Late-blooming Bridgend boy Lee Byrne has become a key player for Wales as the Six Nations champions kick-off their title defence according to Eddie Butler in the Observer.
"What happened to Byrne that changed his life, from that journeyman full-back going slowly up his career path, to this streamlined interstellar projectile? "I don't know. I honestly don't know." Something must have happened. "I know. I do worry about the way I play. Or played. OK, I feel different now. I suppose it's all about confidence."
"There was no defining moment, no high ball that he plucked out of the air. But a lot of people put in a lot of little bits. "Lyn Jones [the former coach of the Ospreys, who has just accepted a coaching job in Abu Dhabi] was good to me. So are the current coaches under Sean Holley. But I also learned a lot from Ian Foster, the Waikato coach, who's done two short stints with us at the Ospreys. And then, of course, there's Shaun Edwards with Wales ..."
"What does Edwards tell him, or sell to him: the bigger picture or the detail? "Well, both I suppose. Shaun told me all about how he got over disappointment. But the detail is the thing. Wait, wait, don't rush into the line. Pick the angle and trust your instinct."
RSS feed
