Lee Byrne
Encyclopedia
Lee Martin Byrne is a Welsh
international rugby union
rugby player, who plays for ASM Clermont Auvergne
in the Top 14 and Heineken Cup
. His usual position is at full-back, although he has played on the wing.
Byrne started his career playing dual-code rugby, playing Rugby Union
for Bridgend Athletic RFC
; and Tondu RFC
, and after being spotted playing Rugby League
for Bridgend Blue Bulls
, he signed for the Llanelli Scarlets
.
Following his good performances for the Llanelli Scarlets in both the Celtic League
and the Heineken Cup during the 2005–06 season, he was called up to the national squad for the November Test series. He made his debut as a replacement against the All Blacks
on 5 November at the Millennium Stadium
. Wales lost 3–41. He also played in the win over Fiji
and the loss to South Africa
. He has since played during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
, and earned a further two caps in a mid-year series against Argentina
. His sole appearance in the 2006 Autumn internationals was on the wing against the Pacific Islands
. Byrne was a revelation in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
tournament at full back and a key component of Wales' Grand Slam.
While playing against Connacht
in 2007, Byrne demonstrated his abilities as a stand-in kicker when he kicked two penalties and two conversions, after fly-half Shaun Connor
went off injured. He scored tries against England
and Italy
in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
. Following his superb performances for Wales in the 2008 Autumn Internationals against South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia
(which included a try against the latter), Byrne had been tipped not only for a place in the British and Irish Lions
squad, but also a place in the starting 15. This was confirmed on 21 April 2009, when Byrne, along with Ireland
's Rob Kearney
, were selected as one of the British and Irish Lions' fullbacks for the tour. After the fourth tour match he was one of five players to be picked for three of them.
Bizaarely, in January 2010 Byrne made a brief appearance as an illegal 16th player in the Ospreys' 17–12 Heineken Cup win over Leicester
which led to a two-week ban. This was later overturned and replaced by a fine of 5,000 Euros leaving him free to play in Wales' opening defeat to England in the 2010 Six Nations Championship
match at Twickenham
.
He caused controversy again in February 2010 during the Scotland
match when Scotland's coach Andy Robinson
accused Byrne of diving to get substitute fly-half Phil Godman
sent off and give Wales a penalty, from which they scored and went on to win the match.
Given permission to seek a new club for the 2011-12 season, Byrne signed a three year deal to play for French club ASM Clermont Auvergne
, where he will play his club rugby post the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
It was announced in late March that Byrne had become engaged to ITV Wales Tonight presenter Andrea Benfield
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
rugby player, who plays for ASM Clermont Auvergne
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne are a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system, ASMCA are the were the 2010 France Top 14 Champions. It is the rugby section of the multi-sport club...
in the Top 14 and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
. His usual position is at full-back, although he has played on the wing.
Byrne started his career playing dual-code rugby, playing Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Bridgend Athletic RFC
Bridgend Athletic RFC
Bridgend Athletic RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Bridgend in South Wales. They are members of the Welsh Rugby Union playing in the Division One West league and are a feeder club for the Ospreys.-Brief History:...
; and Tondu RFC
Tondu RFC
Tondu Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Aberkenfig, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Two West League and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.....
, and after being spotted playing Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
for Bridgend Blue Bulls
Bridgend Blue Bulls
Bridgend Blue Bulls RLFC are a rugby league side based in Porthcawl, Wales. They play in the Welsh Premier of the Rugby League Conference. They are the most successful amateur rugby league team in Wales, having won the Welsh Premier a record five times, as well as winning the Harry Jepson Trophy...
, he signed for the Llanelli Scarlets
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Llanelli, south-west Wales the team play at the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, as well as competing in the LV= Cup and the Heineken Cup...
.
Following his good performances for the Llanelli Scarlets in both the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and the Heineken Cup during the 2005–06 season, he was called up to the national squad for the November Test series. He made his debut as a replacement against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
on 5 November at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
. Wales lost 3–41. He also played in the win over Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
and the loss to South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He has since played during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, and earned a further two caps in a mid-year series against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
. His sole appearance in the 2006 Autumn internationals was on the wing against the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
. Byrne was a revelation in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
tournament at full back and a key component of Wales' Grand Slam.
While playing against Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
in 2007, Byrne demonstrated his abilities as a stand-in kicker when he kicked two penalties and two conversions, after fly-half Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor
Shaun Connor is a Welsh rugby union player. He also helps in management in the Ospreys Under 20 side. A fly half, he scored a total of 456 points for the Ospreys and was influential in their historic 24–16 win against Australia at the Liberty Stadium....
went off injured. He scored tries against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. Following his superb performances for Wales in the 2008 Autumn Internationals against South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
(which included a try against the latter), Byrne had been tipped not only for a place in the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
squad, but also a place in the starting 15. This was confirmed on 21 April 2009, when Byrne, along with Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
's Rob Kearney
Rob Kearney
Robert Kearney , also referred to as Rob Kearney, is an Irish rugby union footballer who currently plays for UCD, Leinster and Ireland. As a youth he also played rugby union for Clongowes Wood College and Gaelic football for Louth in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship...
, were selected as one of the British and Irish Lions' fullbacks for the tour. After the fourth tour match he was one of five players to be picked for three of them.
Bizaarely, in January 2010 Byrne made a brief appearance as an illegal 16th player in the Ospreys' 17–12 Heineken Cup win over Leicester
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
which led to a two-week ban. This was later overturned and replaced by a fine of 5,000 Euros leaving him free to play in Wales' opening defeat to England in the 2010 Six Nations Championship
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
match at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
.
He caused controversy again in February 2010 during the Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
match when Scotland's coach Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
accused Byrne of diving to get substitute fly-half Phil Godman
Phil Godman
Phil Godman, nicknamed "Mad Phil" was born May 20, 1982 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Educated at Merchiston Castle School where he captained the rugby union side to victory in the Scottish Schools Cup. He signed a professional contract with Newcastle Falcons after leaving Merchiston...
sent off and give Wales a penalty, from which they scored and went on to win the match.
Given permission to seek a new club for the 2011-12 season, Byrne signed a three year deal to play for French club ASM Clermont Auvergne
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne are a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system, ASMCA are the were the 2010 France Top 14 Champions. It is the rugby section of the multi-sport club...
, where he will play his club rugby post the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
It was announced in late March that Byrne had become engaged to ITV Wales Tonight presenter Andrea Benfield
Andrea Benfield
Andrea Benfield , is an English journalist, currently working with ITV.Benfield is engaged to Wales rugby player Lee Byrne.-Early life:...
.
External links
- Ospreys profile
- Wales profile
- Lee Byrne on sporting-heroes.net
- Lee Byrne on ercrugby.com