Calvin Nash: Ireland's teen prodigy turned late bloomer

In rugby terms, Calvin Nash is a bit of a unicorn; both a prodigious talent and a late developer.

It's a little under 10 years ago to the day since he was starting on the wing for Crescent College as a 4th year student in their Munster Schools Senior Cup final against neighbours Ardscoil Rís, helping them win an 11th provincial senior title.

One month later, he was part of on an Ireland U18 Schools side that reached the final of the European Championships against England in Poland. Still only 16-years-old at the time, Nash was playing an age-group above in a side that contained the likes of Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Jacob Stockdale, Max Deegan and Will Connors. When many of those players were getting to an U20 World Championship final two years later, Nash was sitting his Leaving Cert.

His love for rugby started at the age of 10. Growing up in Crecora, a small village south of Limerick City, rugby wasn't in the family. His closest link to the game was his grandad Eamon, who he says helped build Young Munster’s clubhouse at Tom Clifford Park, although grandad Eamon never actually set foot on the pitch.

"I played hurling and football, but I was actually useless at hurling so I wanted to give that up for ages, but my parents wouldn't allow me," says the 26-year-old.

"I was mad to try and get it into the primary school back in the day, but they wouldn't allow it.

"I literally just saw rugby on TV one time, my family were watching it and I just asked my dad if I could play it, and he brought me down to Young Munster then, and it kind of just went from there.

"I fell in love with rugby and I went into Crescent [College Comprehensive] then and it took off."

By the time he was 15, Nash was marked down as one of the elite prospects in