John Ryan on his ulcerative colitis: ‘It is no way to live’

He may not have got the chance to do what he loves most and scrummaged against the Scots last week but just being on the pitch at Murrayfield making his Six Nations debut was a dream come true for John Ryan given the journey he has taken of late.

Eleven minutes off the bench for Tadhg Furlong, the Munster tighthead prop got the chance to build on a Test debut against Canada last November and although neither he nor replacement loosehead Cian Healy got to pack down against an under-pressure Scottish scrum, the frustration was alleviated by the knowledge he had taken another huge step in his development from provincial squad man to international.

That Ryan, 28, from Berrings, Cork, has progressed at the rate he has in the past 18 months – being cited by Alan Quinlan recently as the most improved player in Ireland this season - has been even more impressive given for the last few years he has been forced to cope with an inflammatory intestinal condition known as ulcerative colitis that caused him to rapidly lose 10 kilograms in 2014 to drop from 118kgs (19 stone) to 108kg.