LAST SEASON WAS surely the best yet in Ryan Baird’s career.
He started every single game of Leinster’s Champions Cup campaign at blindside flanker, playing the full 80 minutes in all but the final against Toulouse and generally excelling with his lineout work, defensive appetite, and well-known athleticism.
Baird also featured in all five games of Ireland’s victorious 2024 Six Nations effort, starting one game, then came off the bench in both June Tests against South Africa.
When he took a break last summer, Baird must have felt that he had moved to the next level and that 2024/25 would bring even bigger and better things.
But so far, it has been a stop-start season for the dynamic lock/flanker. Injuries have limited his ability to make a big impact. He had to deal with concussion earlier in the campaign, meaning he got just three minutes of game time in Ireland’s November Tests.
He started the opening Six Nations game against England but then reverted to the bench when Peter O’Mahony returned and by the time the final game against Italy rolled around, Baird was left out of the matchday 23.
He has only played twice in the Champions Cup fr Leinster so far, with one start against La Rochelle back in January. Another injury issue – a minor calf problem – meant he was sidelined for the quarter-final win over Glasgow three weekends ago.
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Baird made his return in last weekend’s URC defeat away to the Scarlets, starting in the second row and completing nearly the entire game. Baird didn’t emerge immediately after half time, with Scott Penny on in his place, but it was only a temporary change and Leinster reported that Baird came through the game with no issues.
So Baird is back in the mix for this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final, but there have been lots of options for Leinster to consider in the back five of the scrum. The emergence of powerful lock/blindside Diarmuid Mangan has only added to the competition.
Baird will hope to feature against Northampton as he looks to put some of this season’s frustration behind him.
“It’s hard when you don’t get to play regular rugby,” said Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde yesterday.
Baird has earned 27 caps for Ireland. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“That’s the next step for Ryan, I would feel. If you were to get regular game time week-on-week, to build on last week’s performance, to build up relationships, build up the cohesion.
“With Ryan in particular, because he’s such an athletic individual, his value as a six, for instance, I know he covers lock as well, but the different combinations and relations to build, depending on what position he is playing.
“Everyone can see the potential in him. He hasn’t been lucky with injuries recently. It would be great from his point of view to get a run of games to see how he can really push on and fulfil all that potential.”
Baird will turn 26 in July and he already has 27 caps for Ireland.
Seven of those caps have been in the starting team, with three in the second row and four at blindside flanker. Baird’s remarkable athleticism means big things have always been predicted for him.
But McBryde is blunt when stressing that every player needs to hit the ceiling of their potential.
“You have to fulfil it and you have to stay fit in order to do it,” said McBryde.
“Either that, or if you’re not getting the rub of the green off the coach, you’ve got to go somewhere else. It’s as simple as that.
“That’s the next stage of his development. It’s all well and good dipping in and out but sometimes you just need that consistency of week-in, week-out working with the same group of players either side of you, just to build those relationships, I think even from Ryan’s point of view because he offers so, so much.
“Like, he would call lineouts… he called lineouts last week but it’s only the second time this season I think he’s done that, so it’s building a relationship with your outside-half in regards to the game plan and all of those small things that you just can’t take for granted.
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'That’s the next step for Ryan... you just need that consistency'
LAST SEASON WAS surely the best yet in Ryan Baird’s career.
He started every single game of Leinster’s Champions Cup campaign at blindside flanker, playing the full 80 minutes in all but the final against Toulouse and generally excelling with his lineout work, defensive appetite, and well-known athleticism.
Baird also featured in all five games of Ireland’s victorious 2024 Six Nations effort, starting one game, then came off the bench in both June Tests against South Africa.
When he took a break last summer, Baird must have felt that he had moved to the next level and that 2024/25 would bring even bigger and better things.
But so far, it has been a stop-start season for the dynamic lock/flanker. Injuries have limited his ability to make a big impact. He had to deal with concussion earlier in the campaign, meaning he got just three minutes of game time in Ireland’s November Tests.
He started the opening Six Nations game against England but then reverted to the bench when Peter O’Mahony returned and by the time the final game against Italy rolled around, Baird was left out of the matchday 23.
He has only played twice in the Champions Cup fr Leinster so far, with one start against La Rochelle back in January. Another injury issue – a minor calf problem – meant he was sidelined for the quarter-final win over Glasgow three weekends ago.
Baird made his return in last weekend’s URC defeat away to the Scarlets, starting in the second row and completing nearly the entire game. Baird didn’t emerge immediately after half time, with Scott Penny on in his place, but it was only a temporary change and Leinster reported that Baird came through the game with no issues.
So Baird is back in the mix for this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final, but there have been lots of options for Leinster to consider in the back five of the scrum. The emergence of powerful lock/blindside Diarmuid Mangan has only added to the competition.
Baird will hope to feature against Northampton as he looks to put some of this season’s frustration behind him.
“It’s hard when you don’t get to play regular rugby,” said Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde yesterday.
“That’s the next step for Ryan, I would feel. If you were to get regular game time week-on-week, to build on last week’s performance, to build up relationships, build up the cohesion.
“With Ryan in particular, because he’s such an athletic individual, his value as a six, for instance, I know he covers lock as well, but the different combinations and relations to build, depending on what position he is playing.
“Everyone can see the potential in him. He hasn’t been lucky with injuries recently. It would be great from his point of view to get a run of games to see how he can really push on and fulfil all that potential.”
Baird will turn 26 in July and he already has 27 caps for Ireland.
Seven of those caps have been in the starting team, with three in the second row and four at blindside flanker. Baird’s remarkable athleticism means big things have always been predicted for him.
But McBryde is blunt when stressing that every player needs to hit the ceiling of their potential.
“You have to fulfil it and you have to stay fit in order to do it,” said McBryde.
“Either that, or if you’re not getting the rub of the green off the coach, you’ve got to go somewhere else. It’s as simple as that.
“That’s the next stage of his development. It’s all well and good dipping in and out but sometimes you just need that consistency of week-in, week-out working with the same group of players either side of you, just to build those relationships, I think even from Ryan’s point of view because he offers so, so much.
“Like, he would call lineouts… he called lineouts last week but it’s only the second time this season I think he’s done that, so it’s building a relationship with your outside-half in regards to the game plan and all of those small things that you just can’t take for granted.
“They’ve got to be in there doing that.”
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