It's almost hard to believe that James Lowe and Finlay Bealham are about to appear in their first World Cup for Ireland.
Leinster wing Lowe, born and bred in New Zealand, arrived on these shores in 2017 and became Ireland-qualified in 2020.
At that stage Lowe had been knocking it out of the park at Leinster for three years, helping Leo Cullen’s side to URC titles in each season.
The 31-year-old was central to Ireland’s Grand Slam in the spring and while he may have grown up with Haka hopes – he played six times for the Maori All Blacks, including against the Lions in 2017 – Lowe is incredibly proud to pull on the green shirt in France.
"So I decided to move, I would have been 24," said the former Chiefs man, who has scored 10 tries in 21 international appearances.
"The opportunity to test myself in a new environment and a new country away from the safety net of family and friends.
"I didn’t know whether or not I was really capable of it but with my wife and now, with our child, we’ve managed to move over here and really put our roots in the ground.
"I don’t see us leaving any time soon, that’s for sure, and in terms of the rugby I was fortunate enough to land on my feet at Leinster.
"I think we can all agree that for close to probably a decade now they’ve been very, very good thanks to the success of Stuart Lancaster [former Leinster senior coach] obviously and now we’re in that sort of transition period moving into a new coach and environment, challenging ourselves again.
"But from where I was when I first came to where I am now, I’m very happy with how that transition has gone and ready to take this Rugby World Cup on.
"If you’d had said that to me 10 years ago at the start of my career that I would be an international rugby player playing for Ireland at my first World Cup I would have told you you were crazy.
"I am absolutely stoked to have been given the opportunity to represent Ireland here and I’m going to take it with both hands."
Bealham originally from Australia but with a grandmother from Enniskillen, has been knocking around these parts since 2011 and was on the Connacht team that won the Pro12 in 2016.
He’d picked up nine caps prior to the Japan jaunt four years ago after making his debut in 2016 but wasn’t as high up on the pecking order in 2019.
Now the 31-year-old tighthead is the de facto back-up to Tadhg Furlong.
"[When I arrived first] I really saw the passion of the people I wanted to represent," said the Canberra native, now holder of 32 caps.
"My nan, who I was extremely close with, I really wanted to represent her and the family, so to get to do that now is a massive honour, not just for myself but for my family and then some of my family who aren’t with us today.
"It’s been brilliant. Ever since I came down to Galway and to Connacht back...a long time ago, immediately there was a strong sense of family, a strong sense of belonging for me.
"Fast-forward a few years and now I’m married. My wife and I, we have a kid on the way, that’s due in February.
"And then Galway, my wife has a very big family so to see what all the rugby achievements I’ve done means to them... [it] means a lot to me and I’m just really honoured to be here now and to represent everyone that’s believed in me along the way."
Ireland open their World Cup campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on Saturday (2.30pm Irish time).
Head coach Andy Farrell will name his team on Thursday.
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to live coverage of all of Ireland's Rugby World Cup games on RTÉ Radio or follow our live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app.
Watch live coverage of Ireland v Tonga (Saturday 16 September) and South Africa (Saturday 23 September) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
