The whole country was in flying form last night following Ireland’s win, and it seems that we have ‘The Big Cheese’ to thank for that.
At just 21-years-of-age, James Ryan has bagged a vital spot in Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team. The young lock forward was the top ball-carrier (15) for Ireland in their 28-8 win over Scotland this weekend and has amassed an impressive seven caps – yet to lose a game – since making his bow against USA last summer.
And you know what makes it even more impressive? It’s not even a year since his Ireland debut.
However, despite his impressive talent and undeniable thirst for the game – it appears that Ryan is not only a team player on the pitch, but also boasts an impressive amount of team spirit off the pitch.
Following the Scotland win, the tired Irish players anxiously awaited the final whistle of France and England’s game in Paris – the result of which would thereafter confirm Ireland’s status as 2018 Six Nations champions.
A tense time, indeed.
Spotting an opportunity to help, Ryan stepped up to keeping his teammates entertained with a selection of music so perfectly suited to the moment, that he’s been dubbed by the team as ‘Big Cheese’.
“James Ryan ‘The Cheese’ has got the tunes playing, which is always good,” Dan Leavy told RTE Sport’s Micil Glennon.
Following in the footsteps of Cian Healy (aka DJ Church), Ryan has stepped into the role gracefully, even referring to himself as ‘The Big Cheese’ on occasion.
“U2 was on for a bit, a bit of Daft Punk so yeah, we are enjoying ourselves,” Leavy continued.
“[James]calls himself ‘The Big Cheese’. He’s our resident DJ. Yeah, it’s weird (that he’s playing old music). I think that could be his dad’s influence on him but he loves rap, he’s got an eclectic mix.”
Good to know that Ryan has an established career waiting for him in the future.
