As he struck the ball through the posts in the 76th minute to gift Ireland the victory on a crisp autumn night in Dublin, Ross Byrne’s stock couldn’t be higher.
This penalty earned Andy Farrell’s side an Autumn Nations Cup victory over a stubborn Australia, with the Leinster man only receiving a late call-up to the bench as Johnny Sexton suffered injury in the warm-up.
Byrne‘s ability to be able to perform at a moment’s notice for his country and to handle the pressure from the kicking tee was widely praised throughout Ireland.
However, he never really had the opportunity to kick on from this for Ireland, with his main influence being felt at provincial level for Leinster as he became more important at the province as both Farrell and Leo Cullen attempted to carefully manage the minutes of the ageing Sexton.
Leinster departure
The 30-year-old is set to depart the Irish province following the United Rugby Championship (URC) final at Croke Park, as he moves across the Irish Sea to Gloucester in the Premiership.
A fitting end would see him starting against the Bulls, leading them to victory for their first silverware in four years, as he lifted his fifth domestic title.
While this may feel unnecessarily sentimental, with a place in a matchday XV being earned and not handed to an individual, Byrne fully deserves to start the final.
He is an all-round fly-half who has been incredibly dependable over the years and could be counted upon defensively, from the kicking tee scoring 1194 points in his 192 appearances for the province, and he has always demonstrated his ability to lead the Leinster attacking plan.
These three attributes are desirable in Leinster’s starting fly-half for the URC showdown with the Bulls.
As stated, Byrne has all three elements, and although he has not been starting as many key games for Leinster this season, he demonstrated in the Australia match that he can deliver when called upon.
The likely choice for fly-half in the final will be Sam Prendergast, a player with quality and the potential to be a great fly-half, but he has struggled throughout the URC play-offs in two particularly important elements of a number 10’s game.
He has not been consistent off the tee, as summed up in his performance against Glasgow Warriors, as he missed 85% of his kicks from the tee.
The need for a player to add a conversion after a try or to nail a penalty to increase their score on the board is an important mental factor, as it can boost their own side yet deflate their opponents, whereas a missed kick can have an incredibly rousing impact on a side.
This is an advantage Byrne has over Prendergast.
While Prendergast continued to struggle defensively.
It is an element of his game which has been identified as a cause for concern since making his debut for Ireland, and it has only been exacerbated ever since.
The Bulls are a clever side and will look to exploit weaknesses in the Leinster juggernaut, and this is the most identifiable chink in their armour.
The Irish province cannot afford to be carrying an individual who only helps the attack flow, as he struggles off the boot and in the tackle.
Prendergast’s struggles should see him removed from the URC final, and while it may be viewed as harsh and potentially damaging to the confidence of the young fly-half, that is sport.
The need to win silverware and drive for success encourages brave decisions to benefit teams; look at the example set by Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus in the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
Manie Libbok was withdrawn after just 31 minutes for Handre Pollard as the coaching pair identified their mistake in starting the 27-year-old over the veteran.
Pollard would score half of the Springboks’ points as they made their way to the final past a stubborn England.
Nienaber history
It may not have been a popular decision to withdraw him in the first half, but it was the correct one, and Nienaber needs to make the correct call once again.
While Prendergast may be able to guide Leinster to their first piece of silverware in four years, Byrne would deliver the URC trophy to the province if he were to start.
It would be a decision that the Bulls had not prepared for, ultimately disrupting an element of their gameplan in targeting their runs at Prendergast, and could prove decisive in impacting their mindset.
Byrne may see this as the perfect send-off for the 30-year-old, as he delivers silverware to the province, putting to bed the skeletons in his closet from the 2023 and 2024 Champions Cup finals and laying the foundations for the next period of success for Leinster.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/drop-sam-prendergast-departing-leinster-fly-half-deserves-fitting-send-off-at-expense-of-struggling-star
