Leo Cullen: Ross Byrne ready for 'massive step up' of Champions Cup semi-final

'Ross has played a lot of big games for us already. He's had some pretty important ones for us over the years'

Leinster's Ross Byrne will start at fly-half on Sunday. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

For all the highs and lows this Leinster squad has experienced on their European travels, Sunday's trip to Stade Marcel Deflandre is very much a step into the unknown, and not merely in terms of the opposition.

Leo Cullen may have been to La Rochelle on his holidays before but his side will face the Heineken Champions Cup semi-final debutants for the first time when they lock horns on the Atlantic coast and they will do so with a burden of expectation on the shoulders of fly-half Ross Byrne to deliver at a level he has not previously been required to in his six seasons as understudy to Johnny Sexton.

Sexton’s absence may have been signposted from the start of the week as he continues to be managed conservatively on his return-to-play journey following a failed Head Injury Assessment half an hour into Leinster’s quarter-final win at Exeter Chiefs. Yet just as his team will not be entirely sure what to expect from La Rochelle until that first whistle sounds - despite the familiar faces of Jono Gibbes and Ronan O'Gara in the opposition coaches' box, nor will Cullen know how exactly Byrne will cope with the pressure to perform in the thin air of a European semi-final.

The signs, though, are good. While Byrne has never truly impressed as Sexton’s deputy in an Ireland jersey, his outings for Leinster in the veteran’s stead have been altogether more convincing and Cullen will hope the exposure he has given the 26-year-old as a starter in PRO14 finals and Champions Cup quarter-finals will now stand to a player who has earned the right to the number 10 jersey this weekend.

“The reason we select those teams is because we think that's the best thing for the group,” Cullen said. “Ross has justified his selection with some great performances in some of those big games as well.

“This is just another big game for him. It's not like he has never played a big game before, he has played plenty of big games. He's hungry to be successful, Ross. Looking at that lockdown period, how players use that window, he is one of the guys who came back in great shape and used the window.

“You can tell a lot about characters when they are on their own and what they are doing during that time. He has got great drive and he has a very clear picture in terms of what the coaches want delivered on the day and he maps the team around the field really, really well.

“So yeah, big step up now, a great challenge, slightly different for us because we haven't played La Rochelle before, so we will see what it's like.” What goes for Byrne in that regard also applies to the Leinster team as they go up against new opposition. The fly-half is one of three changes to the side Cullen sent out to start at Exeter Chiefs, and which rallied from 14-0 down inside 15 minutes to run out 34-22 winners on April 10.

Garry Ringrose missed that game with an ankle injury suffered on Six Nations duty but after making a successful comeback in last weekend’s Rainbow Cup loss at Munster, he will reunite with Test midfield partner Robbie Henshaw while James Ryan started the Rainbow Cup loss at Thomond Park on his return from a concussion having sat out the Sandy Park heroics. Luke McGrath will captain the side from scrum-half in Sexton’s absence.

La Rochelle received a boost when they were able to name Ihaia West at fly-half after the New Zealander passed a fitness test and the former Blues and Hurricanes man takes his place in a side of many talents with an all-court game that was far too strong for Sale Sharks in the quarter-finals.

“We have seen plenty of images, we are aware of the threats that they have, but then you have to actually deal with some of those threats on the day,” Cullen said.

“The type of team La Rochelle are, they will exert a lot of pressure on you if they get their nose in front. I think that's the important piece for us that we start the game well, we talked about that this week. I think you saw Sale leaked a couple of relatively cheap scores, but they found it very difficult to try and chase the game against La Rochelle, who put a lot of pressure on them from a defensive point of view.

“They are very aggressive defensively, so the start of the game is probably the main focus for us.”