‘Forgotten’ 10 Ross Byrne has a massive opportunity to stake his claim
RUGBY: PAGE 52
IT has been a year of banner headlines and intense scrutiny for Irish out-halves, on and off the pitch.
There was the unsavoury Paddy Jackson episode and his departure from Ulster, the enduring excellence of Johnny Sexton, the question of Ian Keatley’s role at Munster and now fevered speculation about Joey Carbery’s prospects at the same province since his switch from Leinster.
Amid all this debate, discussion and conjecture, there has been very little said about Ross Byrne.
In terms of Ireland out-halves in 2018, the uncapped Byrne is something of the forgotten 10 — a situation compounded by his status as the only player in the Ireland squad not to feature during the successful summer tour to Australia.
Even this week, when Leinster’s new backs coach Felipe Contepomi was asked about Byrne, he extolled the virtues of the player but stopped short of championing him as an Ireland out-half in waiting.
That is understandable, given the Argentinian has only been working with Byrne for a relatively short period of time while Contepomi’s own career as a flamboyant 10 is more reflective of the maverick qualities of the departed Carbery.
Byrne is a different animal to Carbery, and Contepomi in his pomp — less inclined to produce individual bursts of brilliance than facilitate others around him.
With Johnny Sexton out on his own as Ireland’s first choice 10, the accepted wisdom has Carbery as his back-up heading towards the World Cup, with Byrne’s selection for the summer tour confirming him as third choice having leapfrogged Keatley in the pecking order.
That is how the Ireland management, and the majority of Irish supporters, see the situation — Byrne is undoubtedly rated but not as highly as Carbery.
One can see the logic behind this preference, Carbery is hugely talented and offers more off the bench for Ireland but while all the focus is on how Munster’s new 10 can cement his status as Sexton’s understudy this season, it has been largely overlooked that there is a huge opportunity in this campaign for Byrne also.
And, while the judgement of Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and his management team cannot be faulted on the back of landing the Grand Slam, beating Australia and bringing Ireland up to second in the world rankings, it is worth remembering that Leinster rated Byrne as the superior 10 — the reason why Carbery had to move south to get exposure in the first place.
Leinster head man Leo Cullen and his senior coach Stuart Lancaster are two of the most astute rugby brains in the game and their preference for Byrne is highly significant.
It was a decision backed up by a stellar double-winning season for the province, to which Byrne contributed handsomely, and even though he lost his place in the match-day squads when Sexton returned for the latter stages of Leinster’s Champions Cup winning run, that was primarily a reflection of Carbery’s greater versatility off the bench.
Ireland have to prepare for a situation where Sexton is unavailable at the World Cup next year and Byrne may well prove to be better like-for-like replacement should that unfortunate situation arise — the fact Cullen and Lancaster already feel that way weighs heavily in his favour.
It sets up an intriguing head-tohead for the back-up slot this season as Sexton’s availabiity is carefully controlled under the player management programme.
If Carbery rips it up for Munster, it will entrench the perceived wisdom in the out-half debate but if he takes time to bed in while Byrne continues to excel in the Leinster No10 jersey, it might force a change in thinking.
The indications are that Byrne has the temperament to go with his abilities as chief orchestrator and his performances last season, under the radar as they were, were all the more remarkable given that they came from a young player in his early 20s still finding his way in the professional arena.
It is also encouraging to hear that the player himself is taking nothing for granted.
The word is that the 23-year-old was uncomfortable with some media stories in pre-season referring to him as an ‘Ireland and Leinster star’ — a title he felt he had not earned despite his Ireland call-up, due to the fact he has yet to win his first cap.
Such modesty is commendable and speaks to a positive attitude centred around hard work and incremental improvement.
With Ireland set to mix and match through a four-game November series featuring matches against Italy, Argentina, New Zealand and the USA, that cap looks inevitable.
However, Byrne will not be thinking that way — his mindset will be geared towards earning the right to international recognition through his performances for Leinster, most likely starting with Friday’s Pro14 opener in Cardiff.
Having such quality options in such a key position is an extremely healthy position for Irish rugby and credit must again go to Schmidt and elite performance director David Nucifora for facilitating this prudent World Cup preparation.
Sexton is world class while Carbery has the potential, and now the opportunity, to reach that level — but people should not forget about Byrne.
This could be the season he finally receives the attention he deserves.