'It would cross anyone's mind that the chance was gone' - Ross Byrne

It's hard to think of any stock in Irish rugby that's risen higher than Ross Byrne's in the last six months.

For more than 18 months it seemed like he was becoming the forgotten man. In the long line of potential heirs to Johnny Sexton's throne, he'd been consistently leapfrogged by younger or flashier models; Joey Carbery, Jack Carty, Billy Burns, Ciarán Frawley, Jack Crowley and even his younger brother Harry.

Always trusted at Leinster to deliver when Sexton was unavailable, he was never truly given the same opportunity at Ireland.

But the closer you get to a World Cup, the more boxes he ticks. Even at the age of 27, he's vastly experienced, with close to 150 appearances for Leinster, and as such a regular in that team, he's acutely familiar with the core of the Irish squad.

On top of that, he's as reliable as anybody off the tee, as his game-winning penalty in the closing stages of Ireland's win against Australia shows.

Having been a late addition to the wider squad on the week of the Australia game, he was also a late addition to the matchday squad when Sexton pulled up injured in the warm-up.

More than 18 months on from his last taste of international rugby, he came off the bench to seal a dramatic Ireland win, and shoot himself right back into contention for a World Cup place.

And he admits there were times in those 18 months when he felt his international days were done.

"It definitely crossed my mind, it would cross anyone's mind that the chance was gone," he said.

"But, the only thing I could do was play week in, week out as best I could for Leinster.

"As generic as it sounds, there was no point in me worrying about anyone else. I could just worry about myself."

A few months on from that win against the Wallabies, his