Finlay Bealham reveals brutal Irish rugby rejection which nearly ended his career

Thankfully he didn't call it quits!

Despite the loss, there were a number of impressive performances on the night, such as Finlay Bealham, who scrummaged ferociously and was his side's top tackler.

The Ireland rugby player wasn't included in Lions head coach Andy Farrell's initial squad, but he became the first late call-up after Scotsman, Zander Ferguson, withdrew through injury.

Many had felt the 33-year-old should've been in the original squad, however some still felt he shouldn't have made it at all.

Bealham, upon hearing he was called up during a phone call with Farrell, was moved to tears.

He said: "To finally get to that [Lions] pinnacle, with the career I’ve had in terms of moving around and everything else, meant that everything just came pouring out in that moment with Faz. It was truly special."

The rise to the top wasn't easy for the man born in Australia. Leaving his home for Ulster as a teenager was a big risk for Bealham, and one it seemed he would pay a hefty price for when he was released by the club in 2011.

Bealham said: "The academy forwards’ coach came up to me just before we left for the Irish U-20s and he just said, ‘Thanks for everything, see you later mate’.

"It was as cold as that. I was only a young kid, so it was tough. I went to the 20s World Cup and had nothing lined up for afterwards.

"In my mind, I was like, ‘F**k, I am probably in a bit of trouble here.’ There was a lot of uncertainty in terms of my career and if there was going to be a career for me."

With a cloud hanging over his future in rugby, it was Bealham's current club Connacht who would offer him a lifeline. As one of three Connacht players in the Lions squad, along with Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen, it is a club that has given the prop a new home in Ireland.

The Canberra native said: "When I was out there, [Italy for Junior World Cup] Nigel Carolan got in touch and offered me a spot to come down and train with the Connacht sub-academy.

"I jumped at that idea. Genuinely, since the minute I rocked up in Galway, it felt like home in the sense that it’s where I belong. I felt like I fitted in straight away but that’s not to say that the journey to get there was easy."

He added: "I’ve got a family in Galway and I plan to stay in Galway post-rugby and beyond. I have no intention of ever leaving, it’s home now for me. The west of Ireland is a beautiful place, the people, everything about it. It’s home."