Leinster prop Jack McGrath is enjoying learning his frontrow trade from the best

“YEAH,” SAID Jack McGrath. “It was great to get 60 minutes under my belt.”

It was 63 minutes against Connacht in the Sportsground and it is the longest stretch McGrath has had in a blue shirt this season. It was also his first start. No fear. The Academy graduate is the sort of home-grown talent the IRFU had in mind when they dropped their overseas player bombshell on the provinces two weeks ago.

A young prop that has played on both sides of the scrum, McGrath would be viewed by Leinster coach Joe Schmidt as an understudy loosehead behind Cian Healy and Heinke van der Merwe.

Third for McGrath at this stage in his career is good. Third he can live with. Third is being in a comfortable place in Leinster, especially with a coach like Schmidt, who has never been fearful of throwing in young players to blow out a few valves.

“There’s a lot of confidence coming from our last two wins and there were a few young guys in there which helped the rest of us,” said the 22-year-old. “When a few of the younger lads are playing that confidence rubs off on one another and we feel the same way.”

Of all the positions, propping is a world of technical wizardry, a nerdy position of occasional skulduggery that improves with maturity. Just being around other props like Springbok Van der Merwe and Irish frontrow Healy has immeasurable rub-off value.

“We always have a chat because he’s the older guy and has a lot of experience,” he said of the South African. “I just get in his ear the odd time and ask him a few tips. You just need to watch them in training and pick up on their moves. Joe wants everyone to do the same so they do their moves similarly.

“I try to play my own game though and don’t try to replicate others. Obviously though I try to pick up things here or there.”

An Irish under-20s player, McGrath has come up through the system and will certainly profit from the IRFU’s decision to have only one non-Irish player in each of the 15 positions from 2013 onwards.

But with the Six Nations Championship beginning next month and the prospect of Healy being part of the thinking of Declan Kidney and Ireland, McGrath may find himself with more bench and game time over February and March.

He has a good engine and works hard behind the scenes, which saw Leinster offer him a two-year contract at the beginning of 2011. But much of his working life now is to look and listen and try to make an impact when the windows of opportunity present themselves.

“Yeah. That’s what they want you to do every time you play – to make an impact,” he said. “You have to know your plays and know your role, so you fit in every time.

“It’s hard enough to be patient but I’m happy where I am at the moment. I’m getting my runs and getting good feedback. I’m patient but I’m getting my chance as well so that’s okay.”

Connacht was a chance. McGrath didn’t fall down in a match where the home pack was at their marauding, aggressive best. “I thought we did a lot of work on them and that stood to us well. We didn’t go down there expecting to walk over them and we didn’t,” he said.

“It was hard-fought but I thought we went well enough. I got the first penalty against him (Ronan Loughney), but the next time he’ll know what I’m doing and he might change one thing or another. Every scrum is different.”

No doubt Leinster cut it fine last Sunday and leaned heavily on misfiring Connacht boots. Some would have said Schmidt and his side were lucky.

“No win is lucky,” said McGrath. Yes, he’s coming on alright.