Pressure on Ross Byrne to deliver after Six Nations inclusion
It's been quite the week for Byrne and Carbery. There hasn't been this much drama around two lads named Ross and Joey since the final season of Friends.
Carbery was a high-profile omission from Andy Farrell's Six Nations plans earlier this week, while Byrne received a recall after so many years in the international wilderness.
The November Test against Fiji was something of a sliding doors moment for both. Carbery had been given a start against the Pacific Islanders. Albert Tuisue's sickening high hit ruled the Munster out-half out of the selection equation for the Wallabies game.
Byrne had spent the best part of 20 months out of the international picture. He had just 13 Ireland caps to his name, two of which were starts. Both against England at Twickenham on very difficult days for the visitors.
The 27-year-old may have done a double take when he saw Farrell's number flash up on his phone in the days leading up to the Australia game.
Next thing, he was lining up a late penalty from 40 metres out. Byrne stepped up and did his thing. The next morning, he woke up to see his face across all the back pages of the Sunday newspapers.
Perhaps that match-winning cameo gave Farrell and the Ireland management a jolt? Byrne grabbed their attention and the perception of the Leinster No10 has certainly changed now.
Sexton's injury has recently given Byrne an extended run in the Leinster team. In truth, he's been running the show at club level for quite some time. Leo Cullen, Stuart Lancaster and the rest of the Leinster management have always placed great faith in Sexton's so-called understudy.
It feels like Farrell and co have finally come around to the same way of thinking. Having Byrne in the Ireland camp makes sense. Leinster and the national team are effectively a mirror image of each other. Pretty much the same personnel and a familiar attacking approach.
It would make sense to draft in the playmaker who appears to share Sexton's traits when it comes to organising and driving a team around the field.
This afternoon, Byrne will get an early Six Nations audition against Racing 92 at Aviva Stadium. He could be back at this venue on the second Saturday of February when France are in town.
If Sexton's current injury is more troublesome than we are being led to believe, then Byrne is in pole position to stake his claim as Ireland's starting out-half.
And this should be a glorious opportunity to showcase his skills in front of the watching Ireland coaches.
The province have already secured qualification for the last 16 as well as home advantage for the duration. Today's final pool game against a Racing side who look completely out of sorts is another chance to lay down a marker to their rivals in the knockout stages, as well as confirming their status as top dogs in this season's tournament. Once again, Leinster have raised their attacking game to another level.
They have added more layers. The ingenuity from quick-tap penalties and sharp lineout attacks has been striking in recent weeks.
The set-piece has been a bit wobbly, but the return of Tadhg Furlong and Jason Jenkins to the fold should iron out those deficiencies later in this campaign.
It's all good vibes. Everyone involved in the organisation is driven to right a few wrongs at the business end of this tournament. Some big characters won't be around next season. They are leaving their mark at the moment.
As ever, Cullen has a ridiculous amount of resources at his disposal. The Leinster boss has looked to freshen up the pack against this hefty Parisian set of forwards.
Dan Sheehan, Ross Molony and Ryan Baird drop to the bench, but Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy and Jack Conan - who all made the cut for Farrell's squad on Thursday - are drafted in.
It's a big afternoon for Jamie Osborne as well. The Naas man has enjoyed quite the week. He will arrive into Ireland camp as an uncapped rookie. A Test cap in the championship is not beyond the talented young centre, however. Robbie Henshaw is injured, Bundee Aki is out of favour with Connacht, while Stuart McCloskey has not looked his usual barnstorming self in Ulster colours of late.
The odds of yet another Leinster player breaking into the Ireland team look short. Who better to steer that ship than Byrne?
