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Lee Byrne (born 1 June 1980) is a Welsh former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s.
While playing against Connacht Rugby in 2007, Byrne as a stand-in kicker kicked two penalties and two conversions after fly-half Shaun Connor went off injured.
Given permission to seek a new club for the 2011–12 season, Byrne signed a three-year deal to play for French club ASM Clermont Auvergne, to play his club rugby post the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
On 8 January 2014, it was reported that Byrne had agreed to join Newport Gwent Dragons from the end of the 2013–14 season.
On 23 April 2015, it was announced Byrne was to retire from all rugby with immediate effect, after failing to recover from a shoulder injury.
He scored tries against England and Italy in the 2008 Six Nations Championship. Following his performances for Wales in the 2008 Autumn Internationals against South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia (which included a try against the latter), Byrne had been tipped not only for a place in the British & Irish Lions squad, but also a place in the starting 15. Jeremy Guscott column on the BBC This was confirmed on 21 April 2009, when Byrne, along with Ireland's Rob Kearney, were selected as one of the British & Irish Lions' fullbacks for the tour. After the fourth tour match he was one of five players to be picked for three of them.
He caused controversy in February 2010 during the Scotland match when Scotland's coach Andy Robinson accused Byrne of diving to get substitute fly-half Phil Godman sent off and give Wales a penalty, from which they scored and went on to win the match.
Byrne was a member of the Wales squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He earned his final cap in the pool match against Fiji.
The couple's first child, a daughter, was born in 2019, after being conceived naturally; Byrne had previously been told by doctors that she would likely "never be able to carry her own pregnancy" and spent seven years undergoing IVF treatment.
Byrne has spoken publicly about his dyslexia. It has caused him some setbacks - "There were a couple of times where I would go out and the French players would say I wasn’t picking up French very easily. I remember one of the players saying I was lazy and I wasn't learning. Obviously there was a reason because of my dyslexia, so that upset me a little bit" - but it has not been exclusively a negative for him - "I could see space before it happened - quicker than anybody else - so in a way I suppose it was a gift for me."
In November 2017, Lee Byrne published his autobiography, The Byrne Identity. Sections from it were serialised over four editions of the Western Mail newspaper.
International tries
Wales
Loss Win Win Win 5 Win Loss Win Loss Win
Personal life
It was announced in March 2011 that Byrne had become engaged to ITV Wales Tonight presenter Andrea Byrne; they married on New Year's Day 2012.
External links
Categories: 1980 Births, Living People, 2011 Rugby World Cup Players, 21st-century British Autobiographers, 21st-century Welsh Sportsmen, Asm Clermont Auvergne Players, Bridgend Blue Bulls Players, British & Irish Lions Rugby Union Players From Wales, Dragons Rfc Players, Ospreys Players, Rugby League Players From Bridgend, Rugby Union Fullbacks, Rugby Union Players From Bridgend, Scarlets Players, Sportspeople With Dyslexia, Tondu Rfc Players, Wales International Rugby Union Players, Welsh Autobiographers, Welsh Expatriate Rugby Union Players In France, Welsh Roman Catholics, Welsh Rugby League Players, Welsh Rugby Union Players
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