Ross Byrne says he's taking every appearance in his stride, ahead of what could be his first Guinness Six Nations start this Saturday against Italy.
The Leinster out-half will likely be handed the 10 jersey if Johnny Sexton fails to recover from the groin injury he suffered against France in Round 2; the captain didn't train with the squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbotstown on Tuesday.
All but two of Byrne's 16 Irish caps have come from the bench, with both his starts being against England at Twickenham, the first of those being a chastening World Cup warm-up defeat in 2019, before another loss in the Autumn Nations Cup of 2020.
Should he be included from the start against Italy in Rome on Saturday, it would be his first time starting a Six Nations game for Ireland, but the 27-year-old says he won't be sucked in by the occasion.
"It would be big but I'll just treat it like I normally would," he said.
"I’ve played a lot of games this year and I am pretty happy with how that has gone and my preparation. I won’t be doing anything too different."
Byrne has been in impressive form for both Leinster and Ireland this season, coming off the bench in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations, and excelled in his 30-minute cameo against France, replacing the injured Sexton to steer Ireland to a bonus-point win.
"We won, so that's obviously the most important thing. I was delighted to get the game time, get the win and the bonus point. It sets us up well for the next few weeks.
However the out-half says his apparent improved form has been blown slightly out of proportion.
"Look it’s just little bits and pieces. It hasn’t been one big change. Over the last couple of years I’ve played a lot of games as well. Some of them have been big games. A couple of big losses as well. You learn harsh lessons but it's trying to take bits of experience and improve each day. That’s something I have tried to do and I think it has gone pretty well over the last year or so.
"I think when you're not in the squad, you see the squad doing so well and you want to be a part of it. Everyone wants to be part of a winning team, so it definitely gives you a little bit of edge that you strive to get back into the team.
"It's definitely a confidence booster when you get back in the squad, and then trying to get as much gametime as possible. I'm not trying to do anything too different, I've been very happy with how I've been going. It's just doing what I've been doing and trying to grow bits and pieces off that."
Having been behind multiple other 10s in the Irish pecking order, Byrne has leapfrogged over his younger brother Harry, as well as the likes of Joey Carbery, Jack Crowley and Jack Carty as the next in line to Sexton since the Autumn Nations Series.
Sexton's groin injury has seen Carbery return to camp this week as additional cover, having been left out for the opening two games.
But Byrne says he's not getting distracted by any extra competition in the group.
"It hasn't really changed anything. There's competition across sport in every position, it's the same in Leinster.
"You're dealing with competition every day, I haven't been really worried about what the other lads are doing, I can't control that, I've just been looking after my own performances and trying to get the best out of myself.
"It's brilliant, I'm absolutely loving being back. The last two performances, you can see how they've been and you can see there's a lot more room for growth which is hugely exciting.
"I spoke about this a while ago. Before I got the call in November, there were definitely times I thought I'd never get back in. You just have to be patient, which isn't always easy. And hopefully when you do get an opportunity you just have to make the most of it."
Watch live coverage of Italy v Ireland (Saturday 2.15pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
Watch live coverage of France v Scotland (Sunday, 3pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
