There’s More To Donnacha Ryan’s Absence Against Scotland Than We Thought

This is an interesting one.

Donnacha Ryan was notably absent from Ireland’s team to face Scotland, and it led to a lot of questions being asked. The Munster lock has been in fine form this season, and was a shoe-in to start, or at least so we thought.

Ryan didn’t even make the squad last weekend, and it was clearly evident that his presence was missed at both the breakdown and the line-out against the Scots. Schmidt revealed that Ryan wasn’t fit, due to a knee injury. Ryan however was present at Murrayfield as the 24th man, showing he was fit to play.

“It was just the way it is,” says Ryan.

“Joe probably felt that with the way it was going, he probably felt I could offer the best cover as 24th man. That’s what I was asked to do.”

Henderson was preferred against the Scots.

When asked did he feel fit to start, Ryan has this to say.

“I suppose we’ll never know now. It doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, from my point of view this week, just get on with it. I’m in great shape, so luckily I got the nod this week. Hopefully, I can put in a good performance.”

Was Ryan fit? Something tells us he was.