As the Irish squad meandered out on to their training pitch at The Campus in dribs and drabs on Thursday, Edwin Edogbo was one of the first to appear.
Everyone does their own thing in those 15 or 20 minutes before a pitch session. A bit of stretching, a bit of passing. Backs might break into twos and threes to field some balls and loosen up. Forwards might split into pods and loosen up with some lineout throws and lifts.
While all of that was going on, Edogbo had some one-on-one time with Simon Easterby in the centre of the pitch. The pair had a lengthy chat, as he and the Irish defence coach could be seen motioning through and acting out some game situations.
There have been plenty of suggestions that the 23-year-old should go straight into the Irish matchday squad next week for a Six Nations debut in Paris, and while Andy Farrell did his best to keep the hype to a low simmer at the Six Nations launch last week, there is a growing sense that the second row is ready to go in at the deep end next week.
"If the opportunity came around, I would be more than ready to be up for it," he told RTÉ Sport about the prospect of featuring against France next week.
"But I think with the nature of the squad, competition is huge and, everyone's fighting for position. And I think there's a huge learning aspect of this for me as well that shouldn't get lost as well.
"I'm enjoying being around lads like Joe [McCarthy], James Ryan, Tadhg [Beirne], getting a bit of snippets off them and seeing what I can add to my game."
Listed as 6ft 5in and 127kg, the Cobh native offers a level of physicality Ireland have struggled to find in previous years, and had it not been for a serious Achilles injury, his Ireland chance would likely have come much sooner.
The lock tore his Achilles on St Stephen's Day in 2023, and didn’t feature in a competitive game until October 2025, and the fact that he was called into the Ireland squad that month as a development player, after just 19 minutes of rugby, shows he’s been on Farrell’s radar for some time.
A concussion ultimately saw him miss out on the chance to go to Chicago with the Irish squad, but he’s shaken off that disappointment, getting back up to full speed through nine games, and is now soaking up every minute of his first week in camp.
"November was a little sore for me, getting the call-up initially and being happy, and then a few days after getting that concussion and then being over it.
"But I suppose, look, everything happens for a reason and I worked hard to get back and I was fortunate again for the opportunity to come up again.
"It's been a very long road as I've been reminded but now I'm feeling good, body's feeling good, getting back to that match fitness like you said and hopefully looking to kick on from here now," the Corkman added.
In comparison to a lot of other professionals, Edogbo was a late starter in rugby, picking the game up as a teenager and starting as a centre, then moving to the back row "as the size came on", before unsurprisingly finding his home in the second row.
Before all of that there was soccer, GAA, basketball and tennis, before he caught the rugby bug when he was 13, after his younger brother, Seán, joined Cobh Pirates.
It would have been a proud few days for both the Edogbos and the Cobh Pirates last week, with Edwin called into the Ireland squad on Wednesday, before 21-year-old Seán made his full Munster debut in last Friday’s win against Dragons in their native Cork.
The pair have only played together once, an underage game for their club as teenagers, but Edwin hopes it’s only a matter of time before they can share the pitch together again.
"It was amazing, to be honest. Just to see the family group chat popping off and then going back home and seeing everyone's smiles across everyone's faces is very special.
"Then for him to get a man of the match that Friday as well, and a brilliant performance, it was almost a cherry on top.
"Hopefully we see him get more of them in the games and hopefully I can be there with him.
"I think he was more of a footballer while I was more of a tennisy-minded player [as kids].
"Ultimately, he started rugby first, I have to admit that. After going to one of his games, I thought it would be something that I would be interested in too.
"Luckily, it turned out well for us, I guess."
A combination of Covid-19 and a previous Achilles long-term injury prevented Edwin from representing Ireland at Under-20 level, and his only previous experience pulling on the green jersey came for Ireland U18 Clubs.
While he’s now registered to UCC for All Ireland League purposes, Cobh is where the heart is, and if he does feature for Ireland in this championship, he will be the Pirates’ first ever homegrown international.
"From my point of view - I know I'm a bit biased - but there's no better club to be at to help develop you and grow you into a player.
"The way they take care of the players and care for all the staff is amazing and I'm very grateful for them.
"We'd still be in touch with a few of the old coaches and a few of the lads I've played with. I still go to the clubhouse gym whenever I can when I'm back home.
"I go to the club for runs and stuff, so I'm still very well connected with them," he said.
And after fulfilling his dream to wear the red of Munster, a first Ireland cap in Paris – or anywhere else – is next on the agenda.
"I think the dream to play for Munster came first, to be honest with you. I think growing up that was almost the goal in my mind.
"Munster is such a prestigious club and I'm very fortunate to have played Under-16 all the way up with them. I think that was what had kind of grasped my attention.
"Ireland is always in the back of your mind. It's always a huge honour to represent your country. So I think that was always there as well.
"It would be a great honour and it would be a dream come true."
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