McBryde hails Tipperary native Cahir's step up to the Leinster ranks

“Jerry is another one who is great and his attitude is brilliant," said Leinster coach Robyn McBryde. "He doesn’t take anything for granted."

Jerry Cahir made his sixth appearance for Leinster against Connacht. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

While he was disappointed to see Jack Boyle becoming the latest loosehead prop to find himself on the injury list, Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde nevertheless believes there is a great opportunity for some of those further down the pecking order in the province to stake a claim for a starting berth in the coming weeks.

Earmarked as the frontrunner to start at loosehead for Ireland in their Six Nations Championship opener away to France on February 5 - following injuries sustained by Andrew Porter (calf) and Paddy McCarthy (foot) in recent weeks - Boyle is now set to undergo a procedure on an Achilles tendon injury that led to his withdrawal just 20 minutes into last Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash with Connacht in Galway.

This could leave Leinster limited in the number one position for the next while, but Jerry Cahir has proven to be a valuable asset since joining the province on a short-term deal back in September. 20-year-old Alex Usanov is another potential loosehead option for this Saturday’s meeting with Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium in the URC, having made his senior bow for the province against Zebre Parma earlier this season.

“On Jack's behalf, obviously he’d an excellent game the week prior to that against Bayonne [in the Champions Cup]. For him to suffer that injury on Saturday is a blow. There's never a good time to be injured, but it seems particularly cruel for Jack in that position,” said McBryde.

“You've got to see it as an opportunity for somebody else to step up. I’ve said that time and time again, with the number of young front rows who've benefited from being in this environment. It's a bit of a double-edged sword.

“When they train either alongside or against the international props, they have to make the most of the one or two opportunities they get because obviously we've got to prepare the team for Saturday. So, they don't get as many reps probably as they would like in those training sessions, but they get the knowledge.

Leinster's Jerry Cahir tackles Caolin Blade of Connacht. Pic: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott

“However, the opportunity has been presented to them maybe before it would have happened, had we not suffered injuries. So they've just been thrust forward a little bit before what they were due to. Sometimes it's not a bad thing. If you take it in the right way and you message them properly, it's just a big step up in growth.”

Cahir is certainly someone who has benefited in recent weeks from the injuries sustained by some of the above-mentioned looseheads with last Saturday’s triumph over Connacht (he replaced Boyle on the first-quarter mark) being his sixth appearance in total for the province and his fourth in the space of just 21 days.

A native of Roscrea, Cahir has featured regularly at All-Ireland League level in recent years with the likes of Old Belvedere, Dublin University (Trinity) and Lansdowne. He has left a strong impression since making the recent transition from domestic club rugby to the professional game and McBryde was effusive in his praise of the 25-year-old.

“Jerry is another one who is great and his attitude is brilliant. He doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s very thankful, very grateful. He really appreciates the opportunity he’s been given. The boys love having him around. He has been good for the environment, I feel. It’s great, it’s a good reflection on the AIL and the leagues below,” McBryde added.

“Jerry is on his path, he’s developing. Week in, week out. He’s a great character to have around. He’s really grounded and I enjoy working with him.”