NIALL SCANNELL IS in a good place at the moment. It’s not quite pinch-me-I’m-dreaming territory for the Munster hooker, but you certainly get the sense he is enjoying every minute of life in Ireland camp.
By his own admission, things have happened very quickly for him over the last number of weeks and he hasn’t had much time to dwell on how far he has come; but at the same time he knows it has been a whirlwind season.
Scannell on media duty earlier at Carton House. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
Take two weekends ago in Rome, for example.
Having waited on the bench at Murrayfield for his debut moment on the opening weekend, Scannell was then catapulted into the deep end when Rory Best was struck down by a stomach bug.
There wasn’t much time for nerves — four hours, to be precise — but Scannell knuckled down and made sure he seized the biggest moment of his fledgling career to date.
With his parents and girlfriend in the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, the Cork native produced a fine debut performance and, looking back on it now, he wouldn’t changed anything about the occasion or the hurried build-up.
“I was happy with the start. When I reviewed my performance afterwards, there’s a few things I could tidy up on but the occasion itself went okay and it was great to see how happy my parents were with the first cap and I was obviously very happy to get it.
“The philosophy in camp all the time would be to be ready, if you’re in the squad at all to be ready to go. There was no hesitation, you had to be ready to go and I felt I was. Thankfully I got the nod and it kind of kicked on from there.”
It was certainly a breakthrough moment for Scannell, who had previously represented Ireland at U20 level, and he noticed the difference in intensity throughout the game in Rome, even if it was a one-sided encounter.
Scannell in action on debut against Italy. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
“Every area was probably just that few per cent tougher, especially around the scrum, you have to be accurate with your line out, the general pace of the first half was just through the roof,” he continued. “Sometimes when games start like that at club level they tend to fall off a bit.
With Best back to full health for the resumption of the Six Nations this weekend, it remains to be seen whether Scannell will get an opportunity off the bench against France on Saturday.
Leinster’s James Tracy is Schmidt’s other option at hooker but you’d imagine the Munster an has done enough to be named as Best’s understudy for the visit of Les Blues.