THERE’S NEVER A bad time to have a fit and firing Ryan Baird in your squad, but with RG Snyman out for the rest of the season the lock/flanker’s return for Leinster feels nicely timed.
The 26-year-old suffered a broken leg on international duty with Ireland last November, and returned from his layoff in last weekend’s Champions Cup round of 16 win against Edinburgh, where he was highly impactful across an impressive 71-minute shift.
Not only did Baird slot back in seamlessly, he also called the Leinster lineout, and now looks set to play an important role in the coming weeks, with Leinster at home to Sale Sharks in the quarter-finals this weekend (Saturday, 5.30pm).
“I thought it was a huge positive for him to be laid out for so long to come back and the amount of work that both him and Joe McCarthy got, not only set-piece time in the tight, but around the field as well,” says Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde.
“When you’re integrated into training, I remember Ryan saying in one of the first competitive sessions, lineout-wise, he said he didn’t feel as sharp as what he should be then.
Baird had been sidelined since breaking his leg in November. Will Morgan / INPHO
Will Morgan / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s the same as anything, isn’t it? If you’re a craftsman, you lay down your tools for a while and when you pick them up, things don’t happen as naturally as what they did before. But in fairness to him, we’ve got a group of forwards that look after the line-out and he’s one of them and he’s one of the main ones in there. So, it’s great to come back and find that level of performance straight away, because he was on form before he got injured. I thought he was excellent.”
Baird continues to move between lock and the back row, starting in the Leinster second row against Edinburgh. Before his injury earlier this season, Andy Farrell started Baird at blindside flanker in all four of Ireland’s November Tests.
“He’s got a point of difference, and it comes through in the way that he plays,” McBryde continues.
He’s very forceful. He’s different from the majority of players and he’s very single-minded, and I like that about him.
Advertisement
“He’s very honest. He speaks up in meetings. He’s more than comfortable being vulnerable in some of the questions he asks and challenging coaches, etc, and you don’t see that a lot. I think that’s a great strength of his.”
Baird hit the ground running on his return, but Leinster could be missing some key men again this weekend. James Ryan is nearing his return to action, but will be assessed as the week progresses. Garry Ringrose and Andrew Porter also remain doubts.
Sale will also be depleted when they travel to Dublin. Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie’s season is over due to a broken wrist/forearm, while loosehead prop Bevan Rodd is also set for a spell on the sidelines. Ben Curry is recovering from hamstring surgery, while Tom Curry is still nursing the injury he suffered ahead of England’s Six Nations defeat to Italy.
Yesterday evening, Sale also lost hooker Nathan Jibulu to a six-week ban for biting.
With first-choice hookers Cowan-Dickie and Jibulu out, Sale will likely turn to Ethan Caine and former Connacht/Ulster/Leinster man Tadgh McElroy this weekend.
Sale booked their place in the quarter-finals with a win on the road at Harlequins, and with their playoff ambitions all but over in the PREM, can afford to throw everything at their attempt to cause an upset at the Aviva.
Leinster’s strange showing against Edinburgh, where their attack looked sharp but loose play led to three intercept tries, has heightened their own focus.
“We’ve had our warning,” McBryde says.
Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde. Will Morgan / INPHO
Will Morgan / INPHO / INPHO
“That was a shot across the bows last week really. A lot of it was down to them benefiting from either poorly-executed decisions or skill or what have you. So, it’s a fine balance, isn’t it? You don’t want to put the blinkers on and not play. But certainly, you’ve got to have an understanding of the consequences if you don’t get your skill executed.
“I think it will be a different challenge this week, to be honest with you. I think Edinburgh came here with nothing to lose and they took their chances. I think they chanced their arm with a couple of those intercepts, but it paid off. High stakes.
“But if you look at the Sale game against Harlequins, I think they played championship rugby really; Test rugby. With George Ford there at 10, he just kept the scoreboard ticking over, 3-6-9.”
Leinster are heavy favourites to progress, but will again use last season’s home semi-final loss to Northampton Saints as a reminder that nothing in this competition is guaranteed.
“This is huge, the game last weekend was huge for us.
“I do (say) in my head, ‘right okay, don’t take anything for granted’ we’re all aware of what happened last year, if we’re honest with ourselves, we didn’t… as good as Northampton were, listen, we didn’t get it right on the day.
“There were a lot of things said after that game that hurt and still hurt. When you re-enter into that Champions Cup stage, this is only a quarter-final, but I’m seeing a lot of similarities with regards the approach that Sale have got to what Northampton Saints had last year. So I think it’s an opportunity for us to get excited and meet this challenge head on.
“We’ve been far from perfect this season, we’ve had to grind out a few wins, maybe uncharacteristically of where you see Leinster in the past. But I’m still convinced it’s put us in a better place than what we were last season because of having to work a little harder to get those results, and there is not that much of a disparity, anybody can beat anybody on their day.
“The Dragons, they showed that last weekend with a great win out in Stade Francais. If you’re not quite on it mentally, I think you’ll get found out.
“Listen, Sale are full of quality players, well-coached, and they’ll come here with a spring in their step, they probably would have encouraged by Northampton Saints last year in coming here and winning so it just makes our work that much harder. We’ve just got to rise to the occasion, simple as that.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'He's got a point of difference' - Baird's impressive return is timely for Leinster
THERE’S NEVER A bad time to have a fit and firing Ryan Baird in your squad, but with RG Snyman out for the rest of the season the lock/flanker’s return for Leinster feels nicely timed.
The 26-year-old suffered a broken leg on international duty with Ireland last November, and returned from his layoff in last weekend’s Champions Cup round of 16 win against Edinburgh, where he was highly impactful across an impressive 71-minute shift.
Not only did Baird slot back in seamlessly, he also called the Leinster lineout, and now looks set to play an important role in the coming weeks, with Leinster at home to Sale Sharks in the quarter-finals this weekend (Saturday, 5.30pm).
“I thought it was a huge positive for him to be laid out for so long to come back and the amount of work that both him and Joe McCarthy got, not only set-piece time in the tight, but around the field as well,” says Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde.
“When you’re integrated into training, I remember Ryan saying in one of the first competitive sessions, lineout-wise, he said he didn’t feel as sharp as what he should be then.
“It’s the same as anything, isn’t it? If you’re a craftsman, you lay down your tools for a while and when you pick them up, things don’t happen as naturally as what they did before. But in fairness to him, we’ve got a group of forwards that look after the line-out and he’s one of them and he’s one of the main ones in there. So, it’s great to come back and find that level of performance straight away, because he was on form before he got injured. I thought he was excellent.”
Baird continues to move between lock and the back row, starting in the Leinster second row against Edinburgh. Before his injury earlier this season, Andy Farrell started Baird at blindside flanker in all four of Ireland’s November Tests.
“He’s got a point of difference, and it comes through in the way that he plays,” McBryde continues.
“He’s very honest. He speaks up in meetings. He’s more than comfortable being vulnerable in some of the questions he asks and challenging coaches, etc, and you don’t see that a lot. I think that’s a great strength of his.”
Baird hit the ground running on his return, but Leinster could be missing some key men again this weekend. James Ryan is nearing his return to action, but will be assessed as the week progresses. Garry Ringrose and Andrew Porter also remain doubts.
Sale will also be depleted when they travel to Dublin. Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie’s season is over due to a broken wrist/forearm, while loosehead prop Bevan Rodd is also set for a spell on the sidelines. Ben Curry is recovering from hamstring surgery, while Tom Curry is still nursing the injury he suffered ahead of England’s Six Nations defeat to Italy.
Yesterday evening, Sale also lost hooker Nathan Jibulu to a six-week ban for biting.
With first-choice hookers Cowan-Dickie and Jibulu out, Sale will likely turn to Ethan Caine and former Connacht/Ulster/Leinster man Tadgh McElroy this weekend.
Sale booked their place in the quarter-finals with a win on the road at Harlequins, and with their playoff ambitions all but over in the PREM, can afford to throw everything at their attempt to cause an upset at the Aviva.
Leinster’s strange showing against Edinburgh, where their attack looked sharp but loose play led to three intercept tries, has heightened their own focus.
“We’ve had our warning,” McBryde says.
“That was a shot across the bows last week really. A lot of it was down to them benefiting from either poorly-executed decisions or skill or what have you. So, it’s a fine balance, isn’t it? You don’t want to put the blinkers on and not play. But certainly, you’ve got to have an understanding of the consequences if you don’t get your skill executed.
“I think it will be a different challenge this week, to be honest with you. I think Edinburgh came here with nothing to lose and they took their chances. I think they chanced their arm with a couple of those intercepts, but it paid off. High stakes.
“But if you look at the Sale game against Harlequins, I think they played championship rugby really; Test rugby. With George Ford there at 10, he just kept the scoreboard ticking over, 3-6-9.”
Leinster are heavy favourites to progress, but will again use last season’s home semi-final loss to Northampton Saints as a reminder that nothing in this competition is guaranteed.
“This is huge, the game last weekend was huge for us.
“I do (say) in my head, ‘right okay, don’t take anything for granted’ we’re all aware of what happened last year, if we’re honest with ourselves, we didn’t… as good as Northampton were, listen, we didn’t get it right on the day.
“There were a lot of things said after that game that hurt and still hurt. When you re-enter into that Champions Cup stage, this is only a quarter-final, but I’m seeing a lot of similarities with regards the approach that Sale have got to what Northampton Saints had last year. So I think it’s an opportunity for us to get excited and meet this challenge head on.
“We’ve been far from perfect this season, we’ve had to grind out a few wins, maybe uncharacteristically of where you see Leinster in the past. But I’m still convinced it’s put us in a better place than what we were last season because of having to work a little harder to get those results, and there is not that much of a disparity, anybody can beat anybody on their day.
“The Dragons, they showed that last weekend with a great win out in Stade Francais. If you’re not quite on it mentally, I think you’ll get found out.
“Listen, Sale are full of quality players, well-coached, and they’ll come here with a spring in their step, they probably would have encouraged by Northampton Saints last year in coming here and winning so it just makes our work that much harder. We’ve just got to rise to the occasion, simple as that.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Champions Cup Impact Robin McBryde Rugby ryan baird Leinster