Diminutive scrum-half Craig Casey is content to be the butt of the jokes after confirming his Ireland team-mates regularly “take the p***” regarding his height.
Casey is comfortably the smallest member of Andy Farrell’s 33-man World Cup squad at just 5ft 5in. The 24-year-old was immediately teased after arriving in France when captain Johnny Sexton acted as though he was the team mascot during Ireland’s open training session in front of 12,000 spectators in their base city of Tours.
Johnny Sexton doing Johnny Sexton things!#RWC2023 | #IREvROM https://t.co/sevILxj2zc pic.twitter.com/gYY92K7YL6 — Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 12, 2023 Munster player Casey, who emerged from the tunnel holding Sexton’s hand and then posed with him for a photograph, feels there is little point in rallying against the good-natured mockery, particularly with squad “sheriffs” imposing penalties. “They like to take the p*** out of my height, as you can tell, but you just have to roll with it,” he said. “I think if you don’t roll with it, you’ll probably be fined. “There are a few sheriffs in the camp that keep everyone on their toes.
I’d say if I fought against it, I would probably be in big trouble so I just get on with. It’s good craic.” Casey, who is competing for action with Jamison Gibson-Park and Conor Murray, is still awaiting his World Cup bow after acting as water carrier during Saturday’s thumping 82-8 win over Romania in sweltering Bordeaux.