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24th June 2020
01:14pm BST
Trimble was 20 when he made his senior debut for Ulster. He would go on to win the Celtic League with his home province in his first full season, during which he got to play with a few of his rugby heroes.
"I loved David Humphreys growing up," Trimble recently recalled. "I’d played for Irish Schools in Upper Sixth and a my dad got a picture of David Humphreys at my rugby club one night, in a raffle or something. "A friend of mine sent it off to David Humphreys and he signed it and gave it back to me with the words – ‘Congratulations on your selection for Irish Schools. Look forward to seeing how your rugby career progresses’. And this went up on my wall. "And then, fast-forward two years, three years and I was playing week-in, week-out with Humph, and it was class. A class experience."[caption id="attachment_212451" align="aligncenter" width="1686"]
Andrew Trimble is congratulated by Ulster team-mates Bryn Cunningham, David Humphreys and Tommy Bowe after scoring against Munster in his side's league-winning 2005/06 season. (Credit: Brendan Moran/SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
Before that league success, though, Trimble was already lining out for Ireland in the 2005 autumn internationals. With Brian O'Driscoll still recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained on the Lions Tour, Trimble was drafted in by Eddie O'Sullivan to play 13 in midfield beside Gordon D'Arcy.
Humphreys, his idol turned teammate, was invaluable for easing his nerves before his highly anticipated Test debut against Australia. Trimble recalls:
"I remember Humph, before that first game, saying, ‘Try not to be overawed by the occasion and, at some stage, just make sure you look around. The old Lansdowne Road, just packed to the rafters. Just have a look around and just drink it in, enjoy it and just be in the moment’. "And what a great piece of advice. And I remember, actually, a break in play, just looking around and thinking, ‘This is incredible’. I was just a dream come true. It was amazing."[caption id="attachment_212452" align="aligncenter" width="1543"]
Australia's Lote Tuqiri in action against Ireland in 2006. (Credit: Matt Browne/SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
Ireland and Eddie Jones' Australia battled it out in a tight first half but, inspired by two Drew Mitchell tries, the visitors won the day. In the end, a late Shane Horgan try added a sheen of respectability to the scoreline.
As the final whistle sounded, Trimble was approached by two of the Wallabies' biggest stars and he can still vividly recall how sound they were.
"Lote Tuqiri came over. He was playing 13. He came over and gave me his jersey. I went to give him my jersey and he went, ‘No, no. Your first Test, don’t worry about it’. Gave me his jersey. And then Latham, the fullback, came over and said, ‘Oh first Test? Congratulations’. Really friendly. Real nice fellas. It really added to the moment. It was a real nice touch."Trimble would go on to score a brace of tries against Romania the following week and add 68 more Test caps over the next 12 years, with the highlights coming with the 2014 Six Nations championship and helping Ireland to beat New Zealand for the first time, in November 2016. Also discussed on the show:
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