Byrne learning from big brother
Daire Walsh
Following in the footsteps of an older sibling can be daunting, but for Ireland U20s star Harry Byrne, it is proving to be a smooth transition.
The young brother of Leinster’s Ross Byrne, he has been reaping the benefits of progressing up the provincial ladder this season. He will win his 11th Ireland U20 cap against England at Musgrave Park tomorrow night and says working alongside his brother and the rest of Leinster’s senior stars has helped his game.
“Moving from sub academy to academy means you’re in and around those lads – Ross and Johnny [Sexton]. Being around them is a massive help. Stuart [Lancaster] and Felipe [Contepomi] have been good in training. Felipe, in particular, has been really good for me. Telling me to get square at the line and be more of an attacking threat,” Byrne explained.
“It has definitely been a massive help. Also helps that you’re playing with better players than yourself. So the standard is higher in there and you’re expected to raise your game. If you don’t, you won’t be there long.”
An out-half by trade like his brother, Byrne will partner scrum-half Craig Casey tomorrow with captain David Hawkshaw lining up beside Liam Turner in the centre. Jake Flannery starts at full-back, with Conor Phillips and Jonathan Wren on the wings.
In the front-row, props Josh Wycherley and Thomas Clarkson will start alongside hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin, who wins his second U20 cap having made his debut at last season’s U20 World Championships.
Charlie Ryan, who returns for his second U20 Six Nations campaign, starts in the second row alongside Niall Murray, Martin Moloney, Scott Penny, and Number 8 John Hodnett are named in the back row.
While Byrne continues to bide his time for a shot in the Leinster first-team, Byrne has been learning the ropes under Mike Ruddock in the All-Ireland League at Lansdowne. The Welsh man had a previous stint as head coach of the Ireland U20s and has been aiding the development of the nation’s latest place-kick prodigy.
“Mike is all about striking a balance between getting over the gain-line, but also then doing your own thing. I’ve found Mike a massive help. He has kind of decluttered a few things in my head a bit and, similar to Felipe, just made the game simpler. That’s been a massive help to me. A lot of his focus would be on the speed of the ball from the breakdown.
“If it’s slow ball and there’s not much happening, there’s not much point trying to create on slow ball. So if an opportunity comes, take it. But don’t be afraid to get down the other side of the pitch. When the ball is quick, he doesn’t care where you are on the pitch. He’s happy for you to play. He’s been brilliant with me. Let me do my thing a little bit.”
On the face of it, the decision to move Ireland’s home games down to Cork (where they host England tomorrow evening) could take Byrne out of his comfort zone. However, with both Lansdowne and Donnybrook providing an identical set-up, he is eager to get going on Musgrave Park’s 4G surface.
“It makes a massive difference. Trained on Donnybrook the whole year last year and schools, so we’re quite used to it. It really suits our game, because we love to play unstructured attack, a quick-flowing game. I’m looking forward to it,” Byrne added.