The Welsh international was one of the stars of the early part of the 10-match tour of the Republic before a double injury setback curtailed his first Lions adventure.

Byrne was named in the starting XV for the first Test against the Springboks in Durban but injured his foot and left the field at the ABSA Stadium five minutes before half-time.

The 29-year-old looked set to recover from that particular problem in time to play a part in the remainder of the Test series but a freak thumb injury picked up in training forced him to withdraw from the tour before the Lions reached Pretoria.

And after three months without competitive action, Byrne admits he is desperate to make an impression when he makes his first appearance of the season for the Ospreys this evening.

"I've put in the hours on the training ground and the coaches have put me through my paces - the game can't come soon enough now," said Byrne, who will wear the No 15 shirt when the Swansea-based region face Leinster at the Liberty Stadium.

"I've been back in training for a few months now and I'm feeling in good shape. There's no injury problems or hangover from the tour.

"It's nice to have a good break but there's only so much training you can do. I'm ready to play."

Byrne isn't the only Lion set to feature for the Ospreys against the European champions, with fellow Test cap Tommy Bowe named on the right wing, James Hook starting at outside-half and Mike Phillips listed among the replacements.

"The coaches have managed it so that we are coming back in stages," added Byrne, who was one of six Ospreys to play a part on the 2009 Lions tour.

"Mike and Hooky have been in the mix for a few weeks now; Tommy came off the bench last Saturday and is starting along with me this week; and Alun-Wyn (Jones) and Shane (Williams) are just about ready as well.

"We've done a lot of work in training with Johnno (Ospreys boss Scott Johnson), trying to nail new structures and calls, and the only way that we'll know that we've got it right is by getting game time and working in a live environment.

"Practice makes perfect is the saying and it's true. I can honestly say that I'm excited about getting out there and putting into practice the work that we've done over the last few months."

Ospreys: L Byrne, T Bowe, J Spratt, A Bishop, N Walker, J Hook, J Nutbrown; D Jones, H Bennett, C Mitchell, I Gough, J Thomas, J Collins, T Smith, M Holah

Replacements: R Hibbard, P James, AW Jones, F Tiatia, M Phillips, D Biggar, G Owen