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Harry Byrne gets the nod as Leinster face Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle

08 Dec 2023

Ciarán Frawley and Harry Byrne of Leinster after their side's victory in the United Rugby Championship match between Connacht and Leinster at the Sportsground in Galway. (Photo By Harry Murphy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster has confirmed their lineup for the upcoming Champions Cup clash against La Rochelle, with Harry Byrne winning the race for the flyhalf jersey.

The spotlight will very much be on the junior Byrne, who steps into the role, replacing his sidelined brother, Ross Byrne, who won’t feature again this year after suffering a nasty arm injury. Harry earns his maiden start in the Champions Cup after making a notable impact in seven previous appearances off the bench.

With Ireland and Leinster icon Johnny Sexton retired, the three-way tussle for the Leinster 10 spot has become a fascinating sub-plot. Ciaran Frawley – who many favoured to start at standoff this weekend- will have to make do with a spot on the bench as Leinster look to upset Ronan O’Gara La Rochelle on the road. The two sides haven’t met since an explosive encounter on and off the field at the Aviva Stadium last May when La Rochelle once again beat the Irish province to claim the Champions Cup. Several incidents between Sexton and O’Gara and the matchday officials made headlines and led to a match ban for the then-injured Leinster 10.

Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

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Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

O’Gara won’t be on the sidelines for this one however, as he will be serving a sideline ban due to his latest histrionics in the Top 14.

Elsewhere, Garry Ringrose and James Ryan will co-captain the squad for the first time in European competition. Additionally, hooker Dan Sheehan is poised to mark his 50th appearance for Leinster. The team’s backbone includes nine players from last season’s Champions Cup Final.

Full-back Hugo Keenan, wings Jordan Larmour and Jimmy O’Brien, and centres Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw contribute to the formidable lineup.

LEINSTER:
15. Hugo Keenan
14. Jordan Larmour
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Jimmy O’Brien
10. Harry Byrne
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Michael Ala’alatoa
4. Joe McCarthy
5. James Ryan CO-CAPTAIN
6. Ryan Baird
7. Will Connors
8. Caelan Doris

REPLACEMENTS:
16. Rónan Kelleher
17. Cian Healy
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. Jason Jenkins
20. Josh van der Flier
21. Ben Murphy
22. Ciarán Frawley
23. Charlie Ngatai

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The defining moment that will 'raise massive question marks' for Ireland

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CV 2 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

You can’t suddenly have a national club game in NZ. Still, our model in NZ is too expensive to run. 26 provincial unions, a Maori union a school union and probably a university union too, all held up by NZR if they make a loss, who would be in dire straits without the Silver Lake money themselves NZR contracts and pays our SR players… And one team has to bring most of the cash in by playing 13 or 14 tests a season. We can’t keep going like that.

French club money hasn’t done much for their test sides because their clubs never cared much for the national team. They got foreign players in all the time (at the expense of home grown players) until they were forced by the FFR to select 15 home grown players for the matchday 23 in 2017. Only then they started to invest in academies. France have been in every U20 WC final since 2019 and only lost one. And the FFR and clubs actually started to work together, which resulted in France sending development sides on their July tours for years now. It’s only just started. French rugby is a beast and it’s awake now.

Clubs in Europe are there for themselves, in every sport. Not for the national team. That’s the union’s or federation’s job. EPL clubs don’t care much about the FA either. Most only field 2 or 3 Englsh players every game.

87 Go to comments

CV 3 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

I think we’ll find out in a few months. France will be competitive. Clubs don’t run players into the ground like they used and rest them more. Last weekend, Toulouse rested their test players against Bordeaux. No Ntamack, Mauvaka, Kinghorn, Capuozzo…. Bordeaux played LBB and Penaud, but took them off once they had a good lead.

87 Go to comments

CV 3 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

A strong comp has the best players in it and they’re from everywhere. That doesn’t mean you win a WC… Based on your logic, England or Spain should win every FIFA WC and the US every basketball WC. They don’t. In latest FIFA WC final, only two players that came on the park, played in their domestic league (two Frenchmen), the others didn’t.

5 out of 10 RWCs were won by teams with most of their players in SR, I would even argue 4 out of 10. For the first three SR did not exist, England won one, and of the last two SA won, they had their best players based outside SR with their 2019 win and weren’t even in SR for the last one.

87 Go to comments

J Marc 3 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Hum, maybe after answering every day to the same questions, players say what the journo wish to hear….

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Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Oh please!!!! Really????? So with 5mil people how do you expect NZR to suddenly have a club game that makes money? NZR does the best with its reality. And quite frankly its better than every other team in history.

Look at all the French club resourses, English club money, Irish club money… Whats it done for their Test sides? Sweet FA. Money doesnt buy wins unless its heading into Wayne Barnes offshore bank account.

87 Go to comments

Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

No doubt we will find out when we have a world club championship. I wonder if it will ever be held in NZ?

So all those superior comps in the NH and they cant win world cups? What can you possibably base your strength of comp on? I base it on results and so far almost every world cup has been won by SR players

87 Go to comments

Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Geez mate if losing means you “didnt bother to look” at the opposition then Ireland didnt “Look” at the opposition in any world cup every. Nor France, Wales, Scotland,etc. At least England can say they “Looked” at the opposition at 1 WC I suppose.

87 Go to comments

Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Our 10s were all injured in that 2007 match. Who was going to take the drop goal? You seem obsessed with 2007. I prefer 1987 and 2011 when we beat France in the final to win world cups. Where was the french drop goal in 2011? Was that arrogance? Did they believe they could outscore NZ? was that arrogance or ignorance? You can bag out NZ all you want over 2007 but we can throw the exact same thing back at France over 2011 where they couldnt win. NZ beat them twice in that tournament.

87 Go to comments

Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

There was no disrespect because they beat us. Youre making that up. There was a real determination to beat you at the WC. We respected Ireland rugby so much we had a specific plan to beat you at the 1/4 final. As soon as the draw was announced I was very keen to see us play you in that match. Your team showed nothing but disrespect with crass comments, arrogant post SA loss comments and critique of some of our best players. You earned our retaliation. That will forever be on you. Now that match was won by 4 points from memory but it was the best 4 point win Ive ever experienced. There is nothing better than beating the class clown/Bully, and particularly at a major game like a WC 1/4 final.

No doubt you have special memories of Ireland wins and no doubt some of those will be wins against NZ, well this is, so far, my best memory against Ireland and even eclipsed the game where we scored after the siren and your boys charged the conversion way before it was taken. The miss would have meant your first win v NZ but Cruden slotted the second conversion to win the game.

87 Go to comments

Head high tackle 8 hours ago

'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Yep. Ireland got cocky and then got outcoached. Real pretty to watch after the arrogance they showed and after the BS they put out. Calling Cane a “Sh&T Richie” doesnt get more disrespectful and then YES they claimed they would see SA in the final. Etzebet was forced to retract and back away from his statement publicly. Never privately tho.

Leaving Sexton on when he could hardly walk was funny. Coach didnt back his team. Just a couple of stars. Fell at the same hurdle as every other world cup. Now they are past their window and that makes me laugh because of the way their players and fans acted post winning in NZ.

87 Go to comments

LONG READ

LONG READ 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.' 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

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Select Edition

Harry Byrne gets the nod as Leinster face Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle

Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

Sam Warburton discusses the Champions Cup format

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