Byrne: Training 'up a notch in intensity' as players fighting for place on plane to France
ROAD TO WORLD CUP: Ireland internationals Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson and Ross Byrne are pictured at the launch of the new Canterbury jerseys, which are on sale now at Canterbury.com, and via Intersports Elverys, in store and on Elverys.ie.
Ross Byrne is far enough down the road of his professional career to dwell too long on his journey with Leinster and Ireland, especially when there is such intense competition for seats on the plane to a World Cup less than two months away.
Yet if the 28-year-old fly-half does survive the cut when head coach Andy Farrell trims his 42-man training squad down to the tournament-mandated 33 at the end of August, he will be able to look back with some pride at having fought his way back into contention.
Byrne’s recall to the national squad last November as injury cover for Joey Carbery and the subsequent absence of captain Johnny Sexton allowed him to earn a first cap in two-and-a-half years when he came off the bench to replace first-time Test starter Jack Crowley against Australia at Aviva Stadium. When he nervelessly slotted the match-winning penalty in the dying minutes, his comeback was complete.
Not only had Byrne successfully transferred his impressive provincial form onto the international stage, he did enough to convince Farrell that he was the horse worth saddling as back-up to Sexton for the 2023 Six Nations, ahead of Carbery.
Five caps later, including a start in the win over Italy, Byrne is now a Grand Slam winner and the current man in possession of the Ireland number 22 shirt, though Munster’s Jack Crowley may well have something to say about that over the coming weeks.
“Yeah, delighted to be sitting here now,” he said this week at the IRFU High Performance Centre in west Dublin. “To be called in late like that in November and to play a part in the Six Nations and go on and win a Grand Slam was amazing as well.
“It’s just trying to get the best out of the next few weeks and hopefully get picked for the World Cup.”
What comes next is always, as you would expect, at the forefront of Byrne’s thoughts, despite the interest in that breakthrough against the Wallabies eight months ago.
“When it happened at the time I took confidence from it going forward but it seems a long time ago now so there’s not really too much point in thinking about it now. It’s all about what’s coming ahead now in the next few months.”
The here and now is going well, he said as the competitive needle inside the camp takes another jolt towards maximum on the dial with the first warm-up assignment against Italy fast approaching at the Aviva on August 5.
“It’s been brilliant. We were obviously in for two weeks, then we had a week off and we’re back in now but it is all straight in to gearing up for the matches. We’re pending a lot more time in training and in the gym but it is very similar to what we normally do. Just a bit longer and more intense.
“Even training today was up a notch in intensity. It’s what makes the standard of training so high, that everyone wants to put their hand up, go to France and play. It’s very important. We saw during the Six Nations how important squad depth is. It will be crucial going forward.”
Byrne has no hesitation in endorsing team-mate and full-back Hugo Keenan’s assertion that the clear target for Ireland in France is to win the World Cup.
“We already alluded to how competitive it is in here. Everyone here wants success so there’s no point in beating about the bush, everyone wants to go there and win.”
Not that Byrne has begun to imagine himself being the man to step up and kick Ireland into the rugby history books, not just yet at any rate.
"Ah, well it's probably quite a bit away if those moments do happen but during the match week you'd do your own kind of mental preparation and you prepare in the best possible way and if you do get the moments, hopefully it comes off.”
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