Ryan’s living his own dream but he is under no illusions about huge challenges of Test rugby
solid purchase to get in and control the match.
I also suggested that Ireland go for it in that department because Scotland were very, very light on quality scrummaging props. Nor was their pack geared up to go macho with anyone at the set scrum. Their mantra was ball in, up and gone.
The ploy was the right thing to do — but who was to know that Scotland would only get one bloody scrum in the whole game.
Ireland only got five but they minced the Scots here and took them for a walk down the field. Ireland got three scrum penalties. That was never going to win them the game. Ireland were too sluggish in the first half and paid the penalty.
The thing is that this game will be decided at the breakdown, but if the Scots don’t have to scrum and if Ireland don’t wear them down in this phase the Scots will run all day.
Even using the tactic of getting Murray to break without the ball to draw the Scottish back row off the base of the scrum will pay dividends.
Another factor that skewed the result last year in Murrayfield was the fact that Sexton did not play.
Paddy Jackson had a decent afternoon, but there is a chasm in quality in terms of game management and Sexton’s mere presence on the field makes all those around him perform at a different level.
Ireland are a mature side who won’t get suckered into a fast and loose game. The trick to subduing Scotland is by suppressing the tempo.
We know that there will be a lot of kick chase and patience is required with that. Field position is key to stopping Scotland throwing the ball around. It is true that Finn Russell was near his own 22 when he threw that long cut-out pass to Huw Jones.
It was a low percentage play that caught England cold, yet it could have been picked off by England — but the scots got away with it... in Murrayfield.
There will be moments when Scotland get to play, uncomfortable moments when Ireland get exposed in midfield or on the tramlines. It is hard to hem Scotland into their own 22 for the entire game but that is what I expect Ireland to do and to dominate in the red zone.
I think Furlong and Henderson, if they are both fully fit and last the whole game, will have a huge influence.
To introduce two Lions who have had a month’s rest is huge. I also think that Stander and O’Mahony have been relatively quiet and coming down the home stretch it is time for the pair of them to produce performances of authority.
An authentic 80-minute performance is required to beat a tricky Scottish side. If the Scots are made aware from the start that this is a determined and ruthless Irish side that have no intention of losing — well then that is what will happen.
I don’t care if Ireland play Warren Ball again — just win the game! IT would be understandable if James Ryan was rubbing his eyes in disbelief at the situation he finds himself in, but the 21-yearold is firmly rooted in reality as he lives his own dream.
This is just the way it was meant to be. His career is no fairytale, rather the culmination of a lifetime spent working towards this moment.
He could be a Grand Slam winner by his eighth cap, but there is no sense that this serious young man is getting carried away.
He appreciates that people see his story and wonder, but can’t see the value in indulging the remarkable story of his rise.
“All I ever wanted to do is be a professional rugby player, since I could walk really,” he says matter-of-factly. “It has always been the dream.
“Obviously, I’m in a very lucky position. But I can’t be getting too sentimental or anything like that. In a week like this, we’ve got a huge Test match and if I lose track of that, I will get myself compromised. I’m staying process-focused.”
Those words will be music to Joe Schmidt’s ears.
The New Zealander has long been an admirer of a kid who has been turning heads since his early teenage years, a tall lock capable of powerful carries and a natural leader who is already being spoken of as a future Ireland captain.
Ryan has played just 10 times for Leinster but he’s already a first-choice lock for Ireland and a player who will be at the centre of their 2019 World Cup campaign.
That’s assuming he’s fit, because there is a perception that he is struggling with the load.
He missed last season with a serious hamstring injury and a succession of niggles have kept him out of action at various points of this campaign.
Ireland rested him for the Italy game because of a groin issue and his predecessor Malcolm O’Kelly is among those who expressed fears about his durability.
“It does frustrate me a bit,” Ryan says of the perception that he is injury-prone.
“Most of the injuries I’ve had this year have been impact injuries. It’s more of a case of my body getting used to this level; they are all niggles. I just have to come to terms with that.
“I’ve been lucky the last few weeks, I haven’t picked up anything.
“I had some shoulder issues but I have a big emphasis now on pre-habbing that, managing these little niggles so further down the line they don’t become things that keep me out of the game.
“It’s just part of an experience I had to go through.”
The transition to Test rugby was tough, but nothing Ryan couldn’t handle.
“It is definitely a step up,” he says. “Everything about it, the build-up to the game, obviously there is more at stake. There is more pressure. There is more expected of you.
“The game itself, it’s quicker, I found anyway. The physicality is huge. I don’t think it was a shock to the system. It was definitely a step up and I was definitely aware of it. But I don’t think it was me going, ‘oh s**t’.”
He presents himself as a serious young man, but his team-mates have been attempting to draw his personality out.
Cian Healy has handed over control of the team music on the bus, while Dan Leavy has been spinning a yarn that Ryan has taken to introducing himself to people as ‘The Big Cheese’.
“No!” Ryan replies emphatically when the flanker’s accusation is put to him. “Dan ‘Lost My Wallet’ Leavy has had a few things to say. He seems to lose his wallet at convenient times. Whenever the coffees and lunches come around he can’t seem to find it.”
Unsurprisingly, he’s able to give as good as he gets.
Such is the way with this high-achieving 21-year-old who is fully lucid while living the dream.
“The bus ( journey) to the game has stuck out for me. And then afterwards the best part of it all was probably spending time after the wins with my parents, my brother and my family,” he says.
“Those are the bits that stand out for me. I’ll probably just sit back after the Six Nations and think about it.”