Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread XII (The Byrne Supremacy)

At this stage he should be looking to get ahead of his brother and starting those big games in Europe. Than he can set his sights on Sexton, Sexton could be back 3/4 weeks and he mightn't get many starts in bigger games if he does. If he wants to play for Ireland which I imagine is his goal, he can't continue to be 3rd choice at Leinster. Ross is a very good solid pro but has a ceiling, I think Harrys ceiling is higher but needs to show it. He won't learn much playing against weak dragons/Zebre teams, he needs more games like the Ulster one last sat or he won't improve.

Leo said it himself after Ulster game there is limited game if players don't take their chances they mightn't get another.

If Sexton had come off the bench in the HEC semi final in 2009 and Sh*t the bed do you think we would have seen much of him again.

With the pack Leinster have picked. HB is likely to get as much ball as he wants, on a plate. With the backline Leinster have selected also, if he can't shine tomorrow night, when is he going to do it?

Others are right. He doesn’t need to shine. He needs to just play well enough to show he can take on board the feedback he’s almost certainly been given. Not every game is an audition for first choice selection. I’d wager very few actually are. Harry Byrne has gotten feck all game time in the last 12 months. Right now he just needs to settle into the role a bit. People painting this as a Carty vs Byrne match-up need to settle down. Byrne isn’t going to magically become the saviour overnight. He has lessons to learn like any player and he needs game time to learn them. We shouldn’t be comparing him directly to a player at a totally different stage in his career.

He'd want a much better game than his previous few outings. Only so long a good Club will wait for obvious talent to translate to the pitch.

Yeah i agree with that. There will come a point when he has to deliver on the potential, that's all. He's training away with Leinster and Ireland and learning all the time. It's just worth remembering that at this point he's just a player whose been identified as having a lot of potential and little else. I certainly hope he fulfils the potential but it's important to remember that he hasn't actually fulfilled it yet.

I think HB has to show some good form this week. If he doesn't go well, he might get yanked early. He does need the minutes and a good outing will do him a world of good!

I wonder what RB is thinking? If Harry goes well and usurps him, would he be content as a career back up?

Really! you should have said before.

Yeah no way they'll yank him unless he was spectacularly bad and he's never been bad. I'd saybtheyll give him some time and he'll get a few games while sexton is out. I'd say the time will be shared pretty evenly between Harry and Ross until sexton is back. Ross will probably play more minutes in the Heineken Cup games but Harry will get some minutes in those games and he'll probably start more of the URC games.

Agreed, sorry if it came across as he has to light it up and be brilliant. But if he has a poor game despite having an international team around him you'd have to wonder. (And from a purely selfish Connacht perspective, I wouldn't be too upset 😉)