WHILE THE MOST recognisable members of Leinster’s squad rolled from November Tests to Heineken Champions Cup clashes and then quickly returned focus to Ireland during a two-day camp, Bryan Byrne has been working consistently towards Saturday’s meeting with Connacht for the past three weeks.
The hooker has yet to start a game in this campaign, but he is just two runs in the number 2 shirt away from matching his haul from the entirety of last season. And, behind closed doors of Leinster training sessions, the coaches have seen him build on a consistent start to the season to a hot streak of form.
“He’s a little unlucky with game-time.I think,” says scrum coach John Fogarty.
“He’s been showing up, ye haven’t seen him (in a match) in the last two weeks, but in training sessions, he’s been really good. Really, really sharp. I would say he’s in a vein of form.”
Fogarty accepts it’s an odd thing to say given there is no match as evidence and modern rugby training sessions feature less and less contact. But with no Leinster A or club fixture for Byrne to join in on, Fogarty says that Leinster moved to “adjust our training sessions to make sure these guys get proper opportunities to express themselves as rugby players in the last two weeks.
“He’s someone that stood out, so he’s going to get opportunities over the next two weeks. He’s more than ready to play now and we’ll be excited to see him play.”
Last season’s narrow home win over Connacht marked Byrne’s second appearance of the 2017/18 season. Another winter older and better, he is excited to reach out and grab the opportunity, to show the form under the RDS lights and in front of fans and TV cameras.
“When you get a run of games confidence gets higher,” says the hooker, who has scored on his last three appearances against the Kings, Ospreys and the Dragons.
“I had a huge target on them games trying to put my hand up for selection for the last couple of weeks and for these three inter-pros. So I think constantly trying to improve, setting goals at the start of the year, realising those goals throughout the year and see where I’m at then.
“Everyone wants to be starting. That’s the main goal but to be involved with Leinster, to be playing in the games I know I can have an impact off the bench so I would prefer starting but for the weeks you are on the bench you give the best for the team and try bring that impact.”
When he is used as a replacement, Byrne feels he has learned to enter the field ready and fully aware of his role. As a front row, there is rarely a soft introduction to adapt to the pace of the game as there will be a need for a scrum or a line-out throw as the first act.
“I have a good process with my throw so I stick to that. I don’t worry about the external stuff.
“To come on make sure I do my bit and the rest will look after itself. You trust the caller to make the right call and then you are into the game straight away. So actually it is a great way to come on.”
That method will work just as well from the start.
Murray Kinsella, Gavan Casey and Andy Dunne preview another big weekend of rugby action and dissect the week’s main talking points.
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