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.
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.
He hopes to be named in the matchday 23 for this weekend’s Pool B clash with Tonga in Nantes and believes it would be “unbelievable” to make his tournament debut.
“It’s exactly where you want to be as an Irish rugby player, at a World Cup being involved in this group,” he said.
“I think we’ve all talked about what the buzz has been for the last two or three years and it’s definitely increased since we got over here, the excitement levels within the group are brilliant.
“The first two weeks here were definitely hard work but we’re mixing it with the craic as well so it’s a very enjoyable place to be.
“It would be unbelievable to make my World Cup debut, if it happens. You have to be ready and when an opportunity does come, you’ve got to take it with both hands and try and cement your place.”
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After taking on Tonga, Ireland’s bid to reach the quarter-finals will be decided during pivotal Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland.
Casey and the majority of his team-mates gathered to see the Springboks defeat the Scots 18-3 on Sunday afternoon.
He is braced for a physical encounter against the reigning world champions on September 23 at Stade de France, while also expecting similar this coming weekend.
“There was a good 25 of us in the team room watching it, so there was a good buzz around that, a very physical game,” he said.
“Scotland played very well first half, as well as South Africa, definitely physical.
“(They) just outmuscled them in the end, that’s what we’re expecting in a few weeks, that physical encounter.”
Speaking about Tonga, Casey added: “We know how tough the Pacific island teams are and we’re going to have to be at our best.
“We’ve got to go up another level (from Romania).”
Australia 25-16 Wales: Gatland positive in Dragons defeat as losing streak continues
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said there were positives to take from his side's 25-16 defeat against Australia in the first match of their summer series.
The Dragons slipped to their eighth straight test defeat in Sydney, giving Joe Schmidt an opening victory in his first match in charge of Australia.
Tries from Taniela Tupou, Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright set up the victory, while Wales managed a penalty try and nine points from new fly-half Ben Thomas.
Wales' winless run is now their worst losing sequence since a run of eight in 2012 and 2013.
Gatland was impressed with his team's performance, but questioned why James Botham's second-half try was disallowed for obstruction.
"I just need to get some clarity on the disallowed try in terms of the decision which was made, I'm not 100% sure," Gatland said.
"We know where we are at the moment. We're developing this team, and we're going to have to learn from these experiences.
"There were some real positives out of there in terms of what we are trying to do."
It was a 14th loss in 20 matches for Gatland in his second stint in charge after returning as head coach at the end of 2022.
"Unfortunately, resilience doesn't win games. Credit to the heart and the dig-in the boys showed - that's going to get us far," captain Dewi Lake said.
"But a young team, we've got to learn how to win games, put points on the board, and see games out.
"Credit to Australia, they put points on the board and made us chase the game.
"There were a couple of opportunities we missed and that's probably the difference on the scoreboard."
Australia will now look to wrap up the two-Test series in Melbourne next Saturday.
Data Debrief: Wales' losing rut continues
The latest loss for Wales means they drop to their lowest position in World Rugby's rankings, slipping to 11th and falling outside the top 10 for the first time.
It was also a 12th successive defeat against the Wallabies in Australia in an away losing streak that stretches back to 1969.
New Zealand 16-15 England: Robertson era starts with one-point win
England will have to wait at least another week to end their 21-year run without a victory in New Zealand after a 16-15 defeat on Saturday.
The All Blacks, in their first Test under new coach Scott Robertson, held on in Dunedin to start the series with a victory.
England's last win against the All Blacks in New Zealand came in 2003, but Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's try early in the second half gave them a fantastic chance of ending that run.
Sevu Reece and Ardie Savea had scored either side of a Maro Itoje try in the first half, with the teams level at the interval.
But it was not to be, with Marcus Smith's misses with the boot compounded by the accuracy of New Zealand kicker Damian McKenzie, who nailed two penalties to complete the turnaround.
"I am proud of the group to come together in 10 days and play a sharp England side," New Zealand captain Scott Barrett told Sky Sports after his team's first Test since they lost the 2023 World Cup final to South Africa.
"That was a reminder of what Test rugby is all about. There were arm wrestles everywhere and different levels of pressure.
"We adapted pretty well to drive back into it and just get our noses in front."
Itoje says while England can be proud of their efforts, they simply need to be better in the next Test.
"It was a good effort but we need to be better," he said.
"We raised the intensity at the start of the second half but a few inaccuracies slipped into our game and allowed the All Blacks back into it.
"Every game is something to learn from. We'll lick our wounds and learn from our mistakes. This will be an invaluable experience. We'll relish the opportunity to go again next week."
The second Test takes place in Auckland on July 13.
Data Debrief: New Zealand's home comforts
New Zealand were winless across their previous two Test matches against England (D1 L1) after winning six in a row against them before that.
But the All Blacks kept up their run of never going three successive Tests against England without a win, and made it eight in a row against the Red Rose on home soil.
Indeed, New Zealand have now won each of their last five home Test matches.
Ardie Savea out to avenge 'smack in the nose' in New Zealand-England series
Ardie Savea is being driven by some painful memories ahead of New Zealand's home Test series against England.
The reigning World Player of the Year confessed the All Blacks got "smacked in the nose" in a 12-11 defeat in the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals, while their last meeting ended in a 25-25 draw at Twickenham in November 2022.
Number eight Savea is back available for New Zealand after a two-year sabbatical from playing in Japan and is itching to settle some scores in the first of the two-Test series in Dunedin on Saturday.
Speaking at the All Blacks' official season launch in Upper Hutt, in quotes reported by the Guardian, he said: "The last time we played them we drew so we've got a bit of history.
"We understand what they can bring and if we don't front up and match up it'll be a long day.
"That’s what happened in 2019 – we got smacked in the nose and couldn’t recover. They've just played Japan and have been going really well, so we need to get together quickly and rip into things.
"We don’t know what they’ll do this year but for us it is just about focusing on ourselves and making sure we nail it.
"It (the 2019 defeat) still stings a little bit. It's what drives me now to keep going. It's not a feeling you want to experience.
"I don’t think it hit until the chaos died down, it took a while. But you've got to get up, learn from it and try and make sure it doesn't happen again."
England hammered Japan 52-17 in Tokyo June 22 in a warm-up for the series and Ardea acknowledged to feeling slightly uneasy, but in a good way.
He added: "I'm nervous. But nerves bring the best out of us. And it's a great challenge for myself to step forward and try and own it."
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