Murray Kinsella reports from Soldier Field
ROSS BYRNE, SUCH a composed and assured presence on the pitch, seemed a little stuck for words off it after making his Ireland debut against Italy in Chicago.
The Leinster out-half played the closing 20 minutes of Ireland’s win, replacing Joey Carbery and contributing some nice touches as Joe Schmidt’s side finished strongly.
Byrne played the final quarter of the game for Ireland. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
An hour after the final whistle, the achievement hadn’t really sunk in yet for the 23-year-old, who was planning to sing something by the Dubliners for his obligatory song in front of his team-mates after cap number one.
“It’s an incredible feeling, a very proud day,” said Byrne before being asked how much the achievement means to him.
“It’s massive,” replied Byrne. “It probably hasn’t even hit me yet, it’s still sinking in. It seems like it all happened so quick. I’m sure as the hours go by I’ll reflect and be absolutely delighted.
“I was delighted with the overall experience but there’s a lot to work on. That’s obviously my first taste of international rugby and it was quite quick.
“The ball was in play for a lot of it, but there’s definitely a lot to build on. I was reasonably happy with how I took the ball to the line, but I can definitely improve as well. But overall I was happy.”
Byrne’s immediate focus on what he can do better next time speaks volumes of how he approaches his trade.
He slotted two of his three conversion attempts but the miss after Jordan Larmour’s final try rankled.
“It’s still killing me a little bit, to be honest… A lot actually. I just have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Byrne’s first Test match jersey. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
The perfectionist in Byrne will hone in on the improvements he can make, but to get his international bow was another big step forward in his ever-developing career.
Byrne was part of Ireland’s tour of Australia in June and was on the bench for the decisive third Test but was unfortunate to remain unused that day.
“I was thinking, ‘Am I ever going to get a cap?’