Con win completes Ryan’s hectic week

Cork Constitution 16 Garryowen 6

Versatile prop Ryan, who can play at tighthead or loosehead, played 71 minutes of London Irish’s Aviva Premiership clash with Wasps last weekend, finishing up his three-week spell in the English capital. He then played 50 minutes in Munster A’s defeat to Connacht Eagles on Thursday, and 50 more for Con here on Saturday.

It may seem like anathema in the days of carefully managed player welfare, but you won’t hear the 24-year-old former CBC Cork man complaining.

“Three games in a week is unusual,” he said. “But I’ll take as many as I can, because I hardly played any games last year. I was caught between the teams (with Munster); a reserve with the seniors and not in the A side. There wasn’t much game-time but hopefully that’s going to change this year.”

At 24, Ryan is something of a late bloomer. Let go from the Munster sub-academy, he re-routed his career through the UCC academy and improved to the extent that Munster brought him back in 2011, as a “project player” under the tutelage of scrum coach Paul McCarthy.

Although he featured in the Heineken Cup squad, Ryan made just five appearances off the bench in the RaboDirect Pro12 last season and relished the opportunity to mix it in the Aviva Premiership when London Irish found themselves shy of front row cover.

“I got two games, against Gloucester and Wasps. It was more physical, faster, you’d learn a lot from it. It was a massive step up, but it was the best thing I could’ve done. It will hopefully give the coaches confidence to put me into the team in the Rabo, and hopefully from there to Heineken Cup.”

Con were, no doubt, also glad to have him available on Saturday. They had looked superior in every area except the lineout — where the amount of times they coughed up possession hit double figures — but nonetheless found themselves 6-0 down after half an hour. In a first half characterised by aimless kicking on both sides, Garryowen had struck the two that mattered, out-half Jamie Gavin and Eamon Connolly both punching over drop goals.

Enter Ryan. After Graeme Lawler had done well to tap down Gerry Hurley’s 22 drop-out, Ryan gathered and stepped through the cover. Some lovely hands sent Brendan Cuttriss away, before Conor Desmond released James Ryan in at the corner.

Gerry Hurley missed the mark with the touchline conversion but struck a 42nd-minute penalty to edge Con 8-6 ahead before some fine interplay in the wide channels between Rob Clune and Brian O’Hara was rewarded with an unconverted Cathal Quinn try.

Garryowen abandoned their kicking game and went for the jugular, with Dave Rowley unlucky not to make it over in the corner. But a fine Hurley penalty on 54 minutes made it a two-score game, and the hosts closed the fixture out in relative comfort.

So out go the holders, while Con march on the semi-finals. But those looking to this game for a gauge of either side’s prospects ahead of the new Ulster Bank League season might need longer to do their analysis.

Scorers for Cork Con: J Ryan, C Quinn try each; G Hurley 2 pens.

Scorers for Garryowen: J Gavin, E Connolly drop goal each.

CORK CONSTITUTION: R Clune; C Quinn, P Parfrey, R Sergere, C Desmond; D Lyons, G Hurley; M Moynihan, B Vaughan, John Ryan; D O’Brien, J McSweeney; B Cuttriss, B O’Hara, James Ryan.

Rolling subs: G Lawler, C O’Flaherty, J Cruickshank, P Perez.

GARRYOWEN: L Burke; E Connolly, C O’Shea, J McInerney, S Horgan; J Gavin, N Cronin; B Cullinane, J Rael, R Brosnan; A Kennedy, A McCluskey; E Cross, A Kavanagh, D Sherry.

Rollins subs: D Rowley, P O’Shea, A Griffin, TJ Robertson, J Donovan.

Referee: E Hogan-O’Connell (MAR).