Daniel Ryan grew up in Sandymount, played Gaelic football and hurling for Clanna Gael Fontenoy in Ringsend, soccer for Belmont in Donnybrook and rugby when he got to St Michael’s College.
Sport was an integral part of family life. His mum Catriona swam for Ireland, dad Brendan “would have been very good at sport as well”, while he and brother Matthew enjoyed the hopping and trotting between the disciplines and swam too.
On Sunday, he’ll be part of the Ireland Under-20 team aiming to beat Scotland at Virgin Media Park. While it’s mathematically possible for Andrew Browne’s charges to catch unbeaten France, who host England, it’s improbable. That won’t diminish the appetite of the Irish players as they chase a fourth successive victory in the tournament.
Do Scotland have a genuine chance at breaking their 11-match losing run to Ireland?
Perpignan seems a distant memory, where Ireland suffered a heavy defeat to a very good French side, who have underlined that assertion subsequently. Wins over Italy, England in Bath, and Wales last time out have demonstrated an evolution and progression in the Irish performances with the knowledge that there is still room to develop further.
READ MORE
Ryan, one of only two players alongside outhalf Tom Wood to have enjoyed game time in the United Rugby Championship, scored two cracking tries against Wales. The second of those tries was a length-of-the-pitch intercept that took him from the shadow of the Irish posts to the Welsh try-line.
He can play right across the back three positions, having lined out on the wing in fourth and fifth year at school, but also played centre and at fullback, for which he had a preference at one point.
He explained: “Fifteen would have been my preferred position coming out of school but getting exposure to the wing, learning the position a bit more since I’ve come out of school, it’s become what I look at as my preferred position at the moment. Towards the end of that game last week, I transitioned into 15. I’m happy to play wherever I’m needed.”
He’s grateful for the sporting cross-pollination of his youth, pointing out: “It’s so important for young lads to be playing as many sports as they can. There’s so many transferable skills from Gaelic football especially.”
Connacht’s academy manager Eric Elwood offered Ryan a place and he jumped at the opportunity. “It’s obviously a massive change and there was a bit of a transition period where I was kind of figuring out Galway, but I absolutely love it.
“Everyone in the environment has been so accommodating and so welcoming that from almost the first couple of weeks, I just felt right at home. It was just such a good experience straight away. Training under Stuart Lancaster, getting exposure to training with lads like Mack Hansen and Bundee Aki right away, was an unbelievable experience.”
His debut for Connacht against Ulster is a memory he cherishes. “It was a really special moment for me. All the lads were so supportive all week in training when I kind of got the nod. There’s a huge amount of emotion that came with that, but the lads [reassured] me.
“Cian Prendergast, Jack Carty, they were just [saying] the whole week, ‘you’re more than able for this, you’ve been picked based on what you’re doing in training’. They were just supportive and made me really believe that I could do it. The older lads have been such a good help to me throughout my time in Connacht. I couldn’t thank them enough.”
He’s taken that confidence boost and let it shine through with the Irish 20s. The group quickly parked the disappointment of Perpignan. Ryan said: “In the build-up to Italy and the England games, we talked so much about KBA – keeping ball alive – and moving the ball and offloading. In those two games especially, you saw it come out in a huge way, that didn’t really (materialise) against France.
“I think after those games we were top on the Under-20s Six Nations charts for offloads. That was something that shows we were doing exactly what we said we were going to do. That is really satisfying for us and the coaches as well. What we’re talking about and what we’re practising in training is coming out in games.”
It’s a commitment they will look to continue on Sunday in Cork.
Follow our rugby WhatsApp channel
