JOHN RYAN SAID he is extremely proud to become only the third player to make 250 appearances for Munster, even if they were unable to crown the milestone with a victory over old rivals Leinster at the weekend.
Ryan’s achievement is all the more noteworthy given that he has had to deal with a chronic illness throughout all his professional career since making his debut away to Cardiff in 2011.
The tighthead was diagnosed in preseason as he began his first professional contract with Ulcerative Colitis, a condition where his immune system thinks that food, normal gut bacteria, and the cells that line his colon are intruders, which has required constant management and medication.
The 37-year old has been to the forefront in highlighting the condition in a bid to create awareness and help others and even as he spoke at the weekly Munster press conference this week, managing it was the next thing on the agenda.
“I have to go home today now for the third time, take an injection myself. I’m not looking forward to that. That’s what’s waiting for me at home. Yeah, it’s still ongoing. It’ll be ongoing for a long time.
“I changed the kind of medication I’m taking myself now. But I’m fine, good. I haven’t had any issues for a good few years, thankfully, touch wood.
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“I’m very lucky. I’ve got a good doctor. I’m in good hands. But it does add a bit, yeah. When I finish up rugby, I’ll be able to reflect on all this,” said the Berrings native.
He’s in his third stint with Munster having had spells with Wasps and the Chiefs in New Zealand and joining fellow Cork natives Stephen Archer (304 caps) and Donncha O’Callaghan (268) as the only players to hit 250 appearances for the province is special.
“It’s massive, yeah, I’m delighted. Very proud of it, to be honest. I kind of didn’t give it a whole lot of thought going into it, I was trying to focus on kind of getting the win because it’s nice to try and get a double on Leinster as it doesn’t happen that often. We were confident going into it, to be honest.
“So, for me, I was extremely proud after the game. It kind of hit me then, and it was nice because my family came, my sister was back from Boston watching, and she came to the game, my dad was there. It was great for him to come again as he hadn’t been there in a while. So, it was just lovely to get that after, and it was just a pity with the result.”
He’s hoping they can bounce back against Ulster in Belfast on Friday evening but knows it will be a tough one against a side facing into their third inter-pro game in a row.
“Their attack’s very, very good, and that’s one of their big areas at the moment. So, certainly we need to go after them, because I think our defence has been quite good as well. So, we need to clean up a few issues that have gone on from the weekend, like the breakdown for instance, which wasn’t good enough for us at the weekend,” he added.
Ryan has seen a lot of change in his decade and a half with Munster and feels it is a lot more inclusive and while most come through established pathways in schools and academies, he was delighted to see 30-year-old Young Munster prop Conor Bartley make his debut against Scarlets in September.
“Conor’s different. Like, he’s come through as a well-seasoned AIL player. I think we came through as scared young boys into teams. With the team I came into, it was mad. It was Paul O’Connell and John Hayes and all these guys, you know, going watching them winning European Cups.
“I think it’s less intimidating now. We’re probably a less intimidating older group. I wouldn’t say the lads weren’t welcoming, they certainly were, but they had their own group and they had their own changing room and there was a hierarchical system, but that’s kind of gone now.
“I suppose now we have our own training facility so that changes things too. Whereas back when I came in, you had a gear bag on your back, you went to the meeting, drop your bag outside. You went to the gym, drop your bag outside. There was no kind of changing room that you can go in and have the craic.
“So, I suppose a lot has changed since those days. It’s a lot more inclusive,” he added.
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John Ryan's admirable journey to hit 250 mark for Munster
JOHN RYAN SAID he is extremely proud to become only the third player to make 250 appearances for Munster, even if they were unable to crown the milestone with a victory over old rivals Leinster at the weekend.
Ryan’s achievement is all the more noteworthy given that he has had to deal with a chronic illness throughout all his professional career since making his debut away to Cardiff in 2011.
The tighthead was diagnosed in preseason as he began his first professional contract with Ulcerative Colitis, a condition where his immune system thinks that food, normal gut bacteria, and the cells that line his colon are intruders, which has required constant management and medication.
The 37-year old has been to the forefront in highlighting the condition in a bid to create awareness and help others and even as he spoke at the weekly Munster press conference this week, managing it was the next thing on the agenda.
“I have to go home today now for the third time, take an injection myself. I’m not looking forward to that. That’s what’s waiting for me at home. Yeah, it’s still ongoing. It’ll be ongoing for a long time.
“I changed the kind of medication I’m taking myself now. But I’m fine, good. I haven’t had any issues for a good few years, thankfully, touch wood.
“I’m very lucky. I’ve got a good doctor. I’m in good hands. But it does add a bit, yeah. When I finish up rugby, I’ll be able to reflect on all this,” said the Berrings native.
He’s in his third stint with Munster having had spells with Wasps and the Chiefs in New Zealand and joining fellow Cork natives Stephen Archer (304 caps) and Donncha O’Callaghan (268) as the only players to hit 250 appearances for the province is special.
“It’s massive, yeah, I’m delighted. Very proud of it, to be honest. I kind of didn’t give it a whole lot of thought going into it, I was trying to focus on kind of getting the win because it’s nice to try and get a double on Leinster as it doesn’t happen that often. We were confident going into it, to be honest.
“So, for me, I was extremely proud after the game. It kind of hit me then, and it was nice because my family came, my sister was back from Boston watching, and she came to the game, my dad was there. It was great for him to come again as he hadn’t been there in a while. So, it was just lovely to get that after, and it was just a pity with the result.”
He’s hoping they can bounce back against Ulster in Belfast on Friday evening but knows it will be a tough one against a side facing into their third inter-pro game in a row.
“Their attack’s very, very good, and that’s one of their big areas at the moment. So, certainly we need to go after them, because I think our defence has been quite good as well. So, we need to clean up a few issues that have gone on from the weekend, like the breakdown for instance, which wasn’t good enough for us at the weekend,” he added.
Ryan has seen a lot of change in his decade and a half with Munster and feels it is a lot more inclusive and while most come through established pathways in schools and academies, he was delighted to see 30-year-old Young Munster prop Conor Bartley make his debut against Scarlets in September.
“Conor’s different. Like, he’s come through as a well-seasoned AIL player. I think we came through as scared young boys into teams. With the team I came into, it was mad. It was Paul O’Connell and John Hayes and all these guys, you know, going watching them winning European Cups.
“I think it’s less intimidating now. We’re probably a less intimidating older group. I wouldn’t say the lads weren’t welcoming, they certainly were, but they had their own group and they had their own changing room and there was a hierarchical system, but that’s kind of gone now.
“I suppose now we have our own training facility so that changes things too. Whereas back when I came in, you had a gear bag on your back, you went to the meeting, drop your bag outside. You went to the gym, drop your bag outside. There was no kind of changing room that you can go in and have the craic.
“So, I suppose a lot has changed since those days. It’s a lot more inclusive,” he added.
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ACHIEVEMENT John Ryan Munster Munster Rugby URC