Chicago return marks scale of Andrew Porter’s progress
For many in this Ireland squad, there are plenty of good memories about coming back to Chicago two years on from that famous first win over the All Blacks. For others, tonight’s game at Soldier Field represents another step along the road to fulfilling ambitions of their own.
Andrew Porter falls into the latter category. On the first weekend of November 2016, as many of his provincial teammates were etching their names in Irish rugby folklore under the Chicago sun, the prop, then a loosehead, was beginning his journey as a professional, playing for Leinster in Italy.
“It was a small crowd, lashing rain, cold day in Zebre that day,” Porter said.
“It was my first season with Leinster, I was just out of the 20s that year. It was my first start for Leinster actually. I just remember watching the Chicago game on TV and it was crazy, like, just seeing a few of my mates be a part of it.
“I remember Joey (Carbery) at the time, I would have played a lot of my underage rugby with him so to see him there and after the game, it was obviously such a special occasion for him and for Irish rugby as well.”
Now Porter has the chance to advance his own claims with a place in the World Cup squad behind first-choice tighthead Tadhg Furlong up for grabs next September. Today’s game will be his ninth cap and just his third start but the feeling of how quickly he has progressed, not least after switching sides on the front row, has not escaped Porter.
“Everyone always dreams of playing for Ireland especially when once you break into that professional setup and get a first taste of professional rugby. You’re looking for that next step and looking to progress on.
“It’s been a crazy year, yeah. I’ve kind of exceeded a few of my own expectations over the last few years. I can’t really say I would have expected to be where I am now in that short space of time, especially moving over from loosehead - where I would have been playing at that time two years ago - to the other side of the scrum.
“I have to kind of pinch myself now. Obviously it’s a big step up to Test level. I honestly couldn’t tell you what I was hoping for back then, I was just taking it in short strides.”
“Yeah, it was kind of crazy how things snowballed so quickly, over the past year especially.
“It was six months ago since my first game at tighthead for UCD or something like that. It’s been pretty crazy looking back on that.”
With a resurgent Finlay Bealham breathing down his neck from the bench and John Ryan set to join the squad on their return from Chicago ahead of the Guinness Series, Porter knows he must keep making strides or find himself far removed from the Ireland camp all over again come next autumn’s World Cup.
“You have to take your opportunities as they come so it is really about playing to your potential, if not better than it. So it is really about kind of pushing yourself now and making sure you are doing all the right things in both your provincial and your green jersey.
‘Everyone here wants to be on that plane so I think almost everything is leading up that point but you can’t really look too far ahead and you have to focus on the job at hand this week. If not in the green jersey you have to be putting your best foot forward in your provincial jersey as well.
“As the saying goes ‘Big Brother is watching’ so everything you do is being watched.”
