THE WORD ‘BITTERSWEET’ is perhaps a little overused in sport, but it truly sums up last Thursday night for Michael Milne.
It was the Birr man’s 27th birthday and he came off the bench for Ireland against France at a heaving Stade de France. Milne made an explosive impact as he scored a close-range try and generally helped to give Ireland some badly-needed momentum.
It was the Munster loosehead prop’s Six Nations debut and just his third cap for Ireland.
And he did it all in front of his family. His parents, Ger and Pauline, were there in Paris, as were all four of his sisters, Kelly, Emma, Lisa and Aimee.
“After the match, they were all looking at me like they were all hammered,” said Milne with a smile after his 21-minute outing for Ireland.
“So I was like, ‘Oh, Jesus’. But they seemed to enjoy it anyway.”
That made it a sweet night for Milne, but the bitter part was Ireland suffering a miserable defeat to les Bleus.
Milne said it was a very tough dressing room atmosphere for Ireland after their loss, given that they went to Paris to pull off a win.
But for him and the rest of the Irish replacements, there was the satisfaction of making a good impression.
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Michael Milne with family after the game. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“I think just as a bench, we were just talking, it was that we really had an impact on physicality,” said Milne. “I think that was the main thing we thought we lacked from the first half.
“So, as a bench, Cheese [James Ryan] leading it, in bringing physicality when we came on, so that was the main thing we were aiming for.
“I think the bench, we had a great impact. We still have a bit to work on, but I think the bench, we had a good impact.”
Milne praised Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty for his hard work with the Irish pack, who stood up well against the French power.
He also thanked Fogarty because he “stuck with me for a while” when Milne had lots to learn.
Milne was 24th man for Ireland against France back in 2023, but no one was injured in the warm-up and he wasn’t required for match duty. Instead, he had to wait until last summer for his Test debut off the bench against Georgia.
Having also featured against Portugal back in July, last week was obviously a huge step up for Milne in international rugby but he didn’t look overawed by the occasion in Paris.
“I actually did a lot of work with Gary Keegan [Ireland's performance coach] this week just to try and deal with that, so I owe him a lot as well, he’s very good,” said Milne.
“It’s probably not something I’ve looked at before my game, but after spending a week with him, I was like, ‘Wow.’
Milne after scoring his try. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“Actually, going into the game, I was really excited, whereas before sometimes you’d be a bit nervous and you’d actually feel a bit drained. But after doing work with him for a week, I felt really excited and I was ready to go, so yeah, I enjoyed it.”
Milne replaced Munster team-mate Jeremy Loughman at loosehead on Thursday night.
And he was full of praise for the starting loosehead, who stepped up in the number one shirt after injuries ruled Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, and Jack Boyle out.
“We were actually rooming together all week, so we were chatting all week,” said Milne.
“I actually thought Jeremy went very well. We’d be very close, so we were just chatting all week about the set-piece battle and how we were going to deal with the tightheads. He’s very open and I’d like to think I am as well, so yeah, we get along well.”
Everyone in Munster would have been proud of the loosehead duo stepping up in Paris.
And everyone back in Birr in County Offaly was certainly proud of Milne.
“Birr have been great to me,” said Milne. “I went to Roscrea [school] in my second year and Birr always supported me.
“I love the club. It’s a good community down there, so yeah, it’s great.
“It’s a big hurling stronghold, so I think people were still a bit iffy, but I know my mates had a bet on me to score a try, so I must give them a message and see how it went.”
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'We had a great impact' - Milne proud to step up for Ireland
THE WORD ‘BITTERSWEET’ is perhaps a little overused in sport, but it truly sums up last Thursday night for Michael Milne.
It was the Birr man’s 27th birthday and he came off the bench for Ireland against France at a heaving Stade de France. Milne made an explosive impact as he scored a close-range try and generally helped to give Ireland some badly-needed momentum.
It was the Munster loosehead prop’s Six Nations debut and just his third cap for Ireland.
And he did it all in front of his family. His parents, Ger and Pauline, were there in Paris, as were all four of his sisters, Kelly, Emma, Lisa and Aimee.
“After the match, they were all looking at me like they were all hammered,” said Milne with a smile after his 21-minute outing for Ireland.
“So I was like, ‘Oh, Jesus’. But they seemed to enjoy it anyway.”
That made it a sweet night for Milne, but the bitter part was Ireland suffering a miserable defeat to les Bleus.
Milne said it was a very tough dressing room atmosphere for Ireland after their loss, given that they went to Paris to pull off a win.
But for him and the rest of the Irish replacements, there was the satisfaction of making a good impression.
“I think just as a bench, we were just talking, it was that we really had an impact on physicality,” said Milne. “I think that was the main thing we thought we lacked from the first half.
“So, as a bench, Cheese [James Ryan] leading it, in bringing physicality when we came on, so that was the main thing we were aiming for.
“I think the bench, we had a great impact. We still have a bit to work on, but I think the bench, we had a good impact.”
Milne praised Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty for his hard work with the Irish pack, who stood up well against the French power.
He also thanked Fogarty because he “stuck with me for a while” when Milne had lots to learn.
Milne was 24th man for Ireland against France back in 2023, but no one was injured in the warm-up and he wasn’t required for match duty. Instead, he had to wait until last summer for his Test debut off the bench against Georgia.
Having also featured against Portugal back in July, last week was obviously a huge step up for Milne in international rugby but he didn’t look overawed by the occasion in Paris.
“I actually did a lot of work with Gary Keegan [Ireland's performance coach] this week just to try and deal with that, so I owe him a lot as well, he’s very good,” said Milne.
“It’s probably not something I’ve looked at before my game, but after spending a week with him, I was like, ‘Wow.’
“Actually, going into the game, I was really excited, whereas before sometimes you’d be a bit nervous and you’d actually feel a bit drained. But after doing work with him for a week, I felt really excited and I was ready to go, so yeah, I enjoyed it.”
Milne replaced Munster team-mate Jeremy Loughman at loosehead on Thursday night.
And he was full of praise for the starting loosehead, who stepped up in the number one shirt after injuries ruled Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, and Jack Boyle out.
“We were actually rooming together all week, so we were chatting all week,” said Milne.
“I actually thought Jeremy went very well. We’d be very close, so we were just chatting all week about the set-piece battle and how we were going to deal with the tightheads. He’s very open and I’d like to think I am as well, so yeah, we get along well.”
Everyone in Munster would have been proud of the loosehead duo stepping up in Paris.
And everyone back in Birr in County Offaly was certainly proud of Milne.
“Birr have been great to me,” said Milne. “I went to Roscrea [school] in my second year and Birr always supported me.
“I love the club. It’s a good community down there, so yeah, it’s great.
“It’s a big hurling stronghold, so I think people were still a bit iffy, but I know my mates had a bet on me to score a try, so I must give them a message and see how it went.”
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bench Six Nations France Impact Ireland michael milne