Leinster have always had faith in Ross Byrne’s ability to deliver
ROSS BYRNE TURNED 29 last month. He’s certainly no auld fella but in rugby terms, he’s far from being a spring chicken.
Because this is his first full season as the clear number one in Leinster’s out-half pecking order, perhaps he can still perceived as someone who is finding his feet but the reality is that he has already been around the block.
The first of his 158 senior Leinster appearances came against Edinburgh back in September 2015.
20-year-old Byrne came off the bench and, like any good out-half, immediately started telling his team-mates what to do. He hasn’t let up since.
Byrne was part of the Leinster set-up the last time they won a Champions Cup in 2018, although he wasn’t in the matchday 23 for the final victory against Racing 92 on a rainy day in Bilbao.
The Dublin man had played in all six of Leinster’s pool-stage games that season, including two starts in the home-and-away wins over Montpellier, but Joey Carbery was preferred as back-up to Johnny Sexton for the knock-out stages.
“When you’re not in the 23, it’s tough but everyone in here knows what everyone in the squad does every week,” says Byrne.
“There are loads of lads who will miss out on the 23 this week but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t played an enormous part in us getting to the final.”
The following season, 2018/19, Byrne was key to Leinster advancing to another finale as he started the quarter-final win over Ulster in Sexton’s absence, nailing the game-winning penalty from wide on the right in the 72nd minute despite struggling with cramp. It was a moment that showed Byrne’s head for the big moment.
There was something similar in 2021 when Byrne replaced the injured Sexton in the first half of a quarter-final away to Exeter and nailed five penalties and a conversion to see them into the semis, where he started as Leinster came up short away to La Rochelle.
Byrne featured off the bench in the 2022 final defeat to Ronan O’Gara’s side, then he was the starting out-half in all eight of Leinster’s Champions Cup games last season as they once again came up short against La Rochelle.
Byrne has started URC knock-out games, including the 2020 final, even when Sexton was available and the point in all of this is how much faith Leinster have in his ability and temperament.
Leo Cullen is clearly a huge fan and Byrne was trusted throughout Stuart Lancaster’s time with the province. Two-time World Cup winner Jacques Nienaber has come into the highly influential senior coach role this season and evidently agrees that Byrne is the man to lead Leinster at number 10.
Byrne will throws a pass against Northampton. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Byrne’s involvement with this competition extends all the way back to when he was a 14-year-old Leinster fan getting brought to the 2009 Heineken Cup final along with his younger brother and now team-mate, Harry, to watch Leinster win their first title. The Byrne boys were also there in 2011 for the second.
“They were incredible days,” says Byrne. “It’s pretty unique that we grew up going to those finals and now we get to play in them for the club you were supporting as a kid.
“You watch those games as a kid and that’s all you want to do, you want to play in those games. So yeah, it’s special.”
Byrne will look to put emotion to the side as kick-off nears in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon, focusing his energy into calling the plays for Leinster and nailing his kicking game. He was particularly excellent in their quarter-final win over La Rochelle last month, driving a superb team performance.
Byrne has place-kicked at an impressive 87% success rate in the URC this season but his Champions Cup percentage is 71% after a somewhat frustrating day in the semi-final against Northampton when he missed three shots at goal.
It’s important to note that two of them were from close to the left touchline, with one hitting the post. But a 63rd-minute miss with a penalty straight in front, albeit 41 metres out, was unusual from a kicker of Byrne’s quality.
“I was able to put it down to a pretty technical thing,” says a seemingly unbothered Byrne of that miss.
He has always been a man to back his place-kicking prowess, with his late winning penalty for Ireland against Australia in November 2022 essentially relaunching his Test career.
While there have been chances for Ciarán Frawley, Sam Prendergast, and particularly Byrne’s brother, Harry, at out-half for Leinster this season, the first-choice halfback pairing has been Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne when they’ve been available.
Byrne celebrates alongside Andrew Porter. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Byrne enjoys the speed of Gibson-Park’s decision-making, which regularly catches the opposition defence off guard. It also makes the out-half’s life easier.
And that’s the combination that will look to direct Leinster to glory this weekend, as Cullen’s side aim to put the “pretty harsh lessons” of their heartbreak against La Rochelle to bed.
“A big thing in the last two finals is how close they have been,” says Byrne.
“Even the semi-final against Northampton – it came down to the last play and a lot of the games we have had this season and in recent seasons have come down to that, so it is the importance of taking your chances and doing the simple things well.”
Byrne feels Leinster have had a clinical edge in their two semi-final wins over Toulouse in the last two years.
He also points to the importance of being defensively sound against such a dangerous Toulouse side, so the presence of a proven winner like Nienaber in charge of the defence is comforting.
“He has gone to the highest level twice so it is great to be able to draw on that experience,” says Byrne.
“In terms of what he has brought, everyone can see how our defence has changed this year. It is slightly more aggressive.”
There’s a smile from Byrne as he undersells just how aggressive Leinster are in defence. Indeed, the out-half is now even making interceptions as he did against Northampton before being caught for pace.
“That wasn’t a great moment!”
Byrne might have the awareness to laugh at himself about that, but his self-belief as an out-half is one of his biggest attributes. You get the sense that he feels this is his time to shine.
