RUGBY Pick of the pack

Milne relishing his chance

THERE are a number of strands to Michael Milne’s progress at Leinster that are starting to come together.

The loose-head is the most highlyrated ‘third-choice’ player at Leinster, that’s not to devalue his game — he is behind front-line internationals Andrew Porter and Cian Healy in the pecking order.

While the Birr native is also the most highly-rated uncapped player across the provinces and expected to be capped very soon — he is ahead of Thomas Ahearne, John Hodnett and Alex Kendellan in this respect.

Thus, both Leo Cullen and Andy Farrell were monitoring his 37 minutes, coming in for Healy against Lions last week, and will be similarly watching him against Stormers — against whom he is expected to start — this weekend.

“I came into the season hoping there would be better luck for me,” he says of unfortunate events at the back end of last term. “I’d got surgery at the end of the season and I was, like, ‘right, 10 weeks, I’m going to go hard now for rehab’.

“It didn’t turn out like that because at that 10 week mark, I ended up getting another surgery.

Return

“It was tough enough, you see lads going well, especially in Leinster, because it goes so well when they play.

“Hopefully I’m past all that now, so I’m delighted to get some games and tearing into some South Africans, I want as much game time as I can get.”

Milne made his first 2023/24 return in URC round 11 away at Cardiff in March and retained the No.17 jersey for rounds 12 and 13 before being left in place on the bench for the Champions Cup quarter-final against La Rochelle.

“It was my first time playing in a sold-out Aviva and it was class,” he says. “Lads always talk about how good it is, but you don’t really experience it until you’re playing.

“Being there focuses the mind, you’re just trying to deliver. You’re obviously grateful that they trust you, but you’re like ‘right, I’ve got a job to do now’.

“I’m not sure if I delivered as much as I wanted to, but obviously I was delighted to get the opportunity, it gives you confidence to kick on as well. You’re like ‘look, if I’m playing well you will pick me’.

“That’s probably the big thing as well, isn’t it? You just keep putting performances together and hopefully you’ll get picked. I think that’s probably the big thing.”

Learn

There is, however, no small matter of the 44-12 defeat last week at Lions, albeit Milne’s 37 minutes had a slightly better 22-12 outcome.

“This is my third tour of South Africa. I can’t get enough of it, it’s something different, it is where you learn how to scrum!

“You can see from Chasing the Sun, they talk massively about the scrum, so it is something I need to focus on in my game, so coming over here and testing myself against their props in South Africa, I’m loving it.

“It is where you want to go, it is where you want to be. That’s probably why I love it so much, you get so much learning from the games, even against the Lions, so much to work on, that’s kinda what you want to be fair.

“Obviously Saturday was a big disappointment for us but we’re probably very lucky we’ve a few experienced players and obviously some world class coaches.

“We’re able to have honest meetings and I think that’s the big thing, isn’t it? You can just get over it at that point and then make sure we’re onto the Stormers, that type of way.”

‘I want as much game time as I can get’