THOMAS CLARKSON

The Leinster and Ireland prop is the future at tighthead for both province and country

- JOSH GRAHAM

THOMAS CLARKSON has been learning from two stellar international props in Ireland's Tadhg Furlong and France's Rabah Slimani at Leinster.

But in a parallel universe, it's another Six Nations legend in Martin Castrogiovanni that he would have been trying to emulate.

Clarkson's mother Nina Cafolla hails from the Italian village Casalattico, 70 miles southeast of Rome. She has even christened her son Tommaso.

And at the start of the 2023-24 season, the Azzurri came knocking for their man. At the time, Clarkson, now 25, had yet to get his big break, so it was a soft no. But he kept the door ajar.

“They came looking for me, but I'd just signed a new contract with Leinster,” Clarkson says. “It had gone quite well, so I kind of pushed it off. I didn't end it. I thought it could be open at some point down the line. This year it's gone very well, so...”

Clarkson puts it lightly. He only joined the 2024 Autumn Nations Series squad as a training panelist but injuries to Furlong and Tom O'Toole saw him debut off the bench in the win over Argentina. “To get a cap, I was delighted,” says Clarkson.

He had another shot against Fiji off the bench before Andy Farrell went on his Lions sabbatical, but Clarkson was retained and played in four of the five Six Nations games. He started against Wales but missed out altogether against Italy with Furlong back.