Breaking the gain line for most caps

Shane Byrne is Leinster rugby's Methuselah. He laughs when he considers the number of people who have looked on with incredulity when the Blackrock College hooker has revealed his age. He's on the young side of his 30th year.

The perception that he is older may be attributed to the fact that he has been a fixture in the Leinster front row since breaking into the representative scene almost a decade ago. Pretenders have come and gone. Tomorrow night he will win his 83rd cap for the province, Leinster's record holder in that respect, and he shows no sign of reaching for the pipe and slippers.

If anything he is enjoying his rugby more than at any time since breaking into the senior provincial side. "I suppose that is because since winning my Ireland cap it has been like a millstone removed from my neck." He made his Ireland debut against Romania last season, becoming the 50th player from Blackrock to do so.

"Since breaking into the Irish squad in about 1993 I have largely tried to fit someone else's idea of what a hooker should do and what he should be in terms of contributing to a team. Like any player I desperately wanted to play for my country and although I came reasonably close several times, I never actually achieved it until Romania.

"At one stage a day did not go by where I didn't think about the fact that I had no cap. I realised that I had been around for eight years and never received an opportunity and I certainly didn't have eight years left. It was preying on my mind.

"Standing on the touchline waiting to come on in Romania, I did feel slightly giddy, but when it was all over and I had returned to the dressing-room after talking to friends, the overwhelming feeling was one of relief. I had finally achieved a goal. It if happens again, great, but at least I have removed the potential nightmare of going the rest of my career without a cap."

The removal of that pressure and Leinster's brilliant opening to the season in which they won all seven Celtic League fixtures have allowed Byrne to flourish. He now feels that he can define the parameters within which he works and this means getting a lot more ball in hand: in essence it is a throwback to those who remember his schoolboys and recall the Byrne, tresses flying, eating up the yards in broken play.

"Matt Williams has given me more responsibility and I want to prove that there is more to my game than being a good tight forward. I want to be more of a free spirit, get the ball in hand and look to the open spaces. At the moment I am really enjoying my rugby."

Byrne is unconcerned by those who remain lukewarm about Leinster's achievements in the Celtic League. "The players think that it is a fantastic competition and definitely the way to go. There is nothing we can do about the fact that the Welsh sides are struggling. I believe we have played an entertaining and successful brand of rugby.

"Obviously the European Cup is a different prospect and the players are aware that Toulouse represent a huge challenge. They are as good a side as there is in the Northern Hemisphere. The fact that the game is in Donnybrook will be great for us as we have tried - and I think have been reasonably successful - to establish a rapport with the crowd."

The IRFU yesterday confirmed that the proposed international against Canada in November has been called because of the continuing impasse between the Canadian rugby union and their international players. The cancellation was at the behest of the Canadian union.

The match was due to take place on Saturday November 24th at Lansdowne Road while an under-25 international scheduled for Thomond Park on November 20th has also gone by the board. The IRFU are seeking a replacement for the Canada international.