Leinster vs Connacht

ISSUE 5 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

LEINSTER 

VS 

connacht 

FRI 3 rd DEC 

RDS ARENA 

KO 7.45PM

Newstead Building A, 

UCD, 

Belfield, 

Dublin 4 

#LEIVCON 

The Line up 

Telephone: 

012693224 

Fax: 

012693142 

E-mail: 

information@leinsterrugby.ie 

www.leinsterrugby.ie 

6 

24 

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: Denis Leamy 

14 

PROGRAMME CREDITS 

Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla, 

Ryan Corry & Paul Cahill 

Advertising: Gary Nolan 

Design: Julian Tredinnick, 

Ignition Sports Media 

Photography: Sportsfile 

Chief Steward: Sword Security 

Ambulance: St. John’s Ambulance 

Medilink 

Event Control & Safety Services: 

Eamonn O’Boyle & Associates 

62 

86 

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CONNECTED 

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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3

PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2020/22 

john walsh welcome 

We extend a warm Leinster welcome 

to this evening’s visitors Connacht 

and their fans to the RDS Arena. 

Tonight, is the Round 7 fixture of the United 

Rugby Championship and the occasion is 

also what is referred to in sporting terms as 

a ‘local derby’ and as such has additional 

spice added to the occasion both for 

players and fans alike. It’s also a fixture that 

forms part of the historic Irish Interprovincial 

Championship which dates back to 1946. 

Current champions Leinster will be fully 

aware as to the challenges that Connacht 

present at home or away. The Sportsground 

in Galway can be a challenging place 

for visiting teams to play their ‘A’ game 

and on many occasions even Plan B does 

not bring the desired results as the men in 

green respond to the vocal support of their 

passionate followers. 

We in Leinster don’t have fond memories 

of the last occasion that Connacht visited 

the RDS in January as they were deserving 

winners by 35-24 to end a Leinster winning 

streak of 26 games in the league and the 

first time that Leinster tasted the bitterness of 

a home defeat to an Irish side in over five 

years. One of my acquaintances with strong 

connections to the west of Ireland described 

Connacht’s performance as similar to that 

of a New York stray dog who had come 

across a street full of fire hydrants and 

performed accordingly! 

An Ulster side also experienced a 36-11 

crushing defeat by Connacht at the Aviva 

Stadium in Round 5 of this season’s United 

Rugby Championship so we have all been 

warned ahead of their visit this evening! 

On behalf of the Leinster Management 

and Executive Committee we welcome our 

counterparts from Connacht led by Ann 

Heneghan (President), Willie Ruane (CEO) 

and of course Head Coach Andy Friend, 

club captain Jarrad Butler and matchday 

captain Jack Carty. 

While we may be rivals on the pitch we 

continue to work with our colleagues in 

Connacht, Munster and Ulster for the 

continued development of the game at 

all levels on this island and we share 

many common goals and objectives and 

long may that be so. For Irish Rugby to 

prosper we need all our provincial teams to 

continue to develop and to have a strong 

presence in our European competitions. 

Connacht arrive at the RDS high on 

confidence following impressive consecutive 

victories over Ulster and Ospreys (scoring 

seven tries) and having just lost out to 

Munster by a 20-18 score line. 

Tonight’s fixture will be the 38th clash 

between us in the professional era with 

Leinster recording 28 victories to nine 

victories to Connacht. As we discovered 

with last weekend’s loss at the RDS to Ulster 

(their first win over Leinster in eight seasons) 

‘local derbies’ can be decided by the side 

who has the heart and determination to dig 

deep to get the result. 

Let’s hope that tonight’s game will keep 

all our supporters entertained by a quality 

performance by both sides as we head into 

our Heineken Champions Cup fixtures. 

The recent passing of former Irish Rugby 

captain Ray McLoughlin will be mourned 

throughout the world of rugby and we 

extend our condolences to his family 

members on their loss. 

The native of Ballinasloe was an iconic 

player and one of the greatest props 

produced by Ireland. Just like the granite 

rock of the west he was tough and durable 

and represented Ireland on 40 occasions 

from 1962 to 1975, which was a record for 

a prop forward. For his beloved Connacht 

he made 34 appearances and was the first 

member of the province to play test rugby 

for the British and Irish Lions. He toured 

Australia and New Zealand with the Lions 

in 1966 and 1971 winning three Test caps. 

Passionate about the game he played club 

rugby in Ireland with UCD and Blackrock 

College and when his business career took 

him to the UK he played with Gosforth 

in Newcastle and also with London Irish. 

He was the most generous of individuals 

in giving freely of his time to support so 

many rugby clubs throughout Ireland with 

fundraising events and his memory will be 

forever cherished by all who had the good 

fortune to meet him. 

May he rest in peace. 

Covid-19 is very much back in the spotlight 

at the moment and the men’s Barbarians 

fixture had to be cancelled just before 

kick-off due to positive Covid results in the 

squad. As a result the Barbarian women’s 

game was slotted into the live schedule 

by the BBC and served up a tremendous 

thrilling, spectacle of rugby for viewers with 

the Barbarians winning 65-5 in front of a 

record attendance for a women’s game of 

29,582. Our five Irish representatives got 

good game time to enjoy the occasion and 

it was fitting that Ciara Griffin and Lindsay 

Peat scored tries to bring the curtain down 

on their illustrious rugby careers. 

It is a pity that Rob Kearney could not bring 

the curtain down on his own career in a 

similar fashion and a pity that promising 

Leinster lock Jack Dunne couldn’t pull on 

the famous black and white jersey also. 

Jack will get another chance I am sure 

but a pity for Rob. It won’t take away 

anything from what he achieved during an 

illustrious career and we wish him well in 

his retirement. 

The Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools 

draw takes place next week as does 

the draw for the D’Arcy Cup, one of the 

most prestigious club cup competitions in 

Leinster, and while the shadow of Covid 

does loom large, it’s great to see excitement 

back as clubs and schools take to the fields 

again and enjoy sport and extra-curricular 

activities. 

Best of luck to all those involved in those 

competitions and indeed best of luck to all 

the girls who are playing in the plate and 

cup finals in IT Carlow in a few weeks’ time 

for the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Girls 

Cup Finals day. It should be a brilliant day 

of action and it will be interesting to see if 

anyone can repeat Wicklow RFC’s heroics 

last time out when they took home three 

trophies. 

Back to the RDS Arena this evening, I hope 

you all enjoy the game and continue to 

play your part in keeping each other and 

us all safe and continue 

to wear your face 

masks and 

observe all 

the relevant 

guidelines that 

are in place. 

Enjoy the game 

and stay safe, 

JOHN WALSH 

President Leinster 

Rugby 2020/22 


Leo Cullen 

head Coach Welcome 

Good evening and welcome to the RDS Arena for 

tonight’s game against Connacht Rugby. 

It’s probably no harm that we 

haven’t had to wait too long for 

this one to come around, after 

the disappointment of last week’s 

loss to Ulster. On the other hand, 

we’re fully aware that Andy 

Friend’s excellent team won’t 

make it easy for us. We learned 

that the hard way last season! 

It was thrilling to have such a big crowd 

behind us last week – it was hugely 

appreciated too, as we know there’s a lot 

of competition for your time and attention. 

We’re going to need all the support we 

can get over the next two months with a 

It continues to be a challenging 

time for all our sponsors and once 

again I’d like to say how much we 

appreciate the backing they all give 

us, in particular Bank of Ireland. 

really challenging and exciting block of 

games coming up. 

Unfortunately, the past week has seen 

lots of uncertainty in the United Rugby 

Championship. We send our best wishes 

to Munster, and Cardiff for that matter, 

and hope they all manage to get home 

safely from South Africa. 

These are still tough times and it looks 

like the virus will be with us in one form 

or another for a while yet. On which 

note, we were delighted to welcome Irish 

clean air specialist Novaerus on board 

as a new commercial partner recently, as 

we look to make our building as Covidsafe 

as possible. It continues to be a 

challenging time for all our sponsors and 

once again I’d like to say how much we 

appreciate the backing they all give us, 

in particular Bank of Ireland. 

With Connacht in town this evening, I’d 

like to take this opportunity to express 

our sincere condolences on the recent 

passing of the former Connacht, Ireland 

and Lions great, Ray McLoughlin. 

Ray was also a Blackrock College 

legend and everyone at the club 

is immensely proud of all his 

achievements and the legacy 

he leaves behind. He had 

an amazing career, not just 

in rugby but in business 

too, and he will be sadly 

missed. Our thoughts are 

with Ray’s family. 

Good luck to all clubs and schools in the 

Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby draws 

which take place next week. It’s brilliant 

to see so much rugby going on at all 

different levels around the province. 

The volunteer structure is still so important 

to the development of our game, 

which simply wouldn’t be where it is 

today without the positive energy and 

enthusiasm of so many coaches, players, 

parents, helpers, kit washers, unofficial 

bus drivers, you name it! Thanks to all 

volunteers for helping to create rugby 

bonds that last a lifetime. 

Next week, our Heineken Champions 

Cup campaign gets up and running 

against Bath over at the Aviva Stadium. 

We’re hopeful of having a nice big 

crowd as we try and progress a little 

further than we managed last season. 

Tickets are still available if you’re up 

for it! For now though, enjoy this 

evening’s game and thanks once 

again for your loyal support. 

We hope to see as many 

of you as possible as we 

face the many twists and 

turns between now and 

the end of the season. 

Leo. 

Thanks, 

6 | www.leinsterrugby.ie


Joann 

Hosey 

PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR 

BANK OF IRELAND DUBLIN 

Welcome to 

Friday night 

rugby at the 

RDS Arena for 

the first time 

this season, 

as we welcome 

Connacht 

Rugby for 

our second 

consecutive 

interpro 

clash. 

The interprovincial matches are 

the foundation of the professional 

game in Ireland, providing an 

energy and excitement that we 

witnessed in abundance last 

weekend as Ulster came down 

the M1 to claim a famous victory. 

This evening’s game is the second of 

three home games in a row for Leo 

Cullen’s side, with a trip across the 

road to the Aviva Stadium coming up 

next week against Bath Rugby in the 

Heineken Champions Cup. 

What a brilliant three weeks to savour 

with the Leinster fans in full voice – 

occasions that we all had to wait a 

long time for and are now intent on 

enjoying all the more. We are not out of 

the woods yet though, and we must all 

continue to do our bit on match day to 

keep the experience as safe as possible 

for everyone attending. 

While a lot of focus next week will be 

on the build up to the Bath game we 

are delighted to say that we will also be 

hosting the draws for the Bank of Ireland 

Leinster Rugby Schools Cup, followed 

by the club rugby draws. The opening 

months of 2022 are nearly upon us, so 

it’s great that we can look forward to 

these competitions taking place again, 

especially after the successful return of 

the Junior Cup competitions over the last 

few months. 

In addition, the Bank of Ireland Provincial 

Towns Cup will be officially launched 

over the coming weeks and we are also 

looking forward to celebrating some of 

Leinster Rugby’s representative sides, 

not least the Women’s Team when we 

formally present them with their debut 

caps and their Leinster jerseys. Special 

days and great to have them back again. 

Until then, enjoy the game this evening. 

As a proud supporter of all four 

provinces Bank of Ireland must retain its 

neutrality at all times – so may the best 

team win this evening! 

JH 


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Did you 

know? 

• Leinster’s six game 

winning run in the United 

Rugby Championship came 

to an end with their 10- 

20 reversal at home to 

Ulster on Saturday. 

• The Leinstermen have 

never lost successive 

matches at the RDS Arena. 

• Connacht have won 

successive championship 

matches with maximum 

points since their 18-20 

loss away to Munster on 

16 October. 

• Connacht’s most recent 

away win came on a 

trip to Munster in the 

Rainbow Cup in May. 

• Leinster’s only loss in 

their last six fixtures 

against Connacht was 

24-35 on Connacht’s last 

visit to the RDS Arena on 

2 January 2021. This was 

Connacht’s first victory 

on Leinster soil since 

September 2002. 

COMPARISON 

Overall URC head-to-head record: 

Played 38, Leinster won 28, Connacht won 10. 

Last 3 URC results: 

16 Oct - Scarlets (H) W 50-15 16 Oct - Munster (A) L 18-20 

22 Oct - Glasgow (A) W 31-15 23 Oct - Ulster (H) W 36-11 

27 Nov - Ulster (H) L 10-20 26 Nov - Ospreys (H) W 46-18 

URC 2021/22 

1st - W5 D0 L1 - 24PTS 

WWWWWL (24pts) 

URC form 

6th - W3 D0 L3 - 16PTS 

LWLLWW (16pts) 

Top try scorer 

3 - Ronan Kelleher, Adam Byrne, Dan Sheehan 5 - Mack Hansen 

Top points scorer 

31 - Ross Byrne 65 - Jack Carty 

Date Venue L C Leinster scorers Connacht scorers 

Sat 29 Sep 18 Sportsground 20 3 Sean Cronin(T) Garry Ringrose(T) Johnny 

Sexton(2C/2P) 

Sat 22 Dec 18 RDS Arena 33 29 Ross Byrne(4C) Andrew Porter(T) Mick 

Kearney(T) Sean Cronin(T) Dan Leavy(T) 

Conor O'Brien(T) 

Fri 8 Nov 19 Sportsground 42 11 James Lowe(T) Ross Byrne(T/6C) Andrew 

Porter(2T) Ronan Kelleher(2T) 

Sat 4 Jan 20 RDS Arena 54 7 Max Deegan(2T) Ciaran Frawley(T/6C) 

Harry Byrne(C) Joe Tomane(T) Dave 

Kearney(T) Garry Ringrose(2T) Luke 

McGrath(T) 

Sat 2 Jan 21 RDS Arena 24 35 Scott Penny(T) David Hawkshaw(C) Ryan 

Baird(T) Ed Byrne(T) Luke McGrath(T) Jimmy 

O'Brien(C) 

Sat 8 May 21 Sportsground (RC) 50 21 Ross Byrne(5C) Andrew Porter(T) James 

Tracy(T) Scott Fardy(T) Cian Kelleher(T) Ross 

Molony(T) Hugo Keenan(3T) 

Jack Carty(P) 

Caolin Blade(T) Jack Carty(T/3C/P) Cian 

Kelleher(T) Darragh Leader(T) 

Jack Carty(P) Stephen Fitzgerald(T) Darragh 

Leader(P) 

Conor Fitzgerald(C) Tom McCartney(T) 

Tom Daly(T) Jack Carty(2T/3C/3P) Alex 

Wootton(T) 

Caolin Blade(T) Peter Sullivan(T) Conor 

Fitzgerald(C/3P) 



caelan 

doris 

the big interview 

BY RYAN CORRY 

Autumn Nations 

Player of the Series 

- Caelan Doris. 

It has a nice ring 

to it. And why 

wouldn’t it? 

The back row was 

a standout for 

Ireland during 

a November 

window in 

which they went 

100 per cent 

with victories 

over Japan, the 

All Blacks and 

Argentina. 


The Mayo man saw off 

competition from France’s Antoine 

Dupont and Romain Ntamack, 

South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth 

and England’s Marcus Smith 

and Freddie Steward, claiming 

26 per cent of the public vote 

to be named as the star of the 

international window. 

Doris started in the pack in all three 

games for Ireland, scoring two tries – 

one each against New Zealand and 

Argentina – and picked up the player of 

the match gong in that 29-20 win over 

the then World Number 1 All Blacks 

who have since been replaced by world 

champions South Africa. 

He was equally impressive in defence, 

making 35 tackles across the three 

games and 36 carries – more than any 

other player – while he also hit a jointhigh 

99 rucks as his relentless engine 

drove Ireland forward. 

With just 12 international caps to his 

name, Doris is looking increasingly 

comfortable at Test level, and, by his 

own account, is enjoying his rugby 

more and more with every passing 

week while the squad as a whole is 


enefiting from every camp together 

under Andy Farrell. 

“A big part of it is just time together 

and getting that cohesion. There’s not 

too much new stuff we’re doing, it’s 

just a case of everyone getting used 

to the system, we’re getting better at 

anticipating what’s coming, the lines 

we’re running, our set-piece, lots of small 

things. It’s just becoming more instinctual, 

there were no big changes,” Doris says of 

the November success. 

“It’s kind of the competition that drives 

you a fair bit. We have that in Leinster as 

well, the back row particularly is a highlycontested 

area. In Leinster, we have six or 

seven international back rows. And that 

is heightened more in international camp 

so you’re used to that competition and 

then you just keep putting your best foot 

forward. 

“You need to stay prepared as well as 

possible and take the opportunities that 

come along in training and that’ll give 

you the best chance of getting picked. I’m 

just enjoying it a lot, enjoying the camp 

and the atmosphere. Even pre-Ireland 

camp when we were with Leinster, I was 

loving that as well, it’s just good to be 

I think it gives you a bit more 

perspective when you’ve had a long 

break, taken a step back. You’re 

much more grateful for it and 

realise that this is a dream job 

and how lucky we are to do what we 

do for a living. 

back really. I think that enjoyment has 

played into some of my performances,” 

he adds. 

“Good to be back”, he says in reference 

to the turbulent and, at times, concerning 

start he had to the 2021 calendar year. 

Midway through the 2020/21 

campaign, Doris was advised on medical 

grounds to stand down from playing and 

contact training as a result of a head 

injury. 

He was able to return for the summer 

internationals against USA and Japan 

and since then, hasn’t looked back, 

returning to his formidable best in both 

blue and green since the season has 

returned in late September. 

“It was a really disappointing start to the 

year, having to make the call to step 

away, being advised to step back from 

playing, not knowing how long I was 

going to be out for and all the uncertainty 

around it,” Doris states. 

“Sitting and watching everything going 

on and wishing that I was there but it 

was great being back for the summer 

series and then November as well with 

full crowds, proper atmosphere in a full 

Aviva, family and friends there too, for 

the first time since pre-Covid. 

“I think it gives you a bit more perspective 

when you’ve had a long break, taken a 

step back. You’re much more grateful for 

it and realise that this is a dream job and 

how lucky we are to do what we do for a 

living. That definitely adds into it all and 

the enjoyment.” 


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And what a relief it is to see him back 

in dominant form. After that three-game 

showing in November, Doris was 

afforded some time off last week, opting 

to take in some of the round ball on the 

continent alongside teammates James 

Lowe, Dan Sheehan and Hugo Keenan. 

While he admits he isn’t a follower of 

the sport, he was in awe of Barcelona’s 

Camp Nou despite the less than 

appealing weather that met them in the 

north-east of the Iberian Peninsula. 

On the night, the Catalonians drew 

0-0 with Benfica in the Champions 

League as rain teemed down on the 

50,000 spectators spread around the 

99,500-capacity stadium. 

Unfortunately, the scoreless contest 

didn’t capture the imagination of Doris, 

attending his first football match. 

“It was lashing rain so we didn’t pick the 

best day. Proper torrential rain. There was 

only about a 60 per cent full stadium so 

it was pretty empty and we were able 

to make our way down to some good 

seats. It wasn’t the best game though,” 

he laughs. 

“It was a completely random choice. We 

were looking for something with a bit of 

sun and were thinking Marbella where 

we hadn’t been but we ended up going 

with the trusty Barcelona where we’d all 

been before. It was good craic. 

“We didn’t go specifically for the match. 

We only found out they were playing 

as we were arriving, so the game was a 

last-minute thing. I wouldn’t follow football 

at all. It’s actually the first game that I’ve 

been to. First football game. It’s some 

stadium, it’s huge. 


“After that, I was down in Cork for a 

couple of nights with the missus so a bit of 

a contrast between those two trips but it 

was good to get the time off.” 

So, now for the back rower, it’s back into 

the fold ahead of tonight’s clash against 

Connacht with the full squad seeking a 

response to last Saturday’s first defeat of 

the season, a 20-10 URC loss to Ulster. 

As usual, the Monday morning review 

will have taken place in Leinster Rugby 

HQ in UCD before that game is forgotten 

and attention turns fully to preparation for 

our western neighbours visiting Dublin 4 

tonight. 

One thing Doris emphasises is the desire 

among the squad to put performances 

together for the supporters, now more 

than ever, after having to go so long 

playing in the silence of empty stadiums 

during the last two years. 

“It wasn’t our best performance at all. 

It’s never easy against Ulster and we’ve 

gone well against them the last few times 

so they maybe had that chip on their 

shoulder moreso than us. But, it’s never 

nice losing in the RDS, especially having 

the fans back and wanting to put on a 

performance for them,” he explains. 

“The review was a long enough one. 

There was a fair few fix-ups. A lot around 

our breakdown needing to be better, 

defensively our line speed wasn’t good 

enough and then a few other smaller 

fix-ups. 


I think it’s 

fairly wellknown 

where 

I’m from that 

I’m Leinster and 

I think I even 

have a few of 

the neighbours 

converted so I 

won’t get too 

much heat, there 

won’t be many 

messages. 

“The whole week is so important, 

especially with guys coming back in 

from camp and making that switch, 

getting back into the Leinster system, the 

Leinster language, getting through all 

that work early in the week so you can 

mentally prep and focus on the most 

important areas like your contacts and 

the physicality and that stuff. That’s going 

to be a big focus for this week. 

“You never want to lose. You’d rather 

learn your lessons through winning but 

sometimes you need that reality check 

maybe and it’s come at the start of a big 

block of games with Europe and more 

interprovincials. I suppose you’d rather 

learn that lesson at the start of it than in 

Europe or a later interpro.” 

While he is originally from Lacken, 

close to Ballina in County Mayo, Doris 

says that friends and neighbours at 

home know that he’s always been 

firmly Leinster, aided by both parents 

being from Dublin and his schooling in 

Blackrock College, so there won’t be too 

much noise made as he comes up against 

his native province tonight. 

Texts will be limited while there might 

even be a bit of support in Lacken tilted 

towards the blue side of the battle 

because of the hometown interest. 

“I think it’s fairly well-known where I’m 

from that I’m Leinster and I think I even 

have a few of the neighbours converted 

so I won’t get too much heat, there won’t 

be many messages,” he says wryly. 

“Connacht are in good form. They’ve had 

two very impressive wins, and impressive 

performances too. They’re playing really 

good rugby and have attacking threats 

in the back-line and throughout the pack. 

I’m looking forward to seeing a filled RDS 

and a good atmosphere on the night. 

And then we can put on a show that we 

can be proud of. 

“Between the interpros and the European 

games, this month defines the season 

really, how these games go. But at the 

same time, it’s massively exciting, playing 

the biggest games. I think as long as 

we’ve prepared as best we can, we can 

enjoy it come gameday.” 

For Doris and Co in the dressing room, 

staff and supporters, that defining period 

starts tonight at 7.45pm in the RDS Arena. 


Action 

replay 10 20 

LEINSTER: 

Jimmy O’Brien; Adam Byrne, Robbie 

Henshaw, Ciarán Frawley, Jordan 

Larmour (Tommy O’Brien 70); Ross Byrne 

(Harry Byrne 64); Luke McGrath (Nick 

McCarthy 64); Ed Byrne (Peter Dooley 

51), James Tracy (Seán Cronin 51), 

Tadhg Furlong (Vakh Abdaladze 68); 

Ross Molony, Devin Toner; Dan Leavy 

(Max Deegan 20), Scott Penny, Rhys 

Ruddock (Will Connors 59). 

SCORERS: 

Try: Robbie Henshaw. 

Con: Ross Byrne. 

Pen: Ross Byrne. 

SAT 27 NOVEMBER 

RDS ARENA 

ATTENDANCE: 14,625 

UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 

ULSTER: 

Michael Lowry (Rob Lyttle 51); Craig 

Gilroy, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, 

Ethan McIlroy; Billy Burns, John Cooney 

(Nathan Doak 59); Andrew Warwick 

(Eric O’Sullivan 45), Rob Herring, Marty 

Moore (Ross Kane 70); Alan O’Connor, 

Sam Carter (Mick Kearney 46); Greg 

Jones (Marcus Rea 20), Nick Timoney, 

David McCann. 

SCORERS: 

Tries: Greg Jones, James Hume. 

Cons: John Cooney, Nathan Doak. 

Pens: John Cooney, Nathan Doak. 


Ulster started 

the game much 

better than we 

did, right from 

the kick-off 

had us trapped 

in our own end. 

We defended too 

much and didn’t 

exit too well. We 

had some chances 

but didn’t nail 

our execution 

around set-piece. 

Leo Cullen reflects on a first 

defeat of the season 


Club in focus: 

CYM RFC 

Although CYM Rugby Club, Terenure, has almost 

100 years of history, the 2012/13 season may 

well be the most significant season since its 

foundation in 1924. That year CYM Rugby Club 

established its women’s section. 

The first season for CYM’s 

women’s team was an exciting 

one for all involved, the vast 

majority of whom were playing 

rugby for the first time. Having 

been somewhat duped by the 

promise that rugby was “Tag plus 

10%”, new players flocked to 

CYM, but soon realised that rugby 

was much more than that. 

RFC’S Women’s Squad pictured with coaches Richard Cowman and Tom Hynes. 

Obviously, it was more physical than tag 

rugby, that goes without saying, but it 

was the camaraderie, the social side, the 

joy of winning, even the pain of losing, 

that far outstripped non-contact sports or 

the monotony of gym or individual fitness. 

Indeed, the same could be said when 

compared to other team sports. 

The club’s development over their 

opening few seasons was highlighted 

when the team won the Leinster 

Division 2 League final in 2017 having 

progressed from Division 4 over the 

previous few years. They clinched the win 

over opponents Tullow RFC in front of a 

large crowd of supporters in Donnybrook 

with a late try in extra-time. 

Since then, CYM have firmly established 

their position in Leinster Division 1 with 

some excellent victories over the seasons. 

Their consistency has been rewarded 

at a provincial level when former CYM 

captain and current player, Rachel 

Horan, was first player in the history of 

the club’s women’s section to get selected 

for Leinster and win her first cap versus 

Ulster in 2017. 

Former CYM player Hannah O’Connor, 

who first started playing rugby with CYM, 

made her provincial debut in 2018 and 

has since gone on to represent Ireland, 

winning her seventh cap in the recent 

victory over Japan at the RDS. 

Rachel, who plays back row, has 

maintained her place in the Leinster 

squad since her debut season, and this 

season she was joined by CYM clubmate 

and centre Grace Tutty. 

Travelling supporters will be delighted 

to know that this season CYM also had 

their first Connacht representative. Scrum 

half, and Mayo native, Noreen Cassidy 

joined up with the squad ahead of the 

Interprovincial Series. Noreen, who has 

also represented Ireland in Lacrosse, 

made three appearances for the province 

this season. 

As well as winning Division 2, 2017 also 

saw the establishment of a second team 

in CYM who operated in Division 4. 

Crucially having the seconds team has 

allowed the coaches to develop players 

who are new to the game and learn the 

fundamentals of the game. 

However, this season, like many other 

clubs up and down the country, CYM 

have unfortunately struggled with 

numbers. Although we have a strong 

backbone of players from previous 

seasons, many others have moved out of 

Dublin for work or personal reasons. 

We have attracted several new promising 


Grace Tutty (12) puts in a tackle with Caoimhe 

Brady in support. (Photo credit Giulia Valentino) 

CYM’s Emma Dolan drives through the Barnhall defence. 

players into the club who are now 

making their mark in the team. With the 

fall in numbers, the club joined forces with 

Garda Westmanstown RFC who were 

also in a similar situation with regards 

to numbers, and the seconds have now 

joined forces with Garda for the season 

in Leinster League, Division 3. 

The girls of CYM and Garda have 

merged really well together, and most 

importantly the partnership means that 

fixtures are being played rather than 

conceded and everyone is getting 

valuable game time. And of course, new 

friendships are being forged which has 

always been at the heart of rugby. 

Leinster and Connacht Women’s Squad members 

2021 (L-R) Grace Tutty, Noreen Cassidy and Rachel 

Horan. (Photo credit Mark Hill) 

Another important aspect of the club is 

the sense of community, both within the 

club itself and the wider area. The team 

does not just draw its strength from the 

Dublin 6 area, but pride themselves in the 

fact that they currently have players from 

21 of the 32 counties and eight countries 

around the world. 

Both the more experienced and new 

players have gelled very well and with 

an average of 30 players attending 

training each night, training sessions are 

now more enjoyable than ever before. 

Within the club, the women’s section is 

on an equal footing with the men’s teams 

in terms of coaching 

and medical resources, 

equipment, and access 

to facilities. There are 

also several times 

during the year when 

double headers, tours, 

awards nights, and 

other social nights are 

organised alongside 

the men’s section. 

Within the wider area, 

the women’s section 

has contributed to 

fundraising events for 

local and national charities and working 

alongside the men’s section have helped 

raise almost €15,000 over the last 

couple of years for these charities. 

So, the message is clear, if you want to 

get involved in women’s rugby, make new 

friends and either develop your existing 

rugby skills or learn the game of rugby, 

then come down to CYM RFC and give 

it a try. 

The women train three nights per week at 

Terenure Sports Club, based in the heart 

of Terenure village (54 Terenure Road 

North, Dublin 6W). Pitch-based sessions 

are held every Monday and Wednesday 

evening from 7pm to 8.30pm, with 

an optional strength and conditioning 

session held every Thursday in the club’s 

fully-equipped on-site gym. 

And if that isn’t enough to get you 

involved, there is always book club, 

bake offs, fun runs, international tours, an 

annual awards night, team building days, 

nights out, nights in, charity fundraising, 

community work and much, much more 

that the club offers to members. 

If you are 

interested in 

taking up rugby 

or you would like 

to follow our 

updates, check out 

our social media 

channels: 

Leinster Women’s Rugby 

LeinsterWomensRugby 

@LeinsterWomen 

womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie 


HERE’S TO BEING SHOULDER 

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leo 

the lion’s 

kids 

corner 

IN A BLUR! 

Can you name this 

leinster player? 

spot the difference! 

Can you find all six? 

ANAGRAMS 

Can you un-jumble the names of these players? 

NEARBY 

DAM 

REJOIN 

MY IBM 

how did you do? 

IN A BLUR? 

NICK MCCARTHY 

ANAGRAMS 

ADAM BYRNE 

JIMMY O’BRIEN 

ZOOMED IN! 

HUGO KEENAN 

zoomed in! 

WHo is this leinster 

player having an 

extreme close-up? 


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AZTO 

with 

Josh Murphy 

A – Action: If you could be a 

superhero, which would you be? 

Doctor Strange 

B – Boyhood: Who was your favourite 

sporting idol growing up? 

Richie McCaw 

C – Childhood: What is your favourite 

childhood memory? 

Playing at half-time in the RDS in 

minis. 

D – Dish: What’s your go-to pre-match 

meal? 

Spaghetti Bolognese 

E – Education: What was your 

favourite subject in school? 

Maths 

F – Film buff: What’s your favourite 

film? 

Gladiator 

G – Groove: Who is the best dancer in 

the squad? 

Would have to be Ross Byrne 

H – Holiday: What’s your favourite 

holiday destination? 

Mexico 

I – Inside: Who is the worst to sit 

beside in the dressing room? 

Will Connors 

J – Joker: Who is the funniest in the 

squad? 

Alex Soroka 

K – Kick-off: What’s your favourite 

time of the day to play a match? 

9am! Love a morning kick-off… 

unlikely to happen is it?! 

L – Languages: How many languages 

can you speak? 

One…and a half! I probably can’t 

remember much Leaving Cert 

Spanish anymore so that’s down to 

a half! 

M – Music: Your favourite artist and 

song right now? 

Greta van Fleet - Heat Above 


N – Number: Do you have a lucky 

number? 

No 

O – Others: What’s your favourite 

sport outside of rugby? 

Golf 

P – Pal: Who is your best mate in the 

squad? 

Rónan Kelleher 

Q – Quirky: Who has the most 

interesting fashion sense? 

Ed Byrne 

R – Red Carpet: Who is the most 

famous contact in your phone? 

No comment! 

S – Superstitions: Do you have any 

matchday routines? 

Sleep 

T – Trim: What’s the worst haircut 

you’ve ever had? 

My brother Max has given me a 

few shockers! 

U: Under pressure: Who in the squad 

would be the best in a bad situation? 

Seán Cronin 

V – Verified: How often do you use 

social media? 

No idea. Not very often! 

W – Worst fear: What are you most 

scared of? 

Rats 

X – X-ray: Have you ever broken 

any bones? 

Only one or two! 

Y – Youth: Where did you grow up? 

Enniscorthy in Wexford and then 

Dublin. 

Z – Zoo: What’s your favourite 

animal? 

Dogs 


THE SPIRIT OF 

UNITED RUGBY 

CHAMPIONSHIP. 

Enjoy responsibly 

DISCOVER THE SPIRIT WITHIN | 

#SAVOURTHEMOMENT

North Midlands 

Underage squads 

receive their Training 

Tops from Area Chair 

Ollie Delaney 

On Monday nights 

Silken Thomas 

Park, Kildare, is a 

hive of activity, 

as around 100 

players from 

across the North 

Midlands Area 

prepare for 

upcoming games in 

the Shane Horgan 

(Boys) and the 

Sarah Robinson 

(Girls) Inter-Area 

Cup Competitions. 

In addition a further 10 players 

who have played on Leinster U-18 

Youths continue their development 

under the Player Pathway while 

continuing their studies for 

Leaving Cert 2022. 

This year’s sessions are somewhat 

larger than usual. Having missed out 

on the Shane Horgan Competition last 

season there are two squads (U-16 and 

U-17) preparing for games in the Shane 

Horgan Cup. The U-17s have two games 

remaining against the North East and 

the South East over the Christmas period. 

This will complete the 2020/21 Shane 

Horgan Cup. 

In the meantime, the 2021/22 U-16 

squad continue their preparation for three 

upcoming games in early 2022. 

The North Midlands U-18 girls squad 

continue their preparation for the 

upcoming games in the Sarah Robinson 

Cup. Training takes place in parallel with 

the Youths at Cill Dara on Monday nights, 

with fitness and conditioning sessions and 

on the park. 

The player pathway starts with skill 

development sessions open to all U-15 

players in the boy’s programme. This has 

proved very successful and appealing to 

the players themselves. This year with the 

help of some determined volunteers and 

supported by the North Midlands Area 

Committee a similar programme has been 

introduced for the U-16 girls. 

Getting both the boys and girls in at 

this age group is a great way to help 

them meet other players in the area and 

improve the quality of rugby. The dates 

for these sessions are flexible but the aim 

is to have four or five sessions throughout 

the season. 

The North Midlands Junior Committee 

continues to support the development of 

players across all the North Midlands 

Clubs. While group coaching of the 


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BECAUSE YOU GET 

Official Media Partner of Leinster Rugby

squads was limited, if at all, during the 

early part of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 

Area supported the engagement of a 

strength and conditioning coach. 

The S&C coach set programmes for the 

players and monitored their progress. On 

returning to the field, the squads have 

specific positional sessions for backs 

and forwards, along with individual skill 

development. They have also been able 

to utilise the gym facilities at Cill Dara 

and work on their athletic development. 

On Monday, 15 November, the North 

Midlands Chair, Ollie Delaney, presented 

each of the players and coaches 

with training tops to recognise their 

participation on the North Midlands 

Squads in 2021 and 2022. 

Speaking on the occasion, Ollie thanked 

Cill Dara Rugby Club for their continued 

commitment to supporting the Area 

through the use of their facilities for all the 

North Midlands Area training. 

He congratulated the players on their 

successes to date and encouraged 

them to use their experience to bring 

additional value back to their clubs and 

their teammates. Participation in the Area 

teams forms an important part of the 

Player Pathway, as players advance to 

the Leinster Youths and Girls U-18 squads 

next summer. 

In addition, Ollie stressed the value of 

developing friendships within the squad 

with players from other clubs and the 

opportunity to make life friendships as 

part of these squads. 

Also on the night, Mike Higgins, 

Ambassador for Barretstown Camp, 

returned to thank members of the squads 

for their engagement in the ‘Social 

Inclusion’ initiative which is now a feature 

of the Player Development Programme 

for the North Midlands Area underage 

squads. 


leinster 

squad 

2021/22 season 

Vakh Abdaladze #1263 

PROP 

DOB: 06/02/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 121kg 

Michael Ala’alatoa #1301 

prop 

DOB: 28/08/1991 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 127kg 

7 

CAPS 

Ryan Baird #1278 

LOCK 

DOB: 26/07/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.98m 

WEIGHT: 103.18kg 

6 

CAPS 

Adam Byrne #1213 

WING / FULL BACK 

DOB: 10/04/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


1 

CAP 

Ed Byrne #1222 

6 

CAPS 

Harry Byrne #1280 

2 

CAPS 

Ross Byrne #1236 

13 

CAPS 

Thomas Clarkson 

PROP 

DOB: 09/09/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 


FLY HALF 

DOB: 22/04/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 

WEIGHT: 95kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 08/04/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 

WEIGHT: 92kg 

PROP 

DOB: 22/02/2000 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 118kg 


Jack Conan #1223 

22 

CAPS 

7 

CAPS 

Will Connors #1264 

9 

CAPS 

Sean Cronin #1202 

72 

CAPS 

Max Deegan #1256 

1 

CAP 

NO. 8 

DOB: 29/07/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 


BACK ROW 

DOB: 04/04/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.96m 

WEIGHT: 100kg 

HOOKER 

DOB: 06/05/1986 

HEIGHT: 1.78m 


NO. 8 

DOB: 01/10/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 

WEIGHT: 110kg 

Peter Dooley #1230 

Caelan Doris #1268 

12 

CAPS 

Jack Dunne #1276 

Ciaran Frawley #1265 

PROP 

DOB: 04/08/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 117kg 

BACK ROW 

DOB: 02/04/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 

WEIGHT: 107kg 

LOCK 

DOB: 21/11/1998 

HEIGHT: 2.03m 

WEIGHT: 120kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 04/12/1997 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 98kg 

Tadhg Furlong #1220 

PROP 

DOB: 14/11/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 125kg 

52 

CAPS 

13 

CAPS 

Jamison Gibson-Park #1247 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 23/02/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.75m 

WEIGHT: 80kg 

12 

CAPS 

David Hawkshaw #1290 

FLY HALF / Centre 

DOB: 03/07/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.75m ) 


Cian Healy #1142 

PROP 

DOB: 07/10/1987 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 


112 

CAPS 

2 

CAPS 

Robbie Henshaw #1251 

53 

CAPS 

9 

CAPS 

Dave Kearney #1158 

19 

CAPS 

Hugo Keenan #1253 

16 

CAPS 

Ronan Kelleher #1277 

16 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 12/06/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 



DOB: 19/06/1989 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

FULL BACK 

DOB: 18/06/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 


HOOKER 

DOB: 24/01/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 105kg 


Jordan Larmour #1258 

30 

CAPS 

Dan Leavy #1231 

11 

CAPS 

WING 

DOB: 10/06/1997 

HEIGHT: 1.78m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

FLANKER 

DOB: 23/05/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


for full squad profiles 

please click here 

James Lowe #1262 

9 

CAPS 

Nick McCarthy #1241 

Luke McGrath #1206 

19 

CAPS 

Michael Milne #1279 


DOB: 08/07/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 105kg 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 25/03/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 


SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 03/02/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.75m 


PROP 

DOB: 05/02/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 115kg 

Jimmy O’Brien #1272 

Conor O’Brien #1260 

Josh Murphy #1261 

Ross Molony #1233 

LOCK 

DOB: 11/05/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.96m 

WEIGHT: 113kg 

FLANKER 

DOB: 17/02/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.98m 

WEIGHT: 110kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 06/02/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 100kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 27/11/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 88kg 

Tommy O’Brien #1283 

Rory O’Loughlin #1248 

1 

CAP 

Scott Penny #1271 

Andrew Porter #1246 

40 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 28/05/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 95kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 21/01/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 


FLANKER 

DOB: 22/09/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 104kg 

PROP 

DOB: 16/01/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 



Garry Ringrose #1237 

37 

CAPS 

Rhys Ruddock #1167 

27 

CAPS 

James Ryan #1259 

40 

CAPS 

Johnny Sexton #1127 

101 

CAPS 

14 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 26/01/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 96kg 

BACK ROW 

DOB: 13/11/1990 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


LOCK 

DOB: 24/07/1996 

HEIGHT: 2.03m 

WEIGHT: 115kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 11/07/1985 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

Dan Sheehan #1286 

HOOKER 

DOB: 17/09/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


2 

CAPS 

Devin Toner #1128 

LOCK 

DOB: 29/06/1986 

HEIGHT: 2.11m 

WEIGHT: 127kg 

70 

CAPS 

James Tracy #1211 

HOOKER 

DOB: 02/04/1991 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 106kg 

6 

CAPS 

Josh van der Flier #1228 

FLANKER 

DOB: 25/04/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 103kg 

35 

CAPS 

Coaching 

Staff 

2021/22 season 

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 

DENIS LEAMY 

CONTACT SKILLS COACH 


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‘His legacy 

is secure’ 

Leinster 

Rugby pay 

tribute to 

departing 

IRFU chief 

Browne 

Philip Browne, 

chief executive 

of the IRFU, 

announced 

earlier this year 

that he is to 

retire from the 

position as and 

from December 31, 

2021. 

44 | www.leinsterrugby.ie 

Browne joined the IRFU in July 

1992 and assumed the role of 

chief executive in 1998. 

Commenting on the decision, Browne 

stated, “It has long been my intention to 

retire from the role of chief executive to 

coincide with reaching the age of 60. I 

delayed my decision, given the recent 

extraordinary pressures on Irish rugby, 

as a result of the Covid pandemic. I 

now believe we are at a point where 

it is possible to commence plotting a 

sustainable route out of the pandemic 

and engage in a structured approach to 

future longer-term planning, hence the 

announcement of my decision at this 

time. 

“It has been a privilege to serve as chief 

executive and while undoubtedly it has 

been a pressurised and challenging role 

it has, in equal measure, been a truly 

exciting and rewarding career.”

Leinster Rugby CEO, Mick Dawson, 

said: “I’ve known Philip a long time and 

I’ve enjoyed working with him 

over many years and have always 

found him to be very fair and evenhanded, 

it will be sad to see him step 

away later this year. 

“He has left an indelible mark, not only 

on Irish Rugby, but on Irish sport, and 

his legacy is most certainly secure. 

“During his tenure, he challenged us 

all to be better but he has also been 

a huge advocate for the provincial 

and the international game and he 

has championed the sport of rugby in 

Ireland. 

“The last 18 months has been hugely 

challenging but it’s at times like those 

that you see people at their best and we 

certainly saw that in Philip and how he 

led the wider Irish rugby family through 

uncharted waters. 

“After nearly 25 years as CEO, he 

will be missed and I wish Philip all the 

very best in his retirement, which is well 

deserved.” 

Leinster Rugby as a whole would like to 

take this opportunity to thank Philip for 

his service to Irish rugby and wish him 

well in his retirement. 


compiled by stuart farmer 

media services limited 

Leinster Player 

Statistics 

SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 

2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER 

ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC 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+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+13 1 5 0+13 1 5 - - - 12 - 

MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA 1301 25 SEP 21 3+2 - - 3+2 - - - - - 3+2 - - 3+2 - - - - - - WS 7 

RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 2+3 - - 2+3 - - - - - 14+18 6 30 13+14 6 30 1+4 - - 6 IR 6 

ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 3 3 15 3 3 15 - - - 52+8 23 115 42+8 17 85 10 6 30 2 IR 1 

ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 2+3 1 5 2+3 1 5 - - - 21+54 11 55 21+43 10 50 0+11 1 5 3 IR 6 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 15+11 6 154 15+10 6 149 0+1 - 5 5 IR 2 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 3+2 1 31 3+2 1 31 - - - 73+36 7 681 61+20 3 502 12+16 4 179 5 IR 13 

THOMAS CLARK- 

1285 29 AUG 20 - - - - - - - - - 2+8 - - 2+8 - - - - - - - 

SON 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 2 - - 2 - - - - - 82+25 23 115 61+15 16 80 21+10 7 35 3 IR 22 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 17+7 2 10 16+7 2 10 1 - - 11 IR 9 

TIM CORKERY 1298 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 1+1 1 5 1+1 1 5 - - - 121+76 43 215 77+55 26 130 43+19 16 80 2 IR 72 

MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 1+3 1 5 1+3 1 5 - - - 36+33 19 95 33+25 17 85 3+8 2 10 3 IR 1 

PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 40+55 5 25 38+49 5 25 2+6 - - 10 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 3 1 5 3 1 5 - - - 35+8 6 30 29+6 4 20 6+2 2 10 2 IR 12 

JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 - - - - - - - - - 2+13 - - 2+13 - - - - - - - 

CORMAC FOLEY 1299 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 5+1 - 2 5+1 - 2 - - - 22+19 4 145 21+15 3 134 1+4 1 11 11 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 3 - - 3 - - - - - 76+41 8 40 45+33 3 15 31+8 5 25 6 IR 52 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 2+2 - - 2+2 - - - - - 51+54 17 85 46+30 14 70 5+24 3 15 9 IR 12 

MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - - 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 - - - - - - - - - 0+8 1 14 0+8 1 14 - - - 4 - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 1+4 1 5 1+4 1 5 - - - 157+79 28 140 91+52 14 70 64+26 13 65 2 IR 112 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 1 1 5 1 1 5 - - - 57+1 12 60 26 6 30 31+1 6 30 1 IR 53 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 - - - - - - - - - 147+22 51 255 121+15 44 220 25+6 7 35 7 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 4 1 5 4 1 5 - - - 31+3 5 25 26+3 5 25 5 - - 1 IR 16 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 2+1 3 15 2+1 3 15 - - - 22+6 12 60 16+4 11 55 6+2 1 5 1 IR 16 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 3 1 5 3 1 5 - - - 55+10 20 100 34+7 15 75 21+3 5 25 3 IR 30 

DAN LEAVY 1231 31 OCT 14 3+1 - - 3+1 - - - - - 46+30 17 85 38+20 13 65 8+10 4 20 5 IR 11 


SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 3 - - 3 - - - - - 55 34 170 37 25 125 18 9 45 6 IR 9 

NICK MCCARTHY 1241 19 DEC 15 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 6+33 4 20 6+27 4 20 0+6 - - 8 - 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 4+1 - - 4+1 - - - - - 106+50 39 195 73+44 31 155 33+6 8 40 7 IR 19 

MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 - - - - - - - - - 1+15 2 10 1+15 2 10 - - - 14 - 

MARTIN MOLONEY 1300 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 5+1 - - 5+1 - - - - - 69+53 4 20 67+38 4 20 2+15 - - 8 - 

JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 - - - - - - - - - 42+7 5 25 41+6 4 20 1+1 1 5 9 - 

JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 1+2 - - 1+2 - - - - - 3+6 1 5 3+6 1 5 - - - 4 - 

CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 1 - - 1 - - - - - 17+7 6 30 17+6 6 30 0+1 - - 10 - 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 2 - - 2 - - - - - 28+9 7 37 26+9 6 32 2 1 5 3 - 

SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 4+7 3 15 4+7 3 15 - - - 7 - 

RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 2 - - 2 - - - - - 66+23 21 105 59+15 18 90 7+8 3 15 32 IR 1 

MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 6+1 1 5 6+1 1 5 - - - 6 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 25+6 17 85 25+6 17 85 - - - 2 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 3 2 10 3 2 10 - - - 31+49 13 65 26+30 10 50 5+19 3 15 1 IR 40 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 4 - - 4 - - - - - 88+2 27 143 56+1 16 88 32+1 11 55 5 IR 37 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - 147+47 11 55 110+33 9 45 36+12 2 10 10 IR 27 

ROB RUSSELL 1302 3 OCT 21 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - - 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3 - - 3 - - - - - 47+6 3 15 25+1 1 5 22+5 2 10 13 IR 40 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 2+1 - 22 2+1 - 22 - - - 150+26 26 1529 89+20 13 855 59+6 12 643 16 IR 101 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 2+2 3 15 2+2 3 15 - - - 5+12 9 45 5+12 9 45 - - - 1 IR 2 

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

ALEX SOROKA 1296 28 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - - 

DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 2+1 - - 2+1 - - - - - 208+61 4 20 142+43 4 20 63+18 - - 52 IR 70 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 1+2 1 5 1+2 1 5 - - - 58+74 15 75 51+46 14 70 7+28 1 5 3 IR 6 

LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 - - - - - - - - - 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - - - 

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 3+1 1 5 3+1 1 5 - - - 78+24 12 60 48+18 8 40 30+6 4 20 4 IR 35 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC 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 0.00% - - - - - - - - - 53 6 52 5 1 1 76 77.63% 

ROSS BYRNE 100.00% 10 2 - 10 2 - - - - 206 77 1 164 52 1 42 25 - 366 77.32% 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 52 7 - 49 7 - 3 - - 73 80.82% 

DAVID HAWKSHAW - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 - 3 1 - - - - 6 66.67% 

JIMMY O'BRIEN - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 3 33.33% 

GARRY RINGROSE - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 4 - - - - - 6 66.67% 

JOHNNY SEXTON 83.33% 8 2 - 8 2 - - - - 242 294 11 128 171 7 107 119 4 672 79.76% 


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ig picture 

27 November 2021 

Leinster supporter Zoe Egan from 

Blackrock, Dublin before the 

United Rugby Championship match 

between Leinster and Ulster at RDS 

Arena in Dublin. 


Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 


ENERGIA AIL 

A 30 YEAR RUGBY LEGACY 

Watch now at 

energia.ie/energia-ail-30

BOOK YOUR PLACE ON THE 

BANK OF IRELAND SCHOOL 

OF EXCELLENCE 2022 

The Bank of Ireland Leinster 

Rugby School of Excellence 

returns for its 24th year and will 

take place in The King’s Hospital 

for four weeks in July and August 

2022. 

The School of Excellence camp is one 

of the most successful rugby camps in 

Ireland and gives 12 to 17-year-old girls 

and boys the opportunity to experience 

what a week in the life of a professional 

rugby player is like, of course, in a safe 

and enjoyable manner. 

Booking your place early is advisable 

with limited numbers on each camp 

What can participants expect from the 

Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby School of 

Excellence? 

On the pitch, players are challenged both 

technically and tactically over the course 

of the week, through the game-based 

approach. 

While off the pitch there is daily video 

analysis and an additional two-hour 

coaching session on each Friday, with 

guest speakers visiting the camp each 

week. 

Numbers attending these camps have 

hit a record high as over 1,000 girls and 

boys took part in last summer’s School of 

Excellence camps. 

Camp attendees come from all over 

Ireland and Europe and from countries 

such as UAE, Canada, Japan and 

America. 

The Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby 

School of Excellence is aimed at 

developing players and fine-tuning their 

skills. 

The content of the camp has been 

developed to reflect the modern 

game and as a result has become the 

highlight of the summer calendar for 

many young players as they will gain a 

greater understanding of the game and 

learn about values such as teamwork, 

commitment, integrity and communication. 

Take advantage of our early bird offer 

and book your week-long camp for 

only €449 residential and €349 nonresidential 

until Friday, 4 March. 

The price of the camp thereafter is €499 

(residential) and €399 (non-residential). 

We also offer recurring payments. 

Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby School of 

Excellence Dates 2022: 

Week 1: July 18 – 22 (boys only camp) 

Week 2: July 25 – 29 (boys only camp) 

Week 3: Aug 1 – 5 (separate girls and 

boys camps) 

Week 4: Aug 8 – 12 (separate girls and 

boys camps) 

Stephen Maher, Bank of Ireland Leinster 

Rugby School of Excellence Manager 

said, “We are extremely pleased that 

our Bank of Ireland Leinster School 

of Excellence is returning for its 24th 

summer. Year on year the numbers 

attending School of Excellence grow. 

“This is a fantastic indicator of how 

players value the week with us and the 

improvements they make to their game – 

on and off pitch. Helping the players with 

all aspects of the game. The programme 

has been altered as usual to keep 

improving and deliver the best possible 

experience to the player – which is 

what’s most important to Leinster Rugby. 

We can’t wait to get going!” 


offical leinster 

supporters club 

We’re quickly into Round 7 of the 2021/22 United Rugby 

Championship and the second of our home back-to-back 

interprovincial fixtures before the focus shifts to Europe for 

another fortnight of fixtures there. 

Last week’s clash with Ulster was 

a tough day at the office for us, 

however we must move quickly 

from that as this weekend sees us 

welcome Connacht to the RDS. 

While we must contend ourselves with 

a hard fought but ultimately frustrating 

loss last week, the same cannot be said 

for tonight’s opponents who dismissed 

Ospreys 46-18 in a fantastic display of 

free-flowing rugby in a very (very) wet 

and windswept Sportsground last Friday 

night. 

Connacht will be coming into this fixture 

buoyed by the recent results for both 

teams, as well as knowing that the last 

time they played in the RDS, back in 

January, they went home with a 35-24 

victory and you can be sure they’ll be 

looking for a similar performance tonight. 

Given there was a five-week break 

before the games last week, Leinster 

will no doubt have spent the past week 

ensuring that the cobwebs are well and 

truly blown away as Leo, Stuart and all 

the players and backroom staff, will not 

be looking for a repeat performance of 

last week. 

This weekend sees the top two teams 

in terms of attacking stats in the URC 

face off and so hopefully the raucous 

crowd that will pack into the RDS will 

be treated to another exciting game of 

Leinster 

Connacht 

170 Points 170 

24 Tries 23 

66 Points Conceded 124 

89% Tackle Success 89% 

Ross Byrne (31) Leading Points Scorer Jack Carty (65) 

Adam Byrne (3) Leading Try Scorer Mack Hansen (5) 

Jordan Larmour (13) Defenders Beaten Mack Hansen (28) 

Hugo Keenan (256) Metres Gained Mack Hansen (436) 

Ross Molony (71) Number of Tackles Conor Oliver (73) 

Josh Van Der Flier (5) Turnovers Won Conor Oliver (7) 

interprovincial rugby, and one that will be 

spoken of for many years to come. 

Defensively in the statistics, it’s a case of 

3rd v 4th with the visitors sitting higher up 

the table there so the team will be looking 

for us, the fans, to keep the Leinster roar 

going throughout the game and ensure 

the visitors know that they are not in for an 

easy evening. 

The walls of the RDS fortress aren’t 

breached too often and the team will not 

be wanting to face into Europe on the 

back of two such breaches. No doubt 

the video analysis session was a tough 

watch, but we are a team who focuses 

on what’s in front and not what was. We 

can’t change the past, we just accept and 

move on. 

Don’t forget to drop into the Laighin Out 

before or after the game if you’re looking 

to purchase some OLSC Merchandise. 

The shop will be open and we look 

forward to seeing you all there. You can 

of course purchase, and keep up to date 

with all things OLSC online, and we 

encourage you to visit any of our social 

media platforms. 

A reminder also to all fans to please 

continue to ensure you follow all 

directions of RDS staff and let’s keep 

each other safe. For now though, here’s 

to a fantastic evening of rugby and don’t 

forget that when the boys do take to 

the field this evening, that you welcome 

them back with that familiar Leinster roar. 

After all, it’s been a lifetime since we last 

roared them onto the RDS pitch. 

Be loud, Be proud, Be blue! 

Your OLSC Committee 


OFFICIAL 

LEINSTER 

SUPPORTERS 

CLUB 

Suort us by 

visiting r 

ONLINE 

STORE 

Kp up date 

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Ctact us 

olsc@leinsterrugby.ie 

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and help support 

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For more details, 

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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 57 

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GETTING 

We check social media 

for the latest views 

and thoughts across 

SOCIAL 

the 12 counties 



Virtual Mascot 

Adam 

Vale 

Age: 7 

School: Galway Steiner School 

Class: Second Class 

Hobbies: Climbing, swimming, drawing, 

Minecraft. 

Favourite Player: Johnny Sexton 


WHERE ARE 

THEY NOW? 

fionn carr 

THEN: Fionn 

Carr made 37 

appearances 

for Leinster 

from two 

stints in 

the Academy 

(2005-08) and 

senior squad 

(2011-13). 

NOW: He is 

married 

to Claire, 

working as 

a Contracts 

Manager for 

FPG Amentum 

in Hong Kong. 


I had to 

accept that 

my time in 

rugby was 

coming to an 

end just as 

Connacht were 

about to win 

their first 

trophy. 

Leinster versus Connacht holds a 

special place in the heart of Fionn 

Carr. 

Few can claim to have moved back and 

forth over 11 years through two contracts 

in each province. 

Straight out of Newbridge College, the 

fleet-footed wing was recruited to the 

Leinster Academy where a special blend 

of pace and evasion were his points of 

difference. 

“When I first came to Leinster, it was 

into a contest against the likes of Girvan 

Dempsey, Denis Hickie, Shane Horgan 

and Isa Nacewa with Luke Fitzgerald 

and Rob Kearney for competition too. 

You had top quality internationals. 

“The focus for me, coming into the 

Academy was on getting bigger and 

stronger in the first year, while seeing if 

I could compete with those guys or how 

much better I had to get to challenge 

them. 

“It was something I was super-excited 

about given how most of the Irish 

backline consisted of Leinster players 

with Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon 

D’Arcy in the centre, Johnny Sexton on 

his way. 

“Michael Cheika was there at the time, 

building a championship squad, and 

the Academy was getting much stronger 

too.” 

First time around, he stayed long enough 

to make his debut in a 21-17 defeat to 

Glasgow in Firhill back in October 2007. 

“I was lucky enough to get a first cap in 

those Academy years. Personally, I felt I 

went well. But, the fact we lost the game 

was less than ideal,” he shares. 

“It was a serious highlight for me, making 

my debut. It is something you don’t 

forget. I remember afterwards feeling, 

‘This is what I want to do’ and how I had 

to kick-on from there.” 

There were no more caps for his head 

and, soon enough, a decision had to be 

made 

“I spoke to Michael at the end of that 

season and he suggested a stint in New 

Zealand as the next step during the offseason, 

but only with the potential of a 

training contract when I came back. 

“At the same time, Connacht came in 

with an offer. I spoke to my parents (Evan 

and Angela), Conor McPhillips, who 

was finishing up, and Gavin Duffy. The 

feedback I got from them led to a chat 

with Michael Bradley, the coach at the 

time. The opportunity to stay and play 

in Ireland was something I wanted to do 

rather than moving further afield.” 

A happy player is one that is playing 

regularly. Fionn was able to develop 

through 73 caps for Connacht in three 

years, scorching defences for an eyepopping 

34 tries. 

“I loved every minute of it. I moved down 

with Ian Keatley and Seán Cronin. We 

were in the same boat, eager to make 

our way in the game. It was all about the 

opportunities I was given and the fact I 

took them. 


“I used to look for work, constantly 

searching for the ball, talking to the 

10 out the back, coming off the wing, 

trailing guys who tended to make line 

breaks, looking for mismatches against 

the bigger, slower defenders.” 

The licence to thrill was handed out by 

Bradley, backs coach Eric Elwood and 

even forwards coach Dan McFarland in 

a culture of positivity that resonated with 

Fionn. 

“They were so encouraging, giving you 

the freedom to exploit your strength as a 

player. They made it easier to show my 

skills as a try-scorer.” 

In 2011, it also made Fionn appealing to 

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt in a mutual 

appreciation that smoothed the way for 

his return. 

“In 2009, Leinster won the Heineken 

Cup. I am from Ardclough in Kildare and 

I saw the chance to get in on some of the 

success they were starting to have. That 

was probably my main motivation at the 

time. I was still quite young. I wanted to 

win trophies. 

“There was also the fact I found it slightly 

frustrating that the Irish management 

didn’t give Connacht too much of a look. 

“My thinking was if I went to Leinster 

and got into the team, I might get a more 

favourable look from Ireland.” 


The second coming at Leinster did not go 

the way Fionn wanted, despite 37 caps 

in two seasons for eight tries. 

“I found Joe to be a fantastic coach, 

super-detailed, pretty honest with all the 

players. You know where you stood with 

him. I had been at Leinster two years, 

and played a lot of the League matches. 

For Europe, I ended up on the bench or 

as the travelling reserve a lot. 

“It just felt like I wasn’t getting the nod. I 

never started in the Champions Cup. That 

weighed on me. I felt disheartened.” 

The employment of Pat Lam as Connacht 

head coach looked like a match made 

in heaven for Fionn as the wide-to-wide 

style of play guaranteed the wings would 

see plenty of the ball. 

“Hindsight is a great thing. If I had 

known how my time at Connacht would 

go the second time around I would have 

stayed at Leinster. 

“I made my decision to move west 

before I found out Andrew Conway was 

moving to Munster and Isa Nacewa was 

retiring.” 

Lam had a ‘grá’ for Matt Healy, Niyi 

Adeolokun, Tiernan O’Halloran as the 

first choice back three. Fionn was on the 

outside again, down the depth chart. 

Even the PRO12 final in 2016 was a 

“bitter-sweet” experience, Connacht 

beating Leinster at Edinburgh. 

“At that stage, the writing had been on 

the wall. I had to accept that my time 

in rugby was coming to an end just as 

Connacht were about to win their first 

trophy.” 

France, England and Major League 

Rugby were all investigated to varying 

degrees. The 31-year-old spoke at length 

to his partner Claire, now his wife, and 

came to the conclusion that the time was 

right to step away, begin a new career. 

He played for one year with the Irish 

Sevens and rejoined his childhood club 

Naas, while getting work experience in 

Glofox, a company co-owned by former 

Connacht scrum-half Conor O’Loughlin. 

The emphasis on education at Leinster 

made it easier to complete a BA in 

Economics and Geography in UCD, 

followed by an MBA in Finance and, 

later, a qualification in Aviation Leasing 

and Finance from the University of 

Limerick. 

There was also the valuable advice of 

Deirdre Lyons, the Player Development 

Manager for the Rugby Players of 

Ireland to steer Fionn in the right 

direction. 

He has worked in Aviation Leasing and 

Finance as a Contracts Manager with 

FPG Amentum in Hong Kong for the last 

two-and-a-half years, staying in the game 

by playing for Hong Kong Football Club 

and helping out as a backs/skills coach. 

“When an aircraft is purchased and the 

lease signed, I look after the day-to-day 

maintenance of the lease.” 

Fionn was ushered into a new industry, 

bringing much of what he had learned in 

his previous professional environment. 

“The high level of motivation and drive 

allied to a positive attitude are the main 

tools I have brought with me from rugby,” 

he says. 

“I felt when I started I needed to prove I 

was good enough to be in there, mainly 

because my curriculum vitae was 11 

years of rugby. 

“I don’t want to say I had a chip on my 

shoulder. But, I definitely knew I had to 

prove myself. FPG put trust in me. They 

gave me an opportunity. 

“I was grateful for that. I wanted to repay 

it. I hope I am doing that.” 


Referees 

Corner 

BY DAN WALLACE 

Welcome to another edition of Referees Corner. A warm 

welcome to Chris Busby and his refereeing team. Chris is 

a member of the IRFU High Performance referee team and 

has been rising steadily through the ranks over recent 

years. He made his URC refereeing debut - then PRO14 - on 

9 October 2020 refereeing the match between Zebre and 

Dragons. He recently refereed Russia v Chile and was AR2 

for Portugal v Japan. 

On the domestic refereeing front, 

we have had a very busy start 

to the season this year in the 

Metropolitan Area. Our referees 

were back on the pitch from mid- 

August with the early season 

cups. We had teams of three in 

most of the cup competitions. It 

is great to work as a team of 

three as normally you are on 

your own doing a match with 

club appointed touch judges, so 

to work with your colleagues 

in a game is always a welcome 

experience. 

In the Metro Area, there are currently 

133 referees and 13 trainee referees. 

Referees across the province are broken 

down into Panels: Panel A to Panel 

F. Each panel is assigned games in 

different leagues, for example Panel 

A referees look after games in Leinster 

League Division 1A/1B, JP Flanagan 

U-20 Divisions 1 and 2, and Metro 1. 

Panel A also looks after sub referee 

duties for AIL Division 1A/1B and 

Women’s AIL. 

On any given weekend referees are 

selected to adult games by their Panel 

Managers and to Youth games by their 

Area Representative, so for example 

they could be doing an U-13 boys 

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, our website www.leinsterrugbyreferees.ie or 

through twitter @leinsterreferee. 


game, U-18 girls game or an adult 

game on a weekend. Some referees 

may do a game on a Saturday and a 

game on a Sunday. 

When a trainee referee comes into the 

organisation they are mentored and 

then given a game where they are 

looked at and evaluated. The evaluator 

will then recommend them to become 

a full member of the association once 

the evaluator feels they have met the 

required standard. 

They will be given development points to 

work on and their name is put forward 

to the Leinster Rugby Referees Executive 

for election. Once elected, they are 

then presented with their Leinster Rugby 

Referees jersey. 

They then move into Panel F where they 

will get further mentoring and evaluation 

before they are then moved into a Panel 

that suits their ability as a referee. 

So far this season in Metro we have 

had 10 trainee referees become full 

members and we welcomed 13 new 

trainee referees to Metro after the last 

new members workshop in October. 

Referees can be moved then through 

the panels depending on their abilities 

and their evaluation reports. There is a 

Development Panel, which falls under 

the remit of the Panel A managers, 

which aims to develop referees with 

potential to get to referee at AIL and 

beyond. 

Development Panel members can 

then progress onto IPAS. IPAS is an 

interprovincial programme where 

development referees from each 

province with potential to become 

referees at AIL go outside their province 

and are evaluated on games by other 

provincial evaluators. 

The IRFU then collate the reports and 

decide on which referees they wish to 

promote to AIL referees. From there 

within the IRFU ranks they can become 

involved in United Rugby Championship, 

Heineken Champions Cup, Rugby 

Europe and World Rugby appointments. 

Plenty of opportunity for improvement 

and progression through the ranks. 

Each month, our referees meet at our 

area meeting where different topics are 

discussed. Our Referee Development 

Manager, Sean Gallagher, brings the 

referees through a presentation and 

discussion around topics like game 

management, scrums, breakdown. 

This is to ensure that our referees have 

the most up to date information and 

interpretations from the IRFU on laws. It 

is also a change for our referees to meet 

and chat about their own games and 

scenarios they came across. 


HANGING WITH THE STARS 

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OFF 

ENTER THE CODE BELOW 

LEIN15 

Until December 31st 2021 

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A moment captured 

1 December 2021 

Stephen McMahon of Gonzaga 

celebrates kicking a conversion in 

the last minute to give his side the 

lead and victory during the Bank 

of Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools 

Senior League Division 1A Semi- 

Final match between Presentation 

College, Bray and Gonzaga at 

Energia Park. 

Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 


ank of ireland 

MATCHDAY MINIS 

Blessington RFC 

Squad: Rowan Healy, Zack Hudson, Aidan Ryall, Cillian 

Byrne, Joshua Boland, Sebbie Brennan, Jack Flanagan, 

Fionn Whelan, Adam Stanley, Sean Byrne, Kayden 

McMahon, Donagh O’Brien, Cameron Cullen, Luka 

Maguire Krogsrud, Seighin Beattie, Bill Doyle, Ruairí Tivnan, 

Kyle Edwards, Alex Willoughby, Mathew Daly. 

Coaches: Dermot Jacobs, Ruaidhrí O’Brien 

Edenderry RFC 

Squad: Alex Hickey, Ben McEvoy, Cara Cullen, Cian 

Cooney, Cían Dixon, Ciarán Moran, Darragh McNamee, 

Dominykas Tamasauskas, Donnchadh Quinn, Eamon Gill, 

Fionn Mulligan, Joshua Ferguson, Kevin Tyrell, Matthew 

Mulligan, Michael Glennon, Paul Byrne, Seán Monahan, 

Seán Usher, Tadhg McNamee, Troy Moody 

Coaches: Niall McEvoy, Jim Quinn 

St Bridget’s RFC 

Squad: Ben Roche, Charlie Roche, Luke Herangi, Peter 

Donnelly, Sean Davis, Thomas McDonnell, Jonnie Falkner, 

Ewan Mahon, Louis Holton, Lauri Cryan, Alex Mooney, 

Harry Stanley, Jonathan Reynolds, Paddy Rigby, Charlie 

Duggan, Leo Rowley, Alex Griffin, Harry Grennan, Jacob 

Owens, Kyle Lawson 

Coaches: Pete Herangi, Brendan Roche 

Suttonians RFC 

Squad: Ruaraidh McArdle Moore,Henry James, Cillian 

Sexton, Rex Dunleavy, Danny O’Brien, Michael MacCanna, 

Leni Smyth, Cian MacDonald, Rian MacLaughlin, Leo 

Plunkett, Louis Richardson, Jake Allen, Arran Holmes, 

Stephen Kingswood, Sean Marchand, Liam McAllorum, 

Bruno Sainz Gonzales, Jamie Molnar, Oisin Moroney, 

Tavish Stokes, Oliver Whelan, Aidan Molloy, Cathal Loftus. 


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

KNOWING WHAT ADVICE TO TAKE 

IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS GAME. 

beauchamps.ie 

OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR 

Beauchamps LLP | Riverside Two | Sir John Rogerson’s Quay | Dublin 2 | D02 KV60

Men’s Energia All-Ireland 

League update 

With seven rounds of this seasons 

Men’s Energia All-Ireland League 

having now been completed, with 

round eight taking place over this 

weekend, the 18 Leinster clubs 

across the five divisions have had 

mixed fortunes but in the main 

have performed well to date. 

Indeed, within the five divisions three are 

led by Leinster clubs, Clontarf in Division 

1A, while Greystones in Division 2B 

and Skerries in Division 2C both remain 

unbeaten in this season’s campaign. 

In Division 1A, Clontarf pave the way 

and sit two points clear of second-placed 

Lansdowne who are the only team to 

have beaten the north siders to date. 

Both teams have accounted for title 

holders Cork Constitution who lie in third 

place. 

Dublin University are in sixth position 

after winning their last two games away 

to Lansdowne and a comprehensive 

home victory over Young Munster. 

Terenure are in seventh place after 

accounting for UCD in their last outing, 

with the students sitting in eighth 

position, with their two victories to date 

being against the two teams that sit 

below them, fellow students UCC and 

Ballynahinch. 

In Division 1B, Old Wesley lead the way 

of the five Leinster clubs competing and 

sit in second place, their only defeat 

coming against league leaders Highfield 

who remain unbeaten to date. St Mary’s 

are in third place, two points behind Old 

Wesley, having won their last five games 

in a row. The Templeville outfit have 

bounced back after losing their opening 

two games to the sides placed ahead of 

them in the table. 

Naas are in sixth place on the same 

points as Shannon after beating the 

Limerick team away from home in their 

last outing. Old Belvedere and Navan sit 

in seventh and ninth place respectively 

with both clubs on the same points, they 

will both look to change their fortunes 

over the remainder of the season to lift 

them further up the league table. 

MU Barnhall are the sole Leinster 

representative in Division 2A and sit in 

sixth place. They started the season with 

a flourish winning their opening three 

matches and will look to regain that form 

after losing their last four outings. 

Greystones top the table in Division 2B 

where they remain unbeaten to date. 

The Wicklow teams unblemished record, 

which includes six bonus points, has seen 

them amass a 12-point lead over second 

placed Wanderers. Blackrock have 

moved up to fifth place having beaten 

Wanderers away from home in their last 

outing. Malahide are in ninth place with 

their only success to date coming against 

bottom-placed Galwegians. 

Skerries also have a 100 per cent record 

and top the table in Division 2C but are 

only two points clear of second-placed 

Enniscorthy, whose only defeat to date 

came at the hands of the Skerries men. 


Tullamore sit in third place making it a 

one, two, three for the Leinster clubs in 

the division. 

So, as we approach the halfway stage 

of this season’s league campaign, and 

reverse fixtures start to commence, 

the position is looking healthy for 

the majority of Leinster clubs as they 

challenge for titles and promotion playoffs. 

The men’s Energia All-Ireland League to 

date this season has produced matches 

of the highest quality across all five 

divisions. There has been a significant 

increase in attendances at matches which 

highlights the importance of the league 

to the domestic game across the country. 

Our 18 Leinster clubs are certainly 

played their part. 

P.S. To date out of a total of 175 matches 

scheduled in this season’s league 

campaign, seven matches have been 

cancelled due to Covid. Each cancelled 

match recorded as a nil-all score with 

each team receiving two league points. 

All clubs are to be commended for the 

manner in which they have dealt with 

restrictions and are making every effort 

to ensure that the Energia All-Ireland 

League will be completed with the 

minimum of disruption. 


COUNTRY 

IRELAND 

HOME GROUND 

SPORTSGROUND 

FOUNDED 

1885 

CHAMPIONS 

1 | 2015-2016 

connacht 

last time out 

Connacht 46 

Ospreys 18 

26 November 2021 | The Sportsground | United Rugby Championship 

Connacht’s admirable sense of adventure at a wind and 

rain-lashed Sportsground was rewarded with a 46-18 

bonus-point win over the Ospreys. 

The Westerners led 18-11 at 

half-time after playing into the 

big wind, Mack Hansen touching 

down after just 129 seconds and 

debutant centre Shayne Bolton 

and Oran McNulty also scoring 

tries. 

Luke Morgan had an opportunist score 

for the Ospreys, with Stephen Myler 

booting two penalties to Jack Carty’s 

one. 

Sam Arnold and Joe Hawkins swapped 

seven-pointers, making it 25-18, before 

Morgan’s 58th-minute high tackle saw 

him sin-binned and concede a penalty try. 

As the Ospreys fell to their second United 

Rugby Championship defeat, Connacht 

replacements Caolin Blade and Conor 

Fitzgerald made it a seven-try success. 

The hosts took off at a rate of knots in 

the difficult conditions, Carty’s long pass 

finding winger Hansen, who stepped 

inside two defenders for an unconverted 

try. 

Myler and Carty traded penalties for an 

8-3 scoreline before another quick-fire 

attack - finished by 20-year-old South 

African Bolton - was rewarded with five 

more points. 

Carty missed the conversion, as did 

Myler after a Connacht attack broke 

down, Owen Watkin twice hacked 

through and winger Morgan got the 

grounding for his try. 

However, young full-back McNulty then 

took advantage of a defensive slip to 

scamper over from 45 metres out. 

The visitors, who went close through 

hooker Elvis Taione, returned fire when 

Myler cut the gap to seven points. 

Connacht were the aggressors on the 

resumption, centre Arnold brilliantly 

breaking through a couple of tackles 

to crash over. Carty squeezed over the 

conversion. 

Back came the Ospreys, successive scrum 

penalties leading to Rhys Webb releasing 

teenage centre Hawkins to go in under 

the posts. Myler’s kick made it a sevenpoint 

game again. 

Webb was well positioned to deny 

Connacht replacement Jack Aungier 


a try, but Morgan’s high tackle on the 

newly-introduced Peter Robb, as he 

sought to score in the right corner, was a 

killer blow. 

Connacht dominated the remainder, 

Blade wriggling free from Reuben 

Morgan-Williams’ grasp to go in under 

the posts. Carty unselfishly sent Fitzgerald 

over in the final few minutes. 

CONNACHT: Oran McNulty; Alex 

Wootton, Shayne Bolton (Peter Robb 

56), Sammy Arnold (Eoghan Masterson 

64), Mack Hansen; Jack Carty, Kieran 

Marmion (Caolin Blade 58); Matthew 

Burke (Jordan Duggan 58), Dave 

Heffernan (Jack Aungier 52), Finlay 

Bealham (Shane Delahunt 52); Niall 

Murray (Oisin Dowling 35), Ultan 

Dillane; Jarrad Butler, Conor Oliver, Paul 

Boyle (Conor Fitzgerald 64). 

OSPREYS: Dan Evans; Max Nagy (Cai 

Evans 60), Owen Watkin, Joe Hawkins, 

Luke Morgan; Stephen Myler, Rhys Webb 

(Reuben Morgan-Williams 62); Nicky 

Smith (Gareth Thomas 31), Elvis Taione 

(Sam Parry 48), Tom Botha (Jack Regan 

58); Bradley Davies, Rhys Davies (Rhys 

Henry 58); Sam Cross (William Griffiths 

48), Jac Morgan, Ethan Roots (Morgan 

Morris 62). 


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connacht squad 

Head coach 

Andy Friend 

Andy Friend took over the reins at 

Connacht in 2018, joining from the 

Australian Sevens team. 

His coaching career has taken in wellknown 

clubs across both the southern 

and northern hemispheres. 

The Australia native presided over 

Premiership side Harlequins for three 

years in the mid-noughties before 

returning to Canberra to take the head 

coach position with Brumbies. 

He also coached Canon Eagles and 

Suntory Sungoliath in the Japanese Top 

League. 

Captain 

Jack Carty 

Flanker Jarrad Butler held the 

role of captain in Ireland’s 

western province from 2018, 

while Ireland international outhalf 

Jack Carty has recently been 

named as matchday captain for 

the side. 

The now 29-year-old has 160 

appearances for his province with a 

further 10 caps for Ireland. 

Originally from Athlone, Carty played 

during his formative years with Marist 

College and Buccaneers. 

FORWARDS 

JACK AUNGIER 

PROP 

FINLAY BEALHAM 

PROP 

PAUL BOYLE 

BACK-ROW 

DENIS BUCKLEY 

PROP 

MATTHEW BURKE 

PROP 

JARRAD BUTLER 

BACK-ROW 

SHANE DELAHUNT 

HOOKER 

ULTAN DILLANE 

LOCK 

OISIN DOWLING 

LOCK 

JORDAN DUGGAN 

PROP 

LEVA FIFITA 

LOCK 

DAVE HEFFERNAN 

HOOKER 

SAM ILLO 

PROP 

EOGHAN MASTERSON 

BACK-ROW 

SEAN MASTERSON 

BACK-ROW 

PADDY MCALLISTER 

PROP 

GREG MCGRATH 

PROP 

JONNY MURPHY 

HOOKER 

NIALL MURRAY 

LOCK 

CONOR OLIVER 

BACK-ROW 

ABRAHAM PAPALII 

NO. 8 

CIAN PRENDERGAST 

FLANKER 

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-MCCOY 

PROP 

GAVIN THORNBURY 

LOCK 

DYLAN TIERNEY-MARTIN 

HOOKER 

BACKS 

BUNDEE AKI 

CENTRE 

SAMMY ARNOLD 

CENTRE 

CAOLIN BLADE 

SCRUM-HALF 

SHAYNE BOLTON 

FULLBACK 

JACK CARTY 

FLY-HALF 

TOM DALY 

CENTRE 

TOM FARRELL 

CENTRE 

CONOR FITZGERALD 

FLY-HALF 

HUBERT GILVARRY 

SCRUM-HALF 

MACK HANSEN 

WING 

MATT HEALY 

WING 

DIARMUID KILGALLEN 

WING 

KIERAN MARMION 

SCRUM-HALF 

ORAN MCNULTY 

FULLBACK 

BEN O’DONNELL 

WING 

TIERNAN O’HALLORAN 

FULLBACK 

JOHN PORCH 

FULLBACK 

COLM REILLY 

SCRUM-HALF 

PETER ROBB 

CENTRE 

PETER SULLIVAN 

WING 

ALEX WOOTTON 

WING 


Club in Focus 

WANDERERS FC 

“People with Down Syndrome 

need to feel loved, valued 

and included.” Beauden Barrett. 

It started out as an idea. 

It ended up as a social 

media sensation. 

The sight of the Together 

Academy performing the Haka 

in front of the All Blacks the day 

before Ireland’s win exploded 

worldwide last month. 

All Blacks respect TA Haka 

It all evolved out of the connection 

made between the Academy, the IRFU 

and the Barrett brothers, Beauden, 

Jordi and Scott, who have been vocal 

about supporting the Down Syndrome 

community in light of their little sister Zara. 

“We made a connection to Zara 

Barrett, Beauden and Jordi’s sister, who 

has Down Syndrome,” says Together 

Academy founder Therese Coveney. 

“It was never meant to be a huge event. 

We had only two days notice. We 

engaged the Maori community in Dublin 

and two great guys came and trained the 

lads properly. 

“Elverys jumped aboard to sponsor 

jerseys. Tony Doyle Coaches gave us 

a bus and we were off to perform the 

Haka. 

“The Together Academy students did 

an amazing job. It was very moving. It 

turned into a huge event because the 

All Blacks released it onto their social 

platforms.” 

At last count, it registered more than two 

million hits on Twitter, one-and-a-half 

million views on Instagram and over 

seven-and-a-half million downloads on 

TikTok, bringing a spotlight onto a new 

venture. 

The Together Academy is a training 

college and social enterprise for young 

adults with Down Syndrome. 

“It was set up because of the 

unacceptable statistic that 90 per cent of 

adults with Down Syndrome in Ireland 

are not in paid employment,” says 

Therese. 

“We have a daughter, April, with DS 

and that statistic really bothered me. 

I think everyone can acknowledge it 

is unacceptable. I spent nearly two 

years researching projects, locally and 

internationally, that worked for adults 

with intellectual disabilities with our 

Programme Manager, Cathy Smith. 

“At the moment, a young adult receives 

their disability payment and goes into 


Together Academy Haka 

Therese Coveney China McGowan (middle) and 

Cathy Smith, Co founder, Programme manager. 

day service provision. For many, that is 

the limit of their working opportunity. 

“These days, children born with 

intellectual disabilities are getting speech 

therapy, occupational therapy and are 

often going to mainstream schools. 

“There is not the same societal change 

for these people as adults as there is for 

them as kids. It is something I was really 

aware of. 

“They were not benefiting from skills that 

would make it easier to find a job.” 

The research Therese and Cathy 

embarked on revealed how Down 

Syndrome men and women learn best 

through visual stimulation and repetition. 

The decision was taken to find a way of 

giving them proper rigorous training and 

work experience. 

Enter Wanderers. 

Last year, the club celebrated 150 years 

in existence and there has been an 

elevated commitment to reach out to the 

community. 

This led to a mutually beneficial 

partnership to house the Together 


Academy’s education programme in the 

clubhouse. 

Together Academy at Wanderers FC 

“I pitched the idea to Wanderers. They 

have been fantastic. They have a very 

progressive board,” says Therese. 

“There is a lot of talk about diversity and 

inclusion in sport. What does that really 

mean, in practical terms? 

“When the club spoke to me about their 

vision, I included the observation that ‘If 

we can make this work in Wanderers, we 

can make it work anywhere’. After all, in 

every county in Ireland, there are underutilised 

clubhouses. 

“This is a pilot programme, something 

that can be scaled up. The concept is to 

show how it can work as a commercial 

business and to show other people 

around the country how to do it. 

“In the end, we are trying to challenge 

the current lived experience of an adult 

with Down Syndrome in Ireland today.” 

The Education Training Board (ETB) 

is now funding the ‘employment and 

culinary skills course’ at Wanderers. 

An old billiards room was renovated into 

a classroom and the kitchen off the bar 

upstairs was perfect for the plan to open 

up the ‘Together Academy Café’, where 

their learning could be put to use in a 

practical way. 

At the moment, there are 17 young 

adult students on site from Monday to 

Thursday, benefiting from funding by 

the ETB and Pobal, a government body 

working to support communities and local 

agencies in achieving social inclusion 

and development. 

“When the cafe is open, the students will 

come into contact with the club members, 

the players, the coaches and the general 

public. 

“This will be the basis for building their 

confidence and their skills over two 

years so that they will have the option of 

independent employment.” 

To this point, the opening of the 

‘Cafe’ has been paused due to the 

complications around Covid and 

the response has been to adapt and 

overcome. 


This is a pilot programme, 

something that can be scaled up. 

The concept is to show how it can 

work as a commercial business 

and to show other people around 

the country how to do it. 

A luxury hamper business was created in 

which 350 were sold out within 72 hours 

and a further 520 sold out in double 

quick time in a tremendous example of 

commercial flexibility. 

Unfortunately, Down Syndrome adults 

can lose motivation. Health and wellbeing 

are a huge part of keeping them 

interested. That is why they start every 

day with 15-20 minutes of exercise on the 

pitches at Merrion Road. 

including a blitz for local schools St 

Patrick’s Ringsend, Scoil Chaitriona 

Baggot St, St Christopher’s and St 

Conleth’s Junior School which had 

brought 139 fifth class pupils to the club. 

There is also a lift in numbers at Minis 

and Youths rugby with teams all the way 

up to U-17 and the first girls specific 

training team (8-12 years old). 

men’s teams, the first team challenging for 

promotion from AIL 2B, the women team 

and the U-20s. 

These are exciting times at Wanderers 

with a state-of-the-art complex planned to 

embrace their push to rebuild. 

The ultimate aim is to rebrand Wanderers 

as a community-based sports and 

recreational club, and a successful 

trophy-winning club with rugby as its 

primary sport. 

The partnership with the Together 

Academy is just one example of how 

one old club is embracing a new way 

forward. 

If you would like to make a donation 

to the Together Academy, please 

visit the website: 

www.togetheracademy.ie 

The Together Academy is one element 

of Wanderers wider plan to increase 

engagement with the local community. 

There is greater interaction with the local 

schools, led by CCRO Ger O’Reilly, 

The performance of the Dublin Sports 

Club (DSC) Wanderers Touch Rugby 

teams have provided players for both 

the Men’s and Women’s Irish touch 

teams this season on top of the U-20s, 

Therese Coveney 

the women’s team and the three adult 



jack 

boyle 

THE ACADEMY 

INTERVIEW 

BY PAUL CAHILL 

Picture the scene. You 

have come home from 

the shops on a warm 

summer’s afternoon, 

only to find most of the 

contents of your shed 

dumped out into the back 

garden as your son has 

converted the shed into 

a makeshift gym. 

As was the case with most 

professional and aspiring rugby 

players during the height of 

lockdown, they had to make do. 

Jack Boyle, the Leinster Academy prop 

was no different. 

Having lost a Bank of Ireland Schools 

Cup semi-final with St Michael’s to 

Newbridge, Boyle was desperate to keep 

training but all around him Covid-19 was 

taking hold in society and amenities and 

gyms were starting to close. 

“I was in sixth year at the time and we 

were told that the school was closing in 

March so I couldn’t do much training. 

“But then in May, I got a lot of gym gear 

dropped off to the house. It was just 

before the Leaving Cert, so I couldn’t 

be out the back all of the time but it was 

great to get it! 


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“I had pretty much taken over the shed 

with plates, barbells, dumbbells, a bench 

press, the whole lot. Everything else 

took a back seat! We had to leave the 

lawnmower out on the grass most of the 

time!” 

Boyle came through St Michael’s College 

having played with a number of other 

Leinster senior and Academy players, but 

he was given a great grounding in the 

game at his local club. 

Old Wesley is a club that was, and still is, 

very close to the Boyle family. 

“My dad brought me down to Wesley 

to start playing minis when I was four or 

five, and I was there for about 10 years. 

My dad and my uncles all played with 

Old Wesley for years. My cousin then 

joined and he is still playing there now. 

So lots of the family still go down to 

watch his matches.” 

As a youngster, he would regularly go 

to the RDS Arena with family to watch 

Leinster. 

He even had the pleasure of being 

mascot as a six-year-old against the 

Scarlets in 2008 and of course, who was 

captain that day? None other than our 

current head coach, Leo Cullen. 

“Yeah, that photo pops up every now 

and again,” he says with a laugh, “and 

it’s thrown up during plenty of meetings 

too!” 

Those early years helped mould young 

Boyle’s love for rugby. 

“I used to go to every game in the RDS 

when I was young. I would always have 

gone with my dad, Herbie, but then in 

first or second year, you think you’re class 

and you want to go with your friends.” 

While rugby was always a big part of his 

life, it was only when he walked through 

the gates of St Michael’s College did it 

really take hold. 

“I went into St Michael’s in first year, and 

the U-13 cup became the biggest thing. 

You’re on top of the world if you can win 

that.” 

Boyle entered St Michael’s during a 

golden period as they fought in the latter 

stages of the Junior Cup and the Senior 

Cup every year. 

Jack watched on in first year and was 

desperate to be a part of that. 

inpho.ie 


“When I was in second year I got onto 

the Junior Cup team. We lost the Junior 

Cup final to Blackrock in the worst game 

ever. 

“The following year, we managed to 

get a little bit of revenge by beating 

Blackrock in the Junior Cup final after a 

replay, which was fantastic. That was a 

big day, I loved it.” 

Having finished the junior cycle, Jack 

was pushing to break straight into the St 

Michael’s Senior Cup squad two years 

early. 

His effort and persistence paid off. 

“In fourth year, I was on the senior cup 

team with Ryan Baird and Scott Penny. 

It was great to be in the squad. We lost 

the semi-final that year. But, the following 

year we won the cup, beating Gonzaga 

in the final. 

“Then in sixth year, we lost to Newbridge 

in the semi-finals just before the 

competition was cancelled. We had a 

good team. Chris Cosgrave and Lee 

Barron were also in my year. They are 

also in the Leinster Academy now.” 

With one Junior Cup and one Senior Cup 

title to his name, Boyle looks back on his 

schools rugby career with great fondness. 

“That was the most enjoyable team 

environment I’ve ever played in. You’re 

playing with your best friends every 

day. It’s different to a Leinster or Ireland 

set up where everyone is trying to turn 

professional. It’s unreal being best mates 

with lads and going out and beating a 

team. You can’t beat it.” 

Moving into UCD in September 2020, 

Jack was looking forward to a new start 

in his college life beginning a Commerce 

degree, as well as a new start in his 

rugby career with UCD RFC. 

But, with no games taking place due to 

lockdown, that opportunity never came. 

“Last year, I didn’t get to play at all. We 

were just in lockdown for so long. The 

only games I got to play last year were 

a few Leinster ‘A’ games, and then the 

U-20 Six Nations in July. So basically, 

just training for the full year until the Six 

Nations last summer.” 

But, those games at the end of last season 

were quite significant for Boyle as he 

made his mark with the Irish U-20 side. 

Two second half turnover penalties in the 

opening win against Scotland were a 

high point at the end of a year without 

much rugby. 

“After I played Leinster U-18s twice, 

the U-19s and 20s were both 

cancelled. So we hadn’t played much 

at all up to that point.” 

After good wins over 

Scotland, Wales and 

Italy, narrow defeats 

to England and France 

meant that there was no 

silverware for the Irish 

U-20s. But Boyle looks 

back at his first outing 

with the team with pride. 

“I didn’t realise the 

extent of the exposure the 

team gets during the U-20 

Six Nations. It’s so class. I 

probably underestimated 

that. 

“I would tell all of the lads ahead of this 

year how big it is and enjoy every minute 

of it because it’s a big deal. You play 

one game and you’re already looking 

forward to the next game. It’s class 

playing in one or two of those 

games, but a full tournament is 

great.” 

With a global pandemic in 

full flow as he left school, Jack 

has had to take a rather 

unorthodox pathway to 

the Leinster Academy. 

“Because the Leinster 

U-19s and U-20s 

were cancelled, 

there was only a 

handful of us in 

the sub-Academy 

down in Energia 

Park. 

“During the 

pandemic, there 

were only six 

of us able to 

go training and 


we were only allowed to use our own 

ball. So it was hard to keep ticking over. 

But I knew the U-20s last summer was a 

big deal.” 

That U-20 Six Nations tournament led to 

a huge moment for Jack. 

Having turned 18 just a few months 

before the tournament, he was expecting 

to spend another year in the Leinster 

sub-Academy before another crack at the 

Six Nations. Instead, he received the call 

every young rugby player hopes for. 

“Some of the lads were offered an 

Academy contract around March that 

year, but I’m a year younger than most 

lads so I didn’t get that initial offer. But 

then I got the call in July 2020 after I got 

back from the Six Nations tournament.” 

It’s a moment that he will never forget. 

“I was standing in the kitchen when I got 

the call. 

“I just started shouting and my parents 

were there too, so they figured out what I 

was shouting about quite quickly. 

“I then rang my school coaches, 

Last year, I didn’t get to play at all. We were 

just in lockdown for so long. The only games 

I got to play last year were a few Leinster ‘A’ 

games, and then the U-20 Six Nations in July. So 

basically, just training for the full year until 

the Six Nations last summer. 

Emmett McMahon and Andy 

Skehan, to let them know 

straight after as well. It was 

an amazing feeling to let them 

know.” 

Now in his first year as an 

Academy player, Jack splits 

his time between Irish U-20 

camp, the Ken Wall Centre of 

Excellence and UCD. 

It’s going to be an exciting few 

months for the young prop. 

“I spend a lot of time in camp 

with the Irish U-20s as I’m 

eligible again this year. I’m 

really looking forward to that 

kicking off again. That takes up 

a good chunk of time. I have 

had some time training with 

the Leinster Senior team. 

“During the international 

break, I was up as I was 

involved for the Leinster 

‘A’ game against Ulster 

‘A’. You get windows 

here and there with the first team, but 

I’m hoping to be more involved next 

year.” 

Exposure to the senior 

players is something that 

Boyle relishes. He plans 

on learning as much as he 

can from the experienced 

players. 

“I was on the bench for 

Leinster ‘A’ a few weeks 

ago. The senior players 

were great to me. Seán 

Cronin, Peter Dooley and 

Ed Byrne, just chatting to 

them. Especially as a front 

rower, you can never get 

too much information. They 

were great to chat to and 

it makes a big difference 

for us young players.” 

So after a year of very 

little rugby activity, it’s 

now all go for Boyle 

with a big six months 

coming up. 

“Hopefully, I’ll be involved in the U-20 

Six Nations this year and hopefully we 

can win that. There’s the U-20 World 

Cup in Australia, so I hope to be fit and 

able to travel for that. That will kick off 

around May. That would be a great 

experience.” 

Now with a small window to reflect on his 

path to the Leinster Academy, Boyle 

is certain who deserves a special 

mention. 

“When I first started going down to the 

minis, I don’t think I was too keen on it. 

“My dad being so persistent, he kept 

bringing me down, and that definitely 

played a massive role in me going on 

to absolutely love the game. I have to 

say, as I got a bit older, every Sunday, 

no matter how early in the morning or 

where we had to go, he always brought 

me to grounds around the place for more 

than 10 years. He definitely played a 

big role.” 

Here’s to all of the mums and the dads 

who help kick start every rugby journey. 


Leinster Rugby Academy 

Year Three 2021/22: 


Year two 2021/22: 

Second Row 

Brian Deeny 

DOB: 02/03/2000 

HEIGHT: 1.99m WEIGHT: 121kg 

HONOURS: Ireland U20 (8 caps) 

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 

wing 

Niall Comerford 

DOB: 06/04/2000 


HONOURS: Ireland U20 

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 

Cormac Foley #1299 

DOB: 24/10/1999 



& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Marcus Hanan #1295 

DOB: 03/10/2000 

HEIGHT:1.8m WEIGHT:110.91kg 


& Leinster Rugby (3 caps) 

Scrum Half 

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 

prop 

Did You Know? Marcus is from Clane in Kildare and is the 

youngest of three. His dad went to the High School and then 

played rugby in Old Wesley before coaching back at Clane 

RFC. Marcus has Italian connections on his mother’s side with her 

father, Luigi Rea, being from Italy. Marcus is studying Business 

Management in Griffith College. Instagram: @marcus_hanan 

Back Row 

Martin Moloney #1300 

DOB: 19/10/1999 


HONOURS: Ireland U20 (5 caps) & 

Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

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 

Second Row 

Joe McCarthy 

DOB: 26/03/2001 



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 

Second Row 

Charlie Ryan 

DOB: 03/02/1999 



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 

hooker 

John McKee 

DOB: 15/02/2000 



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_ 

Centre 

Liam Turner #1287 

DOB: 14/07/1999 




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 

Centre / Full Back 

Jamie Osborne #1294 

DOB: 16/11/2001 

HEIGHT:1.93m WEIGHT:96.82kg 

HONOURS: Leinster Rugby (9 caps) 

Did you know? Jamie is studying commerce in UCD. His 

grandad, Paddy Osborne, was a horse trainer in Naas, 

while his dad played rugby all throughout his life and 

his mum played hockey. Other than rugby, Jamie loves 

all sports especially soccer, GAA and NFL. Jamie is 

currently in a house with fellow Leinster Academy players 

Brian Deeny, Martin Moloney and Max O’Reilly. 

Instagram: @jamieosborne01 


Seán O’Brien #1297 

Lee Barron 

Back Row 

DOB: 31/07/2000 




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 

Hooker 

DOB: 15/02/2001 


Did You Know: Lee played golf growing up in the 

Castle Golf Club and in the end was playing off a 

handicap of eight. He has family roots in Carlow but 

went to school in Dublin and attended St Michael’s College. 

As well as rugby with his school, he also played 

GAA and even lined out in Croke Park. 

Instagram: @lleebarron 

Max O’Reilly #1291 

Chris Cosgrave 

Full Back 

DOB: 26/02/2000 



Leinster Rugby (7 caps) 

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 

full back 

DOB: 24/07/2001 

HEIGHT:1.83m WEIGHT:85kg 

Did You Know: Chris is a member of UCD RFC, where 

he is also an Ad Astra scholar studying Agricultural 

Science. His athleticism is best highlighted by his feats 

in the field of Athletics with All-Ireland honours to his 

name in both the 4x100m relay and the Discus. Before 

the UCD and St Michael’s College days, he played at 

a young age with Old Belvedere RFC. 

Instagram: @chriscosgrave1 

Andrew Smith #1292 

Mark Hernan 

DOB: 21/07/2000 




DOB: 04/07/2000 


Back Three 

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 

Flanker 

Did You Know: Mark was coached by Ross Molony, 

Josh Murphy, Ross Byrne and Nick McCarthy when in 

St. Michael’s College. His grandfather Fergus O’Brien 

was Lord Mayor of Dublin and his father, Ray, played 

for Connacht seniors and Ireland u25s. 

Instagram: @mark_hernani 

Alex Soroka #1296 

Temi Lasisi 

Back Row 

DOB: 19/02/2001 

HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 104.5kg 



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 

prop 

DOB: 09/05/2001 

HEIGHT: 1.78m WEIGHT: 115.8kg 

Did You Know: The TUD Mechanical Engineering 

student originally picked up the oval ball in Enniscorthy 

before later moving to Lansdowne FC. Temi rose 

through the ranks in the Youths system, his first outing 

with the province came at U-18 level against Northampton. 

He also describes himself as a ‘competent 

pianist’. 

Instagram: @lasisi.temi 


Year one 2021/22: 

Scrum half 

Ben Murphy 

DOB: 23/04/2001 



& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Did You Know: Ben played all different sports growing 

up including football, GAA and golf and won an 800m 

gold in the U-14 East Leinsters. He is studying economics 

in UCD. Ben’s father Richie played for Leinster 

Rugby and has coached at all levels of the game and is 

the current Ireland U-20s head coach. I 

nstagram: @ben._murphy01 

Jack Boyle 

DOB: 10/03/2002 



Rob Russell #1302 

DOB: 13/01/1999 



Prop 

Did You Know: Jack’s father, Herbie, and uncles, Colon 

and Eric, all represented Old Wesley rugby club for 

years. His cousin Stephen Boyle also represented the 

Leinster Rugby youths. Jack is currently studying for a 

Commerce Degree in UCD. 

Instagram: @jackboyle1 

Full Back / Wing 

Did You Know: Rob is currently in his final year of 

Business and Management in DIT. He started playing 

rugby at the age of five with Wanderers RFC. He also 

played football up to minor level with Kilmacud Crokes 

and it took priority over rugby until he left school. 

Instagram: @robrussell7 


fixtures and 

results 2021/22 

Date 

25/09 

03/10 

09/10 

16/10 

22/10 

27/11 

KO/ 

Result 

W 

31-3 

W 

7-6 

W 

43-7 

Opposiotion Venue 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2 

URC VODACOM 

BULLS 

URC DRAGONS 

Aviva 

Stadium 

Rodney 

Parade 

URC ZEBRE RDS Arena J O’BRIEN 

KEENAN O’LOUGHLIN RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE 

SEXTON 

3C 1P 

MCGRATH 

PORTER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

KEENAN RUSSELL RINGROSE C O’BRIEN O’LOUGHLIN R BYRNE GIBSON-PARK PORTER SHEEHAN 

A BYRNE 

2T 

OSBORNE 

FRAWLEY 

W 

50-15 URC SCARLETS RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY 

1C 

W 

31-15 

URC GLASGOW 

Scotstoun 

Stadium 

KEENAN 

1T 

A BYRNE 

1T 

L 

10-20 URC ULSTER RDS Arena J O’BRIEN A BYRNE HENSHAW 

1T 

LARMOUR 

1T 

LOWE 

RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE 

FRAWLEY 

LARMOUR 

H BYRNE 

SEXTON 

1C 1P 

R BYRNE 

4C 1P 

R BYRNE 

1C 1P 

MCGRATH 

GIBSON-PARK 

MCGRATH 

E BYRNE 

1T 

PORTER 

1T 

HEALY 

CRONIN 

1T 

KELLEHER 

1T 

KELLEHER 

1T 

MCGRATH E BYRNE TRACY 

03/12 19:45 URC CONNACHT RDS Arena 

11 Dec 15:15 HCC BATH 

17 Dec 20:00 HCC MONTPELLIER 

26/12 19:35 URC MUNSTER 

01/01 19:35 URC ULSTER 

Aviva 

Stadium 

GGL (Altrad) 

Stadium 

Thomond 

Park 

Kingspan 

Stadium 

07/01 19:35 URC SIGMA LIONS RDS Arena 

16 Jan 13:00 HCC MONTPELLIER RDS Arena 

22 Jan 13:00 HCC BATH 

28/29/30 

Jan 

18/19/20 

Feb 

04/05/06 

Mar 

25/26/27 

Mar 

01/02/03 

Apr 

22/23/24 

Apr 

29/30/01 

Apr 

20/21/22 

May 

TBC 

URC CARDIFF 

RUGBY 

Recreation 

Ground 

Cardiff Arms 

Park 

TBC URC OSPREYS RDS Arena 

TBC 

URC BENETTON 

tadio 

Monigo 

TBC URC CONNACHT Sportsground 

TBC URC MUNSTER RDS Arena 

TBC 

TBC 

URC CELL C 

SHARKS 

URC DHL 

STORMERS 

Jonsson 

Kings Park 

Green Point 

Stagium 

TBC URC EDINBURGH RDS Arena 


3 4 5 6 7 8 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 

ALAALATOA MOLONY J RYAN RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

1T 

ALAALATOA MOLONY RYAN RUDDOCK VAN DER FLIER 

ALAALATOA BAIRD TONER LEAVY 

FURLONG MOLONY RYAN 

DORIS 

2T 

PENNY 

1T 

VAN DER FLIER 

DORIS 

DEEGAN 

1T 

RUDDOCK 

CONAN 

FURLONG MOLONY BAIRD DORIS LEAVY CONAN 

TRACY 

1T 

E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK 

R BYRNE 

1T 1C 

TRACY E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD LEAVY N MCCARTHY C FRAWLEY 

KELLEHER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

2T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

DOOLEY HEALY MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY 

HEALY 

1T 

ALAALATOA BAIRD RUDDOCK MCGRATH 

SEXTON 

4C 

R BYRNE 

3C 

OSBORNE 

S PENNY 

[UNUSED] 

RUSSELL 

T O’BRIEN 

E BYRNE ALAALATOA TONER RUDDOCK GIBSON-PARK OSBORNE VAN DER FLIER 

FURLONG MOLONY TONER LEAVY PENNY RUDDOCK CRONIN DOOLEY ABDALADZE DEEGAN CONNORS N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN 

An Garda Síochána supports the 16 Days of Activism 

against Gender-Based Violence Campaign 

We are supporting the United Nations #16DaysofActivism against 

Gender-Based Violence campaign. 

25th November 2021 (International Day of No Violence against Women) to 

10th December 2021 (International Human Rights Day) 

An Garda Síochána are here to listen, support and protect. 

If you do not feel safe or are concerned about a friend/relative, 

please contact your local Garda Station (details on www.garda.ie). 

Alternatively, contact your local domestic abuse support agency (details can be 

found at https://www.safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/) 

If you require urgent assistance or support, please call 999 or 112. 

Keeping People Safe 


matchday 

Squads 

Hugo Keenan 

Jordan Larmour 

Garry Ringrose 

Robbie Henshaw 

James Lowe 

Harry Byrne 

Luke McGrath [C] 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

Oran McNulty 

Alex Wootton 

Sam Arnold 

Peter Robb 

Mack Hansen 

Jack Carty [C] 

Kieran Marmion 

officials 

REFEREE: 

CHRIS BUSBY 

(IRFU, 14TH COMPETITION GAME) 

ASSISTANT REFEREES: 

EOGHAN CROSS (IRFU) 

OISIN QUINN (IRFU) 

TMO: 

OLLY HODGES (IRFU) 

Cian Healy 

Dan Sheehan 

Michael Ala’alatoa 

Ryan Baird 

Devin Toner 

Rhys Ruddock 

Josh van der Flier 

Caelan Doris 

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 

Matthew Burke 

Dave Heffernan 

Finlay Bealham 

Oisín Dowling 

Ultan Dillane 

Eoghan Masterson 

Conor Oliver 

Jarrad Butler 

Rónan Kelleher 

Andrew Porter 

Vakh Abdaladze 

Josh Murphy 

Max Deegan 

Nick McCarthy 

Ross Byrne 

Tommy O’Brien 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

Shane Delahunt 

Jordan Duggan 

Jack Aungier 

Leva Fifita 

Cian Prendergast 

Caolin Blade 

Conor Fitzgerald 

Tom Farrell

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.

Parting Shot 

27 November 2021 

Action from the Bank of Ireland 

Half-Time Minis between 

Ashbourne RFC and Wicklow RFC 

at the United Rugby Championship 

match between Leinster and Ulster 

at the RDS Arena. Photo by David 

Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 


Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Leinster vs Connacht

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