Cullen: Byrne deserves opportunity to shine

It’s 10 years now since Felipe Contepomi’s knee crumpled and Jonathan Sexton stepped into the breach for a European knockout fixture in Dublin against an interprovincial rival. So, the scene presented by Leinster today isn’t totally new.

With Sexton missing out due to what Leo Cullen vaguely referred to as a tightness in a calf muscle, it falls to his understudy Ross Byrne to guide the reigning champions through to the semi-finals. The more things change... although some things aren’t the same.