Max Deegan determined to get back in Ireland reckoning

His second cap came almost three years after his first, and Leinster's Max Deegan wants to get back in the Ireland set-up as soon as possible.

Deegan was named in Andy Farrell's first squad as head coach ahead of the 2020 Six Nations championship.

When he started against Wales in February of that year he was one of a new up-and-coming crop of back rowers.

Now-regular starter Caelan Doris had just one brief appearance to his name at that point, while Jack O’Donoghue had two caps.

Gavin Coombes was uncapped and Will Connors was still eight months away from his debut, which came that October when the Six Nations resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

Josh van der Flier won his 24th cap that day, has added 34 more since and in 2022 was the European and World Rugby player of the year.

An ACL injury in October of 2020 halted Deegan’s progress with club and country but since recovering from that knee problem he has gone on to become a regular under Leo Cullen and worked his way back into the Irish reckoning, winning his second cap last November against Fiji, while he also featured on the Emerging Ireland tour of South Africa and the 'A’ game against an All Blacks XV.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport days after making his 100th Leinster appearance in the BKT URC win over the Sharks, during which he scored his side’s second try, Deegan said: "I’m unbelievably motivated to try and get back in the Irish squad. It was this time last year I got my last cap for Ireland.

"It’s been a year now and I couldn’t be more excited to try and get back into it. In and around those Six Nations games there are going to be big games coming over Christmas, European games and big inter-pro derbies.

"I’m just going to put my hand up as best I can and put on