Ireland captain Caelan Doris believes Cian Healy’s caps record for the side is a “testament to how well” the 37-year-old has looked after himself throughout his career.
The loose-head prop drew level with Brian O’Driscoll on 133 Ireland appearances against Fiji this month and will set a new mark should he come off the bench against Australia at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Healy made his international debut, also against Australia, in November 2009 with Doris, 26, remembering him “exploding onto the scene” 15 years ago.
“He’s a great fella, very popular among the squad,” said the Ireland skipper of his Leinster team-mate.
“It’s funny, I’ve obviously watched him from not quite my primary school days, but early secondary school days and remember him exploding onto the scene and changing what it was to be a prop.
“He was so dynamic, some of his carries back then. We were actually watching some of his highlights during the week from his debut, against Australia funnily enough in Croke Park, but some of his carries were so explosive, stepping, skillset and his longevity has been unbelievable. Like, 134 caps is just wild.”
