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.

Early life

Baird attended The High School for three years before moving to St Michael's College and, alongside Leinster teammate

Scott Penny Scott Penny (born 22 September 1999) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster Rugby, Leinster. His preferred position is openside flanker. Early life Penny attended St Michael's College, Dublin, St Michael's College, where he starred on se ...

, was a standout performer during the 2018 Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup.

Professional career

Leinster

Strong performances at school level saw Baird rewarded with a place in Leinster's academy ahead of the 2018–19 season, 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 The 2018–19 Pro14 (also known as the '' Guinness Pro14'' for sponsorship reasons) is the eighteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the second season to be referred to as the ''Pr ...

on 27 April 2019. Many see him as the natural successor to Peter Lennon in the DUFC second row. 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 Scott Fardy (born 5 July 1984) is an Australian rugby union player who last played for Leinster in the Pro14 & the European Rugby Champions Cup from 2019 to 2021 before retirement. His playing position is either lock or blindside flanker. H ...

Ireland U20

Baird was selected to play in the Ireland under-20s squad for the

2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship was the 12th series of the Six Nations Under 20s Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. France were the defending champions. Ireland won the tournament and a Grand Slam, a ...

, Baird made two substitute appearances during the tournament; against France and Wales, as Ireland secured their first grand slam in the tournament since 2007. He was retained in the under-20s squad for the

2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship The 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the twelfth edition of the premier age-grade competition for rugby. The tournament was held in Argentina for the second time, having been hosted there in 2010. Defending champions France won the un ...

, and started in the 46–26 opening win against England, but, during the second pool fixture against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Baird was shown a

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

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 The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...

. 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 The 2021 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

. He scored his first international try for Ireland in a 57–6 win over Italy during the

2022 Six Nations The 2022 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...

Career statistics

List of international tries

References

External links

*
Leinster Academy ProfileIreland U20 ProfileU20 Six Nations ProfilePro14 Profile
1999 births Living people Rugby union players from Dublin (city) Irish rugby union players Dublin University Football Club players Leinster Rugby players Rugby union locks Ireland international rugby union players {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub