100 Best Players“HIS DESIRE TO SUCCEED
IS UNBELIEVABLE”
He may be at the start of his rugby career but Ireland lock James Ryan has
already made a huge impact – and is destined to achieve much more
Words Tom English// Main Picture Billy Stickland/Inpho20
JAMES
RYAN
17
Age 22 (24 June 1996) Position LockJ
AMES RYAN has just
completed his second
season as a Test player.
In his brief career as a
professional at the top level, he has
won a Grand Slam, a Champions Cup
and two Pro14 titles. He has gone to
Australia and won a series – the first
time an Ireland side has achieved that
feat since long before he was born.
He has played New Zealand once
and has beaten them once.
James Ryan is 22 years old. To put
this into some sort of context, Paul
O’Connell, the player that many think
Ryan will emulate on the world stage,
only made his international debut at 22.
He had to wait four years before he won
a European Cup and seven years beforehe won a Grand Slam. He played New
Zealand nine times and lost nine times.
Different eras, of course. O’Connell was
born into a Munster and Ireland team
that hadn’t yet found their way. Ryan
has walked into a winning machine,
particularly with Leinster, and has made
it better. His transformation from gangly
kid to totem of club and country has
been as swift as it has been remarkable.
He is a product of St Michael’s
College, a veritable conveyor belt of
top-class rugby players. Andy Skehan
is director of rugby at the school. “We
always suspected that James was going
to have an outstanding career as a
professional rugby player, but did we
think he’d go so far so quickly? I’m not
sure we did. We always felt pretty sure
he’d get to the very top, but he’s got
there in the blink of an eye,” he says.
“His determination is phenomenal.
He’s got the strongest will to succeed
of any player I’ve ever coached. Dan
Leavy had it and plenty of others had
it, but James’s desire to succeed was
unbelievable and he could apply that
desire on such a consistent basis.”
At Michael’s they remember the Senior
Cup final victory against Newbridge.
Ryan was captain, the type of captain
that doesn’t scream or shout or attempt
to inspire through the weight of his own
personality. He was quieter, more
measured. He gave detailed one-on-one
analysis to players. He gave factual
information and clarity. During that final
he tore his medial ligament, not that
anybody knew it at the time.
He played on, making big cover
Tale of the tape Ryan has a terrific Test record tackles and stealing key lineout ball