Athletically, he is phenomenal. We really don t produce guys like him in Ireland
21-year-old Ryan Baird made his Ireland debut last weekend and looks set for further Six Nations involvement. By Murray Kinsella Saturday 6 Mar 2021, 8:00 AM Mar 6th 2021, 8:00 AM 90,906 Views 18 Comments
THERE ARE INTERNATIONAL backs, some of them wingers, who will be jealous of Ryan Baird’s speed.
The little GPS unit that sits into a pocket on the upper back of rugby players’ jerseys has clocked the 21-year-old Leinster lock moving at just over 10 metres per second during a game.
To put that in context, the average max speed for a wing at the 2019 World Cup was 9.2 metres per second, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Baird – who made his Ireland debut against Italy in the Six Nations last weekend – is one of the quickest forwar
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Ryan Baird fulfilled a dream on Saturday – getting his first cap for Ireland. By Garry Doyle Monday 1 Mar 2021, 6:45 AM Mar 1st 2021, 6:45 AM 10,084 Views 5 Comments
If the cap fits: Ryan Baird, Ireland new boy.
Image: Tommy Dickson/INPHO
Image: Tommy Dickson/INPHO
WHEN RYAN BAIRD checked his phone on Friday, a message from an old mentor struck a chord.
Nerves had been kicking in when Andy Skehan, his schoolboy coach, touched base. The content of the text was simple. “You only get your first cap once so enjoy it and take it all in,” Skehan wrote.
It changed the debutant’s mood. Until then, he was busily swotting up on every detail, obsessing about processes and game-plans. Post the Skehan text, he settled down. “Something I kept saying to myself even in the warm-up, was that it’s just another game of rug