Lee Byrne a stark reminder of rugby union’s transitory nature
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Lee Byrne spent his career standing up to challenges, facing down opponents as they ran at him and putting them on their backsides.
It was all part of the job description for a full back who came late to the professional game but rose quickly to become, for a time, the best in the world.
For all his experience, though, the Welshman did not see the biggest juggernaut of all coming around the corner - and it flattened him.
The 34-year-old had been struggling to recover from surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
He was requiring painkillers
It was all part of the job description for a full back who came late to the professional game but rose quickly to become, for a time, the best in the world.
For all his experience, though, the Welshman did not see the biggest juggernaut of all coming around the corner - and it flattened him.
The 34-year-old had been struggling to recover from surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
He was requiring painkillers
