LONG READ Ross Byrne: 'I've played Munster many times away. I have a very good record there'

Ross Byrne has faced Munster 16 times and been victorious in the last 15 of those games.  Such was the joy of being part of a Leinster side over a dominant decade that became, largely, the Ireland team.

The only time Byrne has ever tasted defeat to the Munstermen was the first occasion he faced them on Boxing Day nine years ago in Limerick.

So while for Gloucester fans of a certain vintage, the prospect of a visit to the west of Ireland this weekend will trigger horrible flashbacks to the 2003 ‘Miracle Match’ when Munster beat Gloucester by the 27-point margin they needed to reach the quarter-finals, their stand-off is blissfully unscarred by such negativity.

He is just the man to have in the building as the improving Cherry and Whites prepare for their visit to the 45,000 capacity Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.

“I have played against Munster many times away from home, albeit not Pairc Ui Chaoimh, but it’s definitely something I will be able to lean into and hopefully give the lads a bit of help with,” said the 30-year-old stand-off.

“I do have a very good record there. Hopefully I’ll be able to maintain that.”

Byrne’s summer move to Gloucester is beginning to bear fruit. After a decade at Leinster, which brought two Champions Cup final appearances in 2023 and 2024, his switch to Kingsholm as he found himself falling down the pecking order in Dublin was a cultural change on a grand scale.

The early season was a struggle. The getting-to-know-each-other period was disjointed. But Byrne’s half-back partnership with Tomos Williams is starting to come together nicely and with Seb Atkinson fit again outside him, Gloucester are looking a much more challenging proposition.

Obviously going into a new team there’s always going to be different challenges but I feel pretty comfortable with all of the systems now.

A first Prem victory of the season against Harlequins was followed up by a winning start in Europe against Castres at the weekend. A Top 14 scalp was a fine way to mark their return to the Champions Cup after a two-year absence.

“It was a frustrating start. We had a lot of new players and quite a lot of injuries which didn’t really help the cohesion of the team,” said Byrne.

“But we’ve had a good few weeks together now and off the back of that we are seeing some better performances and results.

“From my own perspective, obviously going into a new team there’s always going to be different challenges but I feel pretty comfortable with all of the systems now.”

His observations of English club rugby is that, in general, it generates better atmospheres than the URC equivalent. That charged soundscape, he theorises, contributes to some of the basketball scorelines which crop up from time to time.

After the opening block of Prem fixtures it has been an instructive experience switching focus to Europe over this fortnight. Unlike at Leinster, he was surprised to find the Champions Cup was not referenced at all beforehand.

“There’s no secret about how much the competition means to Leinster and it’s definitely mentioned a lot and thought about in how the season is mapped out,” he said.

“Everything is geared towards those European weeks in terms of squad rotation and stuff like that, whereas in Gloucester – and I’m sure it’s the same in the French clubs – it’s not really spoken about until it’s around the corner.

I think Northampton getting to the final last year has probably opened it up a little bit for everyone in terms of how they view the competition.

“I think in the Premiership a lot of clubs probably don’t have the luxury of being able to rotate in terms of how, say, Leinster can.

“The emphasis is put more on the Premiership and then once Europe rolls around, we’ll start talking about it.”

Nevertheless the example set by Northampton last season in reaching the Champions Cup final last season – and knocking out Byrne’s Leinster on the way – has evolved the English clubs’ thinking over what is possible.

“I think Northampton getting to the final last year has probably opened it up a little bit for everyone in terms of how they view the competition,” he said.

“Probably at the start of last season, no-one had predicted them to go on the run they did. I know they were Premiership champions but I think everyone had probably written off the Premiership clubs just purely on the basis of the depth that the French clubs and Leinster have.

“I think that’s probably given the Premiership clubs a bit of a taste for it.

“Winning your home games is obviously crucial and then if you can pick up a couple of bonus points away on the road here and there you’re through to the knockouts and in a one-off game there who knows what can happen.”

Calm and measured, Byrne is a game manager who offers a sensible counter-weight to some of Gloucester’s crazier attacking notions. Yet instinctively the Cherry and Whites still want the ball in their hands. That is how they play. Byrne is happy to embrace the desire to attack but he feels they, and other like-minded teams, are being hamstrung by the lawmakers.

Are coaches now just going to be looking for a 6ft 4in athlete that can jump to put on the wing? What happens to the Cheslin Kolbes?

Union’s great strength is its many strands. It is at its best when they are all in play but Byrne’s assessment is that the change in the way the kick-chase is being policed has knocked it out of balance.

The attempt to clean up the aerial contest by outlawing blocking has given too much of a leg-up to the chasers and encouraged an avalanche of air raids.

“I’m not a fan personally,” said Byrne. “I just think it was one of those rules that with all the blocking took care of itself.

“Now the attacker has the advantage. He goes up and he can just whack the ball with his hands as opposed to the receiving team which has to try and catch it.

“I think the change has made the game very chaotic. A lot of times now teams might go two tries up but they haven’t actually done anything. They’ve just kicked the ball up in the air.

“Most teams now probably don’t even want the ball a lot of the game which is unfortunate to see.

“Are coaches now just going to be looking for a 6ft 4in athlete that can jump to put on the wing? What happens to the Cheslin Kolbes? He’s obviously an exceptional talent but are we in danger of the game going down that route of just wanting those athletes when we also want skill and football IQ as well?

“Maybe people find it more exciting with more contests in the air. That’s how the game is though so for us it’s just about how we adapt and make the most of it.”

One player’s view maybe but instructive feedback from the coalface nonetheless. Rugby union might do well to listen.