Ireland international Ross Byrne is set for a shock move to a URC side outside of Ireland.
Byrne has been linked to a move to the Sharks in South Africa by Neil Fissler of RugbyPass.
The out-half has spent the last year at Gloucester, where his game time has dwindled with the emergence of Charlie Atkinson as a strong option at number 10.
What are the Sharks looking for in a 10?
The Sharks had recently been linked to the signing of James O’Connor, who is set to take on the starting 10 jersey at the Leicester Tigers for the rest of the year due to the injury of Billy Searle.
He has since been linked to a move back to Super Rugby with the Reds and Waratahs both interested in the veteran back.
The Sharks had also targeted a move for Tommaso Allan, who will be moving to Zebre for the 2026-27 season.
Links to all three of these players show a similar profile of players that the Sharks are on the hunt for. They are looking for an experienced international quality out-half. The links to these players are set to allow Jordan Hendrikse to focus on World Cup preparation during the 2026-27 season.
Byrne’s Gloucester troubles
Ross Byrne left Leinster at the end of last season after he had been a part of the province’s fifth URC title in 10 years. Having been the understudy to Jonny Sexton for years, he was now facing the competition of Sam Prendergast, his younger brother Harry and Ciaran Frawley. All four have been involved in the Ireland squad in recent years, with the management of Leinster and Ireland moving towards the younger options.
The number 10 was part of the 2023 Ireland squad, which won the Grand Slam. He was on the bench for four of the five games behind Sexton.
Byrne made the move to Gloucester to become a starting 10. Speaking last week, the head-coach, George Skivington spoke on the unexpected improvement of Charlie Atkinson in the 10 shirt, “Being frank, it’s not gone the way we saw it going initially. But I think you caveat that, really, with Charlie, who is in a way better position than we could have anticipated. Ross is still here, training and being positive.”
