Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby

ISSUE 07 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

SEÁN 

CRONIN 

HUGO 

KEENAN 

JORDAN 

LARMOUR 

Gibson-Park 

Jamison 

JAN 

08 

20 

21 

KICK OFF 19:35

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#LEIVULS 

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Telephone: 

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E-mail: 

information@leinsterrugby.ie 

www.leinsterrugby.ie 

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT 

President: John Walsh 

Chief Executive: Michael Dawson 

Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley 

Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail 

RUGBY MANAGEMENT 

Head Coach: Leo Cullen 

Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster 

Head of Rugby Operations: 

Guy Easterby 

Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde 

Backs Coach: Felipe Contepomi 

Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell 

Contact Skills Coach: Hugh Hogan 

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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3 | From The Ground Up

The wise words of Seamus Heaney 

come to mind as we approach the 

half way point in our rugby season; 

”If we winter this one out, we can 

summer anywhere.” 

First and foremost, I hope all involved in 

rugby in Leinster and Ulster had a good 

Christmas given the circumstances that 

currently embrace our lives at all levels. 

Hopefully the New Year will bring us some 

relief and that our sport can once again 

resume to play it’s important role in our 

lives and that of our communities. 

On behalf of Leinster Rugby, we welcome 

Ulster to the RDS Arena for Round 11 

of the Guinness PRO14 and a fixture 

that has extra spice added to it as it is 

the second fixture of the interprovincial 

championship. A warm welcome to the 

Ulster management team of Gary Leslie 

(President), Philip Gregg (Senior Vice 

President), Denis Gardiner (Junior Vice 

President) and Jonny Petrie (CEO). 

We also welcome Dan McFarland (Head 

Coach), Ulster skipper Iain Henderson and 

the players for their first visit of the year to 

the RDS. 

I am reminded that the Leinster v Ulster 

fixture is the oldest fixture in Irish Rugby 

with the first ever interprovincial match 

between the sides having taken place 

in 1875. This fixture marks the 102nd 

occasion that we have met with Leinster 

winning 60 of those encounters and Ulster 

with 35 wins and just 6 draws. 

Dan McFarland will be aware that in 

recent times the RDS has become a fortress 

for Leinster but I’m sure he will be planning 

accordingly to bring that hoodoo to an end 

in similar fashion to what Connacht did. 

This Ulster side have gone undefeated 

in their 10 Guinness PRO14 fixtures this 

season and top Conference A. Leinster are 

in second position in the Conference so 

this fixture has major significance for both 

sides and the often quoted Chinese phrase, 

“May you live in interesting times”, seems 

appropriate. 

Sadly however on this occasion the RDS 

Arena will be absent of the faithful fans 

from both sides and the unique atmosphere 

that they bring to these special occasions. 

The most memorable of our previous 

clashes from a Leinster perspective was in 

the 17th edition of the Heineken European 

JOHN WALSHWEL COME 

Cup final of 2012 when we had our own 

‘All-Ireland Final’ in front of 82,000 fans in 

the hallowed grounds of Twickenham. 

This was the only occasion in the history of 

the tournament that two Irish teams faced 

each other in a final and which showcased 

that our sport on the island is both strong 

and inclusive. Ulster were to the forefront 

of developing our appetite for European 

rugby and were the first of our provinces 

to record a European Cup win when they 

defeated Brive in the final in Lansdowne 

Road in 1999 and like many Irish rugby 

followers we were supporting our northern 

brethren on that occasion. 

After all this is the land that gave us the 

iconic rugby heroes Jack Kyle, Syd Millar, 

Mike Gibson and Willie John McBride. 

All four have been inducted into World 

Rugby’s Hall of Fame and the latter two 

have both toured a record five tours with 

the Lions. 

In recent times, Ireland skipper Rory Best 

has followed in their footsteps with 124 

Ireland caps and 218 appearances for 

Ulster and in doing so becoming a role 

model for our sport. In total, over 32 Ulster 

players have donned the Lions jersey and 

represented their clubs, province and 

country with distinction both on the pitch 

and in the administration of rugby. 

At this time of the year we usually reflect 

on the year gone by but for many 2020 

has been the annus horribilis and indeed 

may be summed up as bleak and brutal, 

but there were some stand-out moments for 

us as a club. 

Leinster winning a third consecutive 

Guinness PRO14 and losing just one 

fixture throughout the year to our friends, 

Saracens. 

For a number of Leinster players, 2020 

will always have special memories as 

they got their first Irish cap so well done 

to them and the very best for the future. 

We congratulate our players, coaches 

and support team for their dedication 

that brought so many victories and happy 

memories in the calendar year. 

Regrettably for Leinster fans, we were 

unable to acknowledge the contributions 

that Rob Kearney and Fergus McFadden 

have made to Leinster and give them a 

fitting farewell that reflected our gratitude 

to them. Thank you and best wishes for the 

future from all in Leinster Rugby. 

Congratulations and special thank you to 

Marcus Ó Buachalla and his innovative, 

creative and dedicated team of Conor 

Sharkey, Ryan Corry and Lisa Doyle for all 

their efforts in producing the first edition of 

Across the Laighin for the Leinster Official 

Members. This 67-page magazine is a 

must read and gives a fascinating insight to 

numerous aspects of Leinster Rugby. 

World Rugby and their constituent Unions 

have faced a very challenging 2020 due 

to the effect Covid-19 has had on the 

finances of all involved. Added to this is 

the recent announcement that several high 

profile former international players have 

been diagnosed with the early onset of 

dementia. World Rugby will need to take 

immediate steps to ensure that the game 

has the highest safety standards possible 

in order to maintain its worldwide growth 

at all levels. 

Our nation is now experiencing a new 

assault from the Covid-19 pandemic and 

all in Leinster Rugby are fully cognisant of 

the impact that this brings to our lives not 

to mention our sport. Once again a heavy 

burden has fallen on our medical and 

front line workers in the fight to defeat this 

unseen enemy. 

All involved in Leinster Rugby must be 

prepared to give their full support to those 

on that team and adhere to the medical 

advice that we receive. 

May I wish all involved in our great sport a 

happy and prosperous New Year and that 

it brings you and those that you hold dear 

to you joy and happiness into your lives. 

As Dave Allen used 

to comment at the 

end of his comedy 

shows: “May your 

God go with you.” 

JOHN WALSH 

PRESIDENT 

LEINSTER RUGBY, 

2020/21 


Leo Cullen 

HEAD COACH WELCOME 

A WARM 

WELCOME 

TO DAN 

MCFARLAND 

AND HIS 

ULSTER TEAM 

TO THE RDS 

ARENA FOR 

TONIGHT’S 

GUINNESS 

PRO14 DERBY. 

ULSTER 

HAVE BEEN 

PLAYING WELL 

AND RIDING 

HIGH IN 

THE LEAGUE 

SO FAR THIS 

SEASON, AND 

WE KNOW 

WE’RE IN FOR 

A TOUGH 

CHALLENGE 

AGAINST 

A TEAM IN 

FORM. 

That said, we’re extremely grateful to 

be playing at all. 

Ireland has gone back into a Level 5 lockdown 

and we know how lucky we are to be able to 

continue doing what we love while so many 

are subject to restrictions. It’s been a really 

tough start to the new year for a lot of people, 

and I hope the prospect of a game to watch on 

TV can lift the spirits. 

We needed a bit of lifting ourselves after last 

weekend! We were all very disappointed to 

lose against Connacht, especially as it ended 

our 26-game unbeaten run in the competition. 

However, there were some positives to take out 

of the game, none more so than seeing three 

young players make their Leinster debuts. 

A big congratulations to the three lads in 

question, who all made their way into the 

senior side in different ways. 

Max O’Reilly and Andrew Smith are both still 

in the Leinster Academy and their first caps are 

a testament to all the superb coaching and 

development work that goes on behind the 

scenes here. 

Meanwhile, Greg McGrath, who started with 

Wexford Wanderers, has been playing club 

rugby with Lansdowne while working tirelessly 

on his own as well – a brilliant example of 

‘sticking at it’ for all club players out there. 

Of course, we would have preferred a winning 

start to these three hugely promising careers 

but – as with everyone in the squad that 

night – hopefully they will have learned some 

valuable lessons that will serve them well in 

the future. 

A last word on the Connacht game, and 

another positive on an otherwise disappointing 

night, was seeing so many former Leinster 

players in the visiting squad. 

While this is obviously a source of immense 

pride for the club to see players who have 

come through the Leinster pathway still involved 

in the professional game, we also know from 

history how motivated these players are when 

they come up against their former ‘home’ team! 

And we can expect more of the same tonight 

with a fair few ex-Leinstermen likely to be lining 

out against us. We have been warned! 

A big thank-you as always to all the team’s 

sponsors, especially Bank of Ireland, who 

continue to give us their support during these 

challenging times. Things are tough for all 

companies and organisations right now, and 

we really appreciate the backing we get from 

our corporate partners. 

As we prepare for another game behind 

closed doors, the backing we really miss is the 

noise and colour of our supporters. I know you 

are as eager to get back to the RDS as we are 

to have you back, and hopefully that day will 

come in the next few months. In the meantime, 

we will do our best to produce the sort of 

performances you can be proud of. 

For now, let’s be patient, look after one another 

and stay safe. 

Enjoy the game. 

Leo 


JOANN 

HOSEY 

PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR 

BANK OF IRELAND DUBLIN 

A VERY WARM 

WELCOME 

BACK TO THE 

RDS ARENA 

FOR THE FIRST 

OF THREE 

BACK-TO- 

BACK FRIDAY 

EVENING 

GAMES IN THE 

GUINNESS 

PRO14 AND 

IN EUROPEAN 

COMPETITION. 

This time last year, home Friday night 

fixtures were the games that people 

most looked forward to, signalling 

the end of the working week and 

creating a buzz around the Ballsbridge 

area. Covid-19 however has put a 

temporary halt to these kinds of 

proceedings, making those Friday 

nights feel very far away. 

In our new reality though, and following on 

from the postponed Munster game on St 

Stephen’s Day and the recent positive Covid 

cases in both the Leinster and the Connacht 

camps, the need for us all to remain vigilant 

and play our part in the effort against 

Coronavirus has never been greater. The 

Level 5 restrictions we are now living with will 

test us all in the coming weeks, but foremost 

in our thoughts are those currently suffering 

with Covid-19. We wish them all a speedy 

recovery. 

Despite this evening’s game being played 

without fans, the magic of an Interpro meeting 

between Leinster and Ulster still remains. And 

given it’s a top of the table clash between Leo 

Cullen and Dan McFarland’s sides, with vital 

points on offer in the battle for supremacy at 

the top of Conference A, adds further to the 

excitement. 

As a proud sponsor of the four provinces, it 

is fantastic to see them all riding high in the 

Guinness PRO14. After last week’s defeat to 

Connacht though, Leinster will be looking to 

bounce back straight away with a win over 

their northern rivals, while Ulster will no doubt 

be keen on maintaining their own unbeaten 

PRO14 record. The scene is set for a mouthwatering 

clash between these age-old rivals. 

Whilst there are many things to worry us at the 

moment, I hope that for 80 minutes this evening 

at least we can all sit back and marvel at the 

Never Stop Competing spirit of both these 

teams. 

We wish them well and enjoy the game. 

JH 


FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION ON 

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WHY IT MATTERS 

EIMEAR CONSIDINE | IRELAND & MUNSTER 

From left: Máire Treasa Ní Dubhbgaill, Máire Ní Bhraonáin, Deirbhile Níc Bháird, Jenny Murphy, Eimear Considine 

Whether it’s international rugby or live 

broadcasting, nobody gets picked unless 

they’re good enough. Every team I’ve 

been on has been selected solely on 

merit. 

It was no different in November when I 

was part of TG4’s all-female talent on their 

Leinster v Cardiff Blues broadcast for the 

Guinness PRO14. Yes, it was historic to see 

an all-female team and we all felt great 

pride (and pressure!), but every person 

had proven they were right for the job. 

Quite rightly, TG4 has picked up a lot of 

positive attention and hopefully this is a 

step in the right direction towards a new 

normal, where fans get opinions, analysis 

and commentary from people who have 

the experience to provide the insights – 

regardless of gender. 

I can’t imagine what my young teenage 

self would have made of this. When I look 

back to that time in Ireland, I can only 

think of Sonia O’Sullivan competing at the 

Olympics as a role model for girls. Now, 

women’s international sports have such 

a greater platform and aspiring female 

athletes today have so many stars to look 

up to. 

Twenty years ago, there were very few 

Katie Taylors, Emily Scarratts, Serena 

Williams or Megan Rapinoes like we 

have today – people who have become 

household names. 

None of this happens overnight. Women’s 

sport and female athletes have moved out 

of the shadows and into the same arenas 

and stadiums as their male counterparts 

through support from clubs, sports 

organisations, broadcasters and sponsors. 

It’s proven now that if you show women’s 

sport in prime-time slots, people will 

watch. 

For those of you from outside Ireland, 

TG4 are an Irish-language station that 

have been very progressive in their 

broadcasting of women’s sport and 

promoting female talent for over 20 years. 

Their support of Gaelic football has led 

to record attendances for women’s finals 

and they have been keen to put strong, 

capable women on their rugby broadcasts 

for a number of seasons now. In Ireland, 

they have certainly been part of the first 

waves of momentum we see today. 

An all-female line-up was not about 

courting publicity. I’ve been involved for 

three years with TG4 and during that time 

they have assembled and developed the 

talent to make it work. 

Our leading host, Máire Treasa Ní 

Dubhbgaill is a hugely recognisable face in 

Irish sports broadcasting and she has been 

phenomenal at her job for over a decade. 

Deirbhile Níc Bháird has played in the 

backs and the forwards, played for Ireland, 

played Sevens and she has an insight that 

very few can provide. 

Jenny Murphy conducted interviews 

and provided analysis and she has an 

accomplished rugby CV having won a 

Grand Slam, played Sevens for Ireland 

and represented the Baa-Baas. Máire 

Ní Bhraonáin, who works at Clongowes 

College where she gets to see the latest 

Leinster talent emerge, was our lead 

commentator and she has already got 

plenty of Guinness PRO14 games under 

her belt now. Our team at the RDS was 

well proven, that’s for sure. 

Earlier, I mentioned Emily Scarratt, who is 

the most talented player I’ve ever come 

across in rugby. When she won the Player 

of the Tournament award for the Six 

Nations, the announcement was made in 

tandem with Antoine Dupont’s win for the 

male award. Guinness’ decision to sponsor 

the Womens’ Six Nations has massively 

helped the profile of women’s rugby in 

Europe. 

We see it all the time now, especially 

with the England national team who play 

at Twickenham – usually on the same 

day as the mens’ team. Last year another 

Irish international, Louise Galvin, and 

myself were part of eir Sport’s World Cup 

coverage. 

I was fortunate to appear in a national TV 

advert alongside Tommy Bowe, Gordon 

D’Arcy and Peter Stringer – three icons of 

Irish rugby, and that again elevated the 

perception of female athletes. So much 

so, in fact, that because our training 

schedule for the national team limited our 

appearances – an expectancy was created 

and any time we were not involved, fans 

were asking about us. 

All of this visibility and support is making a 

real difference. 

My cousin’s daughter, Éowyn, has become 

obsessed with rugby because she can 

watch the women’s team play on TV. She 

can go see Munster and Ireland play live 

at proper stadiums that make it a great 

day out for families. Ahead of the men’s 

World Cup last year the national squad 

were doing an open training session in 

each province, but when she arrived at the 

event in Thomond Park she was distraught 

because it was the men’s team and not the 

women’s! 

That hits home because to her it’s normal to 

see women playing elite sport, it’s normal 

to see big crowds attending their games 

and it’s normal to see female TV analysts. 

In Ireland we have the 20x20 campaign 

(#CantSeeCantBe) urging everyone 

involved in sport to find ways to play their 

part and it is great to see TG4 being such 

leaders in 

this space. 

We’ve also 

received great 

support from 

our provinces and sponsors but I would 

challenge everyone to ask what more can 

they do to raise the profile of women in 

sport? What other broadcasters and media 

outlets can follow this path? 

We’ve proven that if she can see it, she can 

be it… but we can’t and we won’t stop there.

Did you 

know? 

• Leinster Rugby’s incredible 

26 match winning run in the 

Guinness PRO14 ended on 

Saturday at the hands of 

Connacht. The Leinstermen 

have never lost successive 

Championship matches at the 

RDS Arena. 

• Ulster Rugby are now the 

only remaining side with a 

100% winning record in the 

Guinness PRO14 this season, 

winning ten out of ten so far. 

• The last time the Ulstermen 

lost away from home in 

the Championship was to 

Connacht at Aviva Stadium in 

August. 

• Leinster have lost only once 

to Ulster in their last eight 

meetings in all tournaments: 

13-14 in Belfast in April 2019. 

• Ulster’s solitary victory in 

seventeen previous visits to the 

RDS Arena came in March 

2013. 

#LEIVuls 

Overall Guinness 

PRO14 head to head 

record: 

40 30 8 2 

PLAYED Leinster won Leinster lost DRAWs 

COMPARISON 

Last 3 PRO14 results: 

LEINSTER 

16 Nov - Edinburgh (H) 

W 50-10 

22 Nov - Cardiff Blues (H) 

W 40-5 

2 Jan - Connacht (H) 

L 24-35 

Conf A: 

2nd - W7 D0 L1 - 36pts 

WWWWWL 

(26pts) 

Scott Penny 6 

Harry Byrne 46 

ULSTER 

PRO14 

2020/21 

PRO14 

form 

Top try 

scorer 

Top points 

scorer 

30 Nov - Edinburgh (A) 

W 43-14 

27 Dec - Connacht (A) 

W 32-19 

2 Jan - Munster (H) 

W 15-10 

Conf A: 

1st - W10 D0 L0 - 46pts 

WWWWWW 

(28pts) 

8 Marcell Coetzee 

78 John Cooney 

Date Venue L U Leinster scorers Ulster scorers 

Sat 6 Jan 18 RDS Arena 38 7 Ross Byrne(3C) Barry Daly(T) Jordan 

Larmour(2T) Fergus McFadden(2T) Johnny 

Sexton(T/C) 

Sat 5 Jan 19 RDS Arena 40 7 Andrew Porter(T) Ciaran Frawley(4C) Sean 

Cronin(2T) Jamison Gibson-Park(T) Penalty 

Try(T) Conor O'Brien(T) 

Sat 27 Apr 19 

Kingspan 

Stadium 

13 14 Ross Byrne(P) Fergus McFadden(T) Jimmy 

O'Brien(T) 

Fri 20 Dec 19 RDS Arena 54 42 Robbie Henshaw(T) Max Deegan(2T) Harry 

Byrne(7C) Scott Penny(2T) Cian Kelleher(T) 

Rob Kearney(T) Fergus McFadden(T) 

Sat 29 Aug 20 Aviva Stadium 28 10 Ross Byrne(C/3P) Harry Byrne(T/C) Scott 

Penny(T) Ed Byrne(T) 

Sat 12 Sep 20 

Aviva Stadium 

(TF) 

27 5 James Lowe(T) Robbie Henshaw(T) Ross 

Byrne(2C/2P) Caelan Doris(T) Johnny 

Sexton(C) 

Jacob Stockdale(T) John Cooney(C) 

Adam McBurney(T) Johnny McPhillips(C) 

Dave Shanahan(T) Johnny McPhillips(C) Peter 

Nelson(C) Marcus Rea(T) 

Craig Gilroy(T) Matt Faddes(T) Angus 

Kernohan(T) Bill Johnston(6C) Johnny 

Stewart(T) Greg Jones(2T) 

Rob Herring(T) John Cooney(C/P) 

James Hume(T) 


Gibson-Park 

JAMISON 

JAMISON GIBSON- 

PARK FIRST LANDED ON 

THESE SHORES IN THE 

SUMMER OF 2016. 

A SUPER RUGBY 

WINNER WITH THE 

HURRICANES, HE WAS 

BARELY OFF THE PLANE, 

WINNERS’ MEDAL STILL 

WARM IN HIS POCKET, 

WHEN HE WAS INTO 

LEINSTER RUGBY DUTY 

PLAYING AGAINST 

BATH RUGBY IN A PRE- 

SEASON FRIENDLY IN 

DONNYBROOK. 

From The Ground Up | 14 | www.leinsterrugby.ie


“It was a crazy few weeks really. 

It wasn’t on the horizon at all but 

my agent put it to me one day 

and yes it was a difficult decision 

to make but I discussed it with my 

family and with Patti and then 

we said, ‘why not?’. The chance 

to see some of the world and 

experience a different culture, 

what was there not to love about 

the opportunity. 

“We really haven’t looked back and as a 

family we have settled really well here.” 

In the crowd that evening for the game 

against Bath in Donnybrook were his 

partner (now fiancée) Patti, and their 

daughter Isabella, then barely 18 months 

old. 

It was a journey that fellow Kiwi 

Hayden Triggs had made a year before, 

uprooting his family from New Zealand 

to Dublin. 

But while Triggs was a 34-year-old 

veteran of the professional game, Gibson- 

Park was still only 23, still finding his feet. 

As he looks back now, he realises it was 

a lot to take on. 

“I was still so young. Just 23 and 

maybe I didn’t give it the proper careful 

consideration that I should have. 

“Young family too and maybe we didn’t 

appreciate then what a big change it 

would be but we were just really keen to 

get over to this side of the world. 

“Yes there were so many great things 

about it and the opportunity to play with 

a club like Leinster but it’s tough. 

With that level of exposure, it wasn’t long 

before tongues started to wag and talk of 

an Irish call-up intensified in particular as 

the end of his three-year residency period 

drew nearer. 

“It’s all noise really because you have to 

just focus on what is in front of you and 

that’s a really tough battle with the other 

“BEING THERE IN CAMP 

WITH IRELAND AND 

JUST LEARNING OFF THE 

OTHER BOYS. THERE 

WERE CHALLENGES, FOR 

SURE, IT WAS LIKE BEING 

BACK IN SCHOOL FOR 

THE FIRST THREE WEEKS! 

IT WAS PROPER HEAD IN 

THE BOOKS STUFF!” 

nines we have here in Leinster. That’s the 

biggest thing in my control so you focus 

on that. 

“You’re right though! There was a lot of it 

and I kept getting asked but I had to just 

focus on playing well for Leinster because 

beyond that it was really outside of my 

control. There are so many quality nines 

“Not just for me but for Patti as well. But 

thankfully we have settled really well and 

Isabella is thriving. She’s now in school 

– well she was until this latest lockdown 

– and we have another little girl as well, 

Iris. It’s awesome. She’s 15-months-old 

now and wrecking the gaff and tearing 

up the place as you can imagine! 

“There is no better feeling in the world 

than coming home from training and in 

to the house to them. We love it here and 

long may that continue.” 

That first season in Leinster blue saw 

Gibson-Park play an impressive 29 times 

as the team reached the semi-finals of the 

PRO14 and of Europe. 


in Ireland as well and I didn’t want to be 

disrespectful to them either. They were in 

there and it was up to me to work hard 

and to earn my shot and then see from 

there.” 

Playing 29 times in his first season and 

22 times in his second, is all the more 

impressive when you consider the rule 

that impacted on himself and Messrs. 

Fardy and Lowe in that second year. 

In summary only two of that three could 

be in a match-day 23 at any one time. 

He played in the Champions Cup Final in 

Bilbao in 2018 but missed out two weeks 

later in the Guinness PRO14 Final at 

Aviva Stadium. 

again and to reach the finals. It was 

special.” 

He can laugh it all off now and to be fair 

he tried to then as well! 

In an Instagram post in May 2018, 

Gibson-Park extended the ‘three into two’ 

courtesy to the two lads again, offering to 

be their Designated Driver and to stay on 

the water while they enjoyed a few pints 

in the company of the two trophies! 

Frustrating yes, but it hasn’t sullied his 

recollection of his first trophies with 

Leinster. 

“2018 was brilliant not just for the wins 

but the way we managed to bounce 

back from the two semi-finals the year 

before because that was a serious low for 

us as a group. 

“It was incredible. A season I will never 

forget. To back up a disappointing 

season like that and to go the full season 

But here he is now. Over four years 

later, Irish qualified and capped and 

closing in on a century of Leinster 

appearances. 


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It’s been some journey. 

His first experience of international rugby. 

How was it? 

“It was crazy, eh? Being there in camp 

with Ireland and just learning off the other 

boys. There were challenges, for sure, it 

was like being back in school for the first 

three weeks! It was proper head in the 

books stuff! 

“It was difficult with Covid going on 

and living in the bubble and then there 

was the time away from family. I have 

obviously done trips abroad before but 

this was an extended period of time so 

that was difficult but it was the same for 

everyone. Everyone in society was taking 

a hit. But, what an experience to train with 

those lads and then to play with Ireland.” 

What was it like training with scrumhalves 

like Conor Murray that had been in his 

sights up until now to now sharing a 

common goal with them? 

“It was awesome. Just to get their take 

on things but to be fair it wasn’t just the 

half-backs it was everyone really. Fierce 

competitors on the pitch and now getting 

to know them as people. 

“We had some great time on the field, 

working hard together but then when the 

time allowed good craic off the pitch as 

well. 

“Really good fellas.” 

And then it was time to make his debut. 

Off the bench against Italy in the Six 

Nations, but of course due to Covid-19, 

in a game played in October. And in an 

empty stadium. 

What stands out for him? 

“The debut was awesome. Obviously the 

team getting the win first and foremost but 

then doing it with the other Leinster lads. 

“WE HAD SOME GREAT TIME ON THE 

FIELD, WORKING HARD TOGETHER BUT 

THEN WHEN THE TIME ALLOWED GOOD 

CRAIC OFF THE PITCH AS WELL.” 

“Will, Hugo and Ed as well. Such 

different journeys for us all, some crazy 

journeys, eh, but us all getting to that 

point together was really special.” 

Of course, with Covid-19 impacting, there 

was no Patti in attendance, no Isabella 


unning onto the pitch into her daddy’s 

arms. 

Instead, it was left to Patti and a few 

family members to look after celebrating 

the moment for those new caps. 

“It was lovely. The Irish management 

basically arranged for videos to be sent 

in to us and it was awesome. Just to see 

what it meant to the families of all the 

players who couldn’t be there on match 

day to celebrate with us in person. It was 

awesome. 

“Patti was put to work! And it wasn’t 

easy! My family are tricky to track at 

the best of times but she got there in the 

end and did a brilliant job. My folks, my 

grandparents, my brothers, cousins. It 

was brilliant. She did a great job. It was a 

massive lift for us all to get those personal 

videos to mark the occasion.” 

And while he loved his own personal 

video, he mentions with equal 

appreciation the video presented to Ed 

Byrne. 

“As I said earlier everyone is on a 

different journey but Eddie has had a hell 

of a tough one. His video was probably 

the most incredible of the bunch. Nobody 

knows how tough that is. To be out of the 

game for so long and to stick at it and 

to keep going…yeah I think we will all 

remember that video and the sentiment 

expressed in it. 

“Everyone was chuffed to bits for him.” 

His own road to that first Ireland cap 

started on Great Barrier Island in New 

Zealand and while he admits to having 

little rugby in his formative years, it took 

off when he went to school. 

“I think most kids in New Zealand grow 

up with that rugby buzz but to be fair 

there wasn’t much of a rugby influence on 

the Island. Maybe a bit at the weekend, 

you’d pick up a ball and have a bit of a 

run around but there wasn’t any team as 

such to play with. 

“But it is the national sport in New 

Zealand so it is everywhere or was in 

my circle but really it was when I was 11 

or 12 and got to school that it took off 

but even at that it wasn’t until much later 

again and when I left school that I felt it 

could actually turn into a career. 

“I genuinely never thought I could play 

pro footie and yet here we are!” 

Here we are indeed with 97 Leinster 

caps, five Ireland caps, a Super Rugby 

title, a Champions Cup title and three 

Guinness PRO14 titles to his name. 

Not bad. 

Gisborne Boys High School is the school 

in question that got him going and before 

long it was playing with Taranaki in the 

Mitre 10 Cup, before being selected for 

the Blues for the 2013, 2014 and the 

2015 Super Rugby seasons. 

After a successful season in 2016 with the 

Hurricanes, it was time to pack his bags 

and head north and time to retrace his 

family roots back to Ireland. 

“It was a while ago now,” he laughs, 

“but yeah on my Mother’s Dad’s side, 

the Gibsons, they came from Armagh 

in the late 1800s. My Grandad came 

over here a few years ago actually and 

tried to retrace the steps and to get some 

more information but he didn’t get too far 

unfortunately but it’s definitely something 

that I’d like to learn more about. But the 

link is there with the Gibsons in Armagh. 

“It’s crazy to think of the journey they 

took all those years ago leaving Ireland 

and coming to New Zealand to make 

a life for themselves and here I am 

now wearing an Ireland jersey and 

representing Leinster.” 

With Ulster Rugby coming to visit the RDS 

Arena this evening, this revelation could 

be the start of the ‘Gibson-Park to return 

home to Ulster’ rumours? 

“Ha! Absolutely! Back to the Orchard 

County!” 

Before that particular rumour gathers 

any sort of momentum, probably best to 

steer away from conjecture and back to 

on-field and more pressing matters. 

How to bounce back from a defeat? 

“It was a tough loss. But credit Connacht 

because they were up for it and were up 

for it for the full 80. 

“It’s been a good week of training 

though. Obviously, nobody ever likes to 

lose but it’s sport, it happens. I think the 

important thing is how you react, how 

you re-gather and go again and I think 

we have shown over the years that we 

can do that. 


“IT’S CRAZY TO THINK OF THE JOURNEY THEY TOOK ALL THOSE 

YEARS AGO LEAVING IRELAND AND COMING TO NEW ZEALAND 

TO MAKE A LIFE FOR THEMSELVES AND HERE I AM NOW 

WEARING AN IRELAND JERSEY AND REPRESENTING LEINSTER.” 

“Those of us lucky enough to be selected 

this week have a massive opportunity to 

represent the group and to try to address 

a few things because last week against 

Connacht was disappointing.” 

While wanting to bounce back from 

a loss certainly focuses the mind, the 

chance to close the gap on your nearest 

rivals does so even more. 

“I just think it’s a bit like finals footie 

now, isn’t it? It’ll be pushing uphill 

if we don’t get a result this 

weekend to try to get that top 

spot. 

“Ulster are obviously top of our 

Conference and now have a bit of a gap 

with those games in hand and they know 

that if they can win on Friday, it doesn’t 

finish it but it makes it all the more 

difficult for us, doesn’t it? 

“Whereas we know that if we 

can get the win it just keeps 

the pressure on them a little 

bit and then it’s up to us 

to close the gap further 

with the gaps that we 

have to catch up on 

against Scarlets and 

Munster. 

“It’s a big week though. Big games, this 

early in the season with a lot riding on 

them is unusual but it’s what you want 

to be involved in. Weeks like this. It’s 

exciting and while it’s a pity that our 

supporters can’t be there to enjoy the 

game, hopefully we can put on a show 

and provide a good game.” 

What’s to be feared the most from this 

Ulster side? 

“They play really good footie. They like 

to play it and actually play a bit like 

ourselves. That’s how we like to play, 

to throw the ball around and obviously 

they have dangerous players then like 

Stockdale that can punish you. 

“Their nine-10 axis has been performing 

really well so we’ll certainly have our 

work cut out but it’s a challenge we’re 

relishing.” 

No room for sentimentality towards the 

Orchard County and their Ulster brothers 

this Friday so. There will be time enough 

for that one day. 

For now it’s about getting back on track 

and charting a course through a defining 

period in the Leinster Rugby season. 


GUINNESS PRO14 

RDS ARENA 

2 JANUARY 2021 

REF: CHRIS BUSBY 

24 

35 

Max O’Reilly; Andrew 

Smith, Jimmy O’Brien 

(Hugh O’Sullivan 62), Rory 

O’Loughlin (David Hawkshaw 

56), Dave Kearney; Johnny 

Sexton (Liam Turner 23), Luke 

McGrath; Peter Dooley (Ed 

Byrne 51), James Tracy (Seán 

Cronin 51), Michael Bent 

(Greg McGrath 69); Ross 

Molony, Devin Toner (Jack 

Conan 51 (W Connors 57)); 

Ryan Baird, Scott Penny (Dan 

Leavy 63), Dan Leavy 

(Conan 60). 

SCORERS: TRIES: Scott Penny, 

Luke McGrath, Ryan Baird, 

Ed Byrne. CONS: Jimmy 

O’Brien, David Hawkshaw. 

John Porch; Peter Sullivan (Ben 

O’Donnell 60), Sam Arnold, 

Tom Daly, Alex Wootton 

(Diarmuid Kilgallen 78); Jack 

Carty, Caolin Blade (Colm 

Reilly 69); Denis Buckley 

(Matthew Burke 69), Shane 

Delahunt (Jonny Murphy 

69), Dominic Robertson- 

McCoy (Conor Kenny 62); 

Gavin Thornbury, Quinn 

Roux (Ultan Dillane 63); 

Eoghan Masterson, Conor 

Oliver, Seán Masterson (Cian 

Prendergast 69). 

SCORERS: TRIES: Jack Carty 

(2), Alex Wootton, Tom Daly. 

CONS: Jack Carty (3). PENS: 

Jack Carty (3). 

“IT’S DISAPPOINTING. CREDIT TO 

CONNACHT, THEY WERE A LOT BETTER 

AND WANTED IT MORE THAN WE DID. 

WE’RE NOW LOOKING TO ULSTER.” 

Dan Leavy 


“WE HAD A FEW 

GUYS MAKING 

THEIR FIRST 

APPEARANCES 

FOR THE CLUB. 

YOU ALWAYS 

WANT THOSE TO 

GO BETTER BUT 

UNFORTUNATELY 

IT DIDN’T AND 

WE NEED TO 

REGROUP NOW.” 

Leo Cullen 


Music Overload: 

LEINSTER AND IRELAND 

STAR LARISSA 

MULDOON TAKES 

ON OUR MUSIC 

Q&A, GIVING A TASTE 

OF ‘THE GREATEST 

SHOWMAN’, TIESTO, 

AND EVERYTHING IN 

BETWEEN. 

1. What was the last song you 

listened to? 

“Paradise” by Meduza ft. Dermot 

Kennedy. 

2. Tell us a song you’re currently 

obsessed with. 

I am loving Tiesto’s “The Business” at the 

moment! 

3. You’re booking your dream festival 

line-up: who are the main stage 

headliners for the Friday, Saturday and 

Sunday? 

Oh, such a tough question! 

I suppose we would kick off the Friday 

night with a bit of old school Bon Jovi, 

Saturday night would have to go to 

Fleetwood Mac and then finish with my 

all-time favourite band Mumford & Sons on 

the Sunday night. 

4. Earliest music memory? 

Earliest memory would be sitting in the 

back seat with my sister listening to the 

Saw Doctors “Same Oul’ Town” and 

Christy Moore’s “City of Chicago”. I also 

remember listening to the old cassette 

tapes of Vonda Shepard with my Mum in 

our old little red golf. 

5. Your guilty pleasure? 

Oh I do love my musicals, absolutely 

obsessed with The Greatest Showman 

especially the song “From Now On”. I 

would also listen to a good bit of Spanish 

music in the gym! 

6. You can only listen to one album for 

the rest of your life, what is it? 

It would have to be Mumford & Sons – 

Sigh No More. 

7. What was the first concert you ever 

went to? 

My first concert was Boyzone with my 

Mum in the Point. 

8. Favourite Irish band/artist? 

It is so hard to just pick one as I listen to a 

lot of Irish bands/artists, so I will give you 

a few of my top favourites. Christy Moore 

would be right up there, The Coronas and 

The Cranberries of course! Hermitage 

Green are also brilliant especially their 

song “By The Glow Of The Kerosene 

Light”. 

9. What two songs do you want to add 

to the Leinster Rugby Workout Mix on 

Spotify? 

Tiesto – The Business 

Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man 

10. And what one song do you want to 

remove? 

I would have to say “Human After All” by 

Daft Punk. No real words in it! 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO LEINSTER RUGBY’S HOME WORKOUT MIX 

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE, WITH TRACKS SELECTED BY PLAYERS 

FROM LEINSTER RUGBY’S MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS. 



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Leo 

Kids 

the Lion's 

Corner 

spot the 

differences 

ANAGRAMS 

Can you un-jumble the 

names of these players? 

OLD 

CANARIES 

ENRICH 

ELK ALE 

GUESS 

WHO? 

Can you name these 

three players? 

ANSWERS 

ANAGRAMS 

Caelan Doris 

Cian Kelleher 

GUESS WHO? 

Ciarán Frawley 

Rónan Kelleher 

Tommy O’Brien 


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solutions for office, 

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QUEST10NS 

with... 

Josh 

van der Flier 

1.What do you remember about your first day at Leinster Rugby? 

My first year out of school I was called in to train with the senior team at the last 

minute. I was just going into a lecture and I got a call from Girvan Dempsey to come 

in and train. I can remember how welcoming everyone was and how that made me 

feel. It is definitely something I keep in mind when new players come in to training 

now. I had a pretty awful training session but I try to forget that bit! 

2. What has been your most memorable moment playing with Leinster Rugby? 

My first cap, away in Zebre, would still be right up there. But my favourite was the 

Guinness PRO14 Final in Celtic Park. I had missed a couple of finals through injury so 

this was my first final in a Leinster jersey. I had also just come back playing the week 

before after groin surgery and it had looked unlikely I would make it back. So that 

just made winning, with family there watching, all the more special. 

3. If you had to pick a teammate to be CEO of Leinster Rugby, who would it be? And why? 

Pretty much anyone but Scott Fardy. I couldn’t work for him!! 

4. What piece of advice would you give to your 18-year-old self now? 

Back yourself and be yourself! Probably sound advice for anyone really. 

5. What is a clever life-hack that you use? 

I’m terrible with names so I keep a list of people’s names on my phone, categorised 

by where I know them from. So when I go somewhere I have a list of names from that 

place I can check on. 

6. Who were your top five artists on Spotify Wrapped 2020? 

Lost Frequencies, Hillsong, John Denver, Ed Sheeran and Kygo. 

7. What's the best nickname you've heard? And what's the origin? 

The Bungalow…if you know you know! 

8. What fictional TV/book character would you most like to meet in real life? 

James Bond 

9. If you could know the absolute truth to any question, what would you want to know? 

Next week’s Euro Millions numbers? 

10. What have you been watching on Netflix/TV lately? 

Numerous documentaries, especially sports and the odd French movie! 

Trying to be productive with my TV time. 



LEINSTER YOUTHS 

Tom D'arcy Cup And 

Noeleen Spain Cup Draws 

On Thursday afternoon, 

December 17, 2020, the draws 

for the Bank of Ireland Tom 

D’Arcy and Noeleen Spain Cups 

took place at Leinster Rugby HQ, 

UCD and were broadcast live on 

Facebook and YouTube. 

This was a first for these draws and 

caused much excitement around the 

province’s clubs. 

The draws were hosted by Marcus Ó 

Buachalla, Senior Communications and 

Media Manager for Leinster Rugby, and 

drawn by Leinster and Ireland stars Ed 

Byrne (Tom D’Arcy Cup) and Larissa 

Muldoon (Noeleen Spain Cup). 

The D’Arcy Cup is the premier 

competition in the Leinster Rugby U-18 

boys’ calendar while the Noeleen Spain 

Cup is its equivalent for U-18 girls. 

A total of 32 clubs entered the D’Arcy 

Cup and 25 clubs entered the Noeleen 

Spain Cup. 

With such a large number of teams, the 

draw was a timely process and and 

indeed Marcus joked with Ed Byrne 

during the draw: “One of our longer 

draws but we’re getting there Ed, don’t 

worry.” 

This move to live draws was welcomed 

by the Leinster Youth Committee and the 

Leinster Youth Competitions Committee. 

It has been under active discussion for a 

number of seasons in order to highlight 

the pivotal role that youth rugby plays in 

the development of rugby in Leinster. 

The Leinster Youth Committee are 

responsible for mini and youth rugby in 

Leinster. 

At youth level, 66 competitions are run 

by the Competitions Committee over the 

course of the season with 7,500 players 

taking part. 

The season culminates in 66 finals 

encompassing approximately 1,400 

players. 

The most recent winners of the Tom 

D’Arcy Cup are Naas RFC while 

Wicklow RFC hold the Noeleen Spain 

Cup. These finals were won in 2019. The 

2020 finals were not contested due to 

Covid. 

Dara Donohoe, Chairman Leinster 

Youth Committee said: 

“On behalf of the Leinster Youth 

Committee, I wish to acknowledge and 

thank the Leinster Branch and Bank of 

Ireland for hosting the D’Arcy Cup and 

Noleen Spain Cup draws on their social 

media platforms. 

“Due to the restrictions, it afforded 

everyone the opportunity to see the 

draws as they took place. This was a 

wonderful experience for the clubs and 

I wish to extend our gratitude to Marcus 

Ó Buachalla, Ed Byrne and Larissa 

Muldoon for their participation in same.” 

Scott Ennis, Chairman Leinster Youths 

Competitions Committee: 

“I was delighted when it was announced 

that the Tom D’Arcy and Noeleen Spain 

Cup draws were to be streamed live. 

Given the amount of work that the Youth 

Committee have undertaken to increase 

the profile of club boys and girls age 

grade competitions, it was great to 

see two of the premier competitions 

taking centre stage. Thank you to Bank 

of Ireland in conjunction with Leinster 

Branch for facilitating this presentation.” 

The first round of games is scheduled to 

take place on the weekend of February 

27, 2021. 

Both competitions will consist of knockout 

rounds, with first round losers going into 

the plate competition. 


Tom D'Arcy Cup 

(Boys U-18) 

The development of rugby in the 1980s 

and early 1990s in North Kildare and 

the North Midlands invariably included 

reference to the efforts of Tom 

D’Arcy. 

His work in the club saw him 

nominated as a member of the North 

Midlands Area Committee where he 

served as a member and ultimately 

Chairman for several years. 

As Chairman he represented the Area 

on the Leinster Executive Committee 

becoming President in the 1992/93 

season. 

With the development of underage 

rugby in the early 1980s, Tom was 

not found wanting as he led the team 

responsible for the introduction of mini 

and youths rugby into the Leixlip/ 

Maynooth area. 

This work resulted in a dynamic 

programme in the local area bringing 

large numbers of new players to the club. 

Tom’s commitment to rugby is 

memorialised in the D’Arcy Cup which 

is awarded to the U-18 knockout 

competition winners 

Noeleen Spain Cup 

(Girls U-18) 

Noeleen Spain never played the game, 

but she played a significant role in the 

development of the girls’ 

game at both youth and 

mini level. 

Encouraging her daughter 

to participate, she drove 

Jess to games throughout 

her involvement at mini level 

where she played with the 

boys. 

On reaching 12, Jess had nowhere to go 

so Noeleen drove her to Ulster where 

the girls’ game was being developed. 

In the meantime, she worked hard 

to encourage the powers in Leinster 

Women’s Rugby to expand the game to 

the younger generation. Mary 

Quinn and Noeleen succeeded in their 

efforts. 

Girls rugby is now growing in strength 

with league and cup competitions at 

U-14, 16 and 18 along with significant 

growth at U-10 and U-12 level. 

The Noeleen Spain Cup was awarded 

for the first time in 2019 to the Premier 

Cup winners Tullamore. 


2020/21 squad 

VAKH ABDALADZE - #1263 

DOB 6 FEBRUARY 1996 

From KUTAISI, GEORGIA 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 

Weight 117KG (18st 6lbs) 

Position PROP 

Club CLONTARF FC 

Leinster Debut 2 DECEMBER 2017 

Honours IRELAND U20S (2 caps) 

MICHAEL BENT - #1212 

DOB 25 APRIL 1986 

From HAWERA, NEW ZEALAND 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club DUBLIN UNIVERSITY FC 


Honours IRELAND (4 caps) 

ED BYRNE - #1222 

DOB 9 SEPTEMBER 1993 

From CARLOW 

Height 1.80M (5’ 11”) 


Position PROP 

Club UCD RFC 

Leinster Debut 9 FEBRUARY 2014 


ROSS BYRNE - #1236 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 3”) 


Position OUTHALF 

Club UCD RFC 

Leinster Debut 4 SEPTEMBER 2015 


WILL CONNORS - #1264 


From DONADEA, KILDARE 

Height 1.94 (6’ 4”) 


Position BACK ROW 

Club UCD RFC 



RYAN BAIRD - #1278 

DOB 26 JULY 1999 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.98M (6’ 6”) 


Position SECOND ROW 


Leinster Debut 27 APRIL 2019 


ADAM BYRNE - #1213 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.93M (6’ 4”) 


Position WING / FULL BACK 

Club UCD RFC 


Honours IRELAND (1 cap) 

HARRY BYRNE - #1280 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club LANSDOWNE 



JACK CONAN - #1223 


From BRAY, WICKLOW 

Height 1.93M (6’ 4”) 


Position NO. 8 

Club OLD BELVEDERE RFC 



SEÁN CRONIN - #1202 

DOB 6 MAY 1986 

From LIMERICK 

Height 1.80M (5’ 11”) 


Position HOOKER 

Club ST. MARY’S COLLEGE RFC 

Leinster Debut 28 OCTOBER 2011 



MAX DEEGAN - #1256 

DOB 1 OCTOBER 1996 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.93M (6’ 3”) 


Position NO. 8 

Club LANSDOWNE FC 



CAELAN DORIS - #1268 


From MAYO 

Height 1.94M (6’ 4”) 




Leinster Debut 28 APRIL 2018 


SCOTT FARDY - #1257 


From SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 

Height 1.98 M (6’ 6”) 

Weight 111 KG (17st 7lbs) 


Club UNASSIGNED 


Honours AUSTRALIA (39 caps) 

TADHG FURLONG - #1220 

DOB 14 NOVEMBER 1992 

From WEXFORD 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club NEW ROSS RFC / CLONTARF FC 

Leinster Debut 1 NOVEMBER 2013 

Honours IRELAND (44 caps) AND 

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS (6 caps) 

CIAN HEALY - #1142 

DOB 7 OCTOBER 1987 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 


Leinster Debut 5 MAY 2007 



DAVE KEARNEY - #1158 

DOB 19 JUNE 1989 

From LOUTH 

Height 1.81M (5’ 11”) 






CIAN KELLEHER - #1234 

DOB 7 AUGUST 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 


Position WINGER/FULL BACK 




PETER DOOLEY - #1230 

DOB 4 AUGUST 1994 

Birthplace OFFALY 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 




JACK DUNNE - #1276 


From DUBLIN 

Height 2.02M (6’ 7”) 



School ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE 




CIARÁN FRAWLEY - #1265 

DOB 4 DECEMBER 1997 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.92M (6’ 3”) 

Weight 95.6KG (15st 1lbs) 


Club UCD RFC 



JAMISON GIBSON-PARK - #1247 


From GREAT BARRIER ISLAND, NEW 

ZEALAND 

Height 1.76M (5’ 9”) 


Position SCRUM HALF 

Club UNASSIGNED 



ROBBIE HENSHAW - #1251 


From ATHLONE 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 


Position CENTRE / FULL BACK 

Club BUCCANEERS RFC 




HUGO KEENAN - #1253 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position FULL BACK 

Club UCD RFC 



RÓNAN KELLEHER - #1277 

DOB 24 JANUARY 1998 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 







JORDAN LARMOUR - #1258 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.78M (5’ 10”) 


Position WING 




JAMES LOWE - #1262 


From NELSON, NEW ZEALAND 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club CLONDALKIN RFC 



ROSS MOLONY - #1233 

DOB 11 MAY 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 2.00M (6’ 6”) 



Club UCD RFC 



ROWAN OSBORNE - #1281 


From EADESTOWN, KILDARE 

Height 1.71M (5’ 7”) 





Honours IRELAND SCHOOLS 

JIMMY O'BRIEN - #1272 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.84M (6’ 0”) 


Position CENTRE 

Club NAAS RFC 



RORY O'LOUGHLIN - #1248 

DOB 21 JANUARY1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club OLD BELVEDERE RFC 



CIARAN PARKER* - #1288 

DOB: 5 OCTOBER 1995 

From: STOCKPORT, ENGLAND 

Height: 1.88M (6’ 2”) 

Weight: 120KG (18st 10lbs) 

Position: PROP 

Club: UNASSIGNED 

Leinster Debut: 23 OCTOBER 2020 

Honours: ENGLAND U20S 

*on loan from Jersey Reds September – December 2020 

DAN LEAVY - #1231 

DOB 23 MAY 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 


Position FLANKER 

Club UCD RFC 



LUKE McGRATH - #1206 


From ONTARIO, CANADA 

Height 1.75M (5’ 9”) 



Club UCD RFC 



JOSH MURPHY - #1261 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.96M (6’ 5”) 



Club UCD RFC 



CONOR O'BRIEN - #1260 


From WESTMEATH 

Height 1.90M (6’ 3”) 






TOMMY O'BRIEN - #1283 

DOB 28 MAY 1998 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.83M (6’ 0”) 



Club UCD RFC 



HUGH O'SULLIVAN - #1270 


From MEATH 

Height 1.79M (5’ 9”) 






SCOTT PENNY - #1271 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 



Club UCD RFC 




ANDREW PORTER - #1246 


Birthplace DUBLIN 

Height 1.84M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club UCD RFC 



RHYS RUDDOCK - #1167 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 






JOHNNY SEXTON - #1127 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 




Leinster Debut 27 JANUARY 2006 

Honours IRELAND (95 caps) AND BRITISH & 

IRISH LIONS (14 caps) 

DEVIN TONER - #1128 


From MEATH 

Height 2.08M (6’ 10”) 




Leinster Debut 27 JANUARY 2006 


JOSH VAN DER FLIER - #1228 


From WICKLOW 

Height 1.87M (6’ 2”) 



Club UCD RFC 



GARRY RINGROSE - #1237 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.87M (6’ 2”) 



Club UCD RFC 



JAMES RYAN - #1259 


From DUBLIN 

Height 2.04M (6’ 7”) 



Club UCD RFC 



DAN SHEEHAN - #1286 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91 M (6’ 3”) 






JAMES TRACY - #1211 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 



Club UCD RFC 



Coaching Staff 

LEO CULLEN 

HEAD COACH 

STUART LANCASTER 

SENIOR COACH 

ROBIN MCBRYDE 

ASSISTANT COACH 

FELIPE CONTEPOMI 

BACKS COACH 

EMMET FARRELL 

KICKING COACH AND 

LEAD PERFORMANCE ANALYST 

GUY EASTERBY 

HEAD OF RUGBY OPERATIONS 

HUGH HOGAN 

CONTACT SKILLS COACH 


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Metropolitan Area 

By Metro Area Executive Committee 

THE METROPOLITAN AREA IS THE LARGEST OF 

THE FIVE ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS IN LEINSTER AS 

DEFINED BY THE NUMBER OF AFFILIATED CLUBS 

WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF LEINSTER RUGBY. 

During a reorganisation of club 

administrative structures, the 

Metropolitan Area came into 

effect in the late 1960s. 

To be a part of the Metropolitan Area 

it generally means clubs who are in the 

county or city of Dublin. 

The Metro Area’s function is to act as an 

administrative grouping of all clubs in 

Dublin who do not compete at All-Ireland 

League level. 

There is an exception to this as some of 

the Metro clubs’ women’s teams play at 

AIL level nationally. Our affiliated clubs in 

Men’s/Women’s and Youths competitions 

play either in the Metropolitan Leagues 

or Leinster League. 

There are almost 20 affiliated clubs in 

the Metropolitan Area. This includes two 

third-level institutions: DCU and RCSI 

which was established in 1896. 

Our core clubs include: AIB RFC 

(established 1974), BGF Ravens RFC 

(1957), Coolmine RFC (1980), CYM RFC 

(1924), DCU RFC (1984), De La Salle 

Palmerstown FC (1899), Dublin Dogos 

RFC (2017), Emerald Warriors RFC 

(2003), Garda RFC (1964), Guinness 

RFC (1943), Liberty Saints RFC (2007), 

Monkstown FC (1883), Parkmore RFC 

(1907), Railway Union RFC (1905), 

Eddie Egan 

RCSI RFC (1896), Stillorgan-Rathfarnham 

(1973), Suttonians RFC (1924) and 

Tallaght RFC (2000). 

For competition purposes, Ashbourne 

RFC (from the North East Area), Bective 

Rangers FC, and Seapoint RFC also 

participate in Metro Area competitions. 

Like our sister Areas elsewhere within the 

province, we provide a framework for 

clubs to participate in competitions. 

The Metro Area executive, consisting of 

representatives from each of the member 

clubs, meets monthly to discuss rugby 

issues and the challenges we constantly 

face on behalf of our clubs. 

Our affiliated clubs span a very 

interesting range from those which 

are amongst the oldest not only within 

Leinster Rugby but also the IRFU to some 

of the youngest. 

Currently, our oldest participant clubs 

for competition purposes are Bective 

Rangers FC, founded in 1881, followed 

by Monkstown FC which was formed in 

1883. 

This different naming. FC rather than 

RFC, demonstrates that both clubs were 

established before the formation of the 

IRFU. 

In common with other established 

rugby clubs at that time, such as Dublin 

University and Lansdowne, Bective FC 

and Monkstown FC were referred to as a 

Football Club, as the game of rugby was 

then known. 

Other clubs with illustrious histories 

include Railway Union RFC and Parkmore 

RFC, formerly known as Carlisle. 

Carlisle can trace its history back to its 

foundation in the 1907/1908 season. 

At that time, it was a team drawn from 

Dublin’s Jewish Community with several 

of the founding members residing in 

Carlisle Street, Dublin 8. 

The Area is well represented throughout 

Dublin 4/6 spanning out to west Dublin 

where Coolmine RFC and Garda RFC 

are located with Suttonians situated in 

north Dublin and DLSP FC rooted in the 

foothills of the Dublin Mountains. 

New neighbours to DLSP will be 

Stillorgan-Rathfarnham RFC who have just 

put down a new pitch foundation on what 

will be an exciting site and location near 

Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin. 

Another club to watch in the future is 

Tallaght RFC established in 2000 and 20 

years young last year. 

In prior years there were many ‘business 

house’ rugby clubs in existence and 


while some have ceased and faded from 

memory, we still have AIB/Guinness 

and originally Unidare RFC but now 

known as BGF Ravens all still active in the 

respective leagues and cup competions. 

Another club formerly affiliated to the 

Metro Area was Aer Lingus RFC which is 

now known as Swords RFC. 

Along with the eclectic mix of community 

clubs and clubs with roots spanning 

back to the 19th century as well as 

those clubs that were once part of the 

business houses as they were referred 

to in previous times, we have many new 

members such as Liberty Saints, Emerald 

Warriors RFC and our newest recent club, 

the Dublin Dogos RFC, founded by expats 

from Argentina and other southern 

hemisphere rugby-loving nations. 

In terms of active rugby participation, 

collectively there are over 90 teams 

participating at adult level and Youths, all 

providing a high degree of competitive 

activity and including the next generation 

of mini players whose love and 

enthusiasm is a joy to watch. 

There are future Leinster players in the 

making within the Metropolitan Area with 

Eddie Egan Cup 

our highly-active and expanding minis 

systems in the various clubs. 

We run five Area Competitions 

annually – the Spencer Memorial 

Cup, Metropolitan Women’s Cup, 

Jim Byrne Cup, John Madden Cup 

and Dr. Kieran Foley Cup for both 

men’s and women’s rugby. 

We have had a focus on growing our 

women’s competitions, in line with 

the development of women’s rugby in 

our constituent clubs and goals of our 

committee, and we are particularly proud 

to have established different grades of 

women’s competitions that are growing 

from strength to strength. 

In 2018, the Metropolitan Area decided 

to further promote women’s rugby within 

the Area. 

In September 2018, clubs in Dublin and 

the surrounding counties were invited to 

take part in the Metropolitan Women’s 

flood-lit competition. 

Eight teams took part in the inaugural 

edition (Railway Union, Greystones, 

Balbriggan, CYM, Wicklow, Clondalkin, 

St. Mary’s and Suttonians). 

Railway Union RFC and Wicklow RFC 

contested the final in Wicklow on a very 

wet night in front of 700 spectators with 

Railway Union prevailing in a very tight 

game. 

The Metropolitan Area continues to 

promote women’s rugby within the 

area and last season we elected a 

women’s rep on to our committee, Laura 

O’Callaghan from Suttonians, to liaise 

between our Area and the Women’s 

Committee. 

We also have two teams in the Women’s 

AIL. Suttonians, who were promoted in 

2018, and Railway Union, who are the 

current AIL XVs and Sevens champions. 

Railway Union provide a significant 

number of internationals to the Ireland 

XVs and Sevens teams, including wellknown 

names such as Lindsay Peat, 

Larissa Muldoon, Aoife McDermott, 

Cliodhna Moloney, Katie O’Dwyer, Eve 

Higgins, Aimee-Leigh Murphy Crowe and 

Stacey Flood, among many others. 

As part of the continuing development of 

underage girls’ rugby in the Area, when 

Leinster Rugby introduced the ‘Give It A 

Try’ initiative for girls in rugby, clubs in the 

Metro Area were amongst the first to roll 

out this initiative. 

Fergal Slattery 


Women’s Development Officers are 

running this roadshow as introductory 

fun sessions for girls on an ongoing 

basis. The sessions are free of charge 

and include fun games and noncontact 

activities aimed at girls with no 

experience of playing rugby. Recently, 

Coolmine RFC held one of these sessions 

and attracted over 110 girls. 

Next season it is hoped that the Metro 

Area will arrange and manage an 

U-20 competition to reflect the growing 

numbers and interest at U-20 level. This 

will mean that at the commencement 

of each season we aim to have circa 

50 teams active in pre-season Area 

Competitions. 

ARLB is also a worthy recipient of 

many a referee whose origins and 

playing careers commenced within the 

Metropolitan Area. It is a core goal of 

our Area to increase referee numbers 

from our constituent clubs and play our 

role amongst the ARLB. 

We have witnessed Metropolitan 

Area clubs in recent years attain AIL 

status including Barnhall RFC in 1998, 

Seapoint RFC in 2010 and, most recently, 

Malahide RFC in 2017. 

The Metropolitan Area has its own 

Officer Board elected at our AGM and 

our Chairperson is selected from a club 

which holds the Area Chair for a period 

of two years. 

This is conducted on a rotation policy and 

this season it is the second year of Fergal 

Slattery from Railway Union. 

Next season it will be the turn of CYM 

RFC based in Terenure and the honour 

shall be bestowed on Alan Egan who 

currently acts as our Area Competition 

Director 

Many of our former leading members 

have gone on to higher office at Leinster 

Rugby including Eddie Egan of CYM who 

held the position of Junior Secretary from 

1977-1986 and also 1988-1989. Eddie 

was also President of Leinster Rugby in 

1982-1983. 

The Leinster League Division 1A trophy 

presented to the winner of this league 

(which is also the qualifying league for 

AIL participation) has been named the 

Eddie Egan Cup to reflect his excellent 

contribution and commitment made to 

Leinster Rugby. 

Other Metropolitan Area officers 

who served as Junior Rugby 

Secretaries included: 

Ray Campion 

F. O’Connor (Railway Union) 1973-1977. 

G. White (Seapoint) 1986-1988. 

R. Campion (Garda) 1989-1992. 

Ray Campion also received the 

prestigious IRFU All-Ireland Volunteer 

Award, namely the ‘Mr Boots’ Award, 

in 2006. 

The Metropolitan Area is a proud and 

very productive element of the Leinster 

Rugby system with a spread of clubs 

reflecting tradition and diversity. As an 

Area our contribution to rugby in both 

Leinster Rugby and Ireland is second to 

none. 

We hope to see two or more of our clubs 

have their own clubhouse and pitch 

facilities in the not-too-distant future. 

One of our ongoing targets is to see 

more young players from our affiliated 

clubs gain representative honours from 

both women/men and Youth/Schools 

contributing handsomely to the playing 

success of Leinster Rugby and Ireland. 

We look forward to the next chapter of 

the Metropolitan Area. 


Leinster Player Statistics 

SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 

2020/21 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER 

ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR 

App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts 

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

VAKH ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 - - - - - - - - - 0+11 1 5 0+11 1 5 - - - 10 - 

RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 4+3 2 10 3+2 2 10 1+1 - - 7+10 5 25 6+8 5 25 1+2 - - 1 - 

MICHAEL BENT 1212 1 DEC 12 9+1 2 10 8 2 10 1+1 - - 88+62 6 30 83+39 6 30 5+23 - - 7 IR 4 

ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 - - - - - - - - - 49+8 20 100 39+8 14 70 10 6 30 5 IR 1 

ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 2+1 1 5 2+1 1 5 - - - 16+44 9 45 16+35 8 40 0+9 1 5 1 IR 3 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 5+2 - 51 5+1 - 46 0+1 - 5 8+9 3 109 8+8 3 104 0+1 - 5 8 - 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 3+1 - 41 1+1 - 21 2 - 20 61+32 5 559 50+17 2 415 11+15 3 144 14 IR 11 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 2+1 - - 2+1 - - - - - 74+22 21 105 55+12 14 70 19+10 7 35 13 IR 17 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 16+6 2 10 15+6 2 10 1 - - 9 IR 5 

SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 115+73 41 205 71+52 24 120 43+19 16 80 12 IR 72 

MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 35+30 18 90 32+22 16 80 3+8 2 10 7 IR 1 

PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 6+2 2 10 5+1 2 10 1+1 - - 34+50 4 20 32+44 4 20 2+6 - - 5 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 2 - - 1 - - 1 - - 27+8 5 25 21+6 3 15 6+2 2 10 4 IR 7 

JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 1+9 - - 1+9 - - - - - - - 

SCOTT FARDY 1257 2 SEP 17 4+2 - - 3+2 - - 1 - - 54+13 10 50 39+8 6 30 15+5 4 20 10 AU 39 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 5+1 1 15 4 - 10 1+1 1 5 14+18 4 139 13+14 3 128 1+4 1 11 2 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 - - - - - - - - - 69+39 7 35 40+31 3 15 29+8 4 20 4 IR 44 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 3+1 1 5 2 - - 1+1 1 5 47+50 17 85 42+26 14 70 5+24 3 15 1 IR 5 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 0+4 - 2 0+4 - 2 - - - 0+4 - 2 0+4 - 2 - - - - - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 1+3 1 5 0+2 - - 1+1 1 5 149+75 26 130 85+48 12 60 62+26 13 65 1 IR 104 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 3 - - 1 - - 2 - - 50+1 9 45 21 3 15 29+1 6 30 5 IR 47 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 8 6 30 6 4 20 2 2 10 136+21 47 235 110+15 40 200 25+5 7 35 2 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 4 - - 2 - - 2 - - 19+3 1 5 16+3 1 5 3 - - 19 IR 6 

CIAN KELLEHER 1234 16 MAY 15 4+1 3 15 4 3 15 0+1 - - 10+10 8 40 10+9 8 40 0+1 - - 3 - 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 2+1 - - 1 - - 1+1 - - 15+3 9 45 11+1 8 40 4+2 1 5 6 IR 6 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 44+8 14 70 25+5 11 55 19+3 3 15 2 IR 24 

DAN LEAVY 1231 31 OCT 14 3+5 2 10 3+3 1 5 0+2 1 5 42+29 16 80 34+19 12 60 8+10 4 20 3 IR 11 

JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 2 3 15 2 3 15 - - - 49 33 165 33 25 125 16 8 40 1 IR 2 

GREG MCGRATH 1293 2 JAN 21 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 7+3 4 20 6+2 4 20 1+1 - - 90+47 35 175 59+41 27 135 31+6 8 40 1 IR 19 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 5+3 - - 5+2 - - 0+1 - - 57+47 3 15 55+33 3 15 2+14 - - 66 - 

JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 5+1 2 10 4+1 1 5 1 1 5 33+6 4 20 32+5 3 15 1+1 1 5 1 - 

ROWAN OSBORNE 1281 4 OCT 19 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 1+5 1 5 1+5 1 5 - - - 5 - 

CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 - - - - - - - - - 16+7 6 30 16+6 6 30 0+1 - - 9 - 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 8+1 3 17 6+1 2 12 2 1 5 19+8 6 32 17+8 5 27 2 1 5 3 - 


SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 


ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR 

App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts 

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 3+1 2 10 3+1 2 10 - - - 4+3 3 15 4+3 3 15 - - - 3 - 

RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 3 - - 3 - - - - - 54+20 21 105 48+13 18 90 6+7 3 15 17 IR 1 

MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - 

HUGH O'SULLIVAN 1270 15 SEP 18 0+5 - - 0+5 - - - - - 2+23 1 5 2+21 1 5 0+2 - - 9 - 

CIARAN PARKER 1288 23 OCT 20 0+3 1 5 0+3 1 5 - - - 0+3 1 5 0+3 1 5 - - - 3 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 5+1 6 30 5+1 6 30 - - - 15+5 12 60 15+5 12 60 - - - 1 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 1+2 - - 0+1 - - 1+1 - - 23+46 10 50 18+29 7 35 5+17 3 15 4 IR 32 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 3 1 7 2 1 7 1 - - 77+2 26 132 46+1 15 77 31+1 11 55 3 IR 30 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 8+1 - - 6+1 - - 2 - - 137+45 10 50 102+31 8 40 34+12 2 10 13 IR 26 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3+1 1 5 2 1 5 1+1 - - 37+6 3 15 16+1 1 5 21+5 2 10 3 IR 32 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 2 - 2 2 - 2 - - - 145+24 26 1497 85+18 13 825 58+6 12 641 9 IR 95 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 1+4 2 10 1+4 2 10 - - - 1+4 2 10 1+4 2 10 - - - 5 - 

ANDREW SMITH 1292 2 JAN 21 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - 

DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 5+2 - - 4+2 - - 1 - - 200+56 4 20 136+38 4 20 61+18 - - 39 IR 70 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 7+2 3 15 6+1 3 15 1+1 - - 53+66 11 55 46+40 10 50 7+26 1 5 4 IR 6 

LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 3+2 - - 3+2 - - - - - 3+2 - - 3+2 - - - - - - - 

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 3 1 5 1 - - 2 1 5 67+20 10 50 39+14 6 30 28+6 4 20 2 IR 28 


ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR OVERALL 

KICKING 

SUCCESS 

RATE 

C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG ATT Career 

% 

- - - - - - HARRY BYRNE 80.00% 21 3 20 2 1 1 41 4 40 3 1 1 59 76.27% 

ROSS BYRNE 85.00% 10 7 - 6 3 - 4 4 - 171 63 1 132 46 1 39 17 - 310 75.48% 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 62.50% 5 - - 5 - - - - - 49 7 - 46 7 - 3 - - 69 81.16% 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 100.00% 

LUKE MCGRATH 0.00% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 0.00% 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 50.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 2 50.00% 

GARRY RINGROSE 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 100.00% 

JOHNNY SEXTON 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 232 290 11 119 167 7 106 119 4 653 79.94% 


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Round 11 of the Guinness PRO14 is 

upon us and it's Friday night lights 

at the RDS Arena which sees the top 

two in Conference A clash as we 

welcome Ulster. 

To date, Ulster have played all 

their fixtures while we have seen 

the postponement of two of ours 

(Scarlets and Munster) so while 

the table shows us 10 points 

behind, there is still every chance 

of us closing that gap significantly 

on Ulster so this fixture will mean 

everything to both teams. 

Ulster, as we know, are a serious outfit 

and are now the only unbeaten team to 

date. After victory against Munster last 

time out, they will want to continue their 

run of form and look to secure the top 

spot before the Rainbow Cup kicks off 

whilst we’ll want to quickly bounce back 

from last week’s home defeat (our first 

since April 2019) and get our campaign 

back on track. 

Last season we faced off against 

tonight’s opponents three times including 

the festive game of December 20 in 

the RDS which was a try fest, 14 in all 

scored (8v6) in Leinster’s 54-42 win. 

When rugby did eventually return in 

August, we faced Ulster another two 

times, both behind closed doors at 

Aviva Stadium. The first fixture was the 

conclusion of the conference stage 

where we secured a 28-10 victory and 

then the third and final time was the 

2019/20 PRO14 final where we again 

saw victory, this time on a scoreline of 

27-5. 

Ulster though, as we know, are a serious 

outfit highlighted by their victory last 

weekend over Munster at Kingspan 

Stadium and although we didn’t secure 

the win and the four points against 

Connacht ourselves, we did continue the 

trend with a four-try bonus point in every 

fixture of this season. 

With the Six Nations now beginning to 

show its face for 2021, these fixtures are 

of paramount importance to all players. 

They’ll look to be seen by the Irish 

coaching staff as someone who can 

make an impact and show a bit of 

sparkle that the Irish team might be 

lacking and, given that the competition 

for places across the four provinces is 

fierce, these interprovincial fixtures are 

the ones that players really want to be 

seen in. 

All of us on the OLSC committee are 

mindful of the fact that we are all still 

unable to attend games and therefore by 

putting together some material for you to 

peruse over, we hope it keeps you in the 

rugby mind frame as we start a new year 

and thankfully the season rolls along! 

As always we’re thankful for the support 

we get from Leinster Rugby as a whole 

as well as yourselves and we encourage 

you to continue to show your support for 

the team through social media and the 

posts on our pages. 

Yours in Rugby, 

OLSC Committee 

PL W D L BP PTS 

ULSTER 10 10 0 0 6 46 

LEINSTER 8 7 0 1 8 36 


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ONE FROM 

The Vaults 

Leinster 54 Ulster 42 

20 December 2019 | Guinness PRO14 | RDS Arena | Ref: George Clancy 

Christmas came early to the RDS 

Arena last year with a sackful of tries 

as Leinster Rugby crossed eight times 

in a 54-42 Guinness PRO14 derby win 

over Ulster. 

Then incoming Ireland head coach Andy 

Farrell watched on as the Conference A 

leaders bagged their bonus point inside 28 

minutes, but Ulster recovered from centre Matt 

Faddes’ costly sin-binning to score six tries of 

their own. 

Max Deegan, Scott Penny (2), Robbie 

Henshaw and Fergus McFadden all touched 

down to tee up a 33-14 half-time lead for 

Leinster. Faddes ran in an opportunist try, 

adding to Angus Kernohan’s eighth-minute 

effort. 

There were some notable names missing from 

both teamsheets – Ulster’s in particular – but 

this festive interprovincial fixture proved very 

memorable for its 14 tries and six senior 

debutants, including Leinster duo Tommy 

O’Brien and Roman Salanoa. 

20-year-old Academy out-half Harry Byrne 

shone for Leo Cullen’s men, landing seven 

conversions and impressing in attack, alongside 

Jamison Gibson-Park, in a man-of-the-match 

display. 

Rob Kearney, Cian Kelleher and Deegan 

took the victors’ try haul to an eventual eight, 

yet Ulster grabbed a hard-earned bonus 

point thanks to a Craig Gilroy intercept and 

No 8 Greg Jones, who weighed in with a 

final-quarter brace before replacement Jonny 

Stewart’s last-minute score. 

The total of 14 tries equalled the PRO14 

record for tries scored in a single match – 

Edinburgh’s 66-32 victory over Caerphilly 

back in September 2002. 96 points is the 

Championship’s second biggest ever total, 

matching the same Caerphilly v Edinburgh 

game. Ulster’s tally of 42 points is a PRO14 

record for a losing team. 

LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; 

Fergus McFadden, Tommy 

O’Brien (Ciarán Frawley 

69), Robbie Henshaw 

(Conor O’Brien 61), Cian 

Kelleher; Harry Byrne, 

Jamison Gibson-Park (Hugh 

O’Sullivan 59); Peter Dooley 

(Cian Healy 49), Seán 

Cronin (Bryan Byrne 55), 

Andrew Porter (Roman 

Salanoa 55); Scott Fardy 

(Oisin Dowling 55), Josh 

Murphy; Will Connors (Josh 

van der Flier 49), Scott 

Penny, Max Deegan. 

ULSTER: Rob Lyttle (Ethan 

McIlroy 23); Craig Gilroy, 

Matt Faddes (Stewart Moore 

49), Angus Curtis (Azur 

Allison 51), Angus Kernohan; 

Bill Johnston, David 

Shanahan (Jonny Stewart 

71); Andrew Warwick 

(Kyle McCall 55), Adam 

McBurney John Andrew 55), 

Tom O’Toole (Ross Kane 

55); David O’Connor, Alan 

O’Connor (Jack Regan 69); 

Matthew Rea, Nick Timoney, 

Greg Jones. 

The hosts got off to a flying start, Kelleher 

burning up the metres on the right wing before 

ever-alert No 8 Deegan managed to twist out 

of a double tackle to ground the ball. 

Following Harry Byrne’s conversion, Ulster 

piled forward thanks to a series of penalties. 

Faddes played the perfect link man in midfield, 

as the ball was shifted wide by Rob Lyttle for 

Kernohan to crash over in the left corner. 

A classy conversion from Bill Johnston made 

it seven points apiece, although Leinster 

were quick to respond. Again Kelleher 

caused damage out wide, set free by PRO14 

newcomer O’Brien’s pass. Penny burrowed 

over a few phases later for Byrne to convert. 

The talented openside doubled his tally in the 

22nd minute, driving over from close range 

with Josh Murphy on the latch. The sevenpointer 

came after Faddes had been carded 

for a high tackle on his opposite number 

O’Brien. 

14-man Ulster fell 28-7 behind when Kelleher’s 

clever footwork had Ulster on the retreat and 

Byrne’s well-weighted kick out to the right was 

gobbled up and touched down by Henshaw. 

Byrne landed the tough conversion for good 

measure. 


Faddes then used a Leinster spill to scamper 

clear from halfway before McFadden replied 

with Byrne beating two defenders in the buildup. 

Byrne then skipped two players with a long 

pass to put full-back Kearney over, just four 

minutes after the restart. 

McFadden’s cross-field kick from a penalty 

picked out Henshaw who dished it off for 

Kelleher to speed clear and make it 47-14. 

Injuries hampered Ulster but it did mean debuts 

for Ethan McIlroy, Stewart Moore, Azur Allison 

and Jack Regan. 

Gilroy intercepted a Penny pass for a rallying 

60-metre try, but Deegan used a close-in scrum 

to reach in under the posts. Although the result 

was sewn up with Leinster now 12 points clear 

at the top of the table, Ulster battled on in 

determined fashion. 

They finished with a flourish, back rower Jones 

growing in influence with a well-taken double, 

his second score coming from a lineout maul. 

Precise place-kicker Johnston converted both 

and topped off Stewart’s smart finish from a 

final scrum while Leinster lock Murphy was in 

the sin-bin. 


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Where are they now? 

By Des Berry 

CIARÁN 

POTTS 

THEN: THE BACK-ROWER PLAYED FOR THREE SEASONS WITH LEINSTER, MAKING HIS 

DEBUT AGAINST GLASGOW WARRIORS IN OCTOBER 2003 AND WINNING 31 CAPS. 

NOW: CIARÁN AND HIS WIFE JENNY LIVE WITH THEIR SONS BOBBY (5) AND ALEX 

(1) AROUND THE CORNER FROM ST MARY’S COLLEGE RFC, WORKING AS A FINANCE 

MANAGER IN CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY AT COCA COLA HELLENIC BOTTLING COMPANY. 

Sometimes it is better not to look 

back. Or, at least, until the time 

is right. 

It took Leinster flanker Ciarán Potts a 

number of years to come to terms with 

how his Leinster career was cruelly cut 

short, by an unfortunate series of injuries, 

just as it was about to soar. 

When he did, when the time was right, 

the positives were clear to see. 

“I haven’t ever reflected too much on my 

time in rugby,” he says. 

“Initially, this was due to the 

circumstances around my injury-forced 

retirement and endeavour to look to the 

next chapter, but before you know it 

10-plus years have passed and life has 

simply moved on.” 

In the beginning, Potts couldn’t escape 

the lure of the game. It is in his blood. 

“I grew up in a rugby house. My three 

older brothers, Kevin, Colin and Brian, 

played for St Mary’s rugby club. I would 

have spent a lot of my childhood going to 

matches and playing on the back pitches 

with a spare rugby ball. 

“Like any young sibling I looked up to 

my brothers and tried to emulate them, 

starting with minis at the age of five. 

“The love of the game came when I 

joined St Mary’s College junior school 

in fifth class. There was a 5th-6th class 

league played on the front pitch and this 

helped me create friendships and settle in 

quickly, it was great fun. 

“I was also fortunate to play in good 

teams through the years winning some 

silverware along the way including the 

Junior Cup.” 

The rise in profile came through the 

provincial and national age-grade 

systems for Leinster and Ireland Schools, 

winning his first international cap against 

France in the year of the Foot and Mouth 

disease. 

Back then, leaving school meant joining 

the national academy, for those fortunate 

enough to be offered a place. 

In a sign of things to come, a back injury 

forced an operation at just 19 years old. 

“I recovered in time to make the Ireland 

U-21s later that season. That was a big 

turning point for me, a coming of age 

period that allowed me to mature into 

a player that was able to step up to the 

professional ranks. 

The speed and physicality of those 

internationals was a significant jump from 

domestic rugby, it took me out of my 

comfort zone, but I responded well and 

personally had a very good campaign. 

The bar was set and I knew then what 

was required if I wanted to make it 

professionally.” 

On returning home, Potts committed to 

give everything to pre-season in what was 

a programme specifically tailored to add 

muscle to his athletic frame. 

“There was a lot to pack into the 

academy pre-season camps from 

conditioning to unit and skill work, the 

day was typically split evenly between 

the gym and pitch. 


www.leinsterrugby.ie | 63 | From The Ground Up 

“IT IS AN EXPERIENCE 

I WILL NEVER FORGET. 

THE ATMOSPHERE 

WAS INCREDIBLE. 

PERSONALLY, I CAN 

STILL RECALL THE 

INDESCRIBABLE 

OVERWHELMING 

SENSE OF PRIDE.”

“In that summer, I was on a strict gym 

only regime and a diet packed with 

protein, I was not allowed to burn any 

calories on the pitch. 

“I could see the envy of the other players. 

They would be on their way to a brutal 

fitness session, and I would make my way 

to the TV room to watch movies and eat 

protein bars.” 

It had the desired effect as Potts put on 

11 kilos to reach 106kg, the average 

playing weight for someone in the back 

row back then. 

He made his debut as a 75th-minute 

replacement against Glasgow Warriors 

in October 2003; his first start against the 

Dragons in February 2004. 

“The first few caps all blend into 

one memory for me. The overriding 

recollection is the experience of being 

involved in a very talented Leinster squad 

and the preparation on and off the pitch 

throughout each week building up to 

game day. 

“Regardless of whether it was the first cap 

or the 31st, it was always a privilege to 

play for Leinster,” he shares. 

“But, my ambitions went beyond that first 

cap, I wanted to be a key member of 

the squad, making a difference on and 

off the pitch, helping the team achieve 

success”. 

When it came to the standout game, 

it had to be the 2005 Heineken Cup 

quarter-final against Leicester, his first 

start in the competition. 

“I was 22 playing a Heineken Cup 

quarter-final in a sold-out Lansdowne 

Road. This was the dream as a kid 

playing on those back pitches in St 

Mary’s. 

“I was picked in a very strong Leinster 

team against a Leicester side stacked 

with many players from the World Cupwinning 

England team, led by Martin 

Johnson.” 

Despite internationals returning from the 

Six Nations campaign, Declan Kidney 

placed his faith in Potts, following a good 

run of form. 

“It is an experience I will never forget. 

The atmosphere was incredible. 

Personally, I can still recall the 

indescribable overwhelming sense of 

pride.” 

A superficial dive into Potts’ playing 

career reveals 31 caps over three years. 

In fact, Potts first pulled on the blue shirt 

for 10 minutes in an uncapped midseason 

friendly in 2003 under the watch 

of Matt Williams. 

This was followed by a season with 

Gary Ella and Willie Anderson, one with 

Declan Kidney and one with Michael 

Cheika, four coaches in four seasons. 

He was one of a handful of players to 

start every game for Cheika up until the 

time he got injured in October 2005. 

“It was in the second Heineken Cup 

match against Glasgow where I 

tore the ligaments in my left knee. I 

can’t remember the period I was out, 

somewhere between 10-12 weeks. 

“When I came back, having missed a 

critical part of the season, I had to reestablish 

my position within the squad. 

“Before I got the chance to play again, 

I did the ligaments in my right knee. I 

repeated the recovery cycle, trying to 

break back in. 


“Once again, before I could play again, 

I ruptured the ligaments in my right ankle. 

That was a nasty injury. All of a sudden 

that season was gone.” 

An extended summer rehabilitating 

the ankle meant a delayed start to 

the season, but he was buoyed at the 

prospect of a fresh start. 

“Being injured for an extended period 

can be a very lonely place in team sport. 

You are on a different schedule to the 

squad. 

“Running the steps of the Upper West 

Stand in Lansdowne Road on my own as 

part of my rehab was as far removed as 

you can be. 

“However, I took confidence from the 

performances and the progress made 

the previous season, right up until that 

Heineken Cup game in Glasgow. 

“I knew I could get back to that level and 

I was ready to do it,” he states. 

After all of that, Potts met with the worst 

of all his problems when his legs started 

to feel unusually heavy during training, 

bringing on pins and needles, leaving 

him struggling to stand up straight. 

“I was so disheartened. I just walked off 

the pitch one afternoon without saying 

anything to the coaches, sat down beside 

a tackle bag and put my head in my 

hands. 

“Although I hadn’t an obvious injury, like 

the previous times, I think I knew deep 

down it was my back, again, and it 

wasn’t going to be good,” he says. 

“Long story short, I had scans on my 

back. It was another disc issue which 

required surgery again.” 

Arthur Tanner and Jim McShane were 

there for consultation and advice. 

Specialists were asked for the prognosis. 

“The advice I was given was very clear. 

I should not continue playing. The risks 

were spelled out to me. Now, no one 

said to me, ‘you have to stop.’ I had to 

make that decision myself.” 

The pain of those injuries was replaced 

with a far more enduring hurt that lasted 

longer than he could have envisaged. 

“It was hard to come to terms with it in the 

first few years. I have at this stage. I just 

couldn’t bring myself to dwell on what it 

meant, a career with green shoots ending 

due to injury, before fulfilling my life-long 

ambition.” 

Little wonder, Potts was suddenly out in 

the real world without a plan to follow or 

chase at just 23. 

“When I stopped playing rugby, I had 

no idea what I wanted to do next, but 

I was really keen to get on with things. 

Guidance from my inner circle of friends 

led me to study accountancy. This was the 

first important step.” 

Still, he wasn’t ready to step away fully 

from rugby. He just didn’t know how to 

stay involved. 

As fate would have it, St Mary’s reached 

out to Potts with an invitation to join the 

coaching set-up with Peter Smyth. He 

stayed there for five years, achieving his 

coaching badges. It culminated in the 

All-Ireland League title in 2012. 

He started working in the funds industry, 

achieving a steady cycle of promotions 

over his 10 years. It just wasn’t the field 

he was passionate about. 

When the time was right, Potts moved 

into the commercial industry, joining 

Coca-Cola two-and-a-half years ago. 

Within the first 18 months, he secured a 

place on their management acceleration 

program and a promotion to finance 

manager. 

“It was a fairly big decision to move 

industry after 10 years, but I have 

absolutely no regrets,” he says. 

“The culture and environment in Coca- 

Cola allows you to learn, develop and 

excel. In many ways, it has parallels 

with the culture and environment I 

experienced in Leinster. 

Although my rugby career was shortlived, 

I am grateful for the privilege to 

play for Leinster and to have gained 

critical experiences that helped shape my 

working life, from ambition and resilience, 

to honesty and teamwork.” 

Now, finally, he is doing what he always 

wanted to do - making a difference. 


2020 started out for us on 

a positive note with 40-plus 

referees attending our first 

recruiting seminar of the year. 

The course was at full capacity 

and was facilitated by the IRFU 

Referee Department. 

ARLB Referee Katie Byrne spoke 

about her recent experience as a Trial 

Member and her journey on to the ARLB 

Development Group while ARLB’s IRFU 

Representative, David McDonald, spoke 

about the refereeing process as a trial 

member. 

BY DAN WALLACE 

HAPPY 2021 TO ALL. HOPEFULLY EVERYONE 

HAD AN ENJOYABLE BREAK. 

Sadly, not all of them managed to get on 

the pitch before the first lockdown but we 

were delighted with their response and 

willingness to hold back until we could 

get them on the pitch. 

Our 2020 mid-season seminar was held 

in the Green Isle Hotel on Thursday, 23 

January, and was attended by over 100 

referees from throughout the province. 

The seminar was a great opportunity for 

referees to get together in an informal 

setting, to socialize and learn together. 

Such opportunities are rare and mainly 

limited to this seminar and our annual 

seminar in August which was an online 

event this year. 

Our monthly Area meetings kicked 

off again in February following the 

winter break. They took place in Boyne, 

Lansdowne, Enniscorthy, Tullamore and 

Clondalkin, and were to be the last inperson 

meetings. 

Some great discussions were had and 

were ably-assisted by our IRFU panel 

members Sam Holt, John Carvill, Michael 

Forrestal, Paul Haycock and Padraic Reidy. 

Following the announcement of the IRFU 

National Referee Panel for the 2020/21 

season in May, we were delighted to see 

that two more Leinster Rugby referees 

were added to the National Panel for the 

2020/21 season. 

Congratulations to both Sam Holt and 

Michael Forrestal. Following on from that 

the Interprovincial Appointments System 

(IPAS) referees for the coming season 

were also confirmed. 

There are three new ARLB referees 

on IPAS for 2020/21. They are Kevin 

Beakey (Unattached), Katie Byrne 

(Tullamore) and Robbie Jenkinson 

(Skerries). 

Congratulations to Kevin, Katie and 

Robbie on their promotions and best 

wishes for the season ahead. 

And like that, the season was over. 

Our AGM was delayed until September 

where Dave Robb was elected President 

of the Leinster Rugby Referees for the new 

campaign. 

Gordon Condell of Clondalkin and Helen 

O’Reilly of Ashbourne were elected as 

Senior and Junior Vice Presidents. Dave 

gave a great interview in last week’s 

match program. 


It was also great to see over 

200+ referees from Leinster Rugby 

Referees, Munster Association of 

Referees, Association Of Referees 

Connacht Branch and the Ulster 

Society for Rugby Football Referees 

all online to watch the Irish Rugby 

Referee Department Seminar, 

‘Mental Skills in Rugby Refereeing’, 

with Dr. Tadhg MacIntyre during 

November. 

The IRFU referee department is 

delivering some great content and 

credit goes to Dudley Philips and his 

team. 

At the same meeting, two legends of 

the whistle, Stephen Kennedy and Paul 

Dorman, were inducted as Life Members 

of the Leinster Rugby Referees after many 

years of service on and off the pitch. 

A new online initiative set up by Irish 

Rugby’s refereeing department gave 

referees across Ireland the chance 

to further their development over the 

summer. 

Of course , 2020 saw us lose 

some colleagues including Bryan 

Murphy of Enniscorthy, Ronnie 

Maher of Suttonians and Declan 

Mahon of Ashbourne. We offer 

our sympathies to their families 

and remember them fondly. 

Here’s to 2021 and hopefully 

some domestic rugby and 

some great schools action and 

a chance to blow a whistle 

again. 

The ‘Down Time Sessions’ were led by 

IRFU Referee Development Managers, 

specifically Sean Gallagher and 

Sam Holt, and featured IRFU High 

Performance Referees presenting on 

one of four topics: Breakdown, Scrum, 

Positioning and Lineout/Maul. 

Access to the sessions were delivered by 

provincial association/society Honorary 

Secretaries, through an online platform. 

We also had an excellent meeting 

with IRFU Competitions Manager and 

Disciplinary Committee member Kevin 

Beggs on the role of Citing in games and 

the detailed process behind it. 

Want to get involved? 

Feel free to make contact with the Leinster Rugby 

Referees at hayley.whyte@leinsterrugby.ie. 

If you are interested in becoming a referee get in 

contact with us through our Facebook and Google + 

pages, our website www.arlb.ie or through twitter 

@leinsterreferee. 


RDS Vice-President 

John Dardis 

JOHN DARDIS, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE RDS, REMINISCES ON 

HIS RUGBY LIFE WITH KEVIN GREENE. JOHN IS A FORMER 

ARLB REFEREE. HE HAS SERVED AS DEPUTY LEADER OF SEANAD 

ÉIREANN AND PRESIDENT OF NEWBRIDGE RFC 

The love affair with rugby began 

in Newbridge College for John 

Dardis and has continued for 

a lifetime with memories that 

glow of people, places and 

games, from a steeply-sloped 

hillside field used to course 

hares under the tower of Old 

Kilcullen to distant and exotic 

places such as Mullingar, Roscrea 

and Enniscorthy, Heineken Cups 

and on around the world to see 

Ireland, Lions and World Cups 

until the long awaited Grand 

Slam in Cardiff and the arrival in 

the promised land on a never to 

be forgotten November day at 

Soldier Field, Chicago. 

My club, Old Kilcullen RFC, began life 

in 1968 when Carlow came to play on 

the hillside coursing field. Despite the 

appearance, the ‘Old’ appellation had 

nothing to do with a school but rather the 

location of a round tower and Brennan’s 

pub outside Kilcullen. 

Apparently, the proximity of a pub was 

a necessary pre-requisite to forming 

a provincial club in those days. But 

Brennan’s had additional luxury features: 

sheds in the yard to change in and a 

tap beside them. When our Southern 

hemisphere rugby cousins speak about 

going to the ‘sheds’ we know what they 

mean. 

Anyone turning up with boots and shorts 

was likely to get a game. About to kick 

off a half an hour or more late it would 

suddenly become apparent that there 

was something missing – a referee. 

One was regarded as desirable rather 

than essential but the captain would 

point at the nearest player surplus to 

requirements and say, “You know a bit 

about the rules, you do it”. 

Making the fatal error of telling him that 

rugby was played under laws and not 

rules, I squeaked: “Who? Me?” “Yes, 

you!” 

On such solid foundations are refereeing 

careers built. 

Soon it became obvious that a permanent 

home was needed and the club moved 

to Rosetown near Newbridge not much 

more than a couple of miles from the 

grounds of Curragh RFC. 

In time it became obvious each club was 

drawing from a small pool. A merger 

was inevitable but resisted by some 

with strong attachments to the separate 

clubs. Talks of a Brexit nature followed 

culminating in EGMs. 

For some obscure reason, the call went 

out from Old Kilcullen for a referee, 

this time to chair the meeting seeking 

agreement for the merger. 

Who? Me? Yes, you! 

The first business was the most 

contentious. It was to close the bar. 

After a meeting conducted under strict 

parliamentary procedure (speak once 

and only after everyone has spoken 

once do you get a second chance) it was 

almost closing time so a call was made to 

‘put the question’. 

To yelps from those who had a lot more 

they wished to say the vote was taken 

and following a recount the merger was 

carried by a margin of two. The bar 

opened. 

Thus, was established a united club which 

formally became Newbridge RFC with its 

permanent home and modern facilities at 

Rosetown. Once again Carlow came to 

visit as they continue to do for openings 

and anniversaries. 

Newbridge was fortunate to have two 

of the most famous names in Irish rugby 

living nearby: Dr. Karl Mullen and Sir 

Anthony O’Reilly. 

Karl graciously agreed to become club 

president. Inspired by Niall Browne, this 

culminated in a series of memorable 

legends functions with Karl and Jack Kyle 

and then with the surviving members of 

the Grand Slam Ireland team of 1948, 

the 1950 Lions and Ciaran Fitzgerald’s 

Triple Crown side. 

Prior to the Lions’ visit to Kilashee Hotel, 

I was dispatched (Who? Me?) to collect 

Cliff Morgan from Dublin. I had been 

warned that Cliff, who was suffering 

from throat cancer, would not want to 

talk during the journey as he wished to 

save his wonderful voice (“This is Gareth 

Edwards. A dramatic start. What a 

score.”) for the evening’s function. 


By the time we had gone a very short 

distance Cliff was in full flow about his 

time with Bective Rangers, racing in Naas 

and dining in Lawlor’s of Naas. 

He began furiously scribbling notes. At 

one point while stuck near Rathcoole he 

handed me a note and I began writing a 

reply. I had forgotten that while he might 

not be able to talk he could definitely 

hear! 

What a man, what a journey. The only 

time it was great to be held up by 

roadworks. 

But back to the refereeing odyssey. 

Apprenticeship involved visits to far-flung 

and exotic venues such as Roscrea, 

Mullingar, Edenderry, Portlaoise, 

Tullamore and Enniscorthy to name but 

a few, usually togging out in a pub or, in 

Gorey’s case, a bakery. 

Under the guidance of Leinster’s tiny 

band of provincial refereeing stalwarts, 

the late Frank Anderson (Athy) and Des 

Flanagan (Portlaoise), and the growth 

in the provincial game promotion was 

steady. 

The Provincial Towns Cup was the 

pinnacle of the season outside of 

Dublin, attracting crowds that frequently 

surpassed senior and interpro games. 

I was fortunate to referee three Towns 

Cup finals. Portlaoise featured in all three, 

once as hosts, once as winners and once 

as losers. 

Finals, whatever the level, are invariably 

hard-fought tense affairs won by narrow 

margins. When Tullamore beat Drogheda 

9-3 in a certain year I would prefer to 

keep secret (1976) a ball was tapped 

from a lineout to the Tullamore scrum half 

who promptly attempted a drop at goal 

on the run. 

Anchored (did I hear you say ‘as usual’?) 

on the touchline it was an open question 

if the kick had been successful. When 

all the Tullamore players jumped in the 

air and with the ever-helpful advice of 

prop Seamus (Timber) Egan a goal was 

awarded – the correct call of course! 

The most memorable final was the 1982 

game in North Kildare when Portlaoise 

beat Naas to lift the Towns Cup for the 

first time. 

The occasion was graced by a superb try 

by Portlaoise out-half Willie Ryan. Naas 

had enough kicks at goal to win and 

Portlaoise had to defend for their lives in 

the closing minutes. 

The Evening Herald’s ‘Prop’ (the late 

Austin O’Donnell from the Curragh) 

enthused “the whole affair at Kilcock – 

the superb staging by North Kildare, the 

high level of sportsmanship on the field . . 

. made for a day provincial rugby people 

will remember with pride”. 

Modesty demands the ‘. . .’ part be 

left out, other than to say that Prop’s 

reference to the referee was much kinder 

than the usual press reports. 

A record third final for me took place 

in 1988 at Tullamore when outsiders 

Navan conquered Portlaoise by a score 

of 7-3, with John Brady touching down 

for Navan. 


TO MAXIMISE YOUR SPORTS AND EXERCISE 

PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION 

Optimum Nutrition and Leinster Rugby have partnered to help share good nutrition tips throughout 

the season to help you achieve your performance goals. Here are some simple tips and things to 

remember to help maximise your performance and help you recover quickly to come back stronger. 

Protein Rich. 

Protein provides your muscles with 

the building blocks to repair & grow. 

Carb-Up. 

Carbohydrate foods are king as they 

power high intensity play. 

Fuel-Up. 

Consume the majority of your 

carbohydrates around training to 

support fuelling and recovery. 

Recover. 

Quality rest & nutrition between 

training sessions is the key to 

recovery. Remember to: 

Repair with protein, 

Refuel with carbohydrate, 

Rehydrate with fluid. 

Hydrate. 

Dehydration can lead to a drop in 

exercise intensity & can impact your 

decision making. Drink 2-3 litres of 

fluid each day to ensure hydration. 

Game Day. 

To fuel performance on the field, 

consume a large carbohydrate rich 

meal 2-3 hours before kick-off, i.e. 

chicken & pasta, turkey bolognaise 

wraps. 

Get 20% off all Optimum Nutrition products 

using code Leinster20 on optimumnutrition.ie

There were less glamorous tasks. 

Leinster’s HQ in Westmoreland Street 

had limited resources so finding and 

assigning referees in the North Midlands 

was delegated to the area. 

This was done by conscription. Who? 

Me? Yes, you! 

A midweek Schools Cup match in 

Donnybrook and a Senior Cup game 

in Lansdowne Road on Saturday were 

frequently followed by a Sunday J3 

fixture in a converted farmer’s field when 

the appointed official (if there was one) 

cried off an hour before the game. At 

least fitness was not an issue. 

The list of memorable refereeing days is 

long, ranging from Thomond Park, the 

Galway Sportsground and Belfast; the 

Wolfhounds with Esteve and Emperon 

of France; the Combined Universities v 

Lansdowne/Wanderers at Christmas time 

and even the All Blacks –well at least the 

ones in Ireland led by an up-and-coming 

player from Mullingar, Joe Schmidt! 

And then there were Parliamentary 

games featuring such notables as Jim 

Glennon, Donal Spring (qualified as 

a brother!), Jimmy Denehan and little 

known MP, Iain Duncan Smith. 

But the stand-out day was the Schools 

Final in (whisper it) 1977 when 

Blackrock, with Hugo MacNeill, beat 

St. Mary’s, with Paul Dean, 24-12 after 

extra time. 

The programme has St. Patrick’s Day as 

the date but the fixture was postponed 

to protect the pitch before Saturday’s 

Ireland v England contest. 

Within minutes of the rescheduled game, 

I was informed that the schools had 

agreed there would be extra time in the 

event of a draw. 

The draw happened courtesy of a Mary’s 

try by Paul Dean described by Edmund 

Van Esbeck of the Irish Times as “worthy 

to rank with the very best”. 

Paul Hinkson’s try for Blackrock in the 

first minute of extra time converted by 

MacNeill effectively determined the 

outcome. It left an enduring glow to be 

involved in a game described by Van 

Esbeck as “as good a demonstration 

of the virtues and grandeur of rugby 

football as it has ever been my privilege 

to witness”. 

After 20 years of whistling, apparently 

my eyesight and hearing improved and it 

was time to stop. 

Then, the previously undreamt-of journey 

with Leinster Rugby began. My wife, 

Beatrice, and I took to the road for 

Heineken and European Cup victories in 

Cardiff, Twickenham and Biarritz, defeat 

in Newcastle and Edinburgh. 

But it was always great to come home to 

the RDS where we have been long-term 

season ticket holders. 

Last year, I began a three-year term as 

Vice-President of the RDS (Who? Me? 

Yes, you!). 

So, in a curious way, two interests have 

merged. It is marvellous to have Leinster 

play great rugby at the RDS Arena on a 

surface that we take pride in and where 

plans are advanced to replace the old 

Anglesea Stand (£32,000 in 1928) with 

a stand more in keeping with the needs of 

today’s spectators. 

An early taste of what Covid had in 

store came in March with the hugely 

disappointing but justified cancellation 

of the Schools Cup Final just days before 

Newbridge College and Clongowes 

Wood were due to contest it. 

The sadness of seeing the RDS empty of 

fans is slightly relieved by watching the 

recent great performances of the team 

on TV. 

While many who come to rugby, the 

Horse Show or concerts see the RDS as a 

venue, the Society (a charity) is far more 

than that. 

For nearly 300 years, its philanthropic 

mission has been and remains to promote 

the economic and cultural life of Ireland. 

The National Library, Museum and 

Gallery all originated in the RDS as did 

the Botanic Gardens, the Radiological 

Institute and more. 

The Members’ Club is a welcoming place 

to gather to meet friends, have a meal 

and a drink before watching Leinster’s 

stars in action. Soon, may we all be able 

to gather again in the RDS. 

Why not come along and join us in the 

Members’ Club? 


BANK OF IRELAND 

'Begin Together' Benefits 

Causes Across Leinster 

LEINSTER RUGBY THIS WEEK ANNOUNCED THAT 

BANK OF IRELAND WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING A 

NUMBER OF LOCAL PROJECTS OVER THE COMING 

MONTH AS PART OF THE CHARITY AFFILIATE 

PROGRAMME LAUNCHED IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. 

To date, Women’s Aid and Debra 

Ireland have featured as charity 

partners of Leinster Rugby on a 

monthly basis but for the month 

of January, in partnership with 

Bank of Ireland, there will be 

a different focus with 12 local 

causes benefitting from Leinster 

Rugby support. 

Last year saw communities across the 

country come together like never before, 

and Bank of Ireland played a small part 

by supporting local projects that promote 

financial, physical and mental wellbeing. 

In partnership with the Community 

Foundation for Ireland, small local 

causes could apply for grants of between 

€3,500 and €5,000 to support their 

initiatives and in total 116 projects across 

the island received a grant. 

In Leinster, 42 grants were awarded to 

activities taking place in all 12 counties, 

and these projects will have a positive 

impact on the wellbeing of the local 

community. 

For the month of January, Leinster Rugby 

will shine a light on 12 of those projects, 

one in each of the counties of Leinster, 

that received support from the 2020 

Begin Together Community fund. 

Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together 

Community Fund will reopen for 

applications in the spring and works 

alongside Begin Together Arts Fund, 

and Begin Together Fund for Colleagues, 

as part of a multi-year commitment to 

support communities and local charities. 

The new Leinster Rugby charity affiliate 

programme was launched earlier this 

year and replaces the two-season long 

charity partner programme which was 

no longer possible due to Covid-19 

restrictions. Instead, the programme will 

see Leinster Rugby adding its online 

support to a new charity each month for 

the next year. 

All of the charity affiliates will be selected 

by Leinster Rugby after a consultation 

process involving the leadership group of 

the men, women’s and Academy teams 

and consultation with premium sponsors 

and partners and the Official Leinster 

Supporters’ Club. 

Bank of Ireland has also confirmed 

that their Player of the Month Award 

donation will now be made to the 

monthly charity affiliate, rather than the 

player in question, a move that is also 

supported by the Leinster Rugby players. 


Longford is the first of the 12 

counties of Leinster to feature 

where two local groups received 

grants from Bank of Ireland. 

The first was Lough Ree Angling Hub, 

which promotes angling tourism in the 

Longford-Roscommon-Westmeath region. 

The group also works hard to encourage 

the youth and the unemployed of the 

area to take up fishing as a healthy 

recreational activity by organising 

coaching and competitions. 

Through one of its projects, ‘Fishing 

for Life after Redundancy’, the group 

arranges regular social activities for 

those who have lost their jobs. Working 

with Pieta House, it provides advice, 

information and support. 

The other recipient was the Longford 

branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society 

of Ireland, which is using the funding to 

implement and evaluate a communitybased, 

physio programme under the 

direction and support of a qualified 

physiotherapist. 

Exercising with people who have similar 

physical limitations can help those with 

MS to develop confidence. 

Two brilliant and worthy causes working 

hard in their communities and we are 

delighted in Leinster Rugby to help 

highlight the work that they are doing for 

those in need. 

Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together 

Community Fund will re-open for 

applications in the spring and works 

alongside Begin Together Arts Fund, and 

Begin Together Fund for Colleagues, 

as part of a multi-year commitment from 

Bank of Ireland to support communities 

and local charities. 

To find out more information about 

Lough Ree Angling Hub, visit their 

website or follow them on Twitter. 

To find out more information about 

MS Ireland, visit their website or 

follow them on Twitter. 

Further information about the Leinster 

Rugby Charity Affiliate Programme: 

• Due to Covid-19, the new charity affiliate 

programme was launched in October 2020 to 

replace the traditional charity partner process 

while social distancing remains in place 

• To date Women’s Aid (November) and 

Debra Ireland (December) have been selected 

• Further initiatives and charities will be 

highlighted every month until September 2021 

• The selection process for all 12 charities 

includes the Leinster Rugby players, Leinster 

Rugby sponsors and partners and also the 

Official Leinster Supporters’ Club (OLSC) 

To find out more about the ways Bank of 

Ireland supports communities please click 

the image below: 


The hosts started with great intent, 

asking questions of the Munster 

defence; Nick Timoney making a 

great carry and the Ulster backs going 

through the hands. Ulster were first 

to pounce after a beautiful pass from 

James Hume to Jacob Stockdale, with 

Stockdale passing outside to a grateful 

Matt Faddes going in at the corner. The 

try went unconverted. 

Munster’s Ben Healy brought the gap to two 

points seven minutes later, with a well-taken 

penalty. 

Ulster’s backs were involved for the second try 

of the evening. Billy Burns made a beautifullyplaced 

cross-field kick into the arms of Ethan 

McIlroy on the left wing to cross over. Cooney 

added the conversion to make it a 12 point 

advantage for the Ulster men with 17 minutes 

played. 

Ulster extended their lead on the half-hour mark 

through the boot of John Cooney, after the 

Munster men got pinged for not rolling away 

in the tackle. 

Ulster dealt well with Munster’s attacking 

pressure before the break, with one highlight 

being a Timoney steal to re-gain possession 

and ultimately help Ulster keep the visitors out 

until half-time. 

Ulster started the second half with the majority 

of possession, but a couple of opportunities 

went begging; the closest from Kieran 

Treadwell but as he stretched out to ground the 

ball, he grounded just short and the ball was 

deemed to have knocked-on over the line. 

IN OPPOSITION 

Ulster Rugby 

Last Time Out 

Ulster 15 Munster 10 

Kingspan Stadium | Guinness PRO14 | Ref: Mike Adamson 

ULSTER’S UNBEATEN RUN IN THE GUINNESS PRO14 

CONTINUED AFTER DEFEATING MUNSTER BY 15-10 AT A CRISP 

KINGSPAN STADIUM LAST SATURDAY EVENING. 

ULSTER: Jacob 

Stockdale (Ben Moxham 

77); Matt Faddes (Eric 

O’Sullivan 80), James 

Hume, Stuart McCloskey, 

Ethan McIlroy; Billy 

Burns (Ian Madigan 

72), John Cooney 

(Nathan Doak 65); Eric 

O’Sullivan (Callum Reid 

48), Rob Herring (Adam 

McBurney 73), Marty 

Moore (Tom O’Toole 

52); Kieran Treadwell, 

Sam Carter (David 

O’Connor 65); Matthew 

Rea (Marcell Coetzee 

47), David McCann, 

Nick Timoney. 

ULSTER: Shane Daly 

(Darren Sweetnam 

70); Calvin Nash, Dan 

Goggin, Rory Scannell, 

Liam Coombes; Ben 

Healy (Jack Crowley 

65), Craig Casey 

(Nick McCarthy 66); 

Liam O’Connor (Dave 

Kilcoyne 52), Niall 

Scannell (Rhys Marshall 

52), John Ryan (Roman 

Salanoa 68); Fineen 

Wycherley (Thomas 

Ahern 68), Billy Holland; 

Jack O’Donoghue, Chris 

Cloete (Jack O’Sullivan 

70), Jack O’Sullivan 

(Tommy O’Donnell 57). 

words: ulsterrugby.com 

From The Ground Up | 74 | www.leinsterrugby.ie 

COUNTRY 

IRELAND 

HOME GROUND(S) 

KINGSPAN STADIUM 

FOUNDED 

1879 

Ulster started to throw everything at the visitors 

after their captain Billy Holland was sent to the 

bin following repeated infractions, however the 

Munster men battened down their hatches and 

forced a couple of turnovers to escape from 

imminent danger. 

Meanwhile, Academy prospects, Callum Reid 

and Nathan Doak both entered the fray to 

make their senior debuts, and Tom O’Toole 

made his 50th appearance off the bench. 

Ben Healy had the penalty opportunity for 

Munster while Holland was on the pine, but his 

kick went wide of the posts. 

Munster continued to press and looked set to 

score from a maul, however Stuart McCloskey 

had other ideas, coming through the middle 

to disrupt their advance, and earning a scrum 

for Ulster. The men in white then got the scrum 

penalty for Burns to get out of trouble. 

Munster finally got a try at the death for their 

efforts after a sustained period of pressure, 

through Darren Sweetnam breaching the Ulster 

line. Jack Crowley landed the conversion to 

bring the final score to 15-10.


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Squad | Positions 2020/21 

Head Coach | Dan McFarland 

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland, 

originally from Oxfordshire in 

England, has been with the club 

since joining from the Scottish 

national side in 2018. 

With Scotland, he had worked as an 

assistant coach under Gregor Townsend, 

a role he had previously held with 

Glasgow Warriors. 

His coaching career also begun in 

Ireland where he spent 15 years with 

western province Connacht as both a 

player and a coach. 

Now in his third season as Ulster head 

coach, he has led them to the knockout 

phases of both the Guinness PRO14 and 

Heineken Champions Cup. 

FORWARDS 

JOHN ANDREW 

HOOKER 

SAM CARTER 

LOCK 

MARCELL COETZEE 

FLANKER 

IAIN HENDERSON 

LOCK 

ROB HERRING 

HOOKER 

GREG JONES 

LOCK 

ROSS KANE 

PROP 

ADAM MCBURNEY 

HOOKER 

KYLE MCCALL 

PROP 

DAVID MCCANN 

BACK ROW 

JACK MCGRATH 

PROP 

ERIC O’SULLIVAN 

PROP 

TOM O’TOOLE 

PROP 

MARCUS REA 

FLANKER 

MATTHEW REA 

FLANKER 

CALLUM REID 

PROP 

SEAN REIDY 

BACK ROW 

BRADLEY ROBERTS 

HOOKER 

NICK TIMONEY 

BACK ROW 

KIERAN TREADWELL 

LOCK 

ANDREW WARWICK 

PROP 

BACKS 

WILL ADDISON 

WINGER 

MATT FADDES 

UTILITY BACK 

CRAIG GILROY 

WINGER 

JAMES HUME 

WINGER 

BILL JOHNSTON 

FLY HALF 

MICHAEL LOWRY 

FLY HALF 

LOUIS LUDIK 

FULL BACK 

ROB LYTTLE 

FULL BACK 

IAN MADIGAN 

FLY HALF 

LUKE MARSHALL 

CENTRE 

ALBY MATHEWSON 

SCRUM HALF 

STUART MCCLOSKEY 

CENTRE 

Captain | Iain Henderson 

Twenty-eight-year-old second 

row Iain Henderson was named 

as Ulster captain for last season, 

taking the reins from the recently 

retired Rory Best. 

The 58-times capped Ireland international 

has spent his entire professional career 

with the province, amassing over 100 

appearances across the back-five of the 

scrum since his debut in 2012. 

He was also a part of Ireland’s 2018 

Grand Slam and the Six Nations 

championship wins in 2014 and 2015. 

GARETH MILASINOVICH 

PROP 

MARTY MOORE 

PROP 

JORDI MURPHY 

BACK ROW 

ALAN O’CONNOR 

LOCK 

DAVID O’CONNOR 

LOCK 

ROBERT 

BALOUCOUNE 

WINGER 

BILLY BURNS 

FLY HALF 

JOHN COONEY 

SCRUM HALF 

ANGUS CURTIS 

FLY HALF 

NATHAN DOAK 

SCRUM HALF 

ETHAN MCILROY 

FULL BACK 

STEWART MOORE 

CENTRE 

BEN MOXHAM 

CENTRE 

AARON SEXTON 

WINGER 

DAVID SHANAHAN 

SCRUM HALF 


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Seapoint 

Mick O’Toole is a man of great 

humour. 

He sees the misfortune of his position 

at Seapoint Rugby Club as a source of 

entertainment as much as it is a reason 

for despair. 

“There is a book, ‘Love In A Time Of 

Cholera.’ I am ‘President In A time Of 

Covid,’” he laughs. 

The club President came into office with 

big plans on the drawing board. He is 

determined not to let the virus prevent 

Seapoint from making progress after 42 

years at Kilbogget Park. 

O’Toole has been at the club long 

enough to share much of the story as 

an amateur historian and from personal 

experience. 

“My background is one of community 

rugby in that I played soccer growing up 

and I only joined Seapoint when I was 

17,” he says. 

“I never really bothered those selecting 

the firsts. They never had to concern 

themselves with the spelling of my name. 

“My two brothers played for the first team 

here alright. I was going to have to make 

myself useful in other areas.” 

Kilbogget has always been exposed, 

windy, an unforgiving place to play. And 

that is just the way the locals like it. 

“It is like a graveyard. When you go to 

graveyards, the wind is always blowing. 

We always hope it is a graveyard to 

visiting teams,” he smirks. 

Founded in 1934, Seapoint was a 

nomadic club for a long time, relying on 

the generosity of other organisations. 

“For a long period, we used dressing 

rooms belonging to Dun Laoghaire 

corporation at the top of ‘The Noggin Hill’. 

“We still take a bit of stick from some 

clubs, about playing in ‘The Noggin’. 

“In 1978, we moved to Kilboggett and 

built our own clubhouse, the building that 

still stands today.” 

The best way is to build from the bottom 

up, attracting numbers by providing 

proper facilities for all levels of the game. 

“We have always wanted to make 

continuous improvements. We have made 

these from our own resources. 

“If we are to keep growing, we need 

more facilities, better facilities. We want 

to be proud of our place.” 

This means grasping at the traditional 

elements and pushing the relatively new 

arms of the club. 

“Our numbers continued to grow year-onyear, 

mainly the underage levels. We are 

only coming back to fielding three adult 

teams and an U-20s squad. 

“We have a girls section starting up. In 

2015, we had two girls. We nearly have 

80 now. We are planning to field at all 

levels for girls. 

“We’ve always had to invest heavily in 

the pitches. It is a heavy pitch,” he states. 

“It used to be a municipal dump. I used to 

play on a raft on the small river that ran 

through it when I was a kid. There were 

always problems with the soil and the 

drainage. 


“We ploughed our financial resources 

into it. It’s time to invest in the other 

facilities. That is where we are.” 

It has been a lengthy and arduous 

process to pursue grant funding and to 

raise finance from within. 

“A number of years ago, we started 

on this project to update the current 

building,” he says. 

“We applied for government grants and, 

after many years, we did receive a chunk 

of money from the Sports Capital Grants 

- €147,000. 

“The project will come in at twice that, at 

least. We are putting another €150,000 

from our own resources in. 

“We rolled over a loan facility and we 

have squirrelled away more money over 

the years. The problem is that to kit it out 

to the highest standard will cost extra. 

“We will be fundraising in the New Year. 

We will be going back to the members 

and asking them, in the words of Pink 

Floyd, to be ‘another brick in the wall.’ 

“Our hashtag will be ‘makeyourpoint’ to 

go back to the members,” he shares. 

It hasn’t been made any easier by the 

onset of the pandemic. The club has been 

at a playing standstill for many months 

now. 

“We were having our best year ever until 

Covid arrived. That put the kibosh on a 

few things. 

“We said it wasn’t going to stop this 

wagon rolling, this upgrade rolling. 

The man who drove a lot of this was a 

predecessor Stephen McDonough. He 

not only secured the grant, but went on to 

drive the project towards completion. 

“We are now at the stage where we are 

ready to start,” he adds. 

“It is quite exciting. It is a pity it is 

happening in the middle of Covid. But, it 

is not stopping us. 

“We are upgrading our rugby playing 

and training facilities. It will be new 

showers, new changing rooms, new 

gymnasium, disabled facilities. 

“The smell of diesel will be in the air just 

after Christmas as the cement mixers startup 

when all that work get going.” 

The prospect of machinery rolling into the 

club to dig into badly-needed renovation 

has generated a feelgood factor among 

those who have waited so long for this 

moment. 

“The development is not good news, it is 

great news. It gives something positive to 

look forward to, at a difficult time. 

“We have a five-year plan. It is to make 

incremental improvements all across the 

club. We have a set of values based 

around playing fun, winning rugby. This 

project is part of that. The club is bigger, 

better, brighter. 

“This is Seapoint for the next generation.” 

From meagre beginnings, the club has 

made great strides off the field, winning 

promotion to the All-Ireland League in 

2010, climbing to 2A before returning to 

the Leinster League in 2019. 

They are not content to drop further down 

the ladder of divisions. They want to win 

their way back into ‘The Big League.’ 

“Our ambition would be to get back into 

the AIL. We had a good run in there,” 

he says. 

“It is no secret community-based clubs, 

like Seapoint and others, all suffer in the 

same way. We lose players. We aren’t 

as competitive. We start to slip down the 

leagues.” 

“Before Covid, we had 60 adult players 

on our books which would have been a 

big improvement on recent years.” 

The time is right to give them the facilities 

that will keep them coming for years to 

come. 


These clubs have chosen Macron 

Contact us for a quotation 

CORK: Unit 8, Metro Business Park, Ballycurreen, Kinsale Road Ck04095 

T: 0866640916 

john.orourke@macronstore.com

© 2020 adidas AG 

READY 

FOR 

ACTION 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

TRAINING 20/21

Knowing what advice to take 

is essential in this game. 

beauchamps.ie 

OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR 

Contact: John White, Managing Partner +353 (0)1 4186000 | j.white@beauchamps.ie

Smith 

andrew 

WORDS: RYAN CORRY 


A DEBUT IN 

ANY SPORT, 

AT ANY LEVEL, 

CAN SEE A 

PLAYER OF 

ANY AGE, 

EXPERIENCE 

OR LEVEL 

AWASH WITH 

EMOTION. 

When that debut comes on the 

professional stage for Leinster Rugby 

at the RDS Arena, it can usually be met 

with a raucous home crowd excited 

to see another homegrown talent 

produced via the clubs or schools, then 

the Academy, and now making the 

next step in their career. 

The entrance soundtrack ‘All of the Lights’ is 

often drowned out by the sound of that support 

as the teams run out through the sea of blue 

flags being waved by one of the nominated 

teams from the Bank of Ireland half-time minis 

games. 

Not anymore though, not in the 2020/21 

season which, as we all know, has so far been 

played behind closed doors. 

Instead, what greeted Andrew Smith, Max 

O’Reilly and Greg McGrath last weekend 

was the feint hum of the occasional car on the 

Simmonscourt Road, the encouragement of 

their teammates and coaches, and the chatter 

of the commentary teams and journalists 

in attendance seated at the back of the 

Grandstand. 

For three young players making their first 

foray into the professional game, it’s a strange 

environment. 

There was no family or friends in the stands to 

reinforce the support every time it was needed. 

That roar and belief had to be garnered from 

a different source and, for Smith, that well 

of positivity came from the wave of positive 

messages that had come his way in the 36 

hours between the team announcement and 

kick-off. 

“The support was incredible from everyone 

at home and all the texts that I got the night 

before,” he says. 

“It was still great to see that there was so much 

support behind me despite people not being 

able to be there and watch it, I still knew there 

was a lot of people behind me which was 

really great. 

“My mum was getting texts from coaches I 

had when I was four and we were wondering 

how they even still had her number. It was 

unbelievable to see that.” 

The match itself didn’t quite go to plan with a 

resurgent Connacht getting their first victory at 

the RDS Arena and a first win over Leinster in 

Dublin since 2002. 

As head coach Leo Cullen outlined in his postmatch 

media duties, it can be disheartening for 


young players when results go against them on 

their maiden bows. 

Was there a mixture of emotion swirling around 

the mind of the novice winger at full-time? 

“It was incredible to get the debut but the 

most important thing is the result and that was 

frustrating, the way the match went,” Smith 

confesses. 

“For me, the main thing was to learn from any 

mistakes that I made and try to kick on from 

there. 

“A bit of that (bittersweet) to be honest, but 

mainly frustrated. At the end of the day, 

everyone wanted to win that one badly and it 

got away from us.” 

A thoroughly professional outlook from the 

20-year-old Clontarf FC man, although he also 

admits that he can look back now a week later 

and be proud of the fact that he has played his 

first game for the team he supported growing 

up. 

Having represented the province and Ireland 

at various age grades, this was naturally the 

next step and it was fitting that he shared the 

back three with another Academy man, Max 

O’Reilly, also donning the blue jersey for the 

first time. 

They were later joined from the replacements 

bench by prop Greg McGrath, a member of 


Lansdowne who has impressed recently for 

Leinster ‘A’ in their interprovincial challenges 

against Connacht and Munster. 

“It was very nice knowing you’re not the only 

one. It was comforting having Max playing 

inside me,” Smith adds. 

“I’ve played with him all the way up so I’m 

comfortable playing with him. It was nice 

having him there as well. 

“And then Greg has been really quality since 

he’s come in, and did a good job coming off 

the bench so yeah, it was definitely nice to 

have the two boys.” 

While he’s no stranger to having O’Reilly lining 

out beside him, it was a new venture to be 

taking to the field with many of the other faces 

in the Leinster 23 against Connacht. 

Coming out of St Michael’s College where 

so many in the Leinster squad have gone 

before him, Smith was now rubbing 

shoulders with teammates who were 

once coaches, past pupils who 

would go back to the Ailesbury 

Road school to give back to the 

various teams. 

One of those is scrum half Luke McGrath. 

With seven years between the two, Smith 

explains how McGrath and his ilk in St 

Michael’s were a team that he looked up to as 

a student in the Junior school. 

“IT’S A REALLY 

GOOD LEARNING 

ENVIRONMENT 

AND IT’S 

COMPETITIVE SO 

THAT’S ALL YOU 

CAN ASK FOR.” 

And once he found a liking for the game 

through the school and footsteps that looked 

like they would be worth following in, there 

was no turning back. 

“I thought it was cool watching Senior Cup and 

the players. I was really young and seeing Luke 

McGrath and some other players and looking 

up to him in school. 

“The interest came from watching them and 

wanting to be like them. Once it started, I just 

loved it. I was playing with my friends and then, 

once I got into the senior school, I had really 

good mentors and coaches.” 

That familiarity with some of the established 

faces around Leinster Rugby HQ, as well as 

time spent in the sub-Academy, was key in 

making the step into the Academy as seamless 

as possible for Smith and his fellow ‘Year 

Ones’ this season. 

But, he says, it’s not to do with who you know. 

It’s the environment and the mentality – all are 

welcome. 

“It’s been a smooth transition. It’s a nice 

environment to be involved in. It’s a really good 

learning environment and it’s competitive so 

that’s all you can ask for. 

“I suppose that’s just the culture of Leinster 

– that ‘brotherhood’ mindset – one of the 

values.” 


Smith has gained a bit of acclaim on social 

media already for his sublime try-scoring ability 

with clips of tries from the U-20 Six Nations, 

Schools internationals and the Celtic Cup 

garnering a lot of attention for the acrobatic 

nature of the touch down. 

Whether by instinct or determination, or a 

combination of both, only Smith himself can 

say what the main factor in that impressive 

skill is. 

Instead, he reiterates the need to just make the 

most of any opportunity that presents itself, a 

chance to sneak into the corner or a global 

pandemic allowing you to spend time building 

physical size during lockdown, there is a 

chance to be taken in almost any situation. 

While the opportunities he seeks now are 

in the blue shirt of Leinster Rugby, there was 

a time when the blue and green jersey of 

Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club held equal 

importance. 

From Smith’s mother’s side of the family, he is 

a grand nephew of former Galway footballer 

Liam O’Neill, a member of the Galway side 

that lost three All-Ireland finals in four years 

during the early 1970s. 

He did, however, claim six Connacht titles 

and an All-Star award during his inter-county 

career, a feat that was later matched by his 

son, Kevin, in the green and red of Mayo. 

The younger O’Neill won five provincial titles, 

losing two All-Ireland finals and winning an All- 

Star in his first year at senior inter-county level. 

So with plenty of family influence and readymade 

role models, how close did Smith come 

to pursuing the round ball? 

“We were supporting them when Kevin was 

playing in his All-Ireland finals. I knew that’s 

where the strong Gaelic background in my 

family came from. 

“I obviously never saw Liam playing but I saw 

Kevin playing and could see the level he was 

at. I just knew he was a really good athlete 

and worked hard for what he did on and off 

the pitch. 

“I played a bit for school in first and second 

year but that’s when I stopped playing with 

Clanna Gael. I did really enjoy it, all through 

junior school and then in the off-season, it 

would keep me fit. 

“I was a half-back. It’s good because it’s a 

physically demanding position. My rugby 

benefited from playing Gaelic and my Gaelic 

benefited from playing rugby.” 

Instead it was rugby that stole precedence and 

you could argue that it’s been so far, so good. 

He does, however, still hold a contingency 

plan, studying Quantity Surveying and 

Construction Economics at Technological 

University Dublin. 

“BEING 

SURROUNDED 

BY SUCH GOOD 

PLAYERS AND 

THAT COACHING 

STAFF, I NEED 

TO LEARN 

AS MUCH AS 

POSSIBLE 

AND AS FAST 

AS POSSIBLE 

BEFORE 

MY NEXT 

OPPORTUNITY 

COMES ABOUT.” 


Instead of unwinding for Christmas, he 

was mid-exam season – and still is – and 

completing any outstanding assignments 

that were due from his first semester of 

second year. 

The choice of course came about as a 

means of both interest in the field and 

a desire to join the family business, 

something that just seemed right for 

Smith. 

“My Dad’s a builder so it kind of made 

sense to go into Quantity Surveying 

because of him being in that line of 

work and it sounded interesting in 

school,” he explains. 

“Even watching TV, watching 

Grand Designs and that type 

of thing, I always liked that 

growing up. It just made 

sense to go into it.” 

“I had exams before and 

a few assignments during the 

Christmas break so not much 

of a break but I finish up in 

the next few days and I’ll be 

able to focus in on the rugby. 

A nice rest too I suppose for a 

few weeks. 

“I’ve been happy with how 

they’ve gone. I’ve done pretty 

well and kept on top of things 

so I’m delighted so far.” 

Staying on top of his studies is priority 

number one for the new year, making 

sure that he can keep edging closer to 

the cap and gown. 

After that, it’s all about listening, learning 

and applying. 

“Off the field, I want to just finish out 

my second year. It’d be great to have 

another year of my degree put away 

“On the field, I just want to improve as a 

player and learn as much as I can. 

“Being surrounded by such good players 

and that coaching staff, I need to learn 

as much as possible and as fast as 

possible before my next opportunity 

comes about. 

“So, hopefully, we’ll be able to win the 

next one when that does come around.” 

Last Saturday evening was just a start. 


Academy squad 

2020|21 

DOB: 15 December 1999 

From: Hampshire, England 

Height: 1.88m (6’ 2”) 

Weight: 92kg (14st 5lbs) 

Position: Back Three 

School: Henley College 

Honours: Ireland U20 (1 cap) 

AARON O’SULLIVAN 

Did You Know: Aaron was signed from Wasps where 

he made two appearances for the Senior team in the 

2017/18 Anglo Welsh Cup. Aaron’s dad, Barry, had trials at 

Newcastle and his grandad, at the age of 80, completed 

five stages of the Tour de France in 2011. 

Instagram: aaron_sullivan11 

DOB: 02 March 2000 

From: Wexford 

Height: 1.99m (6’ 6”) 


Position: Second Row 

School: St Peter’s College 

Club: Clontarf FC 

Honours: Ireland U20 (8 caps) 

BRIAN DEENY 

Did You Know: Brian played youth rugby with Wexford 

Wanderers RFC. He got his first Irish cap playing for 

Ireland Under-18 Sevens. Brian played midfield for his 

school St Peter’s College in Gaelic football and reached the 

All-Ireland Colleges Final in 2017. He is currently studying 

Science in Trinity and lives in Abbey House B&B, Wexford... 

if you are looking for a room?! Instagram: brian_deeny 

DOB: 03 July 1999 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.77m (5’ 10”) 


Position: Centre/Outhalf 

School: Belvedere College 

Club: Clontarf RFC 


& Leinster Rugby (4 caps) 

DAVID HAWKSHAW #1290 

Did You Know: David started playing rugby at Coolmine RFC before 

joining Belvedere College and won two Schools Senior Cup titles. He has 

represented Ireland U18 Schools and was selected as Ireland U20s captain 

for the 2019 Grand Slam winning campaign only to have his season cut 

short after three games. He played hurling and Gaelic football for St Brigid’s 

GAA club and also represented Dublin minors, winning a Leinster hurling 

title. Currently studying humanities in DCU. Instagram: davidhawkshaw99 

DOB: 30 November 1998 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.72m (5’ 8”) 


Position: Scrum Half 

School: Blackrock College 

Club: UCD RFC 

Honours: Ireland U20 (1 cap) 


PATRICK PATTERSON #1274 

Did You Know: Paddy made his debut for Leinster during 

the 2018/19 season when only in the first year of the 

Leinster Academy. He also scored his first Senior try for 

Leinster off the bench against Southern Kings during that 

maiden campaign. 

Instagram: paddypatterson 

Academy squad 

2020|21 

DOB: 24 October 1999 

From: Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow 

Height: 1.81m (5’ 9”) 


Position: Scrum Half 

School: St. Gerard’s School 

Club: Lansdowne FC 


CORMAC FOLEY 

Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Greystones 

RFC when he was nine. Growing up, Cormac did a lot of 

show jumping and he is now studying Economics and 

Finance in UCD. 

Instagram: cormacfoley6 

DOB: 05 February 1999 

From: Birr, Offaly 

Height: 1.82m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Prop 

School: Cistercian College, Roscrea 

Club: Birr RFC/UCD RFC 



MICHAEL MILNE #1279 

Did You Know: Michael has won two All-Ireland hurling 

titles, one with his school in Roscrea and another with 

Offaly Under-17s. 

Instagram: michael_milne 

DOB: 04 June 1998 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 



School: Clongowes Wood College 

Club: Dublin University FC 



MICHAEL SILVESTER #1289 

Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Wanderers 

RFC before playing in school with St. Michaels and then 

Clongowes. Played competitive tennis from the age of nine, 

winning a national championship at age 12, before focusing 

on rugby after moving to Clongowes. Graduated from 

Trinity with a BESS degree. 

Instagram: msilvester98 


From: Dublin 

Height: 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Position: Prop 





TOM CLARKSON #1285 

Did You Know: Tom studies Human Health and Disease 

in Trinity College. He played underage rugby for Wicklow 

RFC before moving to Dublin to attend Willow Park 

primary school. 

Instagram: tclarkson37 

DOB: 19 October 1999 

From: Athy, Kildare 

Height: 1.88m (6’ 2”) 


Position: Back Row 

School: Clontarf FC 

Club: Old Belvedere RFC 


MARTIN MOLONEY 

Did You Know: Martin played hurling for Kildare and played 

GAA and basketball for his secondary school, Knockbeg 

College, and local GAA club, St Laurence’s. He played his 

youth rugby with Athy RFC. He is now studying Business 

and Law in UCD, He also enjoys working on the family farm. 

Instagram: martin_moloney 



From: Dublin 

Height: 2.01m (6’ 7”) 

Weight: 108kg (17st) 



Club: UCD RFC 


CHARLIE RYAN 

Did You Know: Charlie played youth rugby at Blackrock 

College RFC while also attending the school since Senior 

Infants. He captained Ireland to the U20 Grand Slam in 

2019 and again for the U20s World Cup. His friends call 

him Chuck! He is currently studying Business and Legal 

Studies in UCD. 

Instagram: chuck_ryan5 

Academy squad 

2020|21 


From: Belfast 

Height: 1.82m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Hooker 

School: Campbell College 

Club: Old Belvedere RFC 


JOHN McKEE 

Did You Know: John grew up in Belfast going to school 

at Campbell College where he won a Senior Cup. He was 

involved with Ulster at age grade level until moving to 

Dublin after school. He also has multiple medals from 

Northern Irish Schools Judo competitions. 

Instagram: johnmckee_ 

DOB: 21 July 2000 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 



School: St Michael’s College 

Club: Clontarf FC 


& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

ANDREW SMITH #1292 

Did You Know: Andrew is currently studying Quantity 

Surveying and Construction Economics in TUD. In 2019, 

he won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup with St Michael’s 

College. Andrew also played Gaelic football with his local 

club - Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club. 

Instagram: andrew.sm1th 

DOB: 14 July 1999 

From: Dublin 

Height: 173cm (5’ 9”) 


Position: Centre 





LIAM TURNER #1287 

Did You Know: Liam started to play rugby at the age 

of six at Blackrock College RFC. He later joined Blackrock 

College and was part of the 2018 Senior Cup winning team. 

He was also part of the Ireland U20 team that went on to 

win the 2019 Grand Slam. Liam currently studys BESS in 

Trinity College. 

Instagram: liamtn123 

DOB: 06 April 2000 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Wing 


Club: UCD RFC 

Honours: Ireland U20 

NIALL COMERFORD 

Did You Know: Niall played both hurling and Gaelic 

football with Kilmacud Crokes for 14 years. He also 

represented Dublin in Gaelic football in the U17 Leinster 

Championship. He is currently studying Commerce in UCD. 

Instagram: niall_c123 

DOB: 31 July 2000 

From: Pittsburgh, USA 

Height: 1.90m (6’ 3”) 

Weight: 102kg (16st 1lb) 



Club: UCD RFC 


SEÁN O’BRIEN 

Did You Know: Seán started playing rugby at age six 

with Greystones RFC where he played up until Under-13. 

He then played on the Junior and Senior Cup teams in 

Blackrock College. He is currently studying Economics and 

Finance in UCD 

Instagram: seanobrien456 


From: Pearse St, Dublin 

Height: 1.95m (6’ 5”) 

Weight: 104.5kg (16st 6lbs) 


School: Belvedere College 



ALEX SOROKA 

Did You Know: Alex’s family moved to Ireland from 

Ukraine shortly before his birth. He was born in Cork 

before moving to Dublin. 

Instagram: alex._.soroka 

DOB: 26 March 2001 

From: Manhattan, NY 

Height: 1.95m (6’ 5”) 






JOE McCARTHY 

Did You Know: Joe started playing rugby with Blackrock 

College RFC at the age of six before moving to Willow Park 

and then Blackrock College. He was also on the Blackrock 

swim team for five years. He’s currently studying Global 

Business in Trinity College Dublin. 

Instagram: joetmmcc 


From: Enniskerry, Wicklow 

Height: 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Position: Full Back 

School: St Gerard’s School 



& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

MAX O’REILLY #1291 

Did You Know: Max is currently in his third year of Business 

and Management in DIT. His preferred sport was soccer 

until about the age of 15, which he had played at centre 

midfield with Enniskerry FC for over 10 years and also 

for Wicklow. 

Instagram: max_oreilly 


Fixtures & 

results 

2020/21 

virtual match mascot 

Padraic Dowling 

School: Urlingford NS 

Hobbies: Playing with remote control 

cars and NERF guns 

Sports: Rugby, Hurling and Soccer 

Clubs: Padraic plays with Kilkenny 

RFC, Emeralds GAA and Spa United. 

Fri 2 Oct 20:15 

Guinness PRO14 

W 35-5 

Sat 10 Oct 18:15 


W 37-25 

FRI 23 Oct 19:35 


W 63-8 

MON 2 Nov 20:15 


W 32-19 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR 1T 

RINGROSE 1T 2C 

FRAWLEY (T O'BRIEN 9) 

LOWE 2T 

SEXTON 1C (R BYRNE 23 3C) 

GIBSON-PARK (MCGRATH 67) 

E BYRNE (HEALY 49) 

R KELLEHER (CRONIN 49) 

BENT (PORTER 49) 

FARDY 

RYAN 

RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

CONAN (DEEGAN 49 (BAIRD 62 1T)) 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR (J O'BRIEN 48) 

RINGROSE 

HENSHAW 

LOWE 1T 

R BYRNE 3C 3P (H BYRNE 79) 

GIBSON-PARK (MCGRATH 56) 

E BYRNE (HEALY 52) 

TRACY 1T (CRONIN 53) 

BENT (CLARKSON 63) 

BAIRD (MOLONY 64) 

RYAN 1T 

DORIS 

CONNORS 

CONAN 

J O'BRIEN 

T O'BRIEN 2T 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY (SILVESTER 64) 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 9C 

MCGRATH (H O'SULLIVAN 56) 

DOOLEY (MILNE 52) 

SHEEHAN 2T (TRACY 51) 

BENT 1T (PARKER 51 1T) 

MOLONY 

TONER (DUNNE 56) 

MURPHY 1T (FARDY 69) 

PENNY 1T 

RUDDOCK (LEAVY 51) 

J O'BRIEN 1T (HAWKSHAW 71) 

C KELLEHER 

O'LOUGHLIN 

T O'BRIEN 

D KEARNEY 

H BYRNE 3C 2P 

MCGRATH 1T (H O'SULLIVAN 76) 


TRACY (SHEEHAN 54) 

BENT 1T (CLARKSON 60) 

MOLONY (FARDY 60) 

TONER 

MURPHY (DUNNE 71) 

PENNY 1T 


SUN 8 Nov 15:00 


W 26-7 

J O'BRIEN 

C KELLEHER 

O'LOUGHLIN (TURNER 59) 

T O'BRIEN (H O'SULLIVAN 65) 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 3C (HAWKSHAW 61) 

MCGRATH 

MILNE (DOOLEY 51 1T) 

TRACY 1T (SHEEHAN 51) 

BENT (PARKER 51) 

MOLONY 

FARDY (TONER 72) 

MURPHY (LEAVY 54) 

PENNY 1T 

RUDDOCK 

MON 16 NOV 20:15 


W 50-10 

J O'BRIEN 

C KELLEHER 3T 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY 5C 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE (HAWKSHAW 54) 

MCGRATH 2T (H O'SULLIVAN 57) 

RUDDOCK (MURPHY 50) 

PENNY 

LEAVY 1T (BAIRD 58) 

FARDY 

TONER (MOLONY 68) 

BENT (PARKER 50) 

TRACY (SHEEHAN 50) 

DOOLEY 1T (MILNE 50) 

Sun 22 Nov 17:15 


W 40-5 

J O'BRIEN 1T (SILVESTER 41 1T) 

C KELLEHER 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 5C 

MCGRATH (OSBORNE 67) 


TRACY 1T (SHEEHAN 58) 

BENT (CLARKSON 52) 

MOLONY (TONER 62) 

BAIRD 

MURPHY (PENNY 52 2T) 

LEAVY (DUNNE 70) 

RUDDOCK 

Sat 12 Dec 17:30 

Champions Cup 

W 35-14 

J O'BRIEN 1T 

KEENAN 

HENSHAW 

FRAWLEY 1T 

KEARNEY 1T 

R BYRNE 1C 1P (H BYRNE 61 1C 1P) 

MCGRATH (GIBSON-PARK 69) 

DOOLEY (HEALY 46) 

TRACY (KELLEHER 46) 

BENT (PORTER 46) 

TONER (BAIRD 69) 

FARDY (RYAN 52) 

RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 1T 

DORIS (LEAVY 59 1T) 


Emma Smyth 

Age: 12 

School: St. Joseph’s National 

School, Mulhussey 

Hobbies: Art, Hockey, Horse 

Riding, Reading 

Favourite player: Robbie 

Henshaw 

virtual match mascot 

Sat 19 Dec 13:00 

Champions Cup 

W 35-19 

J O'BRIEN (C KELLEHER 8) 

KEENAN 

RINGROSE (FRAWLEY 75) 

HENSHAW 

KEARNEY 1T 

R BYRNE 3C 3P 

GIBSON-PARK 1T (MCGRATH 56) 

HEALY 1T (DOOLEY 56) 

R KELLEHER (TRACY 56) 

PORTER (BENT 56) 

BAIRD 

RYAN 

MURPHY 1T (MOLONY 66) 

VAN DER FLIER 


ROUND 

09 

munster rugby v 


Postponed 

Sat 2 Jan 19:35 


L 24-35 

O'REILLY 

SMITH 

J O'BRIEN 1C (O'SULLIVAN 62) 

O'LOUGHLIN (HAWKSHAW 56 1C) 

KEARNEY 

SEXTON (TURNER 23) 

L MCGRATH 1T 

DOOLEY (E BYRNE 51 1T) 

TRACY (CRONIN 51) 

BENT (G MCGRATH 69) 

MOLONY 

TONER (CONAN 51 (CONNORS 57)) 

BAIRD 1T 

PENNY 1T 

LEAVY (CONAN 61) 

ROUND 

11 


v ulster rugby 

friday 

january 8 

RDS Arena 

KO 7.35pm 

Northampton 

Saints v 


Friday 

January 15 

Franklin's Gardens 

KO 5.30pm 


v Montpellier 

Friday 

January22 

RDS Arena 

KO 5.30pm 

ROUND 

08 

Scarlets v 


saturday 

january 30 

Parc y Scarlets 

K0 7:35pm 


At Sword we know how important the Game is. 

We know how important your memories are ....so relax 

and enjoy yourself, you're in safe hands. 

LEINSTER RUGBY FANS .... Secured by the team at Sword 

Dublin: 01-6688220 

info@swordsecurity.com 

www.swordsecurity.com 

Securing Sports Fans around the World.

Coronavirus 

COVID-19 

Coronavirus 

COVID-19 

Public Health 

Advice 

Stay safe. 

Protect each other. 

Continue to: 

Wash 

your hands well 

and often to avoid 

contamination. 

Cover 

your mouth and nose 

with a tissue or sleeve 

when coughing or 

sneezing and discard 

used tissue safely 

Distance 

yourself at least 

2 metres (6 feet) away 

from other people, 

especially those who 

might be unwell 

Avoid 

crowds and 

crowded places 

Know 

the symptoms. If you 

have them self isolate 

and contact your GP 

immediately 

COVID-19 symptoms include 

> high temperature 

> cough 

> breathing difficulty 

> sudden loss of sense of smell or taste 

> flu-like symptoms 

If you have any symptoms, self-isolate to 

protect others and call your GP for a 

COVID-19 test. 

#holdfirm 

For more information 

www.gov.ie/health-covid-19 

www.hse.ie 

Ireland’s public health advice is guided by WHO and ECDC advice

Hugo Keenan 

Jordan Larmour 

Ross Byrne 

Robbie Henshaw 

Dave Kearney 

Johnny Sexton [C] 

Jamison Gibson-Park 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

Michael Lowry 

Matt Faddes 

James Hume 

Stuart McCloskey 

Ethan McIlroy 

Billy Burns 

John Cooney 

Cian Healy 

Seán Cronin 

Andrew Porter 

Scott Fardy 

James Ryan 

Rhys Ruddock 

Josh van der Flier 

Caelan Doris 

James Tracy 

Ed Byrne 

Michael Bent 

Ross Molony 

Jack Conan 

Luke McGrath 

Harry Byrne 

Jimmy O’Brien 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

LOOSE HEAD PROP 

HOOKER 

TIGHT HEAD PROP 

SECOND ROW 

SECOND ROW 

BLINDSIDE FLANKER 

OPENSIDE FLANKER 

NUMBER 8 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

Andrew Warwick 

Rob Herring 

Marty Moore 

Alan O’Connor 

Sam Carter [C] 

Greg Jones 

Jordi Murphy 

Marcell Coetzee 

John Andrew 

Eric O’Sullivan 

Tom O’Toole 

Kieran Treadwell 

Nick Timoney 

David Shanahan 

Ian Madigan 

Ben Moxham 

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 60th competition game) 

Assistant Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) 

Assistant Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU) 

TMO: Joy Neville (IRFU) 


MAKE IT A GAME 

YOU’LL REMEMBER. 

MODERATE YOUR DRINKING. 

MAKE YOUR NEXT PINT TAP WATER. 

SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE 

#GUINNESSCLEAR

Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby

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