Ryan Baird

Ryan Baird

Date of birth	(1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 (age 24)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	112 kg (247 lb; 17 st 9 lb)
School	St. Michael's College
University	Trinity College Dublin
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock, Flanker Current team Leinster Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2019– Leinster 55 (50) Correct as of 23 November 2023 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2019 Ireland U20 4 (0) 2021– Ireland 20 (5) Correct as of 16 March 2024

Ryan Baird (born 26 July 1999) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the Ireland national team.

Honours

Leinster

3x URC: 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21

Ireland

2x Six Nations Championship: 2023, 2024

2x Triple Crown: 2022, 2023

Early life

Baird attended The High School for three years before moving to St Michael's College and, alongside Leinster teammate Scott Penny, was a standout performer during the 2018 Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup. ^[1]

Professional career

Leinster

Strong performances at school level saw Baird rewarded with a place in Leinster's academy ahead of the 2018–19 season, ^[1] and he made his senior competitive debut for the province in their 14–13 defeat against Ulster during round 21 of the 2018–19 Pro14 on 27 April 2019. ^[2] Baird played as a substitute for Leinster in September 2020 in a European Rugby Champions Cup match against Saracens, earning a place in the match day 23 ahead of Australian international Scott Fardy.

Ireland U20

Baird was selected to play in the Ireland under-20s squad for the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, ^[3] Baird made two substitute appearances during the tournament; against France ^[4] and Wales, as Ireland secured their first grand slam in the tournament since 2007. ^[5] He was retained in the under-20s squad for the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship, ^[6] and started in the 46–26 opening win against England, ^[7] but, during the second pool fixture against Australia, Baird was shown a red card for a high tackle.

Ireland

In October 2020, he was named in the Ireland squad by coach Andy Farrell for the remaining matches of the 2020 Six Nations Championship. ^[8] On 27 February 2021, Baird made his debut off the bench in 10–48 victory over Italy in the third round of the 2021 Six Nations. ^[9] He scored his first international try for Ireland in a 57–6 win over Italy during the 2022 Six Nations. ^[10]

Career statistics

List of international tries

Number	Position	Points	Tries	Result	Opposition	Venue	Date	Ref.
1	Lock	5	1	Won	Italy	Aviva Stadium	27 February 2022	[11]

as of 1 March 2022 ^{[update] [12]}

References

1. "Leinster sign three Ireland U20 players up as part of academy intake for 2018/19". The42 . 25 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
2. "Report | Ulster 14–13 Leinster". Leinster Rugby. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
3. "Hawkshaw To Captain Ireland Under-20s As Squad Is Announced". Irish Rugby. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
4. "Ireland Under-20s Dethrone France To Guarantee Six Nations Title Win". Irish Rugby. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
5. "Ireland Under-20s Complete Grand Slam Mission With Bonus Point Flourish". Irish Rugby. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
6. "Ireland U-20 Squad Confirmed Ahead of Departure to Argentina". Irish Rugby. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
7. "Superb Six-Try Salvo Sees Ireland Under-20s Over The Line In Santa Fe". Irish Rugby. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
8. "Farrell includes six uncapped players in Ireland squad as Sexton retains captaincy". The 42. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
9. "Farrell's Ireland notch first win of Six Nations with six-try success over Italy". the42. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
10. "Ireland rack up 57 points after red card forces Italy down to 13 players". the42. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
11. Fanning, Brendan (27 February 2022). "Italy thrashed by Ireland after being forced to play for an hour with 13 men". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
12. "Ryan Baird". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 1 March 2022.

External links

• Ryan Baird at ESPNscrum
• Ryan Baird at ItsRugby.co.uk
• Leinster Academy Profile
• Ireland U20 Profile
• U20 Six Nations Profile
• Pro14 Profile
• Leinster Profile
• Ireland Profile