Ryan Baird

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.

Honours
Leinster

3x URC: 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21

Ireland

2x Six Nations Championship: 2023, 2024

2x Triple Crown: 2022, 2023

Early life
Baird attended The High School for three years before moving to St Michael's College and, alongside Leinster teammate Scott Penny, was a standout performer during the 2018 Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup.

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 on 27 April 2019. 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.

Ireland U20
Baird was selected to play in the Ireland under-20s squad for the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, 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, and started in the 46–26 opening win against England, but, during the second pool fixture against Australia, Baird was shown a red card 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. 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. He scored his first international try for Ireland in a 57–6 win over Italy during the 2022 Six Nations.