Rookie Ryan will meet fire with fire
Dominic Ryan had less than half the time afforded to Fergus McFadden and Eoin O’Malley in which to make an impression but that is just what he did after replacing the injured Jamie Heaslip two minutes after the restart in the Stade Marcel Michelin.
Like the Irish number eight, he sought to stamp his presence on proceedings with a handful of thundering runs through the home defence but his tackling, one covering effort 20 minutes from time in particular, also caught the eye.
It was a standout effort from a 20-year old whose one and only Heineken Cup experience prior to that had been limited to just 13 minutes against Racing Metro in the opening round but that maturity is obvious off the pitch as well as on it.
“At the start I knew it was going to be a tight game so I wasn’t sure if I was going to get on but I was ready mentally to get on the pitch. When I saw Jamie go down after five minutes — in fairness to him he kind of muscled it out until half time — I went on and I just tried to fit in.
“I tried to get the game set rather than do something stupid like give away a penalty or anything like that. So I knew it was going to be a physical game and I knew it was going to be tough. I just went in with the mindset to smash them and I suppose we did alright.”
The ease with which Ryan, a 6’ 3”, 16-plus stone flanker, has adapted to such heights is noteworthy not just because of his youth but also because of the lack of exposure he had to such an altitude prior to now.
He is still listed as an academy player rather than a senior on the province’s official website but the arrival of Joe Schmidt has seen his stock rise and last Sunday was his eleventh appearance of the season having made just three the one before.
“I suppose at the start of the season I still kind of felt myself that I was one of the younger players, one of the more inexperienced, and that still is there but I’ve got a good few games under my belt this season now.
“At the back of your mind, even though it’s there in your subconscious, you feel you can improve at this level and you’ve played well and have been able to hack the pace, that it’s not as much of a step up playing Heineken Cup if you’re playing Magners League.”
That last assertion goes somewhat against the grain of the accepted wisdom but the reality is that Ryan didn’t look out of his depth and fronted up against men like Julien Bonnaire and Elvis Vermeulen as he might tackle bags on the training paddock.
“It doesn’t make a difference to me to be honest if I’m playing AIL for Lansdowne or playing Heineken Cup, I still make 100% commitment to the tackle or in the ruck and, whoever it is at the end of the day, if you hit them hard enough they’ll go down.”
Like all good back rows, his talents are transferable between the tight and open play and his bear hug of a tackle on Julien Malzieu after 60 minutes was ultimately crucial in allowing his side to salvage that losing bonus point.
“What was going through my head was, ‘if we watch this on Monday morning and I haven’t put in the effort then I’m going to get done for it’. I just saw the kick going over my head and I saw Isa (Nacewa) was back there against two of them so I better get back there and help him.”
With Heaslip still hobbling around on a swollen ankle and unable to train, it would appear that Ryan’s rugby education is likely to continue apace at the Aviva Stadium where Clermont are expected to come with their sleeves rolled up.
“Yeah Jamie’s out and I suppose every week if you’re in contention to play you have to put yourself out there so you train as you do every week, train as hard as you can, give commitment in everything you do and you have to be able to play every week.”
A different result may be the goal but, as far as Ryan’s performance is concerned it will be very much a case of same again please.
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