Leinster vs Edinburgh
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 08 Leinster vs Edinburgh | United Rugby Championship Friday 11th February, 2022 | KO 6pm | RDS Arena
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 08
Leinster vs Edinburgh | United Rugby Championship
Friday 11th February, 2022 | KO 6pm | RDS Arena
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ISSUE 8 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME<br />
LEINSTER<br />
VS<br />
edinburgh<br />
FRI 11 th FEB<br />
RDS ARENA<br />
KO 6PM
Newstead Building A,<br />
UCD,<br />
Belfield,<br />
Dublin 4<br />
#LEIVEDI<br />
The Line up<br />
Telephone:<br />
012693224<br />
Fax:<br />
012693142<br />
E-mail:<br />
information@leinsterrugby.ie<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
6<br />
24<br />
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT<br />
President: John Walsh<br />
Chief Executive: Michael Dawson<br />
Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley<br />
Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail<br />
RUGBY MANAGEMENT<br />
Head Coach: Leo Cullen<br />
Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster<br />
Head of Rugby Operations:<br />
Guy Easterby<br />
Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde<br />
Backs Coach: Felipe Contepomi<br />
Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell<br />
Contact Skills Coach: Denis Leamy<br />
14<br />
PROGRAMME CREDITS<br />
Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla,<br />
Ryan Corry & Paul Cahill<br />
Advertising: Gary Nolan<br />
Design: Julian Tredinnick,<br />
Ignition Sports Media<br />
Photography: Sportsfile<br />
Chief Steward: Sword Security<br />
Ambulance: St. John’s Ambulance<br />
Medilink<br />
Event Control & Safety Services:<br />
Eamonn O’Boyle & Associates<br />
43<br />
88<br />
STAY<br />
CONNECTED<br />
& KEEP<br />
UP-TO-DATE<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3
john walsh welcome<br />
PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2020/22<br />
We extend a warm welcome to our<br />
fans and guests from <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
(the city of rugby in my eyes) for<br />
this evening’s rescheduled Round<br />
8 fixture in the United Rugby<br />
Championship.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong>’s last visit to the RDS was in<br />
November 2020 and while the result did<br />
not go in their favour, the great thing about<br />
our challenging sport is that we can’t dwell<br />
on the past and every game is a new<br />
chapter waiting to be told. <strong>Edinburgh</strong> arrive<br />
in the RDS with a total of 34 league points<br />
from nine fixtures played while <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
trail them with 30 league points from eight<br />
fixtures so this game has a significant<br />
importance for both clubs.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> are a club with a proud rugby<br />
tradition and are celebrating their 150th<br />
anniversary year in 2022 having been<br />
founded in 1872, seven years prior to the<br />
establishment of <strong>Leinster</strong>. We wish the club<br />
well for their celebrations and indeed for<br />
their future as ambassadors for the game in<br />
Scotland.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> is a passionate rugby region<br />
with the city and districts the home to over<br />
32 rugby clubs, 20 of which are based in<br />
the city. Little wonder then that <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
is undoubtedly one of the most popular<br />
and welcoming destinations for Six Nations<br />
rugby fans. In addition international touring<br />
sides such as New Zealand, Australia,<br />
Japan, Canada, Romania, Fiji, Tonga and<br />
Western Samoa are among the teams that<br />
the <strong>Edinburgh</strong> club have hosted during their<br />
distinguished history.<br />
All <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby fans have always enjoyed<br />
the hospitality and atmosphere of a visit to<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> especially as Scottish supporters<br />
are so knowledgeable and passionate<br />
about the game. There was no better venue<br />
than <strong>Edinburgh</strong> for <strong>Leinster</strong> fans to celebrate<br />
our first European Cup victory when we<br />
conquered Leicester in front of 66,000 in<br />
Murrayfield in 2009.<br />
Following the advent of professional rugby<br />
in 1995 <strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby was established<br />
in 1996 by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU)<br />
as one of the two professional teams in<br />
Scotland along with Glasgow Warriors.<br />
Both sides have reached finals in the<br />
domestic league and indeed in the<br />
Challenge Cup when <strong>Edinburgh</strong> lost to<br />
Gloucester 19-13 in the 2015 Final.<br />
In the United Rugby Championship and it’s<br />
preceding formats <strong>Edinburgh</strong> were runners<br />
up to Munster in the then Magners League<br />
in 2008/09 while their rivals Glasgow<br />
claimed a notable Guinness PRO12 title<br />
over Munster in the 2014/15 season<br />
winning the Grand Final by 31-13.<br />
We welcome <strong>Edinburgh</strong> Chairperson John<br />
Davidson, CEO Douglas Struth, head coach<br />
Mike Blair (capped 85 times for Scotland<br />
and also a British and Irish Lion), team<br />
captain Stuart McInally (40 Scotland caps)<br />
both stalwarts of the <strong>Edinburgh</strong> clubs and<br />
their squad.<br />
As mentioned, <strong>Edinburgh</strong> have had an<br />
excellent season to date in what has been<br />
a disrupted United Rugby Championship.<br />
With nine rounds played they have won six,<br />
drawn one and lost two and in the process<br />
scored 224 points and conceded 147<br />
points.<br />
As reigning champions we have to defend<br />
our crown and will be fully aware that we<br />
will face stern challenges both on and off<br />
the field this season and that teams will<br />
be highly motivated to bring our current<br />
winning titles sequence of four to an end.<br />
That said, <strong>Leinster</strong>’s season to date in both<br />
the United Rugby Championship and<br />
European Rugby Champions Cup has<br />
reflected the determination of the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
squad and team management has to pursue<br />
excellence and success.<br />
Our Champions Cup campaign has resulted<br />
in three wins from four fixtures and in the<br />
process scoring 198 points (30 tries) and<br />
conceding 34 points to qualify for mouthwatering<br />
home and away fixtures with our<br />
local rivals Connacht.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>’s United Rugby Championship<br />
campaign has resulted in six wins and two<br />
defeats (to Ulster in the RDS and away<br />
to Cardiff on our latest United Rugby<br />
Championship start) from eight fixtures and<br />
scoring 246 points (31 tries) and conceding<br />
114 points. This fixture marks the 41st<br />
occasion that we have played <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
and our record is good with 25 wins, one<br />
draw and 14 defeats.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby recently lost one of it’s most<br />
respected and popular members of our<br />
community with the passing of Kevin Flynn.<br />
A former President and captain of<br />
Wanderers he proudly represented<br />
Ireland on 22 occasions in a distinguished<br />
international career. He also made a total<br />
of 36 appearances for <strong>Leinster</strong> as well as<br />
eight appearances for the famed Barbarian<br />
club, for whom he did sterling work as a<br />
committee member.<br />
Kevin’s contribution to <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
was acknowledged with his induction to<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>’s Hall of Fame. We extend our<br />
condolences to his family and he will<br />
be much missed by all his friends and<br />
colleagues throughout our nationwide rugby<br />
community.<br />
Congratulations to all in Wanderers for their<br />
sterling support for the Together Academy<br />
project and indeed for the club’s progressive<br />
local community engagement policy. The<br />
club which celebrated its 150th year in<br />
2021 has also fielded its first girls team<br />
this season which will no doubt add to the<br />
strength of their women’s team in seasons<br />
to come.<br />
On the <strong>Leinster</strong> club scene the draws for<br />
the Bank of Ireland Provincial Towns Cup<br />
and the Bank of Ireland Metropolitan Cup<br />
took place recently and we look forward<br />
to completing these prestigious <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
competitions that generate cup rugby<br />
passion between clubs and their fans. This<br />
year will mark the 100th edition of the<br />
Metropolitan Cup so this will be a special<br />
occasion for all those clubs involved.<br />
I hope you all enjoy the game and thank<br />
you for your support which contributes so<br />
much to our success as a club.<br />
On behalf of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby I wish all<br />
involved a happy, healthy and enjoyable<br />
rugby season.<br />
‘Keep The Faith’ as the future belongs to<br />
those who believe in their dreams (Eleanor<br />
Roosevelt)<br />
John Walsh<br />
President <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby 2020-2022<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 5
Leo Cullen<br />
head Coach Welcome<br />
Good evening and welcome to the RDS Arena!<br />
A warm welcome also to Mike<br />
Blair and his <strong>Edinburgh</strong> team,<br />
who have been in flying form<br />
this season and currently sit<br />
ahead of us in the United Rugby<br />
Championship table – we know<br />
we’re in for a tough challenge this<br />
evening.<br />
It’s good to be back in action after the<br />
disappointment of losing away in Cardiff<br />
with the last kick of the game.<br />
It’s always a tough way to lose a game<br />
and serves as a harsh reminder to keep<br />
playing to the final whistle. The defeat<br />
gave us plenty to think about and shows<br />
just how tight this season’s URC is going<br />
to be. There are a number of teams that<br />
can all beat one another on any given<br />
day so we’re in for a very interesting<br />
second half of the season.<br />
A big congratulations to Joe McCarthy,<br />
who made his <strong>Leinster</strong> debut in Cardiff.<br />
Joe is still only 21 but has really<br />
impressed the group, both in training and<br />
while playing for Dublin University in the<br />
Energia AIL. We all hope that he goes<br />
on to have a long and successful career<br />
with <strong>Leinster</strong>.<br />
Joe is the latest in a long<br />
line of players that<br />
have come through<br />
our Academy to play<br />
for the senior team,<br />
which is a credit to<br />
everyone involved in<br />
maintaining that vital<br />
pathway.<br />
6 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
It seems a while ago now but many<br />
thanks to everyone who turned out for<br />
our last home fixture against Montpellier<br />
in the Champions Cup.<br />
It was a good day all round and the<br />
5,000 of you who won the lottery and<br />
were allowed in certainly made enough<br />
noise to fill the empty spaces!<br />
A big thank you also to everyone who<br />
followed us over to Bath. There was a<br />
fantastic atmosphere at the Rec, and even<br />
the walk to the ground with members of<br />
the OLSC Committee organising flags<br />
along the route! Brilliant to see.<br />
That victory meant we now face a home/<br />
away knock-out game against Connacht<br />
in the Round of 16. The home leg takes<br />
place on 15 April and we hope to run out<br />
in front of a packed Aviva Stadium as we<br />
chase down that elusive fifth star on the<br />
jersey. Hopefully see you for that one!<br />
Speaking of full houses, it was so uplifting<br />
to see crowds back in situ for the opening<br />
round of the Six Nations.<br />
Ireland’s comprehensive victory over<br />
Wales was impressive to watch and<br />
we were really pleased to see so many<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> players contributing to the<br />
win. We’re all hoping for another big<br />
performance and hopefully a win against<br />
France in Paris tomorrow evening.<br />
The Six Nations window is always a<br />
challenging but really exciting time for us.<br />
With so many of our players away on<br />
national duty, it’s an opportunity for<br />
others to step forward and show what<br />
they can do. Today’s game is the first<br />
of three consecutive home fixtures for<br />
us, so it’s also an opportunity for those<br />
players to perform in front of their own<br />
supporters.<br />
I hope we’ll see as many of you as<br />
possible here in the next few weeks as<br />
we push for a good quarter-final<br />
seeding.<br />
A big thanks to all our sponsors,<br />
especially Bank of Ireland, for their<br />
continued backing. Now that normality<br />
has all but returned, we look forward<br />
to seeing more of you and hopefully<br />
sharing some big occasions in the coming<br />
months.<br />
This time of year is also the start of the<br />
Bank of Ireland <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Schools<br />
Cups and I want to wish everyone<br />
involved the best of luck. Schools rugby<br />
represents everything that’s good about<br />
our game and this season will again see<br />
players, coaches, families, volunteers<br />
and others enjoying the best of underage<br />
rugby and making memories that last a<br />
lifetime.<br />
Of course our clubs have been up and<br />
running the last few months and we are<br />
hearing great reports about the talent<br />
on display in the Shane Horgan Cup<br />
and of course, the newly named, Sarah<br />
Robinson Cup.<br />
In March, both the Bank of Ireland<br />
Provincial Towns Cup and the<br />
Metropolitan Cup kick-off and it will be<br />
great to see those competitions back<br />
especially with the Provincial Towns Cup<br />
lying dormant since 2019 because of<br />
Covid-19.<br />
Spring is finally here, games are<br />
back across our 12 counties and<br />
there’s an optimism in the air<br />
that makes everything feel<br />
brighter.<br />
Thanks for all your<br />
support, always, and<br />
sticking with us through<br />
thick and thin.<br />
Leo.<br />
Enjoy the game,
With so many of our players<br />
away on national duty, it’s an<br />
opportunity for others to step<br />
forward and show what they can do.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 7
8 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
carla<br />
delaney<br />
DIRECTOR, BANK OF IRELAND AREA EAST<br />
Welcome back<br />
to the RDS<br />
Arena for<br />
this evening’s<br />
clash against<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby,<br />
where for the<br />
first time in a<br />
long time we can<br />
finally welcome<br />
fans to a full<br />
stadium! What a<br />
sight it will be<br />
for the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby players<br />
to run out at a<br />
packed RDS and<br />
to hear that<br />
famous roar<br />
once again.<br />
It is hard to believe we have to go<br />
back two years to the last time we<br />
had a packed RDS with little or<br />
no Covid-19 restrictions. The past<br />
few weeks have given everyone<br />
in society a massive boost as<br />
restrictions were eased and a<br />
sense of normality returned to our<br />
lives.<br />
It is also great to be starting a three-week<br />
block of home games with a visit from<br />
one of the form teams in the United Rugby<br />
Championship, <strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby, who lie<br />
in second place. Leo Cullen and his men<br />
will be keenly aware of the danger that<br />
the Scottish side pose, and there have<br />
been some exciting battles between these<br />
teams over the last few years.<br />
No doubt the players’ minds will be<br />
focussed on bouncing back from the<br />
disappointment of the loss away to<br />
Cardiff Rugby in the last URC round.<br />
Despite that defeat we had yet another<br />
example of the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby player<br />
pathway delivering with the debut of Joe<br />
McCarthy. Congratulations, Joe!<br />
Away from the <strong>Leinster</strong> Senior squad, it<br />
has been great to see action returning in<br />
the Shane Horgan Cup and the Sarah<br />
Robinson Cup. These are two competitions<br />
that Bank of Ireland is proud to support,<br />
championing the boys and girls in our<br />
clubs and giving them their first taste of<br />
competitive and representative action.<br />
We were also delighted that the draw<br />
for the Bank of Ireland Metropolitan<br />
Cup and Provincial Towns Cup took<br />
place recently and to see all the clubs<br />
excited to get back out there competing<br />
for two prestigious trophies – especially<br />
the Provincial Towns Cup which has<br />
been missing off the rugby calendar<br />
since 2019. It is great to have it back<br />
in 2022 and will be interesting to see if<br />
Enniscorthy can retain their title after the<br />
two-year hiatus.<br />
At half-time in this evening’s match you’ll<br />
also get to enjoy and cheer on the<br />
budding rugby stars of the future as minis<br />
rugby takes centre stage. This is another<br />
area that Bank of Ireland is delighted to<br />
be back supporting and I want to wish<br />
all four teams taking part the very best<br />
of luck.<br />
One by one, all the elements that make<br />
up the full match-day experience are<br />
returning and it is great to be a part of it<br />
all again.<br />
Enjoy the game,<br />
Carla Delaney.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 9
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Did you<br />
know?<br />
• <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby have lost two<br />
of their last three United Rugby<br />
Championship encounters, at home<br />
to Ulster and away at Cardiff. The<br />
defeat to Ulster was <strong>Leinster</strong>’s<br />
only home loss since Munster beat<br />
them at the RDS Arena in last<br />
season’s Rainbow Cup.<br />
• The <strong>Leinster</strong>men have lost just<br />
one of their last nine encounters<br />
with Scottish opponents: 12-15<br />
to Glasgow at Scotstoun in the<br />
Rainbow Cup in June.<br />
• <strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby lost their most<br />
recent match 19-23 at Ospreys<br />
on 29 January to end a six-game<br />
unbeaten run in the United Rugby<br />
Championship.<br />
• <strong>Edinburgh</strong> have won twice away<br />
from home in the United Rugby<br />
Championship this season,<br />
beating Zebre in Round 5 and<br />
Dragons in Round 6.<br />
• The Scotsmen have won only<br />
one of their last eight fixtures<br />
against Irish provinces: 15-14<br />
against Connacht in Galway last<br />
March.<br />
• <strong>Leinster</strong> have lost only two<br />
of their last nine encounters<br />
with <strong>Edinburgh</strong>, at Myerside<br />
in February 2018 and at BT<br />
Murrayfield in March 2019.<br />
• <strong>Edinburgh</strong> have lost on their<br />
last eighteen visits to Dublin<br />
to face <strong>Leinster</strong> in Dublin in<br />
all tournaments since their<br />
27-13 victory at Donnybrook in<br />
November 2005.<br />
COMPARISON<br />
Overall URC head-to-head record:<br />
Played 34, <strong>Leinster</strong> won 22, <strong>Edinburgh</strong> won 12.<br />
Last 3 URC results:<br />
27 Nov - Ulster (H) L 10-20 3 Dec - Benetton (H) W 24-10<br />
3 Dec - Connacht (H) W 47-19 8 Jan - Cardiff Rugby (H) W 34-10<br />
29 Jan - Cardiff Rugby (A) L 27-29 29 Jan - Ospreys (A) L 19-23<br />
URC 2021/22<br />
4th - W6 D0 L2 - 30PTS<br />
WWWLWL (21pts)<br />
URC form<br />
2nd - W6 D1 L2 - 34PTS<br />
WWWWWL (25pts)<br />
Top try scorer<br />
4 - Adam Byrne, 4 - Darcy Graham,<br />
Dan Sheehan<br />
Boan Venter, Ben Vellacott<br />
Top points scorer<br />
45 - Ross Byrne 37 - Blair Kinghorn<br />
Date Venue L E <strong>Leinster</strong> scorers <strong>Edinburgh</strong> scorers<br />
Fri 29 Sep 17 RDS Arena 21 13 Ross Byrne(C) Jordi Murphy(T) Joey<br />
Carbery(T) Jamison Gibson-Park(T) Johnny<br />
Sexton(2C)<br />
Fri 9 Feb 18 Myreside 24 29 Ross Byrne(2C) Max Deegan(T) Barry<br />
Daly(2T) Scott Fardy(T)<br />
Sat 22 Sep 18 RDS Arena 31 7 James Lowe(T) Garry Ringrose(T) Jordan<br />
Larmour(T) Fergus McFadden(T) Johnny<br />
Sexton(T/3C)<br />
Jason Tovey(T/C/2P)<br />
Nathan Fowles(T) Duhan van der Merwe(T)<br />
Jaco van der Walt(C) Mark Bennett(T) Sam<br />
Hidalgo-Clyne(C) Murray McCallum(T) Luke<br />
Crosbie(T)<br />
Jaco van der Walt(C) Magnus Bradbury(T)<br />
Fri 22 Mar 19 BT Murrayfield 11 28 Ciaran Frawley(2P) Sean Cronin(T) Jaco van der Walt(2C) Viliame Mata(T)<br />
Willem Nel(T) Ross Ford(T) Simon Hickey(C)<br />
Penalty Try(T)<br />
Fri 11 Oct 19 RDS Arena 40 14 Michael Bent(T) Ross Byrne(4C) Harry<br />
Byrne(C) Rowan Osborne(T) Scott Penny(T)<br />
Jamison Gibson-Park(T) Caelan Doris(T)<br />
Michael Milne(T)<br />
Mon 16 Nov<br />
20<br />
RDS Arena 50 10 Ciaran Frawley(5C) Peter Dooley(T) Dave<br />
Kearney(T) Cian Kelleher(3T) Dan Leavy(T)<br />
Luke McGrath(2T)<br />
Jaco van der Walt(C) Jamie Farndale(T)<br />
Simon Hickey(C) Charlie Shiel(T)<br />
Nathan Chamberlain(C/P) Nic Groom(T)<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 13
14 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
max<br />
deegan<br />
the big interview<br />
BY RYAN CORRY<br />
Running<br />
out against<br />
Harlequins<br />
at Aviva<br />
Stadium in a<br />
pre-season<br />
friendly in<br />
September<br />
marked the<br />
biggest step<br />
in a long<br />
journey for<br />
Max Deegan.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 15
It was the back rower’s first<br />
appearance since suffering an<br />
horrific ACL injury in October the<br />
previous year when, to many, he<br />
appeared to be at the peak of his<br />
powers.<br />
Prior to the shutdown of sport in early<br />
2020, his stunning form for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby had carried him into Andy Farrell’s<br />
Ireland squad and seen him get his first<br />
international cap in the Guinness Six<br />
Nations.<br />
While the most unforeseen of<br />
circumstances would halt that, the knee<br />
injury would extend Deegan’s lay-off<br />
while the game continued without him.<br />
“Last year was really tough, getting<br />
injured early and not getting back until<br />
the start of this year. It’s such a long-term<br />
injury and every week you just want<br />
to be out there playing with the lads.<br />
It’s just great to be back. There was<br />
a bit of a slow start to the year with<br />
how my knee was reacting to being<br />
back training but it’s feeling really<br />
good now and I’ve been feeling<br />
really good on the pitch too,” he<br />
explains.<br />
“It was such an odd one. I was playing<br />
and really happy with how it was going<br />
and then the pandemic kicks in. We get<br />
back then and I play two games and do<br />
my ACL. It’s not the best luck but that’s<br />
the way sport is, isn’t it?<br />
“And the way times were with Covid,<br />
I’m just really happy to be back playing.<br />
We’ve a really good team this year and<br />
I’m happy to be involved in it so now<br />
I’m looking forward to pushing on and<br />
hopefully winning a few trophies at the<br />
end of the year.”<br />
On the night Deegan’s injury occurred,<br />
Dragons were the opposition, a team<br />
that has accidentally been linked with the<br />
former St Michael’s College man as long<br />
as he has been around the professional<br />
game.<br />
December 3, 2016, as a 20-year-old,<br />
Deegan came off the bench to make<br />
his <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby debut in a home win<br />
against the Welsh side.<br />
He’d also make his first start for the<br />
province at Rodney Parade in September<br />
the following year before, in the reverse<br />
fixture, scoring his first try in <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
colours.<br />
His luck with Dragons took a turn on<br />
that night in October 2020 but now<br />
the hope is that the latest marker is<br />
the start of a reverse in fortune again<br />
– his first competitive start since that<br />
night came at Rodney Parade earlier<br />
this season.<br />
However, he acknowledges that there<br />
was and is some work still left to done.<br />
“That’s a weird one. My mates always<br />
allude to it about anytime we’re playing<br />
Dragons that I’ll be playing. It’s a funny<br />
16 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
one when you say it like that, it’s mad. It<br />
seems that a lot of good things and bad<br />
things come from playing against them,”<br />
Deegan laughs.<br />
“I had a lot of confidence in the work<br />
that myself and the physios had done,<br />
the knee felt really strong but it took a<br />
while just to get back into the swing of<br />
things. Like even the first few games,<br />
a little protection of it, I felt good but<br />
subconsciously you have that bit of doubt<br />
in your head.<br />
“Once I got that match fitness back,<br />
which is the most important thing, I<br />
started to feel really good and I think I’m<br />
in the best position I’ve been since the<br />
injury at the moment.<br />
“I’ve just had the one start this year, the<br />
knee wasn’t too good so I don’t think I<br />
was able to put out on the pitch what<br />
I really wanted to and there’s such an<br />
insane amount of competition in the back<br />
row right now, the likes of Jack (Conan)<br />
and Caelan (Doris) are going so well<br />
at the moment, and then there’s Rhys<br />
(Ruddock), Josh (van der Flier), (Scott)<br />
Penny, Will (Connors), (Dan) Leavy, it’s<br />
ridiculous.<br />
It’s such a long-term injury<br />
and every week you just want to<br />
be out there playing with the<br />
lads. It’s just great to be back.<br />
“Everyone’s playing well too, nobody<br />
is playing poorly at the moment in that<br />
position so now that the lads are off<br />
in camp, it’s great that we can get the<br />
opportunity to play and we’ll have to take<br />
these chances. Anyone can get injured at<br />
any time and there’s big games coming<br />
up that you want to be involved in.”<br />
That element of doubt around his return<br />
to action becomes clearer when you look<br />
at some of those around him who haven’t<br />
been so fortunate in their comebacks from<br />
long-term injury. Two of the back rows he<br />
named along with Conor O’Brien and<br />
Brian Deeny have been through similar<br />
periods of rehab with more misfortune<br />
greeting them down the line.<br />
“I’ve been lucky enough considering the<br />
ACL is such a big injury. You see Will last<br />
week, Dan had such a long injury and<br />
then comes back, he’s in great condition,<br />
he looks great at the moment but then he<br />
injures his wrist, how bad can your luck<br />
get?,” Deegan says.<br />
“Same with Will, his knee, his hamstring<br />
and then he gets a random knee injury<br />
in the last game. It’s shocking for them,<br />
I really feel for them. In that sense, I feel<br />
very lucky with how my body is at the<br />
moment because it could be so much<br />
worse.<br />
“I can’t state enough how lucky I was to<br />
have COB and Brian working with me<br />
because they’re two great guys. Both<br />
were very unlucky to be in the same<br />
position that I was but having them with<br />
me was great, being by yourself can be<br />
tough but having them made it easier and<br />
more enjoyable.<br />
“It can appear very dark at times but<br />
having them there to have the craic in<br />
the gym made the rehab phase so much<br />
easier. They’re two amazing players but<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 17
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also two great mates of mine. They’ve<br />
picked up one or two little injuries as well<br />
on the back of it which is terrible to see,<br />
and you feel for them so I’m keen to see<br />
them bounce back and really get going.”<br />
So, with that phase of his career in the<br />
rearview mirror, it’s back to the present<br />
for Deegan and how he can once again<br />
hit the heights of 2019/20 that saw him<br />
included in that Ireland squad.<br />
Coming off the back of that loss to Cardiff<br />
where he replaced Connors after half an<br />
hour, he has a chance to start his second<br />
game of the campaign and is quietly<br />
appreciative of having some rescheduled<br />
games added to this window allowing<br />
him to stake his claim for further inclusion.<br />
“The Cardiff loss was unbelievably<br />
disappointing. I thought there were parts<br />
of the game that we did well in but at the<br />
end of the day we just coughed up too<br />
many penalties. There were some things<br />
that we got wrong,” he reflects.<br />
“It’s a tough place to go. There was a<br />
big crowd and it’s the first time they’ve<br />
had fans back so it was very loud and<br />
passionate from their fans. Some of<br />
our decisions and accuracy around the<br />
breakdown just wasn’t good enough. That<br />
leads to points and then they start getting<br />
on top of us and score some nice tries<br />
when we missed a few chances. We have<br />
to take those chances when we get them<br />
while not giving them the opportunities to<br />
score like we did late in the game.<br />
“It’s a game we easily could have won<br />
too so it’s frustrating. You could see it in<br />
the changing room after, everyone was<br />
bitterly disappointed with how the result<br />
went but there are still positives to take<br />
away from it. Positives that we’ll bring<br />
into this next game and of course a few<br />
fix-ups.”<br />
That loss gives added impetus to the<br />
visit of <strong>Edinburgh</strong> to the RDS Arena this<br />
evening.<br />
The Scottish capital side sit ahead of<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> in the table but both sides have<br />
fallen spots in the last fortnight having<br />
suffered defeats in Wales – <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
going down to Ospreys in Swansea.<br />
For every bit of motivation losing to<br />
Cardiff can add to <strong>Leinster</strong>’s mindset<br />
this evening, it’ll be matched by their<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 19
opponents while, as Deegan highlights,<br />
both sides will also feature squad players<br />
pushing for further inclusion in the<br />
absence of internationals.<br />
“There was supposed to be no games<br />
on in this block for us which would have<br />
been so annoying so you’re almost<br />
thankful that those games had to be<br />
rescheduled. We’re all chomping at the<br />
bit here. There’s good strength in depth<br />
and we can’t wait to show the coaches<br />
what we’ve got,” he says.<br />
“There’s so many of us vying for positions<br />
in the team, a lot of the lads are going<br />
well and we just want to make it in<br />
because we’ve a good block of games<br />
now and we can’t wait to rip into them.<br />
“<strong>Edinburgh</strong> have been going really well.<br />
The new coaching set-up has brought<br />
a new attacking style to the team.<br />
They’re playing very well, a much more<br />
expansive game but we can’t wait to play<br />
them, especially back at home.<br />
“Away to Cardiff was so tough to take<br />
and we want to put that right in front of<br />
our home crowd. <strong>Edinburgh</strong> are a really<br />
good side though and they’re playing<br />
some of their best rugby for a while so I<br />
can’t wait to get at them.”<br />
Of course, with so many changes now to<br />
squads with those internationals away,<br />
there will be rotation to much of the<br />
personnel on both sides which could add<br />
some difficulty from a ‘team analysis’<br />
point of view.<br />
However, under Mike Blair, <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
have set out a new style of play and<br />
Deegan expects them to be aiming<br />
to replicate that regardless of who is<br />
in-sit from 1-23.<br />
“There’s a small bit of the<br />
unknown but at the end of the<br />
day, they’ll play the same<br />
brand of rugby and try to<br />
play the same way. It’s<br />
not a different set-up, the<br />
personnel will be different<br />
but they’ll try to attack the same<br />
20 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
We’re all<br />
chomping at the<br />
bit here. There’s<br />
good strength in<br />
depth and we can’t<br />
wait to show the<br />
coaches what<br />
we’ve got.”<br />
way and set up to defend the same way,”<br />
he adds.<br />
“But then with that bit of unknown, it<br />
forces us to focus on ourselves and we<br />
always believe that if we perform to the<br />
best of our ability, we’re going to go<br />
really well. It puts the focus on us and the<br />
importance of our attack, our defence,<br />
our set-piece, making sure we get that<br />
right before we start to worry about what<br />
they’re doing.<br />
“Mike Blair has brought in a great sense<br />
of width to their game. That’s what we’ve<br />
seen this season and there might be some<br />
changes but that’s what we are going<br />
to expect from them. That means we’ve<br />
got to get our defence right, be more<br />
disciplined, avoid giving them chances or<br />
entries into our 22. Nail our defence first<br />
and then show them what we’ve got.”<br />
Deegan admits he hasn’t given much<br />
thought to what comes beyond tonight,<br />
forcing himself to stay in the current week,<br />
focusing on the current game, but has still<br />
set reachable goals.<br />
From the highs of becoming an Ireland<br />
international to the low of the ACL injury,<br />
he knows all too well that you don’t want<br />
to look too far ahead of yourself in rugby.<br />
“I haven’t really thought that far down<br />
the line. I want to be in the team when<br />
it comes to these big games. I want to<br />
be on the pitch, I want to be involved. If<br />
we’re trying to win trophies, I want to be<br />
helping the team push for them. The thing<br />
at the moment though is I just want to get<br />
back on the pitch, get good minutes, play<br />
good rugby. That’s what it’s all about.<br />
“I want to be involved but that starts with<br />
training well, playing well, making an<br />
impact on the pitch, getting the ball in my<br />
hand as much as possible, and trying to<br />
make things happen which I’m focused<br />
on at the moment and then hopefully<br />
those other things will come down the<br />
line.”<br />
Based on the heights he has reached in<br />
the past, you would think that it’s only a<br />
matter of time.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 21
Action<br />
replay 29 27<br />
CARDIFF RUGBY<br />
Hallam Amos; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo,<br />
Ben Thomas (Max Llewellyn 66),<br />
Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans,<br />
Lloyd Williams; Corey Domachowski<br />
(Rhys Carre 50), Kirby Myhill<br />
(Efan Daniel 66), Dimitri Arhip<br />
(Dillon Lewis 50); Josh Turnbull,<br />
Rory Thornton (Teddy Williams 57);<br />
Shane Lewis-Hughes, Will Boyde<br />
(Sam Moore h-t), James Botham.<br />
SCORERS<br />
Tries: Owen Lane, Hallam Amos.<br />
Cons: Jarrod Evans (2).<br />
Pens: Jarrod Evans (4), Ben Thomas.<br />
SATURDAY, 11 DECEMBER<br />
AVIVA STADIUM<br />
ATTENDANCE: 25,403<br />
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP<br />
LEINSTER RUGBY<br />
Jimmy O’Brien; Adam Byrne<br />
(Tommy O’Brien 53), Jamie Osborne<br />
(Harry Byrne 63), Ciarán Frawley,<br />
Rory O’Loughlin; Ross Byrne,<br />
Luke McGrath; Ed Byrne (Peter Dooley<br />
53), Seán Cronin (James Tracy 47),<br />
Michael Alaalatoa; Devin Toner<br />
(Ross Molony 53), Joe McCarthy;<br />
Rhys Ruddock, Will Connors<br />
(Max Deegan 30), Scott Penny.<br />
SCORERS<br />
Tries: Adam Byrne, James Tracy, Scott<br />
Penny.<br />
Cons: Ross Byrne (3).<br />
Pens: Ross Byrne (2).<br />
22 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
I’m fairly gutted for a lot of the<br />
guys who have been waiting a while<br />
for this opportunity. There was<br />
plenty of good stuff for us to take<br />
from the game.<br />
Head coach Leo Cullen<br />
I’m really<br />
delighted to<br />
get this chance<br />
to make my<br />
debut and with<br />
my family here<br />
but would have<br />
preferred the<br />
win.<br />
Joe McCarthy<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 23
Lindsay Peat Announces<br />
International Retirement<br />
Lindsay Peat has<br />
announced her<br />
retirement from<br />
international rugby,<br />
bringing the curtain<br />
down on a stellar<br />
and inspirational<br />
career in green. Peat<br />
made her Ireland<br />
debut in 2015 and<br />
went on to win 38<br />
Test caps, her final<br />
appearance coming in<br />
the autumn Test win<br />
over the USA at the<br />
RDS last November.<br />
Peat was a driving force both<br />
on and off the pitch during her<br />
six-year international career,<br />
inspiring a new generation of<br />
players through her performances<br />
and passion for the sport and<br />
green jersey. Although she<br />
has now called time on her<br />
international rugby career, Peat<br />
is not hanging up her boots<br />
completely and will continue<br />
to play in the Energia Women’s<br />
All-Ireland League with Railway<br />
Union.<br />
Commenting on her retirement, Peat said:<br />
“To write a statement or to not has been<br />
a question on my mind but today it feels<br />
right to simply say thank you.<br />
“I always dreamed of becoming a<br />
professional athlete, a sportsperson,<br />
and I have on the greatest level possible<br />
fulfilled that dream. I still feel the need to<br />
pinch myself to believe it.<br />
“The last six years have given me the<br />
chance to sing my beloved ‘Amhrán na<br />
bhFiann’, to sing ‘Ireland’s Call’, to meet<br />
the President of Ireland, to play in a home<br />
World Cup.<br />
24 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
“In 38 appearances I have scored tries<br />
for my country and given away a few<br />
too! I have laughed. I have cried. I really<br />
did go out and ‘break a leg’!<br />
“I want to take this opportunity to give a<br />
special thank you to everyone who has<br />
played an integral part in my journey<br />
over the last six years.<br />
“To the IRFU and all the staff at No<br />
10/12, to the HPC, coaching and<br />
management teams, medical staff, S&C<br />
coaches, nutritionists, game officials,<br />
sponsors and Rugby Players Ireland. To<br />
my opponents, my team-mates, my club<br />
Railway Union – thank you.<br />
“To the supporters, especially family and<br />
friends, who have supported me and us<br />
as a team. You have all been immense<br />
in helping us to build a world for female<br />
sports, in helping it thrive and continuing<br />
to push it to where it needs to be. You see<br />
the potential – thank you.<br />
“A special mention to the aspiring young<br />
girls who come and support us: you are<br />
our motivation and inspiration to be better<br />
and to keep going, even when times are<br />
tough – thank you.<br />
“Finally, to the foundations and the<br />
people who have loved me, supported<br />
me, believed in me, gave me so many<br />
tools of pride, passion, hard work,<br />
humility and never-say-die attitude – my<br />
family and extended family. I owe you<br />
the biggest thank you of all because<br />
I couldn’t have gone on this journey<br />
without you. Your support has been<br />
relentless and tireless, and I am eternally<br />
grateful. Each of you have motivated me<br />
to be the very best version of myself on<br />
and off the pitch – thank you!<br />
“I am filled with many emotions as I<br />
confirm my retirement from international<br />
rugby. I am both hugely proud and sad<br />
and in equal measure, but ultimately I<br />
have an overriding sense of excitement<br />
for what the future holds.”
TikTok Women’s<br />
Six Nations<br />
The Ireland Women’s team, under<br />
new head coach Greg McWilliams<br />
and newly appointed assistant<br />
coach Niamh Briggs, will get<br />
their 2022 campaign underway<br />
against Wales on Saturday, 26<br />
March, (KO 4.45pm) at the RDS in<br />
Dublin, where almost 3,000 fans<br />
supported the team during their<br />
recent win over Japan.<br />
Ireland will then travel to France for<br />
round two on Saturday, 2 April, before<br />
their second home game, against Italy,<br />
is played at Musgrave Park on Sunday,<br />
10 April (KO 5pm). The Cork venue has<br />
been successfully hosting the Ireland<br />
U-20s since 2019.<br />
The penultimate weekend sees the<br />
Ireland women travel to play England<br />
on Sunday, 24 April (KO 12pm), before<br />
the final home match of the 2022 Six<br />
Nations, against Scotland, is staged at<br />
Kingspan Stadium on Saturday, 30 April<br />
(KO 8pm). This will be the first senior<br />
international to be played at the Belfast<br />
venue since the 2017 Women’s Rugby<br />
World Cup final.<br />
For the first time in its history, the<br />
Women’s Six Nations will have a title<br />
partner, with the championship set to<br />
be known as the TikTok Women’s Six<br />
Nations.<br />
As a platform designed to bring fans<br />
even closer to the action, TikTok will offer<br />
new and existing rugby fans a window<br />
into the women’s game, one of the<br />
fastest growing areas of the sport. The<br />
investment from TikTok will be felt by each<br />
Union.<br />
Whilst not limited to the women’s<br />
game, this partnership will help each<br />
Union continue to develop this area<br />
of the game. In doing so, exposure<br />
for the women’s game, engagement,<br />
participation and major growth are all<br />
ambitions of this partnership.<br />
The 2022 championship will see all 15<br />
matches broadcast on BBC in the UK,<br />
RTÉ and Virgin Media in Ireland and Sky<br />
Italia in Italy.<br />
Six Nations CEO Ben Morel commented:<br />
“Increased visibility is key for the growth<br />
of the women’s game. We are delighted<br />
to have enhanced broadcast partnerships<br />
in place along with a continuation of the<br />
dedicated window from which we saw<br />
such success last year.<br />
“These two key developments along with<br />
continued investment in many other areas<br />
including performance, commercial and<br />
marketing will enhance the Women’s Six<br />
Nations for fans and players alike.”<br />
Ticket information for Ireland’s three<br />
home games in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast<br />
will be available on IrishRugby.ie.<br />
If you are<br />
interested in<br />
taking up rugby<br />
or you would like<br />
to follow our<br />
updates, check out<br />
our social media<br />
channels:<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Women’s Rugby<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>WomensRugby<br />
@<strong>Leinster</strong>Women<br />
womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 25
HERE’S TO BEING SHOULDER<br />
TO SHOULDER AGAIN
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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 27
leo<br />
the lion’s<br />
kids<br />
corner<br />
IN A BLUR!<br />
Can you name this<br />
leinster player?<br />
spot the difference!<br />
Can you find all six?<br />
ANAGRAMS<br />
Can you un-jumble the names of these players?<br />
EELY<br />
TORPEDO<br />
CONTENT<br />
SPY<br />
how did you do?<br />
IN A BLUR?<br />
MICHAEL ALA’ALATOA<br />
ANAGRAMS<br />
PETER DOOLE<br />
SCOTT PENNY<br />
ZOOMED IN!<br />
NICK MCCARTHY<br />
zoomed in!<br />
WHo is this leinster<br />
player having an<br />
extreme close-up?<br />
28 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
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AZTO<br />
with<br />
Jamie Osborne<br />
A – Action: If you could be a superhero,<br />
which would you be?<br />
Thor<br />
B – Boyhood: Who was your favourite<br />
sporting idol growing up?<br />
Brian O’Driscoll<br />
C – Childhood: What is your favourite<br />
childhood memory?<br />
Playing rugby in the garden with my<br />
brothers!<br />
D – Dish: What’s your go-to pre-match<br />
meal?<br />
Chicken stir fry with rice<br />
E – Education: What was your favourite<br />
subject in school?<br />
History<br />
F – Film buff: What’s your favourite film?<br />
The Hangover<br />
G – Groove: Who is the best dancer in<br />
the squad?<br />
Thomas Clarkson<br />
H – Holiday: What’s your favourite<br />
holiday destination?<br />
Spain<br />
I – Inside: Who is the worst to sit beside<br />
in the dressing room?<br />
Niall Comerford<br />
J – Joker: Who is the funniest in the<br />
squad?<br />
Joe McCarthy<br />
K – Kick-off: What’s your favourite time<br />
of the day to play a match?<br />
5pm<br />
L – Languages: How many languages<br />
can you speak?<br />
One<br />
M – Music: Your favourite artist and<br />
song right now?<br />
Two Door Cinema Club - What You<br />
Know<br />
N – Number: Do you have a lucky<br />
number?<br />
I don’t have a lucky number yet!<br />
30 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
O – Others: What’s your favourite<br />
sport outside of rugby?<br />
Gaelic football to play, football<br />
to follow<br />
P – Pal: Who is your best mate in<br />
the squad?<br />
Alex Soroka<br />
Q – Quirky: Who has the most<br />
interesting fashion sense?<br />
Martin Moloney<br />
R – Red Carpet: Who is the most<br />
famous contact in your phone?<br />
Max O’Reilly<br />
S – Superstitions: Do you have any<br />
matchday routines?<br />
No<br />
T – Trim: What’s the worst haircut<br />
you’ve ever had?<br />
I shaved my head during the first<br />
lockdown!<br />
U: Under pressure: Who in the<br />
squad would be the best in a bad<br />
situation?<br />
Temi Lasisi<br />
V – Verified: How often do you use<br />
social media?<br />
Rarely post on it but use it a lot…<br />
W – Worst fear: What are<br />
you most scared of?<br />
Spiders<br />
X – X-ray: Have you ever<br />
broken any bones?<br />
Not yet anyway<br />
Y – Youth: Where did you<br />
grow up?<br />
Naas, Co Kildare<br />
Z – Zoo: What’s your<br />
favourite animal?<br />
Dogs<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 31
THE SPIRIT OF<br />
UNITED RUGBY<br />
CHAMPIONSHIP.<br />
Enjoy responsibly<br />
DISCOVER THE SPIRIT WITHIN |<br />
#SAVOURTHEMOMENT
Men’s Energia All-Ireland<br />
League update<br />
With 12 of 18 rounds in the men’s<br />
Energia All-Ireland League now<br />
complete, <strong>Leinster</strong> clubs are<br />
currently enjoying a short break<br />
in the competition before facing<br />
into the season defining last six<br />
matches in the campaign which<br />
recommences on 19 February.<br />
There are 18 <strong>Leinster</strong> clubs competing<br />
across the five divisions of 10 teams<br />
which make up this season’s league.<br />
Each of those clubs will now firmly have<br />
their sights on what is required to either<br />
achieve a top-four finish to get into playoffs,<br />
or to escape a dreaded relegation<br />
play-off by avoiding finishing in the<br />
bottom two.<br />
The leading four clubs in each division<br />
will play-off to decide who is the overall<br />
winner with the clubs finishing first and<br />
second having home advantage in a<br />
semi-final against the third and fourth<br />
clubs respectfully leading into a final for<br />
the title. In Division 1A, the final winner<br />
will be crowned the Energia All-Ireland<br />
League champions, while the winners in<br />
each of the other four division play-offs<br />
will win promotion to the league above.<br />
At the other end of the scale the bottom<br />
two clubs in each division will playoff<br />
where the team finishing second last will<br />
have home advantage in a game that<br />
will define who is relegated to the league<br />
below.<br />
DIVISION 1A<br />
Of the five <strong>Leinster</strong> clubs competing,<br />
three currently fill the top three places.<br />
Clontarf pave the way having only lost<br />
one game to date, they hold a five-point<br />
advantage at the top over second-placed<br />
Lansdowne, who in turn are six points<br />
clear of Terenure College who have won<br />
their last six games in a row.<br />
Dublin University in sixth place are nicely<br />
placed to contend and are only four<br />
points adrift of a play-off spot. UCD in<br />
eighth place are 12 points clear of the<br />
bottom two clubs and should retain their<br />
1A status.<br />
DIVISION 1B<br />
Again, there are five <strong>Leinster</strong> clubs<br />
competing and it is Old Wesley who sit<br />
on top and are another club to only taste<br />
defeat once this season. They hold a<br />
six-point lead and are 10 points clear of<br />
third-placed St Mary’s, who in turn are<br />
three points clear of fourth-placed Naas.<br />
Old Belvedere are in seventh place and<br />
can still surmount a challenge if their<br />
fortunes change. Navan, although in<br />
10th position, have shown better form of<br />
late as they strive to get out of having to<br />
face a relegation play-off.<br />
DIVISION 2A<br />
MU Barnhall are the sole <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
representative in this division and sit<br />
comfortably in fifth place, seventh points<br />
adrift of a play-off place. A strong finish<br />
to the remainder of the campaign could<br />
see them make a challenge.<br />
DIVISION 2B<br />
It is Greystones who hold a commanding<br />
lead at the top again having only been<br />
beaten once so far in this season’s<br />
campaign. The battle for the other three<br />
play-off places is tightly fought between<br />
a number of clubs. Blackrock lie in joint<br />
second place a full 13 points behind the<br />
Wicklow men. Wanderers are in joint<br />
fourth place a further three points behind.<br />
With Greystones looking more and more<br />
likely to finish top, for and against points<br />
along with bonus points could yet decide<br />
who joins them in the play-offs. Malahide<br />
will require another couple of victories<br />
to lift themselves out of having to face a<br />
relegation play-off.<br />
DIVISION 2C<br />
Again, it is the <strong>Leinster</strong> clubs to the fore<br />
with the three clubs competing in this<br />
league from the province sitting in the<br />
top three positions. Enniscorthy are the<br />
fourth <strong>Leinster</strong> club across the divisions to<br />
have only been beaten once this season.<br />
The Wexford team hold a nine-point<br />
advantage over second-placed Skerries,<br />
who in turn have a nine-point lead over<br />
Tullamore in third place.<br />
So, all in all, the bulk of the province’s<br />
clubs face into the final stages of this<br />
season’s Energia Men’s All-Ireland<br />
league with plenty at stake so an exciting<br />
end to the campaign with plenty of great<br />
rugby action is anticipated before playoffs<br />
take place. Good luck to all.<br />
Check out the IRFU website along with<br />
participating club websites and social<br />
media outlets for upcoming fixtures.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 35
leinster<br />
squad<br />
2021/22 season<br />
Vakh Abdaladze #1263<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 06/02/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 121kg<br />
Michael Ala’alatoa #1301<br />
prop<br />
DOB: 28/08/1991<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 127kg<br />
7<br />
CAPS<br />
Ryan Baird #1278<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 26/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.98m<br />
WEIGHT: 113kg<br />
7<br />
CAPS<br />
Adam Byrne #1213<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 10/04/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 98.18kg<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
Ed Byrne #1222<br />
6<br />
CAPS<br />
Harry Byrne #1280<br />
2<br />
CAPS<br />
Ross Byrne #1236<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
Thomas Clarkson<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 09/09/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 22/04/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 95kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 08/04/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 92kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 22/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 118kg<br />
36 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Jack Conan #1223<br />
23<br />
CAPS<br />
7<br />
CAPS<br />
Will Connors #1264<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Sean Cronin #1202<br />
72<br />
CAPS<br />
Max Deegan #1256<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
NO. 8<br />
DOB: 29/07/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 04/04/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.96m<br />
WEIGHT: 100kg<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 06/05/1986<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m<br />
WEIGHT: 103.18kg<br />
NO. 8<br />
DOB: 01/10/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 110kg<br />
Peter Dooley #1230<br />
Caelan Doris #1268<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
Jack Dunne #1276<br />
Ciaran Frawley #1265<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 04/08/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 117kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 02/04/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 107kg<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 21/11/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 2.03m<br />
WEIGHT: 120kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 04/12/1997<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 98kg<br />
Tadhg Furlong #1220<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 14/11/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 125kg<br />
53<br />
CAPS<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
Jamison Gibson-Park #1247<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 23/02/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m<br />
WEIGHT: 80kg<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
David Hawkshaw #1290<br />
FLY HALF / Centre<br />
DOB: 03/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m )<br />
WEIGHT: 85.91kg<br />
Cian Healy #1142<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 07/10/1987<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 116.82kg<br />
113<br />
CAPS<br />
2<br />
CAPS<br />
Robbie Henshaw #1251<br />
53<br />
CAPS<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Dave Kearney #1158<br />
19<br />
CAPS<br />
Hugo Keenan #1253<br />
17<br />
CAPS<br />
Ronan Kelleher #1277<br />
17<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 12/06/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 99.09kg<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 19/06/1989<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 18/06/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 91.82kg<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 24/01/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 37
Jordan Larmour #1258<br />
30<br />
CAPS<br />
Dan Leavy #1231<br />
11<br />
CAPS<br />
WING<br />
DOB: 10/06/1997<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 23/05/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 105.91kg<br />
for full squad profiles<br />
please click here<br />
James Lowe #1262<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Nick McCarthy #1241<br />
Luke McGrath #1206<br />
19<br />
CAPS<br />
Michael Milne #1279<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 08/07/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 25/03/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 84.09kg<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 03/02/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m<br />
WEIGHT: 84.09kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 05/02/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
Jimmy O’Brien #1272<br />
Conor O’Brien #1260<br />
Josh Murphy #1261<br />
Ross Molony #1233<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 11/05/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.96m<br />
WEIGHT: 113kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 17/02/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.98m<br />
WEIGHT: 110kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 06/02/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 100kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 27/11/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 88kg<br />
Tommy O’Brien #1283<br />
Rory O’Loughlin #1248<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
Scott Penny #1271<br />
Andrew Porter #1246<br />
41<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 28/05/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 95kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 21/01/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 94.09kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 22/09/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 104kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 16/01/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
38 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Garry Ringrose #1237<br />
38<br />
CAPS<br />
Rhys Ruddock #1167<br />
27<br />
CAPS<br />
James Ryan #1259<br />
41<br />
CAPS<br />
Johnny Sexton #1127<br />
102<br />
CAPS<br />
14<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 26/01/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 96kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 13/11/1990<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 113.18kg<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 24/07/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 2.03m<br />
WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 11/07/1985<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
Dan Sheehan #1286<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 17/09/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 110.91kg<br />
3<br />
CAPS<br />
Devin Toner #1128<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 29/06/1986<br />
HEIGHT: 2.11m<br />
WEIGHT: 127kg<br />
70<br />
CAPS<br />
James Tracy #1211<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 02/04/1991<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 106kg<br />
6<br />
CAPS<br />
Josh van der Flier #1228<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 25/04/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 103kg<br />
36<br />
CAPS<br />
Coaching<br />
Staff<br />
2021/22 season<br />
LEO CULLEN<br />
HEAD COACH<br />
STUART LANCASTER<br />
SENIOR COACH<br />
ROBIN MCBRYDE<br />
ASSISTANT COACH<br />
FELIPE CONTEPOMI<br />
BACKS COACH<br />
EMMET FARRELL<br />
KICKING COACH AND<br />
LEAD PERFORMANCE ANALYST<br />
GUY EASTERBY<br />
HEAD OF RUGBY OPERATIONS<br />
DENIS LEAMY<br />
CONTACT SKILLS COACH<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 39
Official Health<br />
and Wellbeing<br />
Partner to<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
Always a beat ahead
Your best support every season<br />
Managed IT Services IT Disaster Recovery<br />
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Delivering bespoke IT services from concept, delivery and support<br />
support@lantech.ie<br />
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OFFICIAL<br />
IT PARTNER
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BECAUSE YOU GET<br />
Official Media Partner of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby
Surprise visitor to<br />
Seapoint RC inspires<br />
next generation<br />
A cold Wednesday evening<br />
training session for the U-13<br />
squad in south Dublin’s Seapoint<br />
RC took a sunny turn as New<br />
Zealand rugby legend Sonny<br />
Bill Williams showed up to offer<br />
some coaching advice and share<br />
his expertise with the lads last<br />
month.<br />
The two-time Rugby World Cup winner<br />
turned boxer, currently in Ireland, where<br />
he is in training, decided to drop down to<br />
the club to meet the young players and<br />
their coaches.<br />
Commenting on the appearance of<br />
the All Blacks legend, Club President<br />
Mick O’Toole says: “We were so<br />
honoured that Sonny Bill dropped in to<br />
see us here in Seapoint. I don’t think<br />
he could believe the reception he got<br />
with everyone looking for photos and a<br />
handshake but Sonny Bill couldn’t have<br />
been more gracious and was hugely<br />
generous with his time, staying for the<br />
entire session with our U-13s squad.”<br />
The club took to social media to share the<br />
news, and photographs from Williams’<br />
appearance, garnering huge interest and<br />
support from far and wide.<br />
U-13 coach, Graham Byrne, added,<br />
“The lads were absolutely thrilled to<br />
meet a rugby legend of the calibre of<br />
Sonny Bill Williams. He’s such a fantastic<br />
role model for them, offering them some<br />
super advice namely that having fun and<br />
enjoying the game is the most important<br />
thing. We wholeheartedly agree here in<br />
Seapoint as our motto is ‘Fun, Fitness and<br />
Friendship’.”<br />
Many of the parents, who were having a<br />
coffee in the clubhouse on the evening,<br />
said they were delighted for the players<br />
and were sure it would be a January<br />
evening they will never forget in their<br />
beloved club.<br />
The annual Seapoint RC Blitz, the largest<br />
event of its kind in Ireland, takes place<br />
on Sunday, April 24, in Kilbogget<br />
Park, Cabinteely, Co Dublin where it is<br />
expected that over 30 clubs, 100 teams<br />
and over 1,600 players at U-10, U-11<br />
and U-12 level will take part in over 400<br />
matches for a day of rucking, passing<br />
and tackling.<br />
For more information go to:<br />
www.seapointrugby.com<br />
Images: Damien Corcoran<br />
Seapoint RC are always seeking new<br />
players, girls and boys at all levels,<br />
whether you are starting off your rugby<br />
adventure or coming back to play.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 43
Ratoath RFC<br />
Building A Stake<br />
In The Community<br />
Ratoath RFC<br />
is a young,<br />
vibrant<br />
club serving<br />
the areas<br />
of Ratoath,<br />
Dunshaughlin,<br />
Dunboyne and<br />
surrounding<br />
areas.<br />
Since founding in 2004, over<br />
1000 young people from the local<br />
community have played in the<br />
club, and there are more than<br />
200 current players and dozens<br />
of coaches and volunteers. The<br />
club has strong links to the local<br />
community and schools, and is<br />
proud of the work which has<br />
led to on-field success including<br />
victories in the North East Area<br />
McGee Cup and <strong>Leinster</strong> Dunne<br />
Cup for its senior team.<br />
The youth’s section has regularly won in<br />
cups and shields in the North East and<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> divisions, and the club is well<br />
represented in the <strong>Leinster</strong> development<br />
squads competing in the Shane Horgan<br />
Cup. Upwards of 70 minis boys and girls<br />
under the age of 12 train and play each<br />
weekend, and there is a real sense of<br />
community and fun on Saturday mornings<br />
when they train!<br />
Ratoath RFC is very much a community<br />
club. The club works with local community<br />
activists and organisations, volunteering<br />
to improve the life of its hinterland. It is<br />
not uncommon to see minis and their<br />
families organised into crews of litterpickers<br />
along the Ratoath riverwalk or in<br />
the village.<br />
44 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
After COVID restrictions eased, the club<br />
was delighted to be invited to play an<br />
exhibition game for older residents in<br />
the Silver Stream Nursing Home. As a<br />
family club, regular trips to the RDS and<br />
Aviva Stadium for parents and players<br />
are organised throughout the season to<br />
watch their heroes and socialise together.<br />
The club’s challenge now is to provide<br />
its young people with the facilities they<br />
deserve. The club has embarked on<br />
an ambitious project over recent years,<br />
acquiring land and constructing a fine<br />
new pitch. Now, the focus is on building<br />
a clubhouse to replace dilapidated<br />
portacabins which have been vandalised<br />
and are no longer fit-for-purpose.<br />
“It’s been a long road to here. We had<br />
several fundraisers interrupted because of<br />
COVID, as indeed were our construction<br />
plans,” says club chairman Conor Kiely.<br />
“Our new pitch was a real step forward,<br />
and the focus now is to complete our<br />
clubhouse build. We finally turned the<br />
sod and laid foundations in the summer<br />
of 2021 and we have been actively<br />
fundraising, selling sponsorship, running<br />
raffles, golf outings and the like.<br />
“People have been extraordinarily<br />
generous. Our local community<br />
businesses have really gotten behind us,<br />
some very generous supporters in the<br />
construction sector have helped turn the<br />
dream of a new clubhouse into a reality,<br />
and the club network of parents and<br />
friends worked hard to sell 1,000 tickets<br />
for our recent Car Draw.<br />
“We hope our new facilities will develop<br />
into a real focal point for our club and<br />
our community in the years to come.”<br />
The club is powering towards a bright<br />
future and hopes to eventually have a<br />
player or two on the <strong>Leinster</strong> squad who<br />
will have fond memories of their time in<br />
Ratoath Rugby Club, where it all started<br />
for them!<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 45
compiled by stuart farmer<br />
media services limited<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Player<br />
Statistics<br />
SQUAD<br />
CAP<br />
NO<br />
DEBUT<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR<br />
App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts<br />
SINCE LAST TRY<br />
CAPS<br />
VAKH ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 0+3 - - 0+2 - - 0+1 - - 0+15 1 5 0+14 1 5 0+1 - - 14 -<br />
MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA 1301 25 SEP 21 6+4 1 5 5+2 - - 1+2 1 5 6+4 1 5 5+2 - - 1+2 1 5 3 WS 7<br />
RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 4+4 1 5 3+3 1 5 1+1 - - 16+19 7 35 14+14 7 35 2+5 - - 3 IR 7<br />
ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 4 4 20 4 4 20 - - - 53+8 24 120 43+8 18 90 10 6 30 1 IR 1<br />
ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 3+3 1 5 3+3 1 5 - - - 22+54 11 55 22+43 10 50 0+11 1 5 4 IR 6<br />
HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 2+2 - 10 2+2 - 10 - - - 16+12 6 164 16+11 6 159 0+1 - 5 7 IR 2<br />
ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 6+4 2 78 4+3 1 45 2+1 1 33 76+38 8 728 62+21 3 516 14+17 5 212 3 IR 13<br />
THOMAS CLARK-<br />
1285 29 AUG 20 - - - - - - - - - 2+8 - - 2+8 - - - - - - -<br />
SON<br />
JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 4 2 10 2 - - 2 2 10 84+25 25 125 61+15 16 80 23+10 9 45 2 IR 23<br />
WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 18+7 2 10 17+7 2 10 1 - - 12 IR 9<br />
TIM CORKERY 1298 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - -<br />
SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 2+1 1 5 2+1 1 5 - - - 122+76 43 215 78+55 26 130 43+19 16 80 3 IR 72<br />
MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 1+8 2 10 1+5 2 10 0+3 - - 36+38 20 100 33+27 18 90 3+11 2 10 5 IR 1<br />
PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 40+56 5 25 38+50 5 25 2+6 - - 11 -<br />
CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 7 2 10 4 2 10 3 - - 39+8 7 35 30+6 5 25 9+2 2 10 4 IR 13<br />
JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 - - - - - - - - - 2+13 - - 2+13 - - - - - - -<br />
CORMAC FOLEY 1299 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - -<br />
CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 8+2 1 7 6+1 - 2 2+1 1 5 25+20 5 150 22+15 3 134 3+5 2 16 2 -<br />
TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 5 1 5 3 - - 2 1 5 78+41 9 45 45+33 3 15 33+8 6 30 2 IR 53<br />
JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 4+3 3 15 2+2 - - 2+1 3 15 53+55 20 100 46+30 14 70 7+25 6 30 2 IR 13<br />
MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - -<br />
DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 - - - - - - - - - 0+8 1 14 0+8 1 14 - - - 4 -<br />
CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 2+7 1 5 2+4 1 5 0+3 - - 158+82 28 140 92+52 14 70 64+29 13 65 6 IR 113<br />
ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 3 1 5 2 1 5 1 - - 59+1 12 60 27 6 30 32+1 6 30 3 IR 53<br />
DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 - - - - - - - - - 147+22 51 255 121+15 44 220 25+6 7 35 7 IR 19<br />
HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 8 3 15 5 1 5 3 2 10 35+3 7 35 27+3 5 25 8 2 10 1 IR 17<br />
RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 5+2 4 20 2+2 3 15 3 1 5 25+7 13 65 16+5 11 55 9+2 2 10 3 IR 17<br />
JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 7 4 20 4 2 10 3 2 10 59+10 23 115 35+7 16 80 24+3 7 35 1 IR 30<br />
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<br />
46 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
SQUAD<br />
CAP<br />
NO<br />
DEBUT<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR<br />
App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts<br />
SINCE LAST TRY<br />
CAPS<br />
JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 5+1 2 10 4 - - 1+1 2 10 57+1 36 180 38 25 125 19+1 11 55 1 IR 9<br />
JOE MCCARTHY 1303 29 JAN 22 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - -<br />
NICK MCCARTHY 1241 19 DEC 15 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - 6+34 4 20 6+28 4 20 0+6 - - 9 -<br />
LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 7+3 - - 6+1 - - 1+2 - - 109+52 39 195 75+44 31 155 34+8 8 40 12 IR 19<br />
MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 - - - - - - - - - 1+15 2 10 1+15 2 10 - - - 14 -<br />
MARTIN MOLONEY 1300 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - -<br />
ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 8+2 1 5 5+2 - - 3 1 5 72+54 5 25 67+39 4 20 5+15 1 5 3 -<br />
JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 2+1 - - 0+1 - - 2 - - 44+8 5 25 41+7 4 20 3+1 1 5 12 -<br />
JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 2+2 - - 2+2 - - - - - 4+6 1 5 4+6 1 5 - - - 5 -<br />
CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 1 - - 1 - - - - - 17+7 6 30 17+6 6 30 0+1 - - 10 -<br />
JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 5+1 5 25 3 - - 2+1 5 25 31+10 12 62 27+9 6 32 4+1 6 30 2 -<br />
SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - -<br />
TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 0+5 - - 0+4 - - 0+1 - - 4+10 3 15 4+9 3 15 0+1 - - 10 -<br />
RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 3 - - 3 - - - - - 67+23 21 105 60+15 18 90 7+8 3 15 33 IR 1<br />
MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 6+1 1 5 6+1 1 5 - - - 6 -<br />
SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 3 2 10 3 2 10 - - - 26+6 18 90 26+6 18 90 - - - 1 -<br />
ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 6+1 3 15 3+1 2 10 3 1 5 34+50 14 70 26+31 10 50 8+19 4 20 1 IR 41<br />
GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 8 1 5 5 1 5 3 - - 92+2 28 148 57+1 17 93 35+1 11 55 4 IR 38<br />
RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 7+3 1 5 6+2 1 5 1+1 - - 150+48 12 60 112+33 10 50 37+13 2 10 4 IR 27<br />
ROB RUSSELL 1302 3 OCT 21 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3 - - 3 - - - - - 47+6 3 15 25+1 1 5 22+5 2 10 13 IR 41<br />
JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 3+2 - 42 2+1 - 22 1+1 - 20 151+27 26 1549 89+20 13 855 60+7 12 663 18 IR 102<br />
DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 3+5 7 35 3+2 4 20 0+3 3 15 6+15 13 65 6+12 10 50 0+3 3 15 1 IR 3<br />
ANDREW SMITH 1292 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
ALEX SOROKA 1296 28 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 4+2 - - 4+1 - - 0+1 - - 210+62 4 20 144+43 4 20 63+19 - - 55 IR 70<br />
JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 1+3 2 10 1+3 2 10 - - - 58+75 16 80 51+47 15 75 7+28 1 5 1 IR 6<br />
LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 - - - - - - - - - 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - - -<br />
JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 7+1 5 25 4+1 1 5 3 4 20 82+24 16 80 49+18 8 40 33+6 8 40 1 IR 36<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR OVERALL<br />
KICKING<br />
SUCCESS<br />
RATE<br />
C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG ATT Career<br />
%<br />
- - - HARRY BYRNE 62.50% 5 - - 5 - - - - - 58 6 57 5 1 1 82 78.05%<br />
ROSS BYRNE 88.89% 28 4 - 14 4 - 14 - - 224 79 1 168 54 1 56 25 - 390 77.69%<br />
CIARAN FRAWLEY 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 52 7 - 49 7 - 3 - - 73 80.82%<br />
DAVID HAWKSHAW - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 - 3 1 - - - - 6 66.67%<br />
JIMMY O'BRIEN - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 3 33.33%<br />
GARRY RINGROSE - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 4 - - - - - 6 66.67%<br />
JOHNNY SEXTON 80.00% 18 2 - 8 2 - 10 - - 252 294 11 128 171 7 117 119 4 685 79.71%<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 47
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Offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Mullingar<br />
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ig picture<br />
29 January 2022<br />
Joe McCarthy of <strong>Leinster</strong> runs out<br />
for his debut before the United<br />
Rugby Championship match<br />
between Cardiff and <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
at Cardiff Arms Park in Cardiff,<br />
Wales.<br />
50 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 51
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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 53
offical leinster<br />
supporters club<br />
Friday Night Lights is back!<br />
Nothing unusual about that we<br />
hear you say, except that this is<br />
the first time in a long time that<br />
regularly scheduled domestic<br />
fixtures are intertwined with<br />
International action.<br />
Given a number of postponements of<br />
games before Christmas, this Friday sees<br />
us welcome <strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby for a fixture<br />
that had been pencilled in for May, but<br />
now brought forward. This game is the<br />
first in a series of four for us over the<br />
next month where we have three games<br />
at home, before a trip to Treviso the first<br />
weekend in March, all in all a busy time<br />
for Leo and Co.<br />
Given that the last game here in the<br />
RDS against the Montpellier took place<br />
under crowd restrictions, we’re delighted<br />
these have now been lifted and that the<br />
full contingent of the <strong>Leinster</strong> faithful can<br />
attend for what is sure to be a crunch<br />
fixture for both sides.<br />
Two weeks ago we suffered a last minute<br />
defeat away to Cardiff, while the same<br />
weekend, our visitors for this evening<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong>, also suffered defeat away to<br />
Ospreys.<br />
Given the interprovincial fixture last<br />
weekend between Ulster and Connacht,<br />
the result of that game means it a case of<br />
2nd <strong>vs</strong> 4th for this evening.<br />
Both sides will desperately want to get<br />
their seasons back on track as if we’re<br />
honest, neither would have expected to<br />
lose away in Wales two weeks ago.<br />
A stern, tough contest would’ve been<br />
expected don’t get us wrong, but you<br />
would’ve expected to taste success as<br />
opposed defeat after the 80 minutes and<br />
so Leo, Stuart and all involved will no<br />
doubt want to show themselves, and the<br />
fans, that this was a blip and that business<br />
as usual is expected.<br />
Our last outing against <strong>Edinburgh</strong> was<br />
the November 2020 meeting in the<br />
RDS, where in front of no fans, we came<br />
away victors on a score of 50 – 10. The<br />
Player of the Match that evening was<br />
Dan Leavy who notched up an impressive<br />
performance and set of stats on the field:<br />
Points 5<br />
Metres Gained 68<br />
Carries 16<br />
Tackles Made 3<br />
It’s obviously bitterly disappointing that<br />
Dan is not in action either domestically or<br />
internationally at this time and we, as do<br />
all the fans wish him a speedy recovery<br />
and can’t wait for him to be back soon.<br />
Switching to the focus for this week’s<br />
game and as noted above this is simply<br />
a game neither side will want to lose as<br />
both desperately look to get their seasons<br />
back on track.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> currently sit in second whilst for<br />
ourselves, it’s fourth. A number of teams<br />
have played 10 games while it’s nine for<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> and eight for <strong>Leinster</strong> so the<br />
win here would give either side a much<br />
needed boost given we both also have<br />
players away on international duty for the<br />
foreseeable future.<br />
LEINSTER<br />
Played 8 Won 6 Drawn 0 Lost 2<br />
For 246 Against 114<br />
Bonus 5 Points 30<br />
EDINBURGH<br />
Played 9 Won 6 Drawn 1 Lost 2<br />
For 224 Against 147<br />
Bonus 6 Points 34<br />
As always we’re thankful for the support<br />
we as a committee get from <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby, as well as you the supporters, and<br />
we encourage you to continue to show<br />
your support for the team through our<br />
social media channels.<br />
Yours in rugby,<br />
The OLSC Committee<br />
54 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
OFFICIAL<br />
LEINSTER<br />
SUPPORTERS<br />
CLUB<br />
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visiting r r r r r<br />
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NEWS<br />
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#seaofblue P D E Q
Join our FRIENDS<br />
programme<br />
and help support<br />
seriously injured<br />
rugby players<br />
For more details,<br />
click here<br />
www.irfucharitabletrust.com
As Official Clean Air Partner to <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby we are delighted to support the<br />
team in their pursuit of excellence by<br />
adding Novaerus Air Disinfection to their<br />
winning formula.<br />
Irish-designed and patented Novaerus<br />
NanoStrike technology strives to give<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> the physical and competitive edge<br />
by disinfecting the squad and<br />
management team’s indoor<br />
air safely, 24/7.
Draws made for the<br />
2022 Provincial Towns<br />
Cup and Metro Cup<br />
The draws for the 2022 Bank<br />
of Ireland Metropolitan Cup<br />
and Provincial Towns Cup were<br />
broadcast recently on the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby and Bank of Ireland<br />
Facebook and YouTube pages.<br />
The draw for the Provincial Towns Cup<br />
seconds competition was also revealed.<br />
The Provincial Towns Cup is set to<br />
kick off on Sunday, 6 March, with<br />
the Metropolitan Cup kicking off the<br />
following weekend.<br />
Twenty-eight teams will take part in this<br />
year’s Provincial Towns Cup competition,<br />
while four teams have been awarded<br />
byes through to the second round.<br />
These four teams are playing in Division<br />
1A of the <strong>Leinster</strong> League: Ashbourne<br />
RFC, Dundalk RFC, Kilkenny RFC and<br />
Gorey RFC.<br />
BANK OF IRELAND PROVINCIAL<br />
TOWNS CUP FIRST ROUND DRAW:<br />
County Carlow FC v<br />
Longford RFC<br />
Wexford Wanderers RFC v<br />
Boyne RFC<br />
Edenderry RFC v<br />
Cill Dara RFC<br />
Enniscorthy RFC v<br />
Mullingar RFC<br />
Clondalkin RFC v<br />
Portlaoise RFC<br />
Wicklow RFC v<br />
Naas RFC<br />
New Ross RFC v<br />
Tullow RFC<br />
Arklow RFC v<br />
Tullamore RFC<br />
Navan RFC v<br />
Roscrea RFC<br />
North Kildare v<br />
Skerries RFC<br />
Balbriggan RFC v<br />
Athy RFC<br />
Newbridge RFC v<br />
Midland Warriors RFC<br />
BANK OF IRELAND PROVINCIAL<br />
TOWNS CUP – SECONDS CUP<br />
DRAW:<br />
Longford RFC v<br />
Boyne RFC<br />
North Meath/Athboy v<br />
Clane RFC<br />
Wicklow RFC v<br />
Rathdrum RFC<br />
Tullow RFC v<br />
North Kildare RFC<br />
Ashbourne RFC v<br />
Portlaoise RFC<br />
Mullingar RFC v<br />
Edenderry RFC<br />
New Ross RFC v<br />
Wexford Wanderers RFC<br />
Gorey RFC v<br />
Ardee RFC<br />
County Carlow FC v<br />
Birr RFC<br />
Portarlington RFC v<br />
Athy RFC<br />
BYES:<br />
Naas RFC • Newbridge RFC<br />
Cill Dara RFC • Kilkenny RFC<br />
Dundalk RFC • Clondalkin RFC<br />
BANK OF IRELAND<br />
METROPOLITAN CUP<br />
FIRST ROUND DRAW:<br />
Terenure College RFC v<br />
Old Wesley RFC<br />
Lansdowne FC v<br />
Greystones RFC<br />
Old Belvedere RFC v<br />
Bective Rangers RFC<br />
Dublin University FC v<br />
Monkstown FC<br />
Suttonians RFC v<br />
Seapoint RC<br />
Blackrock College RFC v<br />
MU Barnhall RFC<br />
Wanderers FC v<br />
Clontarf FC<br />
St Mary's College RFC v<br />
UCD RFC<br />
Watch the full 2022 Metro Cup and<br />
Towns Cup draw here.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 59
Virtual Mascot<br />
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Nixon<br />
Age: 8<br />
School: St Fintan’s NS Sutton<br />
Class: Second Class<br />
Hobbies: He plays rugby, GAA and soccer.<br />
He absolutely loves sport, and has his eye on<br />
Johnny Sexton’s position!<br />
Favourite Player: Johnny Sexton<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 61
WHERE ARE<br />
THEY NOW?<br />
AIDAN KEARNEY<br />
THEN: Aidan<br />
Kearney<br />
made 26<br />
appearances<br />
for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
across the<br />
2002/03 and<br />
2003/04<br />
seasons.<br />
NOW: He is<br />
currently<br />
looking for<br />
a new job in<br />
rugby, living<br />
in Bayside,<br />
married to<br />
Jenna with<br />
three children<br />
Ryan (8), Max<br />
(6), and Lola<br />
(1 1 / 2 ).<br />
62 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Aidan Kearney was something<br />
of a physical phenom back in the<br />
late 1990s.<br />
He moved from St Paul’s College in<br />
Raheny to St Michael’s College for the<br />
final two years of school which coincided<br />
with a change in the age limit, enabling<br />
Aidan to play both years of the Senior<br />
Cup<br />
In 1998, he shifted gears to UCD on<br />
a two-year scholarship and was also<br />
involved in the IRFU Academy where<br />
Aidan joined the likes of Paul O’Connell,<br />
Donncha O’Callaghan, Brian O’Driscoll,<br />
Kieran Campbell, Adrian Flavin, Jerry<br />
Flannery and Paddy Wallace.<br />
The 6’ 7”, 18 stone, and more, second<br />
row was a man before his time in the<br />
sense that he represented the Ireland<br />
sevens.<br />
“I suppose I was quite athletic and quite<br />
fast. Denis McBride and Kurt McQuilkin<br />
were running the sevens programme.<br />
They were in and out to the IRFU<br />
Academy sessions,” says Aidan.<br />
It was there they would have noticed a<br />
specimen, whose measurables screamed<br />
international second row forward, with<br />
the God-given gifts to roam the sevens<br />
circuit.<br />
“It was funny. We were training up in<br />
UCD in our wet gear in around two or<br />
three degrees of cold weather. We went<br />
from there to 30 degrees heat in Dubai,”<br />
he recalls.<br />
“Willie Anderson was a coach at<br />
the Academy. He asked me to join<br />
Dungannon which I thought was strange<br />
at the time. In hindsight, why would it be<br />
strange when one of your coaches wants<br />
you to play for his club?<br />
“It was an opportunity to be coached by<br />
Willie and play with Paddy Johns, who<br />
had come back from Saracens at that<br />
point.<br />
“I was also moving from an Academy<br />
contract to an Ulster Development<br />
contract, the next step-up. That was a nobrainer<br />
for me because, believe it or not,<br />
Paddy was my Ireland hero growing up.<br />
“I ended up there for three years and,<br />
in the year of foot and mouth, won the<br />
All-Ireland League, beating Cork Con in<br />
the final in 2001.<br />
With the 1998 U-19 World Cup and All-<br />
Ireland League medals draped around<br />
his neck, Aidan had all the appearance<br />
of a sure bet to have a long and shining<br />
professional career.<br />
However, Aidan never made it beyond<br />
the bench in his two years at Ulster,<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 63
triggering a return to <strong>Leinster</strong> in 2002.<br />
This was made more attractive by the<br />
departure of Bob Casey to London Irish<br />
and Trevor Brennan to Toulouse that<br />
summer and the offer of a two-year senior<br />
contract.<br />
“There was a gap that needed filling and,<br />
I guess, it was natural for me to move<br />
home where Willie had become <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
assistant to Matt Williams.<br />
“For my first year, I played for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
and for Dungannon because of how they<br />
had looked after me for two seasons.”<br />
Interestingly, Aidan’s memory of many<br />
marquee moments are sketchy at best: “I<br />
don’t know why that is,” he remarks.<br />
“Maybe the Donnybrook matches are<br />
rolled into one. They all seemed similar.<br />
Don’t forget, this was back at a time<br />
when the crowds were 5,000-6,000<br />
whereas the away matches were all<br />
about new experiences.<br />
For example, the debut in blue against<br />
Glasgow Warriors on September 6,<br />
2002, does not resonate at all. He made<br />
three successive appearances in the<br />
64 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
second row for his first three caps, adding<br />
Cardiff and Border Reivers to his resume.<br />
None stands out in his recall.<br />
“When you are in the company of<br />
Malcolm O’Kelly and Leo Cullen,<br />
they were straight in when they were<br />
available. I would have been competing<br />
against Ben Gissing for the other slot,”<br />
he states.<br />
“When you felt like you were making<br />
ground on these guys, the Heineken Cup<br />
came around and the intensity went up<br />
another level at training in those weeks.<br />
“I struggled with that early on as a young<br />
player, getting used to it. That said, I<br />
thoroughly enjoyed my two years at<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>.”<br />
Nonetheless, Aidan accumulated four<br />
starts from nine caps in 2002/03 and<br />
a further nine starts from 17 caps in his<br />
second season, including a run of three<br />
tries in three matches.<br />
On the face of it, this was clear progress.<br />
It wasn’t convincing enough for Declan<br />
Kidney to want to see more of Aidan<br />
when the Corkman took over in the<br />
summer of 2004.<br />
The rise of the versatile Ciaran Potts<br />
meant there was no place on the roster<br />
for Aidan, forcing a career-defining<br />
personal decision, leading to the end of<br />
his time in the paid ranks.<br />
“There were no spots in the other<br />
provinces available. I sat down with my<br />
auld lad (Frank) to consider trawling<br />
through the UK with a Championship<br />
club. Did I want to do that? Did I want to<br />
bounce around? Not really,” he admits.<br />
“If I was to look back, it was probably a<br />
regret that I didn’t have an agent at the<br />
time, someone to reach out and test the<br />
waters.”<br />
There is a reason professional contracts<br />
are sometimes handed out on a ‘position<br />
of need’ basis. It could just be that Aidan<br />
came along at a time when Irish rugby<br />
was stocked with international locks.<br />
O’Connell and O’Callaghan at Munster.<br />
O’Kelly and Cullen at <strong>Leinster</strong>.<br />
He moved closer to home to play for<br />
Clontarf in the All-Ireland League for<br />
one season and then back to where it all<br />
started at Suttonians to reconnect with<br />
childhood teammates Karl Cowman,<br />
Noel Hehir, Darragh Dowling and Dave<br />
Walsh.<br />
“I decided to move into the family<br />
business, selling industrial supplies, for<br />
about 12 years,” he says.<br />
“Five years ago, when dad decided to<br />
sell up, I looked on it as an opportunity<br />
to get back into rugby. I started part-time<br />
as a Club Community Rugby Officer for<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> and Rugby Development Officer<br />
for Dublin City University.<br />
“From there, I was working as an<br />
operations officer with the participation<br />
team in the IRFU for three years until<br />
about six months ago when I became a<br />
victim of the consequences of Covid,” he<br />
declares.<br />
The man who left <strong>Leinster</strong> after two years<br />
in professional rugby feels compelled to<br />
stick with the game he loves.<br />
“I know I want to be involved in rugby in<br />
some shape or form. I am just looking for<br />
the right opportunity.”<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 65
Referees<br />
Corner<br />
BY DAN WALLACE<br />
National Panel<br />
The start of the new year saw<br />
some changes to the IRFU<br />
National Referees Panel.<br />
Congratulations to Robbie Jenkinson<br />
who was promoted to Level 3 following<br />
some excellent domestic performances.<br />
Robbie joins Michael Forrestal and<br />
Paul O’Connor. Colm Roche, John<br />
Flynn and Sam Holt were moved to<br />
the Level 2 panel where they join longserving<br />
referee John Carvill and Glenn<br />
Sheridan.<br />
Padraic Reidy moves into Level 1.<br />
Padraic recently refereed the All-Ireland<br />
Junior Cup Final. He joins Dermot<br />
Blake, Andrew Cole, Nigel Correll, Paul<br />
Haycock, and Cillian Hogan. This brings<br />
a total of 14 <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referee on<br />
the IRFU National Referee Panel.<br />
We wish them all well for the remainder<br />
of the season.<br />
Seminar Update<br />
We had over 200 referees<br />
at our first referees seminar<br />
of the season in January.<br />
The topic of the seminar was<br />
‘Game Management’ and<br />
the session was enabled by<br />
Sean Gallagher from the IRFU<br />
alongside Jim McCourt from<br />
the <strong>Leinster</strong> Disciplinary panel<br />
and International TMO Brian<br />
MacNeice.<br />
The presentation went through a number<br />
of topics including Positive Referee<br />
Behaviors and some guidelines on<br />
working with coaches before, during<br />
and after games, developing positive<br />
relationships with captains and players<br />
alike and also how to work and deal<br />
with external factors.<br />
Want to get<br />
involved?<br />
Feel free to make contact with the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees<br />
at hayley.whyte@leinsterrugby.ie If you are interested<br />
in becoming a referee get in contact with us through our<br />
Facebook, our website www.leinsterrugbyreferees.ie or<br />
through twitter @leinsterreferee.<br />
66 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Brian MacNeice spoke through various<br />
scenarios that a referee may encounter<br />
and how to work through those<br />
scenarios.<br />
Preparation is obviously key and running<br />
through the scenarios in your head is<br />
important preparation.<br />
We had an excellent Q&A session<br />
after, discussing various scenarios that<br />
referees have encountered. The meeting<br />
was held online, but we look forward to<br />
getting back to in-person meetings in the<br />
near future.<br />
Law<br />
Clarifications<br />
World Rugby often publishes<br />
law clarifications during the<br />
season. If a union in membership<br />
is unable to clarify an aspect of<br />
law it may submit a request for<br />
a clarification in law to the World<br />
Rugby designated members.<br />
The World Rugby website https://<br />
www.world.rugby/the-game/<br />
laws/clarifications contains all such<br />
requests for clarifications as far back<br />
as 2002 and gives the associated<br />
response from the designated members.<br />
On occasions, clarifications in law will<br />
result in a law amendment. There have<br />
already been two in 2022.<br />
The main one is that England Rugby<br />
have asked for clarity relating to when a<br />
ball is deemed to be leaving/emerging<br />
from a ruck and when such a ball can<br />
be dived on to claim control of the ball.<br />
Law 15 describes how a ruck ends, and<br />
says a player cannot fall onto the ball,<br />
but we seek clarity on when a player is<br />
legally entitled to dive onto the ball?<br />
World Rugby responded with relevant<br />
law wordings. (There is an excellent<br />
video to accompany this explanation on<br />
the website)<br />
Law 15.16: “Players must not: d) Fall<br />
over the ball as it is coming out of a<br />
ruck.”<br />
Law 15.18: “A ruck ends and play<br />
continues when the ball leaves the ruck<br />
or when the ball in the ruck is on or over<br />
the goal line.”<br />
Definitions: Near = within one metre.<br />
The ball is leaving/emerging from the<br />
ruck when it is in motion away from<br />
the ruck, or when the ball is sitting<br />
just beyond the hindmost player. This<br />
becomes relevant when determining if<br />
a player can fall onto the ball so that<br />
player can comply with law 15.16.<br />
In being consistent with other areas<br />
of Law (scrum law 19.38a, tackle law<br />
14.8d), we determine that the player<br />
can only dive onto such a ball if it is<br />
more than one metre away from the ruck<br />
it has emerged from. ‘Near’ is defined<br />
in law as being “within one metre”. If<br />
the ball has left the ruck, then the ruck<br />
is over, and the ball is out. Providing a<br />
player comes from an onside position<br />
and does not dive onto the ball if it is<br />
within one metre of the ruck, they may<br />
play the ball.<br />
Will this answer the much-asked<br />
question - Is the ball out ref?<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 67
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South-East Area Update<br />
BY DEBORAH CARTY<br />
Paddy Mosse commented afterwards that<br />
the team played as a unit and that the<br />
overall performance was excellent.<br />
ARKLOW<br />
Arklow Amazons 13 Greystones 7<br />
The Arklow Amazons took to the pitch at<br />
home on 28 January against Greystones<br />
in their first match in the Women’s League<br />
Division 3 since mid-December. A try from<br />
Greystones after just five minutes was to<br />
be their only score of the night.<br />
Solid defence by Arklow then denied<br />
Greystones time and again, this was<br />
typified by Rebecca New who seemed<br />
to be everywhere the action was all<br />
night. An excellent result and a great<br />
springboard for the second half of the<br />
season.<br />
The Arklow U-14 girls are delighted to<br />
announce that they will be sponsored by<br />
The Broken Chair Cafe. The entire team<br />
were on hand this morning to meet owner<br />
Cliona Ennis-Byrne at the official hand<br />
over of their new set of jerseys.<br />
The Byrne family are great supporters<br />
of Arklow Rugby as both players and<br />
sponsors and look forward to great times<br />
ahead.<br />
CARLOW<br />
Co Carlow’s little buzzy ‘Bees’ inclusive<br />
team is always growing. They love seeing<br />
new faces and new players are ALWAYS<br />
welcome. Please contact the club if you<br />
have any questions about joining!<br />
ENNISCORTHY<br />
Pictured - Ivan Poole in Enniscorthy in<br />
2018 after winning the Provincial Towns<br />
Cup with young supporters Mark Byrne<br />
and Ben Kidd who now, just a few<br />
short years later, got the chance to play<br />
alongside Ivan in an AIL match v Clonmel<br />
two weeks ago.<br />
The newly formed South-East Lions, an<br />
amalgamated team of Enniscorthy and<br />
Wexford Wanderers U-18.5 girls, are up<br />
and running and playing very well in the<br />
leagues<br />
GOREY<br />
A great morning of minis rugby was<br />
held recently in Gorey RFC with big<br />
numbers travelling from Co Carlow FC,<br />
Enniscorthy RFC and Rathdrum RFC. The<br />
club extended a massive thanks to all for<br />
their time in organising.<br />
KILKENNY<br />
Well done to Donal Kealy, Sean Dunne<br />
and Ruaidhri Galwey, who were part of<br />
the South-East U-17 squad who drew 27-<br />
27 with the North Midlands recently. The<br />
future is bright.<br />
Kilkenny 32 DLSP 3<br />
The Kilkenny women’s team secured<br />
an impressive win recently. There were<br />
scores from Tina Wright, Lieke Hoban,<br />
Lucy Harte, Eimear Kelly and a brace for<br />
Ciara Coone, while there was a standout<br />
performance from Jenny Kirwan. Coach<br />
TULLOW<br />
Tullow U-18.5s played the first round<br />
of the Tom D’Arcy Cup last weekend,<br />
beating Portarlington 24-17 in a wellfought,<br />
nail-biting match. Well done to all<br />
involved and good luck in the next round.<br />
RATHDRUM<br />
Thanks to Noel McMullen for traveling to<br />
the senior men's away game on Sunday,<br />
16 January, to snap some super shots as<br />
always. Rathdrum faced Stillorgan and<br />
while the result didn't go Rathdrum’s way,<br />
they put in a commendable showing with<br />
tries from Ciaran Phelan (2), Danny Tuke<br />
and Conor Parsons.<br />
WICKLOW<br />
There was a first ever away win for<br />
Wicklow in the Energia Women’s AIL,<br />
beating Malone RFC 13-12. Emma<br />
Curran bagged a try, which she<br />
converted herself, while Beth Roberts<br />
slotted two penalties. After a tough start<br />
to the first AIL campaign, the team are<br />
growing into the competition.<br />
WEXFORD<br />
WANDERERS<br />
Wexford Wanderers had a unique type<br />
of training this week with a visit from the<br />
Rescue Helicopter 117, the helicopter<br />
landing on the floodlit front pitch as part<br />
of their own training. The club is always<br />
happy to accommodate Rescue 117.<br />
Minis rugby at Wexford Wanderers is<br />
free to join now for the rest of the season<br />
and the club are busy recruiting boys and<br />
girls of all ages, with particular focus on<br />
adding to the U-7 age group. Contact<br />
the club’s social media pages if you are<br />
interested in joining.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 69
North Midlands Area minis<br />
girls blitz a huge success<br />
It all started with a conversation<br />
between Cill Dara Minis Coordinator<br />
Barry Kilgallen and his<br />
North Kildare counterpart Jerry<br />
Bradley.<br />
Both clubs were struggling to get regular<br />
games for their minis girls teams and<br />
Barry suggested that a blitz involving<br />
all teams from the North Midlands Area<br />
might be a good idea.<br />
The Minis Co-ordinators in the area enjoy<br />
a really good working relationship and<br />
regularly share ideas and experiences,<br />
not just when they meet in person and<br />
blitzes but also on their WhatsApp group<br />
which CRO Joe Carbery set up some<br />
time ago.<br />
As soon as Barry mentioned his idea<br />
in the group it was greeted with huge<br />
enthusiasm and when the Minis Coordinators<br />
went back to the coaches of<br />
their girls teams, that enthusiasm was<br />
echoed and amplified. “Just tell us when<br />
and where” was the response that came<br />
from coaches and parents.<br />
Barry volunteered to host the blitz in Cill<br />
Dara RFC and it was agreed to run it<br />
under lights on a Friday night to avoid<br />
a clash with regular minis activities. The<br />
invitation was also extended to Tullow<br />
RFC as Barry was aware that they were<br />
also struggling to get games for their<br />
girls and the invitation was gratefully<br />
accepted.<br />
On Friday night last, excited U-10 and<br />
U-12 girls from Athy, Blessington, Cill<br />
Dara, Clane, Naas, Newbridge, North<br />
Kildare, Portarlington, Portlaoise and<br />
Tullow arrived in huge numbers and<br />
were greeted by members of the current<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> U-18 Girls squad who were all<br />
70 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
eally impressed with the numbers in<br />
attendance.<br />
Alana Fitzpatrick, Éadaoin Murtagh and<br />
Hannah Wilson took time to speak to the<br />
girls and have their photos taken with<br />
them before the blitz started.<br />
Almost 200 girls played a series of short<br />
games and the standard of play was<br />
really outstanding and a testament to<br />
the great work being done in the North<br />
Midlands clubs to develop the skill<br />
levels and the levels of participation. As<br />
everyone was leaving Cill Dara the only<br />
question being asked was: “When will<br />
the next one be?”<br />
No doubt the North Midlands Minis<br />
Co-ordinators won’t be long in scheduling<br />
the next one.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 71
ank of ireland<br />
MATCHDAY MINIS<br />
Tullow RFC<br />
Coaches: George Campbell, Fionnuala Cloney, Joe Dolan,<br />
Kieran Doyle, Michael Hennessy, Tonu Talanoa,<br />
Oscar Traynor.<br />
Team: Josh Barry Doyle, Noah Byrne, Tadhg Campbell,<br />
Sean Cloney, Paddy Corcoran, Alfie Donohue,<br />
Daniel Dolan, Harry Doyle, Podge Finn, Rhys Hennessy,<br />
Thomas Hopkins, Sean Kehoe, Cillian Kelly, William Myers,<br />
Olan McNab, Luke O Connor, JP O Dwyer, Mike Sheehan,<br />
Tana Talanoa, Noah Traynor.<br />
Birr RFC<br />
Front row L to R: Thomas Burke, Ben Swanepoel,<br />
Ronan Keogh, Harry Larkin, Lee Mannion,<br />
Lochlann Fletcher, Iarla Sheehan, Conail Fay, Shane Milne,<br />
Fionn Whelehan, Declan O’Meara, Alice Murray,<br />
Siofra Ginty, Cronan Murphy.<br />
Back row L to R: Alun Owens (Coach), Denis Tierney<br />
(Coach), Colm Boylan, Tom Enright , Gwilym Tooher,<br />
Donnacha O’Meara, Mossy Dooley, Oisin Molloy Berry,<br />
Donagh Tierney, Lorcan Maloney, Jake Dunican,<br />
Lorcan Owens, Ruairdhri Ginty, MJ Bene, Mike Murphy<br />
(Coach) Patrick Burke, Mike Sheahan (Coach)<br />
Missing from photo: Hugh Plunkett and Michael Clery.<br />
Naas RFC<br />
Coaches: Brian Cogan, Joe Mullins.<br />
Players: Daniel Britton Milner, Fionn Brownen,<br />
Alex Burgin, Ryan Clarke, Owen Cogan, Luca Cowan,<br />
Fred Dick, John Fielding, Mark Forde, Eoghan Gilbert,<br />
Harry Greene, Oisin Lynch, Jonah Maguire,<br />
Charlie Mangan, Christian Morrissey, Adam Mullins,<br />
Jack Preston, Tom Troy, Noah Tyrell, Finbar Ward.<br />
Portarlington RFC<br />
Squad: Callum Walsh, Hugh Melaniphy, Ben Petriw, Ian<br />
Wardrop, Tristan Gallagher, Brochan Carey,<br />
Reuben McElwee, Darragh Doris, Jack Donoher,<br />
Lucas Gutierrez, Evan Brett, Ryan Murphy, Aidan O’Reilly,<br />
Jack Bennett, Jake Moore, Kyle O’Brien, Sean Malone,<br />
Daire O’Connell, Peadar Murphy, Tommy Fullam.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 73
RNLI AND LEINSTER<br />
RUGBY ANNOUNCE<br />
CHARITY PARTNERSHIP<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
has announced<br />
the maritime<br />
search and<br />
rescue charity<br />
RNLI - the<br />
Royal National<br />
Lifeboat<br />
Institution -<br />
as its latest<br />
charity<br />
partner of<br />
the 2021/22<br />
season as part<br />
of the Charity<br />
Affiliate<br />
Programme<br />
which was<br />
first launched<br />
in November<br />
2020.<br />
For more information, visit:<br />
www.rnli.org<br />
74 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
Like last season, <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
will once again work with a new<br />
charity each month in the hope of<br />
raising the profile of that charity<br />
and the RNLI has been chosen<br />
for the month of February after<br />
being nominated by Energia,<br />
one of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby’s premium<br />
partners.<br />
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at<br />
sea and on inland waters.<br />
Established in 1824, the RNLI works to<br />
save lives and prevent drowning off the<br />
coast and on a number of loughs and<br />
rivers throughout Ireland and the UK.<br />
In Ireland, this is done through their<br />
lifeboat service, operated largely by<br />
volunteers, living, and working in their<br />
local communities and who remain on<br />
call 24/7 to help those in need on the<br />
water.<br />
Every year in Ireland, RNLI volunteer<br />
lifeboat crews help rescue hundreds of<br />
people and the charity has saved over<br />
143,000 lives since its foundation.<br />
The service depends on voluntary<br />
donations to fund its lifesaving work.<br />
On the island of Ireland there are 46<br />
lifeboat stations, 11 of which are based<br />
in <strong>Leinster</strong>. These are Clogherhead in<br />
County Louth, Skerries, Howth and Dún<br />
Laoghaire in Dublin, Arklow, Wicklow,<br />
Wexford, Courtown, Rosslare Harbour,<br />
Fethard-on-Sea and Kilmore Quay.<br />
Welcoming the news, Mary Creedon,<br />
Fundraising and Partnership Lead in the<br />
RNLI in Ireland said, “We are delighted<br />
that the RNLI have been chosen as<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby’s charity partner for the<br />
month of February, as part of the Charity<br />
Affiliate Programme and we are grateful<br />
to Energia for their kind nomination.<br />
“It’s been a challenging couple of years<br />
for charities in Ireland, but the RNLI’s<br />
volunteer lifeboat crews have continued<br />
to operate a 24/7 search and rescue<br />
service and launch at a moment’s notice<br />
to save lives in their communities.<br />
“This partnership allows the charity<br />
to reach more people with lifesaving<br />
messages and water safety advice.<br />
Sharing these with the supporters of<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby brings an awareness of<br />
the potential dangers of using the water<br />
for all types of activity and provides<br />
advice on what to do if you see someone<br />
in trouble on the water.
“It will bring the work of the RNLI and<br />
their volunteer lifeboat crews in their<br />
communities, to a huge audience of<br />
committed and passionate supporters.”<br />
Since 2017, RNLI volunteer lifeboat<br />
crews based at the 11 lifeboat stations<br />
in <strong>Leinster</strong> have rescued 1,702 people<br />
during callouts.<br />
In attendance at the launch in <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby head office in UCD were <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby players Emma Murphy, Ella<br />
Roberts, Vakh Abdaladze and Scott<br />
Penny, as were representatives from the<br />
RNLI and Energia.<br />
“We’re thrilled that our partnership with<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby has allowed us to shine<br />
a light on the RNLI, a charity which was<br />
selected by our staff for <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby’s<br />
February charity partner.<br />
“The RNLI do so much for the country<br />
and we hope to lend some positive<br />
energy to the work they’re doing saving<br />
lives at sea,’’ said Amy O’Shaughnessy,<br />
Head of Brand for Energia Group.<br />
For the month of February, <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
will lend its digital support to the RNLI<br />
and its considerable efforts to keep us all<br />
safe in Irish waters.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby also confirmed that Bank<br />
of Ireland would continue to support<br />
the charity partner scheme again this<br />
season and that its Player of the Month<br />
Award donation will now be made to the<br />
monthly charity affiliate, rather than the<br />
player in question, a move that is also<br />
supported by the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby players.<br />
Eamon de Búrca, Sponsorship Manager<br />
with <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby, commented, “The<br />
RNLI is a new partner for us here at<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby and we are very grateful<br />
to the team in Energia for bringing such a<br />
worthwhile charity to our door.<br />
“February is a busy month with a lot<br />
of on-field activity so hopefully that will<br />
allow us to elevate the exposure for the<br />
RNLI across all of our digital platforms.”<br />
Like all the charities selected, the RNLI<br />
was selected by <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby after<br />
a consultation process involving the<br />
leadership group of the men, women’s<br />
and Academy teams and consultation<br />
with the premium sponsors and partners<br />
and the Official <strong>Leinster</strong> Supporters Club.<br />
The charities<br />
supported by<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
as part of<br />
this charity<br />
partner<br />
initiative,<br />
include;<br />
2020/21 Season:<br />
Women’s Aid (November),<br />
Debra Ireland (December),<br />
numerous local causes supported<br />
by Bank of Ireland (January),<br />
ALONE (February), Pieta (March),<br />
AsIAm (April), LauraLynn (May),<br />
the Gavin Glynn Foundation (June),<br />
Irish Heart Foundation (August) and<br />
CRY (September)<br />
2021/22 Season:<br />
Alzheimer Society of<br />
Ireland (November), Peter<br />
McVerry Trust (December),<br />
numerous local causes supported<br />
by Bank of Ireland such as<br />
Outcomers, Citywise Means<br />
Business, New Horizon and<br />
Purple House (January), the RNLI<br />
(February)<br />
The selection process for all the<br />
charities includes the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
players, <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby sponsors<br />
and partners and also the Official<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Supporters Club (OLSC).<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 75
TO MAXIMISE YOUR SPORTS AND EXERCISE<br />
PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION<br />
Optimum Nutrition and <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby have partnered to help share good nutrition tips throughout<br />
the season to help you achieve your performance goals. Here are some simple tips and things to<br />
remember to help maximise your performance and help you recover quickly to come back stronger.<br />
Protein Rich.<br />
Protein provides your muscles with<br />
the building blocks to repair & grow.<br />
Carb-Up.<br />
Carbohydrate foods are king as they<br />
power high intensity play.<br />
Fuel-Up.<br />
Consume the majority of your<br />
carbohydrates around training to<br />
support fuelling and recovery.<br />
Recover.<br />
Quality rest & nutrition between<br />
training sessions is the key to<br />
recovery. Remember to:<br />
Repair with protein,<br />
Refuel with carbohydrate,<br />
Rehydrate with fluid.<br />
Hydrate.<br />
Dehydration can lead to a drop in<br />
exercise intensity & can impact your<br />
decision making. Drink 2-3 litres of<br />
fluid each day to ensure hydration.<br />
Game Day.<br />
To fuel performance on the field,<br />
consume a large carbohydrate rich<br />
meal 2-3 hours before kick-off, i.e.<br />
chicken & pasta, turkey bolognaise<br />
wraps.<br />
Get 20% off all Optimum Nutrition products<br />
using code <strong>Leinster</strong>20 on optimumnutrition.ie
KNOWING WHAT ADVICE TO TAKE<br />
IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS GAME.<br />
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OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR<br />
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COUNTRY<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
HOME GROUND<br />
DAM HEALTH STADIUM<br />
FOUNDED<br />
1872<br />
edinburgh<br />
last time out<br />
Ospreys 23<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby 19<br />
Saturday, 29 January | swansea.com Stadium | URC | words: edinburghrugby.org<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> Rugby fell to a tough defeat in South Wales,<br />
with the Ospreys claiming a 23-19 win - despite a<br />
hat-trick from <strong>Edinburgh</strong> prop Boan Venter.<br />
The visitors led 14-3 at half time,<br />
thanks to a quickfire brace from<br />
loosehead prop Venter, however<br />
the boot of Stephen Myler<br />
and tries from Matt Protheroe<br />
and Sam Parry saw the home<br />
side climb into a lead. Venter<br />
completed his hat-trick on the<br />
hour mark, but it was Myler who<br />
had the final word, nudging two<br />
late penalties to hand <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
their first URC defeat since<br />
October.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> arrived in south Wales<br />
having failed to win in Swansea<br />
since 2009, however they looked to<br />
be heading to victory after taking a<br />
commanding lead in the first half. The<br />
early exchanges were cagey, with<br />
multiple kicking exchanges and set<br />
piece battles, but it was <strong>Edinburgh</strong> who<br />
were able to take the game by the<br />
scruff of the neck.<br />
With an Ospreys player in the sin-bin<br />
the capital club cashed in, Boan Venter<br />
crashing over from close range twice in<br />
four minutes. The first was after a series<br />
of picking and going from the forwards,<br />
the second finishing off a flowing move<br />
set up by a thunderous break from<br />
Cammy Hutchison.<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> missed a chance to score a<br />
third; Henry Pyrgos chipped over the<br />
defence to Darcy Graham, who was<br />
able to regather and put Glen Young<br />
into space near the line. The Ospreys<br />
defence scrambled and turned over<br />
78 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
the ball – a pivotal turning point in the<br />
match. Myler nudged a penalty over,<br />
however it was the hosts who were<br />
firmly in charge at the interval.<br />
Ospreys came out of the blocks firing<br />
in the second half, and quickly hit back<br />
through a Matt Protheroe score – the<br />
fullback finishing after a period of<br />
pressure, with the ball going wide as<br />
the hosts held a penalty advantage.<br />
The hosts then hit the front through Sam<br />
Parry, who crashed over after a nicely<br />
worked lineout move to give the Welsh<br />
side the lead for the first time.<br />
Venter completed his hat-trick in<br />
response, burrowing his way over from<br />
close range. Venter became the 13th<br />
player to score a hat-trick of tries for<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> in the professional era, and<br />
the first prop to do so - the only other<br />
front-rower being Stuart McInally,<br />
against Timisoara Saracens in 2016.<br />
Indiscipline would prove costly though,<br />
with Myler holding his nerve to add two<br />
penalties to condemn <strong>Edinburgh</strong> to a<br />
tough defeat in Swansea.<br />
OSPREYS – Matt Protheroe; Keelan<br />
Giles (Gareth Anscombe 51), Michael<br />
Giles, Kieran Williams (Tiaan Thomas-<br />
Wheeler 75), Luke Morgan; Stephen<br />
Myler, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith (Rhodri<br />
Jones 63), Sam Parry (Elvis Taione<br />
63), Tom Botha (Rhys Henry 63); Rhys<br />
Davies, Lloyd Ashley (Huw Owen-Sutton<br />
78); William Griffiths, Harri Deaves<br />
(Morgan Morris 51), Ethan Roots.<br />
EDINBURGH – Henry Immelman; Darcy<br />
Graham, Matt Currie (Mark Bennett 61),<br />
Cameron Hutchison, Emiliano Boffelli;<br />
Jaco van der Walt, Henry Pyrgos (Ben<br />
Vellacott 61); Boan Venter (Harrison<br />
Courtney 73), David Cherry (Adam<br />
McBurney 45), Angus Williams (Jamie<br />
Hodgson 45); Marshall Sykes, Glen<br />
Young (Lee-Roy Atalifo 45-79); Magnus<br />
Bradbury, Connor Boyle, Mesulame<br />
Kunavula (Ben Muncaster 63).<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 79
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Head coach<br />
Mike Blair<br />
Former Scotland international<br />
scrum-half Mike Blair took the<br />
reins as <strong>Edinburgh</strong> head coach in<br />
2021.<br />
During his playing days, he amassed 85<br />
caps for his country as well as almost<br />
250 club appearances for <strong>Edinburgh</strong>,<br />
Brive, Newcastle and Glasgow over 14<br />
years, 169 of those with his current club.<br />
Having already gained coaching<br />
experience with Ponteland RFC, he joined<br />
Glasgow as an Assistant coach when<br />
hanging up the boots before joining the<br />
Scotland set-up for five years prior to<br />
returning to the capital.<br />
Co-Captains<br />
Stuart McInally<br />
and Grant<br />
Gilchrist<br />
Captaincy duties for <strong>Edinburgh</strong><br />
are shared between two local<br />
players in Stuart McInally and<br />
Grant Gilchrist who have gone on<br />
to be club centurions.<br />
McInally, who also captained Scotland<br />
during the 2019 Six Nations, is a<br />
hooker by trade now after making his<br />
breakthrough in the back row. He’s been<br />
capped 37 times by Scotland.<br />
Gilchrist has been a stalwart for<br />
<strong>Edinburgh</strong> since his debut in 2011<br />
against Cardiff and, now capped 42<br />
times internationally, has recently signed<br />
a contract to extend his stay with his<br />
home club.<br />
edinburgh squad<br />
FORWARDS<br />
LEE-ROY ATALIFO<br />
PROP<br />
CONNOR BOYLE<br />
FLANKER<br />
MAGNUS BRADBURY<br />
FLANKER<br />
DAVE CHERRY<br />
HOOKER<br />
HARRISON COURTNEY<br />
PROP<br />
LUKE CROSBIE<br />
FLANKER<br />
LUAN DE BRUIN<br />
PROP<br />
GRANT GILCHRIST<br />
LOCK<br />
NICK HAINING<br />
FLANKER<br />
PATRICK HARRISON<br />
HOOKER<br />
JAMIE HODGSON<br />
LOCK<br />
MESULAME KUNAVULA KUNALOLO<br />
FLANKER<br />
VILIAME MATA<br />
NO. 8<br />
ADAM MCBURNEY<br />
HOOKER<br />
STUART MCINALLY<br />
HOOKER<br />
BEN MUNCASTER<br />
NO. 8<br />
WILLEM NEL<br />
PROP<br />
PIERCE PHILLIPS<br />
LOCK<br />
JAMIE RITCHIE<br />
FLANKER<br />
PIERRE SCHOEMAN<br />
PROP<br />
MARSHALL SYKES<br />
LOCK<br />
BOAN VENTER<br />
PROP<br />
HAMISH WATSON<br />
FLANKER<br />
ANGUS WILLIAMS<br />
PROP<br />
GLEN YOUNG<br />
LOCK<br />
BACKS<br />
MARK BENNETT<br />
CENTRE<br />
JACK BLAIN<br />
WING<br />
EMILIANO BOFFELLI<br />
FULLBACK<br />
MATT CURRIE<br />
CENTRE<br />
CHRIS DEAN<br />
CENTRE<br />
DARCY GRAHAM<br />
WING<br />
DAMIEN HOYLAND<br />
WING<br />
CAMMY HUTCHISON<br />
CENTRE<br />
HENRY IMMELMAN<br />
FULLBACK<br />
JAMES JOHNSTONE<br />
CENTRE<br />
BLAIR KINGHORN<br />
FULLBACK<br />
JAMES LANG<br />
CENTRE<br />
RAMIRO MOYANO JOYA<br />
WING<br />
FREDDIE OWSLEY<br />
WING<br />
HENRY PYRGOS<br />
SCRUM-HALF<br />
CHARLIE SAVALA<br />
FLY-HALF<br />
CHARLIE SHIEL<br />
SCRUM-HALF<br />
JACO VAN DER WALT<br />
FLY-HALF<br />
BEN VELLACOTT<br />
SCRUM-HALF<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 81
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12 Counties, One Club<br />
in<br />
Focus<br />
Founded: 1873<br />
Ground: Oak Park. Carlow<br />
Web: www.carlowrugby.ie<br />
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @carlowrugby<br />
County<br />
Carlow<br />
Football<br />
Club is one<br />
of the oldest<br />
clubs in<br />
Ireland, set<br />
to celebrate<br />
its 150th<br />
anniversary<br />
in 2023.<br />
County<br />
Carlow<br />
It has a long and proud<br />
tradition underpinned by many<br />
achievements in Junior and Senior<br />
rugby.<br />
The early-to-mid 1990s was a golden<br />
age in the history of the club, winning five<br />
Provincial Towns Cups from 1992-1997.<br />
They were promoted into the AIL in 1997<br />
and joined the chase for greater glory<br />
around the rugby fields on the island.<br />
This halcyon period produced five<br />
consecutive seasons in Divisions 4 to<br />
Division 1 from 1998 to 2003 and backto-back<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Senior Cups in 2003 and<br />
2004.<br />
That was then. This is now. Currently,<br />
County Carlow is fighting the good fight<br />
in Division 1B of the <strong>Leinster</strong> League.<br />
“Overall, our goal is to get back to<br />
winning Towns Cups again on our way<br />
into All-Ireland League rugby,” says<br />
committee member Melvin Elmes.<br />
“We are a long way from that at the<br />
moment. These are different times. We<br />
will have to make it back to the AIL with<br />
players that come up through our Minis<br />
and Youth system.<br />
“In those years, the same as every other<br />
club in the country, we made no bones<br />
about it, we had to bring in outside<br />
players to maintain our momentum.”<br />
That top-down strategy of bringing in<br />
players to lift the standards of those<br />
already there worked for many years.<br />
But, it came with unsustainable costs.<br />
County Carlow started to drop through<br />
Co Carlow From Left Aurlene<br />
Browne & Muireann Brennan<br />
Co Carlow Club<br />
President Tom Crotty<br />
& Edel Gibbons<br />
84 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Co Carlow From Left Justin Hannon, Melvin<br />
Elmes, Michael Carbery, Ian Dwyer<br />
the Divisions, returning to the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
League where they have been toiling<br />
away.<br />
“At the moment, we are allowed to bring<br />
in one overseas player. But, we are not<br />
doing that anymore. The onus is on us to<br />
produce the players,” he states.<br />
In an overall context, it is a competitive<br />
world out there where multiple sports<br />
clubs are vying for the attention of<br />
children.<br />
It is not enough to simply exist and trade<br />
on a stellar reputation. There has to be a<br />
campaign to grow the numbers streaming<br />
into the club and to keep them coming in.<br />
In that regard, County Carlow has<br />
committed to being agile in how it<br />
welcomes in the new and existing<br />
members and how it reaches out to make<br />
new connections in the community.<br />
There is a five-year strategic plan which<br />
includes short and long-term goals to be<br />
achieved on and off the pitch.<br />
It is subdivided into the development<br />
of five areas: rugby, grounds, facilities,<br />
governance and structure.<br />
The club is becoming a victim of its<br />
success in that pressure on space is driven<br />
by the increase in numbers, splitting the<br />
minis into two groups, six to nine-yearolds<br />
practicing from 9.30-10.30 and the<br />
remainder from 10.30-11.30.<br />
In minis rugby, there are in the region<br />
of 200 kids at the club on a Saturday<br />
morning for sessions, co-ordinated by<br />
Robert Keady. At youths rugby, there are<br />
100 boys and girls, spread across six<br />
teams, currently managed by Brendan<br />
Carbery<br />
County Carlow also has an all-inclusive<br />
‘Bees Squad’ managed by Aurlene<br />
Browne and Muireann Brennan. The<br />
attitude of volunteering back to the club<br />
is there in the involvement of past-players,<br />
parents and members.<br />
“It is a family club. There are<br />
approximately 165 families attached<br />
to the club. There are 71 families<br />
directly involved in the running of the<br />
club whether as coaches or committee<br />
members,” says Elmes.<br />
“There are 100 volunteers that willingly<br />
give up their free time to make County<br />
Carlow what it is to all of us. We are not<br />
saying we are any different from, or any<br />
better than, any other club.”<br />
This enables a commitment to a minimum<br />
three-person coaching team for all levels<br />
of youth and mini rugby in line with a mini<br />
youth and senior player retention plan.<br />
Director of Rugby Derek Cope oversees<br />
the strength in playing depth from the 66<br />
male players. The seconds are setting the<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 85
pace in 1B of the seconds league and the<br />
J3s focus on the Anderson Cup.<br />
The long-term targets revolve around<br />
winning the Towns Cup, reaching out<br />
to promote rugby in all the schools in<br />
Carlow through Club Community Rugby<br />
Officer Gavin Whitney.<br />
There is a strong desire to increase the<br />
number of girls at minis, youth and adult<br />
levels by at least 10 per cent every year.<br />
They already have ‘The Rhinos’ girls<br />
teams which evolved from a very<br />
successful working group with neighbours<br />
Tullow RFC.<br />
Further, there is a drive to actively attract<br />
the community into the club.<br />
“We intend to put in a walking track<br />
around the pitches for the parents and<br />
locals to use during training or at other<br />
times of the day,” says Elmes.<br />
The club wants to launch and establish<br />
an annual community volunteer event<br />
to grow the number of volunteers and<br />
celebrate those already involved in the<br />
club.<br />
The process to have floodlights on all<br />
three pitches began, starting with the top<br />
training pitch.<br />
At the moment, the club is planning for<br />
Phase 2 of their training lights due to<br />
commence in April and is set to take eight<br />
weeks.<br />
Everything is in place to complete<br />
the process thanks to funding by a<br />
Department of Transport and Tourism<br />
Sports Capital Grant, club fundraising<br />
and membership<br />
“We have continually worked on the<br />
grounds where monies are available to<br />
us,” says Justin Hannon, the chairman of<br />
development.<br />
This is micro-managed by Ian Dwyer,<br />
chairman of finance, his committee and<br />
honorary treasurer Terry Cassidy.<br />
“We are very reluctant to go down the<br />
road to an all-weather, artificial pitch. We<br />
hold the opinion that it is not sustainable<br />
for Junior clubs due to extra costs, such<br />
as the maintenance fees etc,” declares<br />
Hannon.<br />
“We would prefer a state-of-the-art grass<br />
pitch. At the moment, our surface is not<br />
bad. But, we have applied for grant aid<br />
to help us level it and reseed it.<br />
“We have all the other infrastructure. We<br />
have the stand. We have the lights. We<br />
just need to upgrade the pitches.”<br />
The bathrooms are up for redevelopment<br />
and there is an eagerness to turn the<br />
famous ‘triangle’ area into a mini rugby/<br />
training pitch and an outdoor gymnasium<br />
by the end of this year.<br />
Further, there are plans to resurface<br />
the car park and for the gym, hall and<br />
kitchen to contribute financially to the<br />
club as a rentable space for functions,<br />
fitness classes, as a training venue or a<br />
performance/exhibition space.<br />
“The purchase of a pitch maintenance<br />
vehicle and complementary equipment<br />
has been approved along with an<br />
application for green flag status which<br />
encompasses a pollinator plan, a waste<br />
policy and litter plan,” notes Donald<br />
Daly, chairman of house and grounds.<br />
86 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
There is a will to increase cooperation<br />
with other community organisations in<br />
the local area and to engage with other<br />
clubs and groups with at least one new<br />
formal collaboration each year.<br />
This is part of the wish to bring the<br />
community into the club, as exemplified<br />
by the relationship with Dolmen Athletics<br />
Club.<br />
In 2014, a 10-person management<br />
committee was formed, meeting twice-aweek,<br />
to make hard financial decisions,<br />
reporting back to the executive monthly.<br />
The result of which was running two Gala<br />
dinners with Joe Schmidt and Johnny<br />
Sexton appearing as headline speakers,<br />
plus two very enjoyable outdoor summer<br />
concerts.<br />
The governance and structure element is<br />
there to ensure high standards in running<br />
the club and continually working around<br />
any transition for those coming into new<br />
positions.<br />
“This ensures the tasks and roles being<br />
carried out within the club are being<br />
guided and monitored,” says Hannon.<br />
“It includes every role from small to big<br />
so that each person is clear about what is<br />
expected of them.”<br />
The club acknowledges the continued<br />
support of the members, the IRFU, <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Branch, sponsors and various public<br />
schemes all of which keep its progress<br />
on track.<br />
“We are indebted to our membership<br />
database, in particular the support<br />
given to subscriptions secretary Michael<br />
Carbery over the last two years in<br />
concern to the Covid pandemic,” says<br />
chairperson Edel Gibbons.<br />
It sounds like County Carlow club is on<br />
its way.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 87
88 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
mark<br />
hernan<br />
THE ACADEMY<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
BY PAUL CAHILL<br />
Like all<br />
aspiring<br />
rugby players<br />
his age, Mark<br />
Hernan’s<br />
ascendency<br />
through the<br />
rugby ranks<br />
came to a<br />
shuttering<br />
halt in<br />
2020 due to<br />
Covid-19.<br />
Mark was a member of the<br />
2020 Ireland U-20 side that had<br />
already beaten Scotland, Wales<br />
and England in the U-20 Six<br />
Nations before the tournament<br />
was abandoned.<br />
But, unlike most players his age, Mark<br />
Hernan had the foresight to recognize<br />
the opportunity he had with the<br />
unplanned extended break. After a<br />
series of injuries during his school days,<br />
Hernan seized the opportunity to hit the<br />
gym, and build the size required for the<br />
senior game.<br />
“The first four months of lockdown I<br />
enjoyed. It was a new experience,” says<br />
the <strong>Leinster</strong> Academy back-rower.<br />
“I was doing two good gym sessions a<br />
day and eating a lot because I didn’t<br />
have anything else to do. It came at a<br />
good time for me. That transition period<br />
after the U-20s, there is no intermediate<br />
section, you’re straight into the AIL so it<br />
was good to help me catch up and put<br />
on that bit of weight I really needed.”<br />
We have heard of Academy players<br />
taking over back gardens and sheds<br />
as they prepared their makeshift home<br />
gyms, but the Hernan family were<br />
particularly accommodating.<br />
“Dave Fagan gave me a load of gym<br />
gear which I set up in the kitchen. My<br />
mum wasn’t too happy about it, but we<br />
all got on with it!”<br />
The Hernan family have a history<br />
of accommodating Mark’s sporting<br />
prowess, as parents Ray and Suzanne<br />
drove him from venue to venue.<br />
As a kid, he lined up for St Mary’s<br />
RFC, Lansdowne FC, played golf in<br />
Elm Park, soccer with St James’, cricket<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 89
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in Pembroke and Gaelic football with<br />
Clanna Gael Fontenoy.<br />
That’s a lot of mileage.<br />
As is usually the case, it was a trip down<br />
to a local rugby club that sparked an<br />
obsession with the game.<br />
“I was four or five when I joined St<br />
Mary’s. My dad was involved there and<br />
my older brother was already playing<br />
there so it was fairly natural to go down<br />
and join them.”<br />
While Mark may have been a little<br />
bit skeptical at first, the strong rugby<br />
tradition in his family meant he was<br />
going to give rugby as many visits as was<br />
needed.<br />
“My dad captained Mary’s when he<br />
was younger.<br />
“He also played with Connacht and Old<br />
Belvedere. His brothers played interpro<br />
rugby too. There was a big family<br />
influence to play rugby. I wasn’t much<br />
of a fan as a kid. I still played it but I<br />
was playing lots of things. But something<br />
switched in me and then I was in it. It was<br />
probably my dad and brother throwing<br />
me a rugby ball all of the time!”<br />
Households all over the country see the<br />
younger sibling attempting to copy the<br />
older one, and the Hernans were no<br />
different, as Mark looked to emulate his<br />
older brother, Peter.<br />
“My brother definitely played a big part<br />
in getting me into rugby. He was more<br />
into rugby than me when I was small and<br />
he would bring me with him down to St<br />
Mary’s.<br />
“He kind of got me into it. He played in<br />
school too. He’s been great for me and<br />
he helps me a lot. He supports me big<br />
time.”<br />
While Mark’s dad played a key role in<br />
bringing him down to St Mary’s, it was<br />
the other way around just a few years<br />
later.<br />
“A lot of my friends were playing in<br />
Lansdowne, so I moved over there when<br />
I was about nine or 10. I got my dad<br />
involved when we moved and he started<br />
doing a lot of underage coaching with<br />
us. I played there until first year in St<br />
Michael’s when that became the big<br />
priority. But it was great to get back to<br />
the club after I finished school.”<br />
Rugby certainly became the priority<br />
once Hernan stepped through the gates<br />
of St Michael’s College. And it was<br />
some current <strong>Leinster</strong> senior players who<br />
helped sway him away from the dozen<br />
or so other sports occupying the young<br />
athlete.<br />
“It was easy to look up to the lads<br />
who had just left the school and were<br />
breaking into the <strong>Leinster</strong> team.<br />
“When I was in first year, Josh Murphy,<br />
Ross Molony, Ross Byrne and Denis<br />
Coulson all came back to the school to<br />
coach us. They were only in first year<br />
of college. They were all playing Irish<br />
U-20s so it was cool to see those lads as<br />
a 13-year-old.”<br />
It was to be a fruitful time for Hernan,<br />
as he would go on to captain the St<br />
Michael’s 2019 Senior Cup team to<br />
glory alongside fellow Academy players<br />
Jack Boyle, Lee Barron and Chris<br />
Cosgrave.<br />
Despite leading the team to success,<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> representation didn’t immediately<br />
follow.<br />
“I didn’t really play much <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
underage compared to the other lads. I<br />
didn’t play <strong>Leinster</strong> U-18 or U-19.<br />
“It was when I left school I got a call to<br />
go to the Ireland U-19 trip to France and<br />
I stayed in the camp right through the<br />
U-20s. It wasn’t like I was on every team<br />
coming through.<br />
“It meant I didn’t really know what to<br />
expect, and I don’t think people really<br />
knew what to expect from me. Lots of<br />
people probably didn’t know who I<br />
was,”says Mark with a smile on his face.<br />
Hernan was stepping into the unknown<br />
somewhat ahead of his first U-20 Six<br />
Nations game.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 91
With little international experience to<br />
draw on, it was the advice of senior<br />
teammates that got him in the right frame<br />
of mind.<br />
“I didn’t really know what to expect<br />
going down to Musgrave Park. I wasn’t<br />
sure what it would be like. I actually<br />
spoke to Scott Penny and he said it’s<br />
unbelievable and explained how massive<br />
it is, so I knew it was a big deal.<br />
“You kind of get a grasp of it once you<br />
get down there. When you run onto the<br />
pitch, it’s a pretty cool experience. It was<br />
definitely a level up and you could feel<br />
that physically. The way the coaches<br />
prepared us was similar to here at<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>. The training meant we were able<br />
to deal with that.”<br />
But, after impressive wins over Scotland,<br />
Wales and England, including two tries<br />
for Hernan in the game against the<br />
Welsh, the flanker was left in limbo.<br />
“It was quite annoying. The coaches kept<br />
reminding us to keep working towards<br />
the World Cup in the summer, and we<br />
thought we’d play the last two games in<br />
a few weeks. We didn’t know the severity<br />
of Covid and what it was going to do.<br />
About two or three months before the<br />
World Cup, we could see it wasn’t going<br />
to happen.”<br />
With restrictions starting to ease and the<br />
disappointment of the U-20 cancelations<br />
behind him, and now with a strong<br />
block of gym work in the bank, Hernan<br />
was back in the sub-Academy trying to<br />
impress.<br />
“I was training with Jack Boyle, Temi<br />
Lasisi, Chris Cosgrave and all of those<br />
lads. I was training with them for about<br />
eight months or so which was great,<br />
but I was itching to get up to UCD and<br />
experience what the senior set up was<br />
like.”<br />
Eventually, the phone call finally came.<br />
After injury setbacks, missing<br />
representative selection and a global<br />
pandemic, Mark Hernan would be<br />
joining the <strong>Leinster</strong> Academy full time.<br />
It’s a phone call that he will never forget.<br />
“It was in the middle of June, 2021,<br />
when I got the call. I was out playing<br />
golf with a few friends. I got the call out<br />
of nowhere to say I would be getting a<br />
contract in the summer. I was over the<br />
moon. It was nice that I had my mates<br />
there to share it with them.<br />
“Even for my family, because I know they<br />
feel the stress I feel, maybe even worse.<br />
Every time I come home if things haven’t<br />
gone well and I’m in a bad mood, it<br />
can easily rub off on everyone. It was<br />
a big relief for the family and they were<br />
delighted for me, which was great. I rang<br />
my brother first. I rang my best mate to let<br />
him know too. It was special. Something I<br />
won’t forget for a while.”<br />
Later that summer, Hernan began preseason<br />
in UCD as a full Academy player.<br />
With lots of senior players still away,<br />
it was an opportunity to learn from the<br />
best.<br />
92 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
We didn’t know<br />
the severity of<br />
Covid and what<br />
it was going to<br />
do. About two<br />
or three months<br />
before the World<br />
Cup, we could see<br />
it wasn’t going<br />
to happen.<br />
“The Irish and Lions lads weren’t back<br />
yet, so it was nice for all of the Academy<br />
lads to come in and show what we can<br />
do in front of Leo and Stuart. It’s great<br />
that they back the Academy lads.<br />
“It’s something that I think is great about<br />
this club that as a young lad you are<br />
training with some of the biggest names.<br />
When you are growing up it’s something<br />
you dream of, but when you’re here you<br />
have to get to grips with it pretty fast and<br />
get on with it.”<br />
Soon, Mark Hernan was training with<br />
the same players who coached him as a<br />
13-year-old.<br />
Was it strange standing shoulder to<br />
shoulder with the players you admired<br />
for so long?<br />
“It wasn’t weird for me, but it was<br />
probably weird for them! They might<br />
have felt a bit old!<br />
“It was cool though to start training week<br />
in, week out with the lads you looked up<br />
to. But you can’t fanboy for too long, you<br />
have to get on with it.”<br />
He is definitely getting on with it, and is<br />
making up for lost time with a good body<br />
of work under his belt.<br />
Having lifted the Senior Cup trophy<br />
as captain of St Michael’s, as well as<br />
scoring twice for Ireland in an U-20 Six<br />
Nations game, his favourite game to<br />
date might come as a bit of a surprise.<br />
“It would be <strong>Leinster</strong> ‘A’ against Cardiff<br />
in the Celtic Cup in Cardiff Arms Park,”<br />
says Hernan after taking a moment to<br />
think.<br />
“It was the first step up from school that<br />
I had. I had Irish U-19s but that wasn’t<br />
too different to schools. But with the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> ‘A’ team, I was playing with lads<br />
10 years older than me. We won fairly<br />
comfortably, but I remember it was a<br />
good team to be involved in and it was a<br />
great experience.<br />
“It was my first adult game in a <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
jersey just a few months after I left<br />
school. I remember coming off at halftime<br />
and I was exhausted. It was about<br />
28 degrees in August and I was blowing.<br />
“I realised senior rugby is another step<br />
up, but it was a great experience. It was<br />
luck of the draw that I got to play. There<br />
were a few injuries and Penny had gone<br />
up to the senior team, so it was nice that I<br />
was backed to go out and play with that<br />
squad. It was definitely special.”<br />
Hernan appreciates each step he makes<br />
on the rugby ladder.<br />
Perhaps it takes a few setbacks along the<br />
way, but this Academy player certainly<br />
has an old head on young shoulders.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 93
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year Three 2021/22:<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year two 2021/22:<br />
Second Row<br />
Brian Deeny<br />
DOB: 02/03/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.99m WEIGHT: 121kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (8 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Brian played youth rugby with Wexford<br />
Wanderers RFC. He got his first Irish cap playing for<br />
Ireland Under-18 Sevens. Brian played midfield for<br />
his school St Peter’s College in Gaelic football and<br />
reached the All-Ireland Colleges Final in 2017. He is<br />
currently studying Science in Trinity and lives in Abbey<br />
House B&B, Wexford...if you are looking for a room?!<br />
Instagram: brian_deeny<br />
wing<br />
Niall Comerford<br />
DOB: 06/04/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 86kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20<br />
Did You Know: Niall played both hurling and Gaelic<br />
football with Kilmacud Crokes for 14 years. He also<br />
represented Dublin in Gaelic football in the U17<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Championship. He is currently studying<br />
Commerce in UCD.<br />
Instagram: niall_c123<br />
Cormac Foley #1299<br />
DOB: 24/10/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.81m WEIGHT: 88kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (9 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Marcus Hanan #1295<br />
DOB: 03/10/2000<br />
HEIGHT:1.8m WEIGHT:110.91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (2 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (3 caps)<br />
Scrum Half<br />
Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Greystones<br />
RFC when he was nine. Growing up, Cormac did a lot<br />
of show jumping and he is now studying Economics and<br />
Finance in UCD.<br />
Instagram: cormacfoley6<br />
prop<br />
Did You Know? Marcus is from Clane in Kildare and is the<br />
youngest of three. His dad went to the High School and then<br />
played rugby in Old Wesley before coaching back at Clane<br />
RFC. Marcus has Italian connections on his mother’s side with her<br />
father, Luigi Rea, being from Italy. Marcus is studying Business<br />
Management in Griffith College. Instagram: @marcus_hanan<br />
Back Row<br />
Martin Moloney #1300<br />
DOB: 19/10/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m WEIGHT: 99kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (5 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Did You Know: Martin played hurling for Kildare and<br />
played GAA and basketball for his secondary school,<br />
Knockbeg College, and local GAA club, St Laurence’s.<br />
He played his youth rugby with Athy RFC. He is now<br />
studying Business and Law in UCD, He also enjoys<br />
working on the family farm. Instagram: martin_moloney<br />
Second Row<br />
Joe McCarthy #1303<br />
DOB: 26/03/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 119kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Did You Know: Joe started playing rugby with Blackrock<br />
College RFC at the age of six before moving to<br />
Willow Park and then Blackrock College. He was also<br />
on the Blackrock swim team for five years. He’s currently<br />
studying Global Business in Trinity College Dublin.<br />
Instagram: joetmmcc<br />
Second Row<br />
Charlie Ryan<br />
DOB: 03/02/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 2.01m WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (15 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Charlie played youth rugby at Blackrock<br />
College RFC while also attending the school since<br />
Senior Infants. He captained Ireland to the U20 Grand<br />
Slam in 2019 and again for the U20s World Cup. His<br />
friends call him Chuck! He is currently studying Business<br />
and Legal Studies in UCD.<br />
Instagram: chuck_ryan5<br />
hooker<br />
John McKee<br />
DOB: 15/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.82m WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (12 caps)<br />
Did You Know: John grew up in Belfast going to school<br />
at Campbell College where he won a Senior Cup. He<br />
was involved with Ulster at age grade level until moving<br />
to Dublin after school. He also has multiple medals<br />
from Northern Irish Schools Judo competitions.<br />
Instagram: johnmckee_<br />
Centre<br />
Liam Turner #1287<br />
DOB: 14/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.73m WEIGHT: 91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (10 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (6 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Liam started to play rugby at the age<br />
of six at Blackrock College RFC. He later joined<br />
Blackrock College and was part of the 2018 Senior Cup<br />
winning team. He was also part of the Ireland U20 team<br />
that went on to win the 2019 Grand Slam. Liam currently<br />
studys BESS in Trinity College. Instagram: liamtn123<br />
Centre / Full Back<br />
Jamie Osborne #1294<br />
DOB: 16/11/2001<br />
HEIGHT:1.93m WEIGHT:96.82kg<br />
HONOURS: <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (11 caps)<br />
Did you know? Jamie is studying commerce in UCD. His<br />
grandad, Paddy Osborne, was a horse trainer in Naas,<br />
while his dad played rugby all throughout his life and<br />
his mum played hockey. Other than rugby, Jamie loves<br />
all sports especially soccer, GAA and NFL. Jamie is<br />
currently in a house with fellow <strong>Leinster</strong> Academy players<br />
Brian Deeny, Martin Moloney and Max O’Reilly.<br />
Instagram: @jamieosborne01<br />
94 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Seán O’Brien #1297<br />
Lee Barron<br />
Back Row<br />
DOB: 31/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.90m WEIGHT: 103kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Seán started playing rugby at age<br />
six with Greystones RFC where he played up until Under-13.<br />
He then played on the Junior and Senior Cup<br />
teams in Blackrock College. He is currently studying<br />
Economics and Finance in UCD<br />
Instagram: seanobrien456<br />
Hooker<br />
DOB: 15/02/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m WEIGHT: 108kg<br />
Did You Know: Lee played golf growing up in the<br />
Castle Golf Club and in the end was playing off a<br />
handicap of eight. He has family roots in Carlow but<br />
went to school in Dublin and attended St Michael’s College.<br />
As well as rugby with his school, he also played<br />
GAA and even lined out in Croke Park.<br />
Instagram: @lleebarron<br />
Max O’Reilly #1291<br />
Chris Cosgrave<br />
Full Back<br />
DOB: 26/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m WEIGHT: 86kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (7 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Max is currently in his third year of<br />
Business and Management in DIT. His preferred sport<br />
was soccer until about the age of 15, which he had<br />
played at centre midfield with Enniskerry FC for over 10<br />
years and also for Wicklow.<br />
Instagram: max_oreilly<br />
full back<br />
DOB: 24/07/2001<br />
HEIGHT:1.83m WEIGHT:85kg<br />
Did You Know: Chris is a member of UCD RFC, where<br />
he is also an Ad Astra scholar studying Agricultural<br />
Science. His athleticism is best highlighted by his feats<br />
in the field of Athletics with All-Ireland honours to his<br />
name in both the 4x100m relay and the Discus. Before<br />
the UCD and St Michael’s College days, he played at<br />
a young age with Old Belvedere RFC.<br />
Instagram: @chriscosgrave1<br />
Andrew Smith #1292<br />
Mark Hernan<br />
DOB: 21/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
DOB: 04/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m WEIGHT: 99kg<br />
Back Three<br />
Did You Know: Andrew is currently studying Quantity<br />
Surveying and Construction Economics in TUD. In<br />
2019, he won the <strong>Leinster</strong> Schools Senior Cup with St<br />
Michael’s College. Andrew also played Gaelic football<br />
with his local club - Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club.<br />
Instagram: andrew.sm1th<br />
Flanker<br />
Did You Know: Mark was coached by Ross Molony,<br />
Josh Murphy, Ross Byrne and Nick McCarthy when in<br />
St. Michael’s College. His grandfather Fergus O’Brien<br />
was Lord Mayor of Dublin and his father, Ray, played<br />
for Connacht seniors and Ireland u25s.<br />
Instagram: @mark_hernani<br />
Alex Soroka #1296<br />
Temi Lasisi<br />
Back Row<br />
DOB: 19/02/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 104.5kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (7 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Alex’s family moved to Ireland from<br />
Ukraine shortly before his birth. He was born in Cork<br />
before moving to Dublin.<br />
Instagram: alex._.soroka<br />
prop<br />
DOB: 09/05/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m WEIGHT: 115.8kg<br />
Did You Know: The TUD Mechanical Engineering<br />
student originally picked up the oval ball in Enniscorthy<br />
before later moving to Lansdowne FC. Temi rose<br />
through the ranks in the Youths system, his first outing<br />
with the province came at U-18 level against Northampton.<br />
He also describes himself as a ‘competent<br />
pianist’.<br />
Instagram: @lasisi.temi<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year one 2021/22:<br />
Scrum half<br />
Ben Murphy<br />
DOB: 23/04/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m WEIGHT: 80kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Did You Know: Ben played all different sports growing<br />
up including football, GAA and golf and won an 800m<br />
gold in the U-14 East <strong>Leinster</strong>s. He is studying economics<br />
in UCD. Ben’s father Richie played for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby and has coached at all levels of the game and is<br />
the current Ireland U-20s head coach. I<br />
nstagram: @ben._murphy01<br />
Jack Boyle<br />
DOB: 10/03/2002<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m WEIGHT: 106kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (5 caps)<br />
Rob Russell #1302<br />
DOB: 13/01/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Prop<br />
Did You Know: Jack’s father, Herbie, and uncles, Colon<br />
and Eric, all represented Old Wesley rugby club for<br />
years. His cousin Stephen Boyle also represented the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby youths. Jack is currently studying for a<br />
Commerce Degree in UCD.<br />
Instagram: @jackboyle1<br />
Full Back / Wing<br />
Did You Know: Rob is currently in his final year of<br />
Business and Management in DIT. He started playing<br />
rugby at the age of five with Wanderers RFC. He also<br />
played football up to minor level with Kilmacud Crokes<br />
and it took priority over rugby until he left school.<br />
Instagram: @robrussell7<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 95
Date<br />
25/09<br />
03/10<br />
09/10<br />
16/10<br />
22/10<br />
27/11<br />
03/12<br />
11/12<br />
1/12<br />
KO/<br />
Result<br />
W<br />
31-3<br />
W<br />
7-6<br />
W<br />
43-7<br />
Opposiotion Venue 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2<br />
URC VODACOM<br />
BULLS<br />
URC DRAGONS<br />
Aviva<br />
Stadium<br />
Rodney<br />
Parade<br />
URC ZEBRE RDS Arena J O’BRIEN<br />
KEENAN O’LOUGHLIN RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE<br />
SEXTON<br />
3C 1P<br />
MCGRATH<br />
PORTER<br />
1T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
KEENAN RUSSELL RINGROSE C O’BRIEN O’LOUGHLIN R BYRNE GIBSON-PARK PORTER SHEEHAN<br />
A BYRNE<br />
2T<br />
OSBORNE<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
W<br />
50-15 URC SCARLETS RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY<br />
1C<br />
W<br />
31-15<br />
URC GLASGOW<br />
Scotstoun<br />
Stadium<br />
KEENAN<br />
1T<br />
A BYRNE<br />
1T<br />
L<br />
10-20 URC ULSTER RDS Arena J O’BRIEN A BYRNE HENSHAW<br />
1T<br />
W<br />
47-19 URC CONNACHT RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR 1T RINGROSE<br />
1T<br />
W<br />
45-20 HCC BATH Aviva<br />
Stadium<br />
L<br />
0-28<br />
HCC MONTPELLIER<br />
26/12 P-P URC MUNSTER<br />
01/01 P-P URC ULSTER<br />
1/01<br />
22/01<br />
28/29/30<br />
Jan<br />
W<br />
89-7<br />
W<br />
64-7<br />
L<br />
29-27<br />
GGL (Altrad)<br />
Stadium<br />
Thomond<br />
Park<br />
Kingspan<br />
Stadium<br />
KEENAN<br />
1T<br />
HCC MONTPELLIER RDS Arena KEENAN<br />
HCC BATH<br />
URC<br />
CARDIFF<br />
RUGBY<br />
Recreation<br />
Ground<br />
Cardiff Arms<br />
Park<br />
11/02 18:00 URC EDINBURGH RDS Arena<br />
fixtures and<br />
results 2021/22<br />
LARMOUR<br />
1T<br />
LOWE<br />
RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
HENSHAW<br />
LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY<br />
LARMOUR<br />
LOWE<br />
LOWE<br />
1T<br />
H BYRNE<br />
SEXTON<br />
1C 1P<br />
R BYRNE<br />
4C 1P<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1C 1P<br />
H BYRNE<br />
5C<br />
R BYRNE<br />
5C<br />
MCGRATH<br />
GIBSON-PARK<br />
MCGRATH<br />
E BYRNE<br />
1T<br />
PORTER<br />
1T<br />
HEALY<br />
CRONIN<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
MCGRATH E BYRNE TRACY<br />
MCGRATH<br />
GIBSON-PARK<br />
2T<br />
HEALY<br />
PORTER<br />
- - - - - - - - -<br />
KEENAN<br />
1T<br />
LARMOUR<br />
1T<br />
LARMOUR<br />
1T<br />
RINGROSE<br />
RINGROSE<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
HENSHAW<br />
J O’BRIEN<br />
1T<br />
J O’BRIEN<br />
4T<br />
J O’BRIEN A BYRNE 1T OSBORNE FRAWLEY O’LOUGHLIN<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1T 7C<br />
SEXTON<br />
5C<br />
R BYRNE<br />
3C 2P<br />
GIBSON-PARK<br />
1T<br />
MCGRATH<br />
PORTER<br />
PORTER<br />
1T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
KELLEHER<br />
MCGRATH E BYRNE CRONIN<br />
19/02 TBC URC OSPREYS RDS Arena<br />
25/02 19:35 URC SIGMA LIONS RDS Arena<br />
04/05/06<br />
Mar<br />
25/26/27<br />
Mar<br />
01/02/03<br />
Apr<br />
TBC<br />
URC BENETTON<br />
Stadio<br />
Monigo<br />
TBC URC CONNACHT Sportsground<br />
TBC URC MUNSTER RDS Arena<br />
08/04 20:00 HCC CONNACHT Sportsground<br />
15/04 17:30 HCC CONNACHT<br />
22/23/24<br />
Apr<br />
29/30/01<br />
Apr<br />
TBC<br />
TBC<br />
URC CELL C<br />
SHARKS<br />
URC DHL<br />
STORMERS<br />
Aviva<br />
Stadium<br />
Jonsson<br />
Kings Park<br />
Green Point<br />
Stagium<br />
96 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
3 4 5 6 7 8 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23<br />
ALAALATOA MOLONY J RYAN RUDDOCK<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA MOLONY RYAN RUDDOCK VAN DER FLIER<br />
ALAALATOA BAIRD TONER LEAVY<br />
FURLONG MOLONY RYAN<br />
DORIS<br />
2T<br />
PENNY<br />
1T<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
DORIS<br />
DEEGAN<br />
1T<br />
RUDDOCK<br />
CONAN<br />
FURLONG MOLONY BAIRD DORIS LEAVY CONAN<br />
TRACY<br />
1T<br />
E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1T 1C<br />
TRACY E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD LEAVY N MCCARTHY C FRAWLEY<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
2T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
1T<br />
DOOLEY HEALY MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY<br />
HEALY<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA BAIRD RUDDOCK MCGRATH<br />
SEXTON<br />
4C<br />
R BYRNE<br />
3C<br />
OSBORNE<br />
S PENNY<br />
[UNUSED]<br />
RUSSELL<br />
T O’BRIEN<br />
E BYRNE ALAALATOA TONER RUDDOCK GIBSON-PARK OSBORNE VAN DER FLIER<br />
FURLONG MOLONY TONER LEAVY PENNY RUDDOCK CRONIN DOOLEY ABDALADZE DEEGAN CONNORS N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN<br />
ALA’ALATOA<br />
BAIRD<br />
1T<br />
TONER<br />
RUDDOCK<br />
1T<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
DORIS<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER PORTER ABDALADZE J MURPHY<br />
DEEGAN<br />
1T<br />
N MCCARTHY<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1C<br />
T O’BRIEN<br />
FURLONG<br />
1T<br />
MOLONY BAIRD RUDDOCK<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
1T<br />
DORIS SHEEHAN HEALY ALAALATOA TONER DEEGAN MCGRATH J O’BRIEN T O’BRIEN<br />
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />
FURLONG<br />
MOLONY<br />
1T<br />
J MURPHY<br />
DORIS<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
2T<br />
CONAN<br />
2T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
2T<br />
HEALY<br />
ALAALATOA<br />
1T<br />
RUDDOCK DEEGAN MCGRATH<br />
SEXTON<br />
5C<br />
LOWE<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA MOLONY MURPHY DORIS<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
1T<br />
CONAN<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
1T<br />
HEALY ABDALADZE BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK<br />
R BYRNE<br />
2C<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA TONER J MCCARTHY RUDDOCK CONNORS PENNY 1T TRACY 1T DOOLEY ABDALADZE MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 97
matchday<br />
Squads<br />
officials<br />
Jamie Osborne<br />
Tommy O’Brien<br />
Rory O’Loughlin<br />
Ciarán Frawley<br />
Dave Kearney<br />
Ross Byrne<br />
Nick McCarthy<br />
15<br />
14<br />
13<br />
12<br />
11<br />
10<br />
9<br />
FULL BACK<br />
RIGHT WING<br />
OUTSIDE CENTRE<br />
INSIDE CENTRE<br />
LEFT WING<br />
FLY HALF<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
Henry Immelman<br />
Ramiro Moyano<br />
Matt Currie<br />
James Lang<br />
Emiliano Boffelli<br />
Charlie Savala<br />
Henry Pyrgos [C]<br />
REFEREE<br />
ADAM JONES (WRFU)<br />
(14TH LEAGUE GAME)<br />
ASSISTANT REFEREE<br />
EOGHAN CROSS (IRFU)<br />
ASSISTANT REFEREE<br />
STUART DOUGLAS (IRFU)<br />
TMO<br />
OLLY HODGES (IRFU)<br />
Ed Byrne<br />
James Tracy<br />
Michael Ala’alatoa<br />
Ross Molony<br />
Josh Murphy<br />
Rhys Ruddock [C]<br />
Scott Penny<br />
Max Deegan<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
HOOKER<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
SECOND ROW<br />
SECOND ROW<br />
BLINDSIDE FLANKER<br />
OPENSIDE FLANKER<br />
NUMBER 8<br />
Boan Venter<br />
Adam McBurney<br />
Lee-Roy Atalifo<br />
Marshall Sykes<br />
Glen Young<br />
Ben Muncaster<br />
Connor Boyle<br />
Mesulame Kunavula<br />
Seán Cronin<br />
Peter Dooley<br />
Vakh Abdaladze<br />
Devin Toner<br />
Martin Moloney<br />
Luke McGrath<br />
Harry Byrne<br />
Rob Russell<br />
16<br />
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18<br />
19<br />
20<br />
21<br />
22<br />
23<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
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REPLACEMENT<br />
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Dave Cherry<br />
Sam Grahamslaw<br />
Jake Armstrong<br />
Pierce Phillips<br />
Kwagga van Niekerk<br />
Charlie Shiel<br />
Jaco van der Walt<br />
Cammy Hutchison
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Parting Shot<br />
5 February 2022<br />
Ryan Baird of Ireland celebrates<br />
winning a scrum penalty during<br />
the Guinness Six Nations Rugby<br />
Championship match between<br />
Ireland and Wales at the Aviva<br />
Stadium in Dublin.<br />
100 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 101