MUNSTER loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman summed-up what it’s like to win a first international cap after coming off the pitch following his fine display in Ireland’s Autumn International win over Fiji at the Aviva Stadium.
“It was incredible, an unforgettable moment. I can’t really put into words how special it was,” commented a clearly overjoyed 27-year-old Loughman.
“It was such an amazing day, something you look forward to and dream about so much from when you’re a young kid.”
“It’s been a long journey and to get that first cap, the confidence builds in yourself and the drive to do it again is incredible. I could feel it straight away afterwards. I was like, ‘I’d love a bit of this again now’. I don’t want to make it a one-cap thing, I want to keep driving on and getting better and better every game.”
Loughman toured New Zealand with Ireland last summer and started both midweek games against the Maori All Blacks, while he gained further exposure with Ireland A a few weeks back.
“It’s about putting yourself forward and showing everyone else that you’re such a close team. You’ve got to prove to the lads around you and the coaches that you should be there,” he commented.
“For us lads on the fringes, those games and experiences with Emerging Ireland, the Maori and New Zealand A games are just invaluable to show everyone what you can do in those big games.
“When you do get your time, you’ve to take your chance and give everything you got.”
Loughman was born in the casino city of Reno, Nevada (USA), before his family moved to the UK and afterwards to Ireland (Kildare). He has been with Munster since 2017, with whom he has lined-out on well over 70 occasions.
Ireland complete their Autumn Series with an outing against Australia in Dublin on Saturday, kick-off 8pm.
