It’s less than four years since James Ryan made his first start for Ireland against Argentina in the final game of a successful November window.

The addition of the dynamic young second-row was one of the final pieces of Joe Schmidt’s jigsaw as the team finished on a high by beating Los Pumas and launching into a 2018 campaign where they’d make plenty of history.

Famously, Ryan couldn’t lose; Leinster went on to win the PRO14 and the Heineken Champions Cup and he consistently posted huge carrying and tackling stats as he contributed to big victories on a weekly basis.

Not that he ever got carried away. Even when he looked bullet-proof,

Ryan kept it very safe in the media; his salute celebration the only nod to the joy he was feeling inside.

Fast-forward to 2021 and the 25-year-old is still a key man in the team, but he’s seen a lot of the other side of professional sport in the intervening period.

In 2019, he learnt that nothing at this level lasts forever as Ireland fell off a cliff and got battered in a World Cup quarter-final.

The following year, he captained his country for the first time but seemed to struggle a little with the burden.

Then came a series of head injuries that broke his rhythm and damaged his confidence.

Still, he seemed like a cert for the Lions tour until Warren Gatland left him out of the squad. Even when Alun-Wyn Jones did his shoulder on the eve of departure, Ryan stayed snubbed.

“It probably wasn’t the easiest season last season,” he conceded yesterday as he reflected on his excellent performance against New Zealand which made a mockery of Gatland’s call.

“Look, I think being a player performing at this level you always have doubts.

“I have doubts when things are going pretty well for me.

“There’s a saying, ‘if you doubt yourself you trust yourself’, you know what I mean?

“You can never be comfortable and happy with where you are and I don’t think I’ve ever been complacent.

“This season has been good to me so far.

“Getting a few knocks, it takes a while to get your confidence back and build up that.

“Just get that bit of confidence. I feel like I have that back now obviously coming through a number of games.

“I’m feeling good just like everybody else.

“Beating New Zealand at home felt very satisfying. Obviously, a lot of work was put into that by the group, eight or 10 days, and to come out the right side of it was pretty good.”

Before his press conference, Ryan paid tribute to Ireland women’s captain Ciara Griffin who finishes her career with the team on Saturday.

He may be only a couple of years younger than the Kerry woman and nearing his 40th cap, but he’s very much part of the future in Andy Farrell’s set-up.

Missing the Lions was heart-breaking, but it may just have given him the mental and physical space to get back to his best.

“I don’t know, I would say that I do feel good, I feel good so far,” he said.

“I do think the break was a good thing for me.

“Physically it gave me a good chance to work on a bit of robustness and deal with a few niggles that I’d had. Since I’ve come back, I’ve felt pretty good physically.”

Against New Zealand, he cut an imposing figure. At lineout time he was dominant, while his carrying was effective as part of Ireland’s physical effort.

Once it was done, he found his father and twin brother, both named Mark, in the Aviva Stadium crowd and posed for a picture that will adorn the mantelpiece at their home in south Dublin.

After so long playing in empty arenas, it was a special moment.

“It was,” Ryan said. “It’s just not the same. It didn’t feel like the same sport.

“To have supporters out there . . . it was brilliant to have my family and friends back again.

“That’s part of the reason . . . I was chatting to somebody, they said the atmosphere almost felt like . . . people hadn’t been able to support us or watch us play or experience that for a couple of years.

“It always feels a little bit different when New Zealand come to town. I think it felt an extra bit special. It was a brilliant occasion to be involved in.

“We hope to get another good crowd this weekend so we can’t wait for it.”

Backing it up is now the focus.

“It’s very important. The big thing for us now is that we can’t come off the back of a good win and then not show up this week,” he said.

“That was the pleasing thing when we came back in, it feels like everyone’s turned the page pretty quickly.”