Ryan embraces support role

So near but yet so far.

Donnacha Ryan will be in Paris on Saturday evening but no one would be more surprised than he if he had an active role to play in Ireland’s bid for the Six Nations championship.

The Munster second row, just three games into a comeback from minor knee surgery, will be in the Ireland camp this morning when Joe Schmidt confirms his match-day squad for the title decider with France but, having opposed Paul O’Connell, Devin Toner and Iain Henderson in training these last two weeks, he knows he will probably have to bide his time a little longer before he pulls on an Ireland jersey once more.

Time, though, has been against the 30-year-old as far as this year’s Six Nations is concerned. A comeback from a knee injury suffered against Gloucester in the Heineken Cup last October lasted just one game, the December victory in Perpignan, before another knee problem surfaced and the Tipperary man was forced back into rehab, exacerbated by the decision to have precautionary keyhole surgery.

That was January and having spent the last six weeks recuperating, trying his luck at commentary for RTÉ Radio and returning to the Munster team against Zebre, Ospreys and Scarlets, the Munster man is taking the long-term view for the rest of the season and trying his best to support Ireland’s bid for silverware this weekend.

“Obviously, you would like to be involved in some capacity,” Ryan said yesterday at the launch of the video game Titanfall by EA Sports in Dublin. “I can have no real complaints because I haven’t had that many games. You need four or five to have match fitness.

“From an Irishman’s point of view, though, it’s brilliant. I will be there supporting the lads. I’d love to see them doing well. It was a tough year last year.

“First of all I am just thrilled to be back playing. I have been in that role for many years behind Paul and Donncha [O’Callaghan], so I know what is expected of me. I was doing opposition lineouts last week, Italian stuff, and this week I have been doing French stuff. Just basically making sure Paul and the lads are able to execute what they want to do. Maybe try and be as awkward as possible, so they can think things through in the game at the weekend. That’s what you’re there for and you have to be as professional as possible.”

Ryan may be taking his disappointment on the chin but there is disappointment nonetheless.

“You’d always like to believe you have a chance, but from my point of view I have to be looking at it realistically as well, I suppose. From that point of view then, if this is what is required of me this week I have to be professional enough to execute what’s there. Maybe four or five years ago I would have had a different mindset but I’d like to think I have a bit of maturity about what’s going on.

“I’ve been extremely lucky with injuries. Last year I was carrying a bit of a shoulder thing and I dislocated my shoulder before, but I have not had any major issues with injuries.

“This year my knee was just... it wasn’t a tear or muscle or anything like that, it was just a collision in the air [with Gloucester’s Rob Cook] and I was lucky I had done a lot of training and something worse didn’t happen, my ACL didn’t tear fully, which would have been a horrific injury to have long-term.

“It is important to keep perspective. It was an 11-week injury and I was back in seven weeks, I probably came back a week or two too early and that is the roll of the dice. I just wasn’t right and ended up getting keyhole surgery, which was to rule out any doubt over what was going on. That was basically what they wanted to do in the initial stages, when I first got that injury. From my point of view I wasn’t out for six or seven months with an ACL and I’m back playing and I will be able to put my hand up for selection in the next few months with Munster.”

Ryan put his time on the sidelines to good use as far as his province is concerned, spurning opportunities to join both Perpignan and London Irish and signing a new contract in December that will keep him in his native province until at least June 2016.

Leaving Munster he said “certainly was an option. It would be quite ignorant if you didn’t go looking for what’s out there as a new adventure in your career.

“I went down to Perpignan. They were very accommodating. I was very impressed with the set-up and the lifestyle is fantastic. Then, I went to London Irish and it was great to meet up with them.

“From my perspective, it was more of a case of where did I see myself? I want to play for Ireland. It could have been challenging if I went down there.

“A big issue for me is post-career, trying to have a good transition is a big issue. I felt if I left to go to France, I would have severed a few ties back home for job prospects for the long-term. We have a whole new life to lead after rugby.”