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| Full name | Finlay Harry Bealham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1991-10-09)9 October 1991 (age 33) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Canberra,Australian Capital Territory, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St. Edmund's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Gordon Ferris (great-uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Finlay Harry Bealham (born 9 October 1991) is a professionalrugby union player who plays as aprop forUnited Rugby Championship clubConnacht. Born in Australia, he representsIreland at international level after qualifying onancestry grounds.
Bealham grew up inCanberra. He attendedSt Edmund's College in the city. He playedrugby league at a young age before concentrating solely on union from the age of 16.[1] Following his participation in the 2006 NSW State Champion U15 team, where he shared the field with his schoolmateColby Fainga'a.
Despite being selected for the Australian schools side and representing their 'A' side, Bealham was not given a spot in theBrumbies academy and instead moved to Ireland to start his professional career.[2]
Bealham representsIreland at international level, qualifying to play for them through his grandmother fromEnniskillen inNorthern Ireland. Through his grandmother, Bealham is related toNorthern IrishheavyweightboxerGordon Ferris.[1]
Bealham moved to Ireland in 2010 and initially played in his grandmother's native province of Ulster with the amateur side,Belfast Harlequins.[3] Following the2011 Junior World Cup, he was offered a place in the academy ofConnacht, another province. Moving to the new province also meant moving clubs, with Bealham joiningGalway Corinthians. Bealham was promoted from the sub-academy to the full academy ahead of the 2012–13 season.[4]
While in the academy Bealham played for the province's second-tier side, theConnacht Eagles. Bealham made his full debut for Connacht in the2013–14 Pro12 on 23 February 2014. He came on from the bench away to Italian sideZebre, replacingDenis Buckley at loosehead on the 74 minute mark.[5] Bealham went on to make a further five replacement appearances in the Pro12 that season.[6] In April 2014, it was announced that Bealham had signed a professional contract with the province to last until summer 2015, making him a full member of Connacht's senior squad.[7]
In the 2014–15 season Bealham was moved from loosehead to play tighthead by Connacht forwards coachDan McFarland.[1] Despite the change, he continued to play regularly for the side, as he had at the end of the previous season. Bealham made his European debut on 6 December 2014, coming on from the bench in the home game toBayonne in theChallenge Cup pool stages.[8] He made his first start in the reverse fixture the following week.[9] Bealham made his first league start on 26 December 2014 againstUlster.[10] During the course of the season he played 15 games in the2014–15 Pro12,[6] and made a total of five appearances in the Challenge Cup.[11] He also featured in Connacht's final game of the season, aplay-off againstGloucester which they lost 40–32 after extra time.[12] During the course of the season, Bealham signed a new two-year deal to keep him with the province until summer 2017.[13]
Bealham was again a key part of Connacht's squad for the 2015–16 season, being the only player to feature in all 31 of the team's games in theleague and inEurope.[14] He started 13 of these games, and scored his first try for the team againstMunster on 16 April 2016.[6][11][15] On 28 May 2016, Bealham started in thePro12 Grand Final as Connacht won 20–10 against Irish rivals and reigning championsLeinster to claim the team's first major trophy in their 121-year history.[16]
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Bealham signed a contract extension to keep him in Galway until 2019.[17] With the retirement ofNathan White, he came into the season as Connacht's first choice tighthead.[18] Bealham played 19 of the team's 22 games in the2016–17 Pro12, starting all but six,[6] and featured in all seven of the side's European games for the season.[11] He continued to be a key player for Connacht in the following season and made his 100th appearance for the side on 16 February 2018 againstZebre[19] In October 2018, Bealham signed another extension to his Connacht deal, this time extending to the end of the 2020–21 season.[20] Bealham was named to the 2022–23 URC Elite XV of the year, his second domestic team of the year achievement.[21]
Bealham was selected to play for theAustralian schools team in 2009. He featured for the team's 'A' side against Tonga andNew Zealand.[1][2]
After becoming aware of his qualification to play for Ireland, Bealham became involved in the country's youth set-up through theIrish Exiles program. He made his debut forIreland Under-20s againstItaly in the2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[22] Later that year, Bealham was part of the Irish squad for the2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[3] He made a total of four appearances for the side, three of these coming as a replacement.[23]
Bealham was part of theEmerging Ireland squad for the2015 Tbilisi Cup.[24] He played in two of the team's fixtures, replacingStephen Archer in the games againstEmerging Italy andGeorgia, scoring a try in the latter.[25][26]
In January 2016, Bealham was called up toIreland's squad for theSix Nations to replace the injuredMarty Moore.[27] AfterCian Healy injured his hamstring, Bealham was promoted to the bench for the game againstItaly.[28] On 12 March 2016, 65 minutes into the game, he replacedJack McGrath for his debut.[29] Bealham was named in the Irish squad for the team's2016 tour to South Africa, where he was named on the bench for all three tests, coming on as a 59th minute replacement forTadhg Furlong in the second.[30][31]
Bealham had been due to play inthe first test of the2022 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand atEden Park inAuckland on 2 July butCOVID-19 meant he could not.[32]
Bealham has started every game of the 2024 Six Nations due to injury to Tadhg Furlong. Enjoying some of the best form of his international career, Will Greenwood tipped Bealham as a candidate for Player of the tournament.
Ireland's problems were further compounded when Finlay Bealham was ruled out before the game with Covid. Tom O'Toole took his place on the bench and Farrell was forced to call on former Leinster and Ireland prop Michael Bent as cover.
