By his own admission, Finlay Bealham is a bit weird. The Connacht prop is an eccentric character who enjoys listening to Metallica, braiding his hair like Ivar the Boneless from Vikings, and taking his 70kg French mastiff, Bane, for walks around the Salthill promenade in Galway.
When Bealham was due to meet with Gary Keegan, the Irish team’s performance coach and mental skills specialist, ahead of the 2023 Six Nations, the message from his team-mates was: ‘You’ll have your work cut out with Finlay!’
Bealham is the kind of personality who has thrived in Andy Farrell’s environment. ‘Be yourself’ has been a well-worn mantra during his time in charge and the 33-year-old lives it every day.
BKT United Rugby Championship, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast 12/10/2024 Ulster vs Connacht Connacht’s Finlay Bealham. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
The Canberra-born frontrower is a big character behind the scenes, but he been a consistent, reliable and durable operator on the pitch as well.
And Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby is set to turn to Bealham again this week, after Tadhg Furlong pulled up with a calf injury at the squad’s training base in Portugal.
Furlong has been ruled out and Bealham is set to step in to fill a sizeable void at tighthead, again.
Ireland players Rónan Kelleher, left, and Finlay Bealham after their side’s defeat in the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
These are big boots to fill. Furlong is a generational talent, who has started six consecutive British and Irish Lions Tests, spanning the 2017 and 2021 tours of New Zealand and South Africa, respectively.
Fitness permitting, he will be short odds to make it nine straight games in the hallowed red shirt when the Lions pay a visit to Australia in the summer.
Thing is, injuries have become a concerning trend in Furlong’s career of late.
Investec Champions Cup Round 4, Dexcom Stadium, Galway 19/1/2024 Connacht vs Bristol Bears Connacht’s Finlay Bealham. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane
The 32-year-old has been hampered by hamstring and calf issues in recent seasons.
Indeed, he missed the entirety of Ireland’s November schedule and only returned to action a few weeks ago in Leinster’s hard-fought Champions Cup pool win against La Rochelle.
Worryingly, Furlong has suffered a recurrence of the same calf issue, and it remains to be seen when he will feature in this championship.
The IRFU has plenty of faith in its premier tighthead, with Furlong recently signing a contract extension which will keep him on the payroll with Leinster and the national team until the 2027 World Cup.
Tadhg Furlong. Pic: Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images
For now, Ireland will be leaning on his understudy to lock out the scrum in Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated Six Nations showdown with England in Dublin.
Bealham has been an everreliable option since he made his international debut against Italy in the 2016 edition of the championship.
Go back and watch the highlights of the famous win against the All Blacks in Soldier Field and you will see a fresh-faced Bealham packing down in the scrum, which laid the platform for Robbie Henshaw’s match-clinching try.
Bealham had relieved Furlong of his services during the second half. It’s been a regular sight for the best part of a decade.
Bealham, who is poised to the wear the No3 jersey at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, is in line to win his 49th Test cap. It is instructive that this will only be his 13th start, however.
For all of Bealham’s industry, mobility and handling skills, he has never been able to dislodge Furlong as Ireland’s first choice. He has always answered the call when his illustrious fellow tighthead has gone to ground, however.
Furlong will always leave a big hole in the pack, but Bealham has fronted up on every occasion.
It was the same story in the 2023 Six Nations when Furlong was ruled out of the opening three games.
No matter, Bealham started against Wales, France and Italy before a knee injury ended his tournament.
But he emerged from that Grand Slam campaign with a reputation firmly enhanced. Bealham nailed all his core duties in the set piece and showed up well in the loose, his deft pass to send Hugo Keenan away for a brilliant try against Les Bleus an example of his passing skills and’sion.
He doesn’t have the same power and presence of Furlong, but Bealham brings plenty to the table himself.
Ireland turned to him again last November when Furlong was out of action, Bealham starting all four Autumn Nations series games against New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
He showcased his remarkable stamina against the All Blacks when he was forced to do a 79-minute shift after Tom O’Toole, his second-half replacement, only lasted a minute after the Ulster prop suffered a concussion.
Bealham had barely taken his place on the bench when he was told to take off his tracksuit top and get back on the field.
No doubt, the England camp saw the news of Furlong’s withdrawal and immediately drew confidence ahead of their visit. Furlong is a household name in rugby circles and has the widespread respect of rival nations.
Bealham doesn’t command the same global status and few will mention him in conversations when it comes to potential Lions touring squads in the coming months.
But his coaches and teammates in the Connacht and Ireland camps know his value, on and off the field.
This is a player who has been written off for most of his career. Bealham encountered no shortage of setbacks when he was coming through the grades.
He was once told he was ‘too small’ to play prop back in his native Australia, but it only motivated him to spend more time in the gym and train harder.
Mindful of his Irish ancestry, with a grandmother who hailed from Enniskillen, he decided to leave Oz and pursue a new career path in his late teens.
Despite impressing for the Ireland U20s, Ulster took a pass on him before Connacht came calling.
Bealham has since become a stalwart at Connacht. He pitched up in Galway. in 2010 and recently passed the 200-cap mark for the Westerners.
All going well, he is set to bring up a half-century of caps for Ireland in the coming months. Not bad for a supposed understudy .
His value to this Irish squad has risen even higher with fellow tighthead O’Toole currently serving a ban and out of Six Nations contention, too.
Bealham has proven his worth time and again. It should be no different this weekend.
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