Harry Byrne savours 'special' moment after late kick beats La Rochelle

Leinster's Harry Byrne after the game. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

If Harry Byrne hadn’t already edged himself into the debate as to who might be Ireland’s best out-half, then he absolutely is now after nailing the penalty that gave Leinster a one-point win over La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.

There were 81 minutes and 43 seconds played when the 26-year old stood over the ball maybe 15 metres in from the sideline and a good 40-45 out from the posts. It was also on the awkward side for a right-footer.

Miss and Leinster would bag just two match points, nail it and it would be five. Not a problem. He clenched his fists and let out a roar even before the ball had passed over the crossbar. A big-game play from a man eager to count on the big days.

"It was special, definitely special,” he told Premier Sports afterwards. "I guess you don't realise until after the kick has gone over, watching it eagerly, but yeah delighted it went over."

Sam Prendergast had played his part in Leinster’s 25-24 win. He had even made some crucial tackles in a dramatic second-half when the hosts withstood siege after siege from the visitors, but his goal-kicking was up and down.

Byrne took over for the conversion after Leinster’s fourth try and, while he missed, he had no doubt as to what should happen when referee Matthew Carley penalised Louis Penvern for a no-arms tackle in injury time.

“I just said to Caelan [Doris, the Leinster captain] 'I want it'. I wanted to take it, I'd taken the one before and hit it off the post, but I'd hit it well. So, I felt I wasn't going to miss that one."

🔵 @leinsterrugby's Harry Byrne reacts to a big victory and his match-winning kick against La Rochelle

"I felt I wasn't going to miss that one" 🗣️#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/HN6jker8bN

— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) January 10, 2026

Leinster had hit the ground running in building a 12-0 lead inside ten minutes but then had to withstand ferocious amounts of pressure for the next hour or so with Tommy O’Brien and Joe McCarthy both shown yellow cards.

La Rochelle took the lead in the 60th minute and retook it in the 78th after Robbie Henshaw and Josh van der Flier has scored rapid-fire tries in between. It made for an epic Champions Cup pool game and Leo Cullen summed it up pretty well.

“It was far from a perfect performance. We started the game well. There's probably a bit of discipline that gets us in a bit of trouble, two yellow cards. It's very hard to impose your game when you're down to 14 men at this level, because you're up against a good team.

Overall, to find a way at the end is probably the most pleasing bit because we've had to do a little bit of that this year. Think of Leicester away, even when you're nine or ten points down against Ulster at half-time.

“The bench guys had a big impact that day to try and dog out a win. Munster [in Limerick], just the way that game plays out, you have to find a way somehow to win. It's pleasing that we are finding a way. 

“The group are showing strong characteristics. It's not necessarily us imposing our game, but we're finding a way somehow, which is good.”