Kildare rugby star Byrne not getting caught up with talk of inclusion in Lions tour squad

Kill native Adam Byrne is not letting the talk of being a potential bolter for the Lions tour to New Zealand get into his head, and the Leinster star is just focusing on the small matter of a Champions Cup quarter-final with Wasps next weekend. Byrne played a part in the province's 22-21 win over Cardiff on Saturday afternoon in the Pro12, but the biggest game of his career is just six days away as they prepare to welcome the English club to the Aviva Stadium. Byrne has made a phenomenal impact since breaking into the side before Christmas, scoring nine tries in 11 games, leading former World Cup winning England star Will Greenwood to suggesting that he could be a potential wildcard selection for Warren Gatland's Lions squad for the trip to the southern hemisphere.   The lads were giving me a bit of a slagging over it," he admitted in an interview with the Mail on Sunday. "It's nice to hear your name mentioned in that kind of conversation, but I kept my head down. It's extremely competitive at Leinster. All I'm focusing on is the next training session and what I could improve on." Byrne suffered serious injuries after first breaking onto the scene as an 18-year-old, and he struggled to make a significant comeback over the years, but an opportunity playing with the Irish 7's team helped him to gain recognition and highlight his athletic prowess. "It was definitely a help. I was training away in here, wasn't really getting a look-in. Sevens isn't going to suit every position in 15s but for a wide player it's great, you are on the ball a lot, get to practise skills. I was throwing over the course of a weekend about 60 passes whereas in a (15s) game you might only throw four or five." "To work on your passing and your tackling in the wide channels, work on your footwork and your speed, I really enjoyed it… showed the coaches more of a side to my game," he said. Byrne is likely to be a starter next Saturday when the look to atone for their hammering at the hands of Wasps last season, and fellow Kildare men James Tracy, Joey Carbery and Jamie Heaslip are all likely to be involved too.