Ross Byrne makes position clear on future Ireland Test selection

Ross Byrne says he would “always say yes” to an Ireland recall – but admits he knew he was effectively ruling himself out of Test contention when he joined Gloucester over the summer.

The fly-half was at the centre of the action in Gloucester’s dramatic 37-35 home loss to Northampton on Sunday, impressing throughout before being yellow-carded late on for a one-handed intercept attempt near his own line.

The decision proved costly, as Anthony Belleau slotted the resulting penalty to snatch victory for Saints. Byrne’s card looked harsh – he was inches from pulling off the catch – but it capped an otherwise strong showing for the former Leinster man, who kicked five conversions and steered Gloucester’s second-half resurgence.

Byrne spoke to The Irish Independent in an article published over the weekend about (among other things) his international future, saying that he would never turn down a call from Andy Farrell, even if such a call now appears unlikely.

“If Ireland ever came calling, I’d always say yes. It’s always something, especially if you’ve played and you’ve had success, how good it is.

“I don’t know if it is actually a contractual [IRFU] rule or what the story is, which is probably mental that I don’t know if it’s black or white, so I couldn’t tell you the answer.

“I was fully aware of it [that he wouldn’t get picked by Ireland] when I made the decision, but I don’t know what the future will hold, to be honest…

“I’ve signed a three-year contract, but I’ll only be 33 at the end of it.”

Ireland operate an informal but rigid policy against selecting players based outside the country — a stance that has held firm even amid recent player departures to France and England.

The only modern exception was Johnny Sexton, who continued to feature for Ireland while at Racing 92 a decade ago.

Byrne, capped 23 times, was part of Ireland’s 2023 Rugby World Cup squad but slipped down the pecking order last season, with Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast now firmly established as Farrell’s first and second choice No.10s.