While Peter O'Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray will be at the centre of attention for their final Aviva Stadium international, Saturday’s game will also be a milestone for three other players.
Captain Caelan Doris, back row Jack Conan and tighthead prop Finlay Bealham will all reach a significant landmark as they earn their 50th Test caps.
And while Bealham says reaching "the big 50" is an "incredible honour", he’s more than happy to hand over the focus to his three senior team-mates.
"I think Jack Conan is annoyed he doesn't get all of the limelight, but myself and Caelan are a bit happier that there's not as much attention on us, thankfully," the Connacht prop says.
"I've been in the group a while now and seeing the calibre of players that have got 50 caps, to reach that milestone myself, it doesn't really feel real. It's something I'll be really proud of."
Bealham’s parents, Andrea and Roy, are flying in from Australia to mark the occasion, joining his wife Sarah, son Joaquin, and some of the in-laws, at the Aviva this week.
While the Connacht tighthead made his debut way back in 2016, he’s had to slowly build his innings towards a half-century of caps.
In and out of squads in his early years of international rugby, Bealham won 14 caps across five seasons, before Andrew Porter’s switch from tighthead to loosehead left an opportunity to move up the depth chart in 2021, and the Canberra native grabbed his chance, to the point where he has now played 35 of Ireland’s last 43 games.
And the 33-year-old (below) believes that season was the point where everything clicked.
"If I'd put my finger on it, probably around 2022, towards the back-end of the Six Nations. I played England there, I had my parents there [at Twickenham] and that whole season when we went to New Zealand, won that series, and to be a part of those games.
"I don't know if I've ever felt 100% comfortable, if that's the word, but I felt from that moment on like a real part of the group. I knew what was expected of me, what I expect of myself and how I fit into what we're trying to do.
"I was thinking about this recently. There was probably a time where I was thinking, 'Jeez, I may only get 10 caps'.
"You get to 10 and then you're like, 'I'll just try get to 20', and then fast forward, on the verge of getting 50. Like I said, it's really special to see the calibre of players that have gone and got 50 themselves."
The Canberra native qualified through his maternal grandmother from Enniskillen, and moved to Ireland for a trial in Ulster’s academy as a 19-year-old in late 2010.
His journey in Irish rugby started in the inauspicious surroundings of Ophir RFC in Belfast, playing with the Belfast Harlequins’ seconds team as a means to build gametime ahead of his involvement with Ireland’s U20s in the 2011 Six Nations, and while his time at Ulster was short-lived, he soon found his home in the west of Ireland when he linked up with their sub-academy that summer.
Fourteen years on, he cites his academy coaches at Connacht as a key factor in how his career has turned out.
"I had a pretty tough first six months when I came over, being based up in Ulster, but a lot of where I found my feet was at Connacht.
"I’d have to say the likes of Jimmy Duffy, Nigel Carolan, they were the academy coaches at the time and took a liking to me and I developed really good relationships with them.
"It would be tough to name everyone along the journey. At different times you have different people.
"At that moment in time I’d just left Ulster and didn't have the best time on or off the pitch, I think they [Duffy and Carolan] were big drivers in me finding my feet in Galway."
With Tadhg Furlong injured, Bealham has been anchoring the right side of the Irish scrum impressively in this championship, just as he did for the opening games of the 2023 Grand Slam campaign.
His form two years ago ultimately saw him named to the team of the championship, with a highlight reel moment coming in the win against France at the Aviva in round two, when his smoke-and-mirrors dummy and pass to Hugo Keenan sent the full-back through the middle of the French defence for Ireland’s opening try.
Ireland encounter French resistance, but only momentarily, with Hugo Keenan dashing over the line to give Ireland the lead. #SixNations #IREvFRA
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 11, 2023
Updates: https://t.co/pvpNDPfniT
📺 Watch - https://t.co/pQa1Q0IHHs
📻 Listen - https://t.co/wUq1XxicU5 pic.twitter.com/YUPGz1GSK7
"I had a nice moment in that game, but what you didn't see was the training before it and how many times I f****d it up, even in the captain's run the day before," he recalls.
"But thankfully when it mattered we got it right."
Ireland prevailed 32-19 that day against France, with a late Garry Ringrose try sealing the deal after what had been one of the great Six Nations games in recent memory.
And Bealham says if Ireland are do something similar this week, it will need to start with the nuts and bolts of the scrum.
"I'm focused on just doing my job. Obviously set-piece is a big one, France have an unbelievable set-piece. Then around the pitch they have some unbelievable forwards that are really physical and then backs that can tear you to shreds.
"They have an unbelievable scrum, they’re big men. Obviously, we want to scrum our way and at a really good height and work as a unit.
"It's being aware of what they can do, they're world class at what they do and it's making sure we're all together on the same page and we can implement our plan."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Ireland v France in the Six Nations on Saturday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary with Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Watch Ireland v France in the Under-20 Six Nations on Friday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
