Winning 50th cap 'an incredible honour' - Bealham

Finlay Bealham made his debut for Ireland in the 2016 Six Nations

Ireland prop Finlay Bealham says it does not "feel real" that he will win his 50th Test cap in the Six Nations meeting with France on Saturday (14:15 GMT)

The Connacht tight-head will start the game in the continued absence of Tadhg Furlong and becomes the 58th Irish player to earn a half century of caps.

Skipper Caelan Doris and, should he come off the bench, Jack Conan will also hit the milestone against Les Bleus.

"It would be an incredible honour for me," said Bealham.

"I've been in the group for a while now and seen the calibre of players that have got 50 caps in.

"I suppose to reach that milestone myself, it doesn't really feel real, but it's something I'll obviously be really proud of."

Bealham's parents are flying in from Australia for the occasion, while his wife and son will also be in attendance, with the 33-year-old expecting his family to "go bananas" when he is introduced to the Aviva Stadium crowd.

"There was probably a time where I was like, 'Jeez, I'm even going to get 10 caps' and then you kind of get to 10 and you're like, 'Look, I'll just try and get to 20' and then fast forward now, on the verge of getting 50, like I said, it's really special," he added.

Bealham made his Test debut against Italy in the 2016 Six Nations but did not start a game in the competition until 2023.

Becoming more of a regular after Andrew Porter's switch to loose-head, he says it took six years for him to "feel a real part of the group" with Ireland.

"I don't know if I've ever felt 100% comfortable as it were, but I definitely feel from probably that moment on, I felt a real part of the group and I knew what was expected of me, what I expected of myself and how I fit into what we're trying to do.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it'd be around then, but you're always evolving and trying to get better in it."