14-05-2025
Shane Byrne's unexpected new career as he opens up about life after rugby
Former rugby player Shane Byrne has opened up about life away from retirement – as admitting he wishes he was still playing the sport. The Wicklow native professionally hung up his rugby boots in 2007, ending his career as one of the most capped Leinster players of all time and was regarded as one of most accurate line-out throwers in the world.
But life nowadays for Shane looks very different and the star now works for Bord na Mona. 'I'm in the waste management. It was a family business, and we sold sections of the business to Bord na Mona recycling and I'm now working for them.'
Asked if he missed playing on the pitch, Shane said: 'Oh god, yeah. How could you not. Look at what they are achieving now. I span a hell of a long time and when I started, Leinster was only getting going and there were only a couple of people in the stands. Now they are filling stadiums.'
He said success has driven the fans in their tens of thousands into stadiums. 'Munster started the drive in the late 90s and up to the noughties, they were the best team in Europe and we (Leinster) weren't achieving so that really got the momentum going and what Leinster did was they went right down to the grassroots and got kids into rugby.
'We need other provinces to catch up. They're just not quite there at the moment. And hopefully that will come about when you consider this the fourth sport in the country, what we're achieving is just fantastic.'
But his twin daughters, Alex and Kerry, are following in their dad's footsteps and Shane's girls play fullback and scrum half for Arklow Rugby Club. Last year, Shane beamed with pride as his daughter Kerry was named the Wicklow Rose at the Rose of Tralee.
'This was just all completely her, like we had nothing to do with it. No, we were informed, like a lot of things in her life, communication… she's 22,' he said laughing.
'She was brilliant, like, really, really impressive. They had an absolute ball. And the main thing is that she didn't win it, but she was happy with it, happy with the interviews and made lifelong friends like this. Again, they're picking the Kerry Rose, and they've gone down for the weekend for it.'
But the 53-year-old said Alex didn't express interest in entering the Rose of Tralee. 'No, she'd be the kind of girl that thinks about it, if we could just walk her into a room and tell her she has to do it. She'd be perfect, yeah, she'd be brilliant, but never say never. No other two twins have ever done it before,' he said.
In 2023, Shane signed up for a new challenge to help bridge the gap from rugby to retirement. He signed up to RTE's Dancing With The Stars and was partnered alongside pro dance partner Karen Byrne but was eliminated after orchestra week.
Speaking about his time on the show, he said: 'One of the things about it, that I suppose was the most revealing to me, was that the dancers and ourselves - those lives, would never cross. And they, like, all I can say about is they are true athletes in the true sense of the word.
'It was really impressive for me, like I really enjoyed the time. They'd be practicing the dance they have to do beforehand, and watching the interactions between each other, just a nod and a wink, and understanding very little talk, same as we used to do with the rugby league because we knew what we were doing. And watching them do that was, was I really enjoyed that end,' he added.
