Garry Ringrose has backed his Leinster teammate James Lowe to succeed in international rugby as the wing prepares to make his Ireland debut against Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup.
Lowe, born in New Zealand, has been rewarded for his fine club form with a start in the Group A opener in Dublin on Friday night having recently qualified for selection on residency grounds.
Ringrose will miss the tournament as a result of the fractured jaw he sustained against Italy in the Six Nations in October but believes Lowe is ready to make the most of his opportunity.
“Knowing how hard he has worked and what he has done for Leinster, I think he deserves to be rewarded with the opportunity to play for Ireland,” he said.
“He doesn’t underestimate the enormity of that at all, so it would be cool to see him out there. I would be proud to see him out there.
“From when he arrived over here a couple of years ago, he has just been an unbelievably good bloke, an unbelievably good team-mate and to see him succeed and kick on would be brilliant.”
Lowe has won the Guinness PRO14 every season since his arrival at Leinster in 2017, with centre Ringrose often having the best seat in the house when the winger works his magic.
There is more to his game than pace, too, with Ringrose eager to draw attention to the work Lowe puts in across the board.
“Yeah, he is exceptional – the ability he has out on the wing,” Ringrose said.
“From a Leinster perspective, he has certainly done some special things on the pitch, in big pressure moments as well. I have no doubt he will rise to the occasion.
“He has got a good left boot on him, he has got us out of trouble, but he practises kicking them all of the time.”
Lowe spent time training with the Ireland set-up as they prepared for their Six Nations encounters earlier in the autumn and made a favourable impression despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to step on to the field in a green jersey until the Autumn Nations Cup.
“You might not be able to do full contact in training, but he would never just go through the motions,” Ringrose said.
“You can see him kind of visualising that kind of match mentality.
“He is gifted in how he plays. Some of the things he does, I would certainly love to be able to do some of that. But he works incredibly hard as well.
“Even in my short time in camp, even though he knew he couldn’t play, he was still giving his all in training.
“It’s no secret that he is charismatic and an unbelievably positive guy to have around others. He also has a huge impact in that regard.”
