LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen praised Jamie Osborne and Harry Byrne after his side earned their first win of the new United Rugby Championship season in emphatic style against the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
One of six players from this summer’s British & Irish Lions squad to feature on the night, the versatile Osborne got the ball rolling in an eventual 31-5 bonus-point triumph for Leinster with a deadlock-breaking try on 10 minutes.
Byrne, meanwhile, was starting in the blue of the eastern province for the first time since returning from a loan spell at Bristol Bears and his assured performance at out-half earned him the official player of the match award.
“I thought he [Osborne] was good, looked sharp. Took his try well, good in the air. Jamie’s amazing because he’s got great versatility. I don’t think any of us are 100% sure where he’ll end up playing. He’s at 15 at the moment. I thought he looked like a dangerous threat on the ball the whole time,” Cullen said.
Team attack at its best 💥
Jamie Osborne times his supportive run perfectly to go over for the try! 🏉
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 11, 2025
“Harry was great, wasn’t he? He’s here beside me, so I have to say nice things about him, don’t I! I think it was a good experience overall, wasn’t it? For you to go away and come back. Delighted for Harry to go well today because he’s put in a ton of work over the course of pre-season.”
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Byrne joined Cullen at the top table in the wake of his first competitive appearance on Irish soil since Leinster’s URC victory over Connacht at the Aviva on 21 December of last year.
Just 10 days on from that game, it was revealed Byrne was to join Bristol in the English Premiership as injury cover on a three-month loan deal. This temporary move was later extended to the end of the 2024/25 season and he ultimately registered 67 points over the course of 11 appearances for the Bears.
Although it was always his intention to make a return to Leinster – whom his older brother Ross departed for English Premiership side Gloucester in the summer – Byrne found his time at Bristol to be extremely beneficial. This move also afforded the former St Michael’s College student an opportunity to work under Pat Lam, who previously guided Connacht to a Pro12 title back in 2016.
“It was brilliant. To be honest, it was a great bunch of people to go into. Pat Lam is a very good coach, so to experience something new. A new competition, living away from home for the first time for six months was a brilliant experience and just playing regularly,” Byrne said.
“He [Lam] is quite creative in a lot of things he does. I’ve probably brought some of it back here and added a bit to the team. From an individual point of view, he was brilliant. Just giving me confidence week-to-week to play. To be able to take the right bits and pieces from it and bring it back here has been good for me.
“I can’t speak for other people. I can only speak for myself. For me, it was brilliant to go away for that six months and then to have the chance to come back has been amazing. I really enjoyed it, but the fact that I got to come back and play here was the ultimate goal. So delighted to do that.”
While he does have four Ireland senior caps to his name, it remains to be seen if Byrne has done enough to be included in Andy Farrell’s squad for the November internationals that is set to be unveiled on Wednesday.
As has regularly been the case in recent years, there is expected to be a large Leinster contingent in the Ireland set-up for a packed window that will feature tussles with New Zealand, Japan, Australia and South Africa.
Despite both men being sidelined for an extended period of time, Cullen didn’t rule out the prospect of influential duo Caelan Doris and Joe McCarthy being named in Farrell’s selection.
Leinster and Ireland captain Doris missed out on the Lions’ Tour of Australia after suffering a shoulder injury in the eastern province’s European Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints on 3 May at the Aviva, while McCarthy picked up a foot injury in the Lions’ opening Test against the Wallabies on 19 July in Brisbane.
“They will be close, I’d say. There’ll be final checks, so what point exactly there, I’m not 100% sure. Obviously with the first game away [against New Zealand], whether they hold them off and keep them for beyond that, I don’t know,” Cullen added.
“I don’t even know what the plan is in terms of week to week. Do they change the squad? They’re trending well anyway. When they pull the trigger on those lads, I’m not 100% sure.”
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'Jamie's amazing because he's got great versatility' - Cullen praises Osborne and Byrne
LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen praised Jamie Osborne and Harry Byrne after his side earned their first win of the new United Rugby Championship season in emphatic style against the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
One of six players from this summer’s British & Irish Lions squad to feature on the night, the versatile Osborne got the ball rolling in an eventual 31-5 bonus-point triumph for Leinster with a deadlock-breaking try on 10 minutes.
Byrne, meanwhile, was starting in the blue of the eastern province for the first time since returning from a loan spell at Bristol Bears and his assured performance at out-half earned him the official player of the match award.
“I thought he [Osborne] was good, looked sharp. Took his try well, good in the air. Jamie’s amazing because he’s got great versatility. I don’t think any of us are 100% sure where he’ll end up playing. He’s at 15 at the moment. I thought he looked like a dangerous threat on the ball the whole time,” Cullen said.
“Harry was great, wasn’t he? He’s here beside me, so I have to say nice things about him, don’t I! I think it was a good experience overall, wasn’t it? For you to go away and come back. Delighted for Harry to go well today because he’s put in a ton of work over the course of pre-season.”
Byrne joined Cullen at the top table in the wake of his first competitive appearance on Irish soil since Leinster’s URC victory over Connacht at the Aviva on 21 December of last year.
Just 10 days on from that game, it was revealed Byrne was to join Bristol in the English Premiership as injury cover on a three-month loan deal. This temporary move was later extended to the end of the 2024/25 season and he ultimately registered 67 points over the course of 11 appearances for the Bears.
Although it was always his intention to make a return to Leinster – whom his older brother Ross departed for English Premiership side Gloucester in the summer – Byrne found his time at Bristol to be extremely beneficial. This move also afforded the former St Michael’s College student an opportunity to work under Pat Lam, who previously guided Connacht to a Pro12 title back in 2016.
“It was brilliant. To be honest, it was a great bunch of people to go into. Pat Lam is a very good coach, so to experience something new. A new competition, living away from home for the first time for six months was a brilliant experience and just playing regularly,” Byrne said.
“He [Lam] is quite creative in a lot of things he does. I’ve probably brought some of it back here and added a bit to the team. From an individual point of view, he was brilliant. Just giving me confidence week-to-week to play. To be able to take the right bits and pieces from it and bring it back here has been good for me.
“I can’t speak for other people. I can only speak for myself. For me, it was brilliant to go away for that six months and then to have the chance to come back has been amazing. I really enjoyed it, but the fact that I got to come back and play here was the ultimate goal. So delighted to do that.”
While he does have four Ireland senior caps to his name, it remains to be seen if Byrne has done enough to be included in Andy Farrell’s squad for the November internationals that is set to be unveiled on Wednesday.
As has regularly been the case in recent years, there is expected to be a large Leinster contingent in the Ireland set-up for a packed window that will feature tussles with New Zealand, Japan, Australia and South Africa.
Despite both men being sidelined for an extended period of time, Cullen didn’t rule out the prospect of influential duo Caelan Doris and Joe McCarthy being named in Farrell’s selection.
Leinster and Ireland captain Doris missed out on the Lions’ Tour of Australia after suffering a shoulder injury in the eastern province’s European Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints on 3 May at the Aviva, while McCarthy picked up a foot injury in the Lions’ opening Test against the Wallabies on 19 July in Brisbane.
“They will be close, I’d say. There’ll be final checks, so what point exactly there, I’m not 100% sure. Obviously with the first game away [against New Zealand], whether they hold them off and keep them for beyond that, I don’t know,” Cullen added.
“I don’t even know what the plan is in terms of week to week. Do they change the squad? They’re trending well anyway. When they pull the trigger on those lads, I’m not 100% sure.”
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