LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen is hopeful he will be able to welcome out-half Harry Byrne back into the selection mix for this weekend’s Champions Cup pool clash away to Leicester.
Byrne was ruled out of the home win over Stade Français on Saturday evening due to an ankle issue, with Ciarán Frawley starting in the number 10 shirt but picking up an injury himself early in the second half.
Cullen provided a positive update on Frawley post-match on Saturday, saying he took a bang to the back but should be fine, while the Leinster boss is now expecting Byrne to be available for the visit to Leicester.
However, Ross Byrne is set to remain sidelined with the arm injury he suffered back in November, meaning he won’t get a chance to play before the Six Nations kicks off in just over two weeks.
“Yeah, I think that Harry has a chance definitely,” said Cullen when asked about the Byrne brothers’ availability for the Leicester game.
“Ross no, but Harry yes from what I gather.”
Leinster have already qualified for the round of 16 after three wins from three games so far in Pool 4 of the Champions Cup, but they will aim to complete a clean sweep to earn as high a seeding as possible for the knock-out stages.
Leicester are still looking to qualify for the round of 16 following their heavy defeat away to La Rochelle yesterday and Cullen is expecting a tough battle at Welford Road.
“We’re coming off a big game and they’ve had a couple of big wins already and they will be coming off a trip to La Rochelle,” said Cullen.
“They rested a couple of big players for that one and you would expect a couple of those lads to come back into the team next week. We just need to prepare well.”
Cullen was happy to see many of his players delivering strong performances against a largely second-string Stade Français side on Saturday night, including the latest in a series of impressive showings from Ryan Baird at blindside flanker.
“He had a lot on his shoulders because he is calling lineouts from six,” said Cullen. “In terms of defensive lineouts, excellent, you can see some of his aerial skills restart-wise on both sides of the ball.
“You can see the bust that he makes through the middle of the field, he’s 60 metres up the field, so he has incredible athleticism. Some of his kick chase work as well, it is a real point of difference. Not many forwards out there will be able to do it.
“But the big thing is probably the way that he has gone about his business and he’s preparing well at the moment. That’s the thing you have to keep harping on to the players, that is what they have to go back to.”
