence for the entire campaign could badly damage Ireland’s prospects by impressing on his championship debut in France and he has grown into his role on the right wing ever since.
“I’m not going to say starting for Ireland feels like the norm but being up in camp feels like the norm,” Nash explained. “Every week is obviously different but yeah, I’m enjoying it, so I don’t want it to stop.”
The 26-year-old scored a try in that game and thought about going for the line again the last day out against Wales but showed his maturity by putting James Lowe in for an easy touchdown instead.
He recalled: “I wanted to score the try myself but then I was, ‘I’m going to be murdered if I don’t give this to Lowey’.
Obviously it was the right thing to do.”
Nash has taken an unusual path to the top. Bar his granddad Eamon helping with the construction of Young Munster’s clubhouse, there is no rugby background in his family as he grew up in the village of Crecora.
“I was mad to try and get it into the primary school back in the day but they wouldn’t allow it,” he smiled. “I literally just saw rugby on TV one time. My family were watching it and I just asked my dad if I could play it and he brought me down to Young Munster, it kind of just went from there.
“I fell in love with rugby and I went into Crescent then and it took off. I played hurling and football but I was actually useless at hurling so I wanted to give that up for ages but my parents wouldn’t allow me.”
He rose through the ranks at Crescent, playing on the school’s junior and senior cup sides, then won a Junior Cup medal with Young Munster, played AIL before making his Munster debut as a
teenager. Injuries disrupted his progress as a professional however.
Simon Zebo has previously revealed that Nash even contemplated retirement during a frustrating time under
Johann van Graan.
“I don’t know if I ever would have wanted to give up rugby,” Nash said.
“I was obviously in quite a low and it’s good to chat to lads who are around you and who have been through it as well.
“But naturally it’s nice to hear it from Zebo, who has ridiculous experience, him saying
‘Stick with it, you have unbelievable coaches coming in and they’ll end up picking you’. I could have thought Zebo was blowing smoke up my hole but it was nice to hear.”
A big turning point was his performances on the Emerging Ireland tour and, although his breakthrough came too late for France 2023, Nash is a real addition to Farrell’s squad.
Today at Twickenham will be another acid test in that regard.
“I find it exciting,” he said. “I really like the fact that the team finds a way to win nearly 90% of the time. It’s probably better than that now.
“I just find this really exciting, every time I show up to work I can’t wait to get out on the pitch.”
“I just love the brand of rugby that we play.”