Leinster Rugby vs Dragons RFC

VSLEINSTER 

ISSUE 10 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

VS 

dragons 

rfc 

18 th FRBRUARY 

RDS ARENA 

KO 7.35PM

Our People, Our Home 

TWELVE COUNTIES. ONE SHIRT. 

Aaron Craig 

From a lad wearing Leinster blue to the RDS, to 

designing this season’s shirt. Aaron Craig’s journey has 

been amazing. The adidas Designer talks us through 

his design and what it means to create the shirt for his 

boyhood club. 

How did you begin working with adidas? 

When I was at the National College of Art and Design Dublin, I learned 

of adidas’ intern program. A lifelong fan of the brand, I knew it was an 

amazing opportunity. Luckily, I got to join adidas as an intern in 2016 

and I’ve been in Herzogenaurach (adidas HQ) ever since. I’m now a 

licensed apparel designer for some of the biggest teams in the world. 

What drew you to this project? 

Leinster asked if there were any Irish designers at adidas HQ they 

could collaborate with. For a lad who comes from Leinster that grew 

up supporting the team, this was a massive bucket list moment. My 

grandfather even worked the entrance gates the RDS and Donnybrook 

for years. 

What was your inspiration for the design? 

The inspiration came quite naturally. Each county of Leinster was to be 

represented equally with their heraldic crests – instantly recognisable 

symbols. I wanted to recount my own Leinster memories too. That 

meant introducing the darker blue sleeves and the collegiate gold 

detailing. To me, it’s a design that could be worn by players from any 

generation, from O’Driscoll to Sexton. 

How do you keep designs fresh year on year? 

We work closely with clubs to find authentic and fresh stories. At 

adidas, we also want to be at the forefront of performance technologies 

and sustainability. So every year we work to combine the two. 

Which design excited you the most? 

On a professional level, I designed the Spanish national team kits for 

the World Cup this season. The biggest sporting event there is. But, 

on a personal level, being part of the first adidas Celtic jersey in 2020 

and now seeing the framed Leinster kits in my parents’ home in Dublin 

might just be level with the World Cup. 

How does it feel to see your designs worn by thousands of fans? 

Seeing your jersey enjoyed by fans is definitely one of the most 

rewarding aspects of our jobs. Seeing people of all ages around Dublin 

on game day. Outside the pubs and cafés around the RDS. It’s a real 

pinch yourself moment for sure.

Newstead Building A, 

UCD, 

Belfield, 

Dublin 4 

#LEIVDRA 

The Line up 

Telephone: 

012693224 

Fax: 

012693142 

E-mail: 

information@leinsterrugby.ie 

www.leinsterrugby.ie 

10 

24 

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT 

President: Debbie Carty 

Chief Executive: Shane Nolan 

Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley 

Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail 

RUGBY MANAGEMENT 

Head Coach: Leo Cullen 

Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster 

Head of Rugby Operations: 

Guy Easterby 

Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde 

Backs Coach: Andrew Goodman 

Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell 

Contact Skills Coach: Seán O’Brien 

14 

PROGRAMME CREDITS 

Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla 

& Daniel Kelly 

Advertising: Gary Nolan 

Design: Julian Tredinnick, 

Ignition Sports Media 

Photography: Sportsfile 

Chief Steward: Sword Security 

Ambulance: St. John’s Ambulance 

Medilink 

Event Control & Safety Services: 

Eamonn O’Boyle & Associates 

62 

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STAY 

CONNECTED 

& KEEP 

UP-TO-DATE 

www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3

Debbie Carty welcome 

PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2022/23 

On behalf of Leinster Rugby, I 

would like to welcome you all to 

the RDS Arena for this afternoon’s 

match against Dragons in round 

fourteen of this season’s BKT 

United Rugby Championship. 

In particular, I wish to extend a 

warm welcome to Dublin to our 

Welsh visitors, to David Buttress 

their Chairman, to the squad, their 

Head Coach Dai Flanagan and 

their management team and hope 

you are enjoying your visit here 

for the URC competition. 

Leinster have won their last thirteen 

matches in the URC and their last four 

matches in the Heineken Champions 

Cup against Racing 92 and Gloucester. 

I would like to congratulate the Leinster 

squad on their EPCR and URC wins to 

date. 

Leinster are leading in the URC and 

will be confident heading into tonight’s 

match but will also expect Dragons to be 

confident as they themselves are playing 

very well in the URC lately and in the 

Challenge Cup where they have a last-16 

game themselves to look forward to. We 

expect tonight to be a challenging and 

physical match as always against the 

Dragons. 

I have no doubt that Leo and his squad 

are up for the challenge and we look 

forward to the season ahead. 

It’s a busy time for rugby right now with 

the national team at Senior and U-20s 

level two rounds into the 6 Nations so 

we will be missing a few of our players 

for tonight’s game, but I have no doubt 

that with the depth in the Leinster squad, 

the players available will put in a great 

performance in front of family, friends 

and supporters. 

On that note can I congratulate Leinster 

players, Andrew Porter and James Ryan 

on receiving their 50th caps after the 

Ireland and France game last week and 

to all the U-20s players that pulled on 

their representative jerseys for the first 

time over the opening two rounds. 

On the domestic front, it’s going to be a 

busy few weeks ahead as we get into the 

business end of the leagues and the start 

of the cups. 

The first rounds for the Bank of Ireland 

Provincial Towns Cup and the Metro 

Cup have both been played with some 

interesting wins that will lead on to some 

great games of rugby and a few local 

derbies too coming up. I would advise 

you all to get down to your local club 

for what will be some cracking games 

of rugby. 

The Seán O’Brien Hall of Fame Awards 

and lunch - which has been postponed 

the last three years due to Covid-19 

- was back at the a huge event in 

Bective Rangers RFC last month. It was 

a great day to celebrate Junior Rugby 

and I would like to congratulate all the 

nominees who will now be inducted 

into the Hall of Fame and a huge 

congratulations to Derrick Turner from 

Longford on his winning of the Seán 

O’Brien Award. A great day. 

I would like to welcome to the RDS this 

evening the mini rugby teams who will 

play at half time in the Bank of Ireland 

Mini Games. To the girls from Arklow, 

Dundalk, Navan and Old Belvedere 

rugby clubs, your coaches and parents, 

I know you will all enjoy the occasion. 

I would ask all supporters to show your 

appreciation and cheer on these young 

stars of the future. 

And finally to welcome our past- 

Presidents of Leinster Rugby as they join 

us today for our yearly lunch that we 

haven’t been able to host for three years 

now. I look forward to meeting you all 

today for lunch and the game here today 

in the RDS. 

To our title sponsor Bank of Ireland, great 

patrons of both our professional and 

domestic games, who along with all our 

premium partners and suppliers, who do 

so much to support Leinster Rugby, I offer 

my sincere thanks. 

Finally, to you the fans, our Season Ticket 

holders, members of the Official Leinster 

Supporters Club and friends of Leinster, I 

thank you for the contribution you make 

on match days. 

I am sure this evening will be no different 

as you get the roar going and the flags 

waving to cheer on “the boys in blue” to 

another victory. 

Let us hope for an energetic, exciting and 

injury free match tonight. 

Debbie Carty 

Leinster Rugby President 2022/23 

4 | www.leinsterrugby.ie

can I 

congratulate 

Leinster 

players, 

Andrew 

Porter and 

James Ryan 

on receiving 

their 50th 

caps after 

the Ireland 

and France 

game last 

week. 


Leo Cullen 

head Coach Welcome 

Good evening and a warm welcome to 

Dai Flanagan and his Dragons team, who 

have caused us plenty of problems in 

recent seasons. It’s great to be back 

at the RDS Arena for tonight’s fixture, 

and hopefully we will have a similar 

atmosphere to our last outing against 

Cardiff which was a fantastic evening. 

If you were lucky enough to 

have been at the Ireland v France 

game at the Aviva last weekend 

– even if you watched on TV – 

you’ll have seen and heard the 

difference a crowd can make! 

It was a very special Six Nations day, 

watching Andy Farrell’s team get a 

resounding win over last season’s 

Grand Slam champions. Andy called 

6 | www.leinsterrugby.ie 

for character from his players, and he 

certainly got that in what was one of the 

best Irish performances of recent times. 

A huge congratulations to all the Leinster 

lads who played a part last weekend, 

and a special mention for Andrew Porter 

and James Ryan who each won their 

fiftieth cap for Ireland – a wonderful 

achievement for two players who are still 

very young. Their careers are a testament 

to the hard work and dedication that 

both guys put in on a daily basis. 

Hopefully they enjoyed their night out 

afterwards with family and friends! 

Congratulations also to James Culhane 

and Aitzol King, who each made their 

Leinster debut here against Cardiff. 

It was lovely to see how proud James’ 

and Aitzol’s families were after the game. 

This time of year is very special for us 

as we get to see some young players 

coming through and taking their first steps 

in the professional game. We had eight 

Academy players in our matchday 23 

that evening – a credit to all the coaches, 

mentors and helpers who have shaped 

their development. 

Thanks as always to our team 

sponsors, especially Bank of 

Ireland, who continue to play 

an important off-pitch role in our 

success. There is huge interest in 

the game right now so hopefully 

you are all getting plenty of bang for 

your buck! 

Thanks also to everyone who attended 

our open session down at Wexford 

Wanderers last Thursday. We were 

delighted to be able to stop off at 

Enniscorthy RFC on the way, and we 

couldn’t have had a better welcome from 

either club. Both are making fantastic 

progress with their new facilities so 

hopefully we’ll be down in the sunny 

south-east again soon. 

It’s one game at a time at this stage 

of the season but that said, we have 

a lot to look forward to. After this 

evening, we have another break 

followed by a trip to Edinburgh. 

Then once the dust has settled 

on the Six Nations, we take on 

the reigning BKT United Rugby 

Championship winners, DHL 

Stormers, before facing Ulster 

in the last 16 of the Heineken 

Champions Cup at the Aviva. 

Each game brings a different 

challenge and we’re going 

to need every ounce of your 

support as we negotiate these 

next few crucial months of the 

season. 

In the meantime, thank you for being 

here and enjoy the match. 

Leo

A huge 

congratulations 

to all the 

Leinster lads who 

played a part 

last weekend, 

and a special 

mention 

for Andrew 

Porter and 

James Ryan 

who each 

won their 

fiftieth cap 

for Ireland - 

a wonderful 

achievement 

for two 

players who 

are still very 

young. 


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laura 

lynch 

BANK OF IRELAND 

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER 

A very warm 

welcome to the 

rds arena from 

Bank of Ireland as 

we look forward 

to this evening’s 

fixture. 

Bank of Ireland are proud partners to Leinster 

Rugby. Like us, they are rooted in local communities 

across the 12 counties of Leinster. 

We are delighted to support Leo Cullen and his coaching 

team in building Leinster Rugby through clubs and schools, 

developing home grown talent and always ensuring that 

Leinster #NeverStopCompeting. 

Much of that amazing talent will be on display on the pitch this 

evening. 

We wish Leinster Rugby every success, and hope that you 

enjoy the game. 

Laura Lynch. 

BANK OF IRELAND 

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER 


Did you 

know? 

• Leinster have won all 

thirteen matches they have 

played in the BKT United 

Rugby Championship this 

season. 

• Leinster’s most recent 

defeat in the competition 

was in last season’s semifinal 

at the RDS Arena to the 

Vodacom Bulls. 

• The Leinstermen have not 

been defeated by a Welsh 

region since Cardiff Rugby 

beat them at the Arm’s Park 

twelve months ago. 

• Dragons RFC have lost 

their last six BKT United 

Rugby Championship since 

beating Zebre 47-7 in 

Newport on 29 October. 

• Dragons have won only 

once away from home in the 

Championship since October 

2021: 38-27 at Scarlets in 

April 2022. 

• Dragons won their most 

recent match against an 

Irish province, beating 

Munster 23-17 at Rodney 

Parade in September and have 

not won successive matches 

against teams from the 

Emerald Isle since 2016. 

• Leinster have won their 

last eleven fixtures against 

Dragons since the Welshman’s 

23-13 victory in Newport in 

January 2016, whilst Dragons 

only previous victory at RDS 

Arena came in April 2015. 

COMPARISON 

Overall URC head-to-head record: 

Played 37, Leinster won 28, Dragons won 9. 

Last 3 URC results: 

1 Jan - Connacht (H) W 41-12 1 Jan - Scarlets (A) L 17-33 

7 Jan - Ospreys (A) W 24-19 6 Jan - Bulls (H) L 14-29 

28 Jan - Cardiff Rugby (H) W 38-14 28 Jan - Glasgow (H) L 28-42 

URC 2022/23 

1st - W13 D0 L0 - 61pts 

WWWWWW (28pts) 

URC form 

15th - W3 D0 L10 - 18pts 

LLLLLL (3pts) 

Top try scorer 

8 - Dan Sheehan 5 - Rio Dyer 

Top points scorer 

67 - Ross Byrne 77 - JJ Hanrahan 

Date Venue L D Leinster scorers Dragons scorers 

Sat 1 Dec 18 Rodney Parade 59 10 Ross Byrne(5C) Ciaran Frawley(2C) Scott 

Penny(T) Scott Fardy(T) Bryan Byrne(T) 

Dave Kearney(2T) Caelan Doris(T) Hugo 

Keenan(T) Jimmy O'Brien(2T) 

Fri 1 Nov 19 RDS Arena 50 15 Michael Bent(T) James Lowe(2T) Harry 

Byrne(T/5C) Dave Kearney(2T) Ronan 

Kelleher(T) Hugh O'Sullivan(T) 

Fri 2 Oct 20 RDS Arena 35 5 James Lowe(2T) Ross Byrne(3C) Ryan 

Baird(T) Garry Ringrose(T/C) Jordan 

Larmour(T) Johnny Sexton(C) 

Fri 19 Feb 21 Rodney Parade 35 29 Ross Byrne(4C) Peter Dooley(T) Scott 

Penny(T) Josh Murphy(T) Penalty Try(T) Dan 

Sheehan(T) 

Fri 11 Jun 21 RDS Arena (RC) 38 7 Ross Byrne(4C) Scott Penny(T) Ryan Baird(T) 

Garry Ringrose(T) Jordan Larmour(2T) 

Jimmy O'Brien(T) 

Rhodri Williams(T) Jason Tovey(C/P) 

Jordan Williams(T) Sam Davies(C/P) Owen 

Jenkins(T) 

Ashton Hewitt(T) 

Luke Baldwin(T) Sam Davies(2C/5P) Josh 

Lewis(T) 

Sam Davies(T/C) 

Sun 3 Oct 21 Rodney Parade 7 6 Ross Byrne(C) Max Deegan(T) Sam Davies(2P) 



ian 

deeny 

the big interview 

BY DANIEL KELLY 

Brian Deeny’s 

route to 

playing for 

Leinster is 

not your 

traditional 

one. 

Take April 1st, 

2017 as a prime 

example. 


Leinster defeated Wasps in the 

Quarter-Finals of the Champions 

Cup in Aviva Stadium on front of 

over 50,000 fans. 

Brian’s mind wasn’t focused on that win, 

or who Leinster would meet in the Semi- 

Finals though. 

Instead, he was lining up in Croke Park, 

in the Hogan Cup Final as his St. Peter’s 

College team faced Killarney’s St. 

Brendan’s College. 

Back then, the Wexford native hoped 

to emulate his hero Matty Forde, and 

return to Croke Park with his county in the 

Leinster Football Championship. 

Fast forward six years, and Deeny was 

the star attraction last week as Leinster 

held an open training session in Wexford 

Wanderers. 

In 2010, the ten-year-old Deeny saw 

Leinster in the flesh for the first time, as 

Joe Schmidt’s team visited the club in their 

pre-season preparations. 

“It was a lovely experience”, Deeny said 

earlier this week, about last week’s visit to 

the south-east. 

“Even going to Enniscorthy - I remember 

going there in Sixth Year, and played 

U18s with them as we didn’t have a team. 

South East trained there as well, so it was 

nice to go back there as well, as Wexford, 

but it was extra special to get home.” 

Although he had yet taken up the sport, 

the visit of Ireland internationals like Brian 

O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy and Jamie 

Heaslip left a lasting impression. 

“When I went out to that Open Session, I 

just enjoyed it. I enjoyed the intensity and 

remember only good things about it. 

“It didn’t make me want to go and play 

rugby then, but that’s what started the love 

for it.” 

Selfies and signatures were the order 

of the day last week, and Deeny was 

delighted to see some new and familiar 

faces, both young and old. 

“A lot of the people I saw in Wexford 

were friends and family. I’d know a lot 

of the kid’s mothers and fathers. Seeing 

them come out and have an extra interest 

in me was amazing. 

“Growing up, you don’t expect these 

friends and families to come out and 

stand out there with 1,000 people or so 

and watch the session. 

“My whole family came out, which was 

really nice. 

“My mother was like; ‘Why would I go 

and watch you train, when I can watch 

a match?’. 

“Thankfully, my aunts and uncles got her 

out to watch! 

“To have my parents see me sign 

autographs for the younger kids was a 

proud moment for me, as it made them 

happy. A lot of the things I do goes back 

to making them feel good, as I know how 

hard it was for them and everyone else to 

get me to where I am now.” 


A lot of 

the people 

I saw in 

Wexford 

were 

friends and 

family. I’d 

know a lot 

of the kid’s 

mothers and 

fathers. 

By his own admission, rugby didn’t 

become a serious option for the 22-yearold 

until he moved to Dublin after 

finishing school. 

The Hogan Cup Final in Croke Park gave 

him the buzz of playing in front of large 

crowds, and it’s a craving he still has. 

“That was my first taste of a serious setup 

and a serious competition. 

“There was a load of fans in Croke Park, 

and it was amazing. From there I went 

to minor football and got a taste of the 

crowd and being able to live off that 

atmosphere and energy. 

“I always watched Leinster and Ireland 

matches as a kid, but I never thought I 

could be a professional rugby player 

until I left school. 

It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for 

Deeny. This time last year, he was still 

recovering from a shoulder injury, and 

just come back from an ACL injury 

months earlier. 

In April, he made his debut in South 

Africa against the Cell C Sharks, before 

playing the following week against DHL 

Stormers too. This season he has already 

added a further six appearances to that 

haul. 

“I’d come back from an ACL injury at 

the start of last season and played in the 

Harlequins pre-season game in the Aviva, 

and I loved it. 

“A few months later, I had a 

shoulder injury and got surgery 

in January. I was rehabbing 

that, this time last year. 

“Because of the ACL, I 

knew what rehab would 

be like, but it was 

frustrating. Every 

player can relate to 

it, but it was hard 

sitting around, and 

not feeling part of 

the team. 


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“It was tough, but when I got the debut 

in South Africa, it felt all worthwhile, and 

things have been going well ever since.” 

As a youngster, Deeny featured heavily 

for the South East in the Shane Horgan 

Cup, and he feels the club pathway is 

becoming ever stronger for those players 

in all corners of the province. 

“For me, in school, you wanted to play 

for the county. That was the big goal, with 

a massive feeling of pride. I didn’t know 

there was something similar in rugby. 

“You then get trials for the South East, 

and there is a similar feeling to when you 

play with Wexford. It’s something a bit 

bigger than playing for the club. 

“Giving lads that exposure to a higher 

level of rugby that leads into Leinster 18s 

and 19s leads to higher standards. 

“The coaching in that system was brilliant. 

I remember having Andy Wood, Simon 

Broughton and Dan van Zyl as coaches, 

and thinking they were brilliant. 

“There is a pathway there, and it’s from 

people like Phil Lawlor on the domestic 

side encouraging the level of coaching to 

improve skills in the club game.” 

2023 is not even 60 days old yet, but 

it’s been memorable for Deeny in many 

ways. 

He scored his first try for Leinster, against 

Connacht on New Year’s Day. That 

match was also his first time playing for 

Leinster in the RDS. Later in January, he 

made his European debut in Gloucester. 

“I’m just enjoying myself. I’m in a happy 

space of mind and enjoying every day. 

I’m enjoying 

the journey, 

as well as the 

destination 

of trying to 

win matches 

and trophies 

too. 


It’s not even the matches - I feel happy 

and privileged to be where I am. 

“I play better when I’m happy. I’m 

enjoying the journey, as well as the 

destination of trying to win matches and 

trophies too. 

“You always get butterflies when playing, 

but Kingsholm was different. When 

growing up, the Heineken Cup games 

were always the ones I watched. 

“I have so many memories of watching 

those games. To be involved in one was 

incredibly special. 

“It felt like there were more Leinster fans 

in Kingsholm, than there were Gloucester 

fans. 

“The crowd that went over was 

unbelievable. Getting there on the bus 

and seeing the Sea of Blue was amazing. 

It was a bit different to what I’ve done in 

the URC.” 

With four matches taking place during 

the Six Nations window, Deeny knows 

he is in a prime position to impress the 

coaching staff ahead of knockout rugby 

later in the season. 

“There are so many opportunities when 

the international lads are away. Everyone 

that is here, deserves to be here. 


We’re 

lucky to 

have a great 

level of 

support, no 

matter who 

we play. 

People turn 

up wanting 

to enjoy 

themselves 

and see good 

rugby. 

“It’s all about getting that opportunity 

and proving you’re a viable option for 

the games after the Six Nations.” 

Tonight’s game is only Deeny’s third time 

playing for the senior team in the RDS, 

but he is already relishing the opportunity 

to perform in front of the Leinster faithful. 

“It’s an amazing place to play. 

The ground is so well kept. I never 

played there in Covid, so I have only 

experienced it with crowds. I feel lucky 

to play there and see everyone enjoying 

watching us. 

“We’re lucky to have a great level of 

support, no matter who we play. People 

turn up wanting to enjoy themselves and 

see good rugby.” 

Deeny has experienced life with the 

Emerging Ireland squad in South Africa 

and has enjoyed Six Nations success with 

the Ireland U20s. 

Life is good at the moment for the 

Wexford man, but there are still 

aspirations to improve on the the field. 

“I want to enjoy myself and play in 

Europe again. I want to play in big 

games and get another taste for it.” 

Wexford’s loss is most definitely Leinster’s 

gain! 


38 14 

SATURDAY, 28TH JANUARY 2023 

RDS ARENA 

ATTENDANCE: 13,544 

REFEREE: JACO PEYPER (SARU) 

BK UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 

Action 

replayIt’s incredible. 

I’ve never 

experienced 

anything like 

that before. It 

was hard to stay 

in the moment 

when I came on. 

It’s a dream 

come through. A 

massive thank 

you to everyone 

who has helped 

me get to this 

moment. 

James Culhane 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

Cosgrave, O’Reilly, Turner, Brownlee, 

Kearney, H Byrne, McGrath; Milne, McKee, 

Ala’alatoa, Molony, Deeny, Ruddock (capt), 

Penny, Deegan 

REPLACEMENTS: McElroy, Hanan, 

Clarkson, Culhane, Connors, McGrath, 

Tector, King 

TRIES: Deegan, McGrath (2), Deeny, 

O’Reilly, Turner 

CONVERSIONS: H Byrne (3), Tector 

CARDIFF RUGBY 

Priestland, Lane, Lee-Lo, Thomas, Harries, 

Evans, Williams; Thyer, Myhill, Assiratti, 

Timani, Davies, Turnbull (capt), Botham, Ratti 

REPLACEMENTS: Dacey, Domachowski, 

Davies-King, Thornton, Lewis-Hughes, Bevan, 

Summerhill, Morgan 

TRIES: Thornton, Dacey 

CONVERSIONS: Evans (2) 

I’m delighted 

[to make my 

debut]. It’s been a 

childhood dream 

of mine. It’s a 

very special time 

for me and my 

family. Everyone 

has been so 

helpful. It’s been 

such a seamless 

process, since 

coming into the 

Academy. 

Aitzol King 


There was eight 

Academy players 

in the 23. It was 

an unbelievable 

experience for 

them. We had a 

couple of new 

caps off the 

bench, and some 

guys starting for 

the first time, 

or playing in the 

RDS for the first 

time for Leinster. 

I’m really pleased 

with the result. 

Leo Cullen 


Women of Leinster Rugby: 

Emily McKeown 

BY DES BERRY 

It is a wonderful time to be a young 

girl playing sports in Ireland. 

Three years ago, Rachel 

Blackmore was voted Irish 

Sportsperson of the Year. In 

December, the honour was 

bestowed upon Katie Taylor. 

The recent prominence of Women in 

Ireland is a rising tide of publicity and 

excellence that lifts all sports. 

The competition it breeds fosters the 

energy and enthusiasm for Women’s 

Development Officer Emily McKeown to 

make rugby “the first sport” of a larger 

number of those girls. 

“It is not seen as uncool to be doing PE 

or taking part in sports because there are 

so many women on TV and social media 

being active,” she says. 

This is the era of looking good, feeling 

good and the increase in girls going to 

the gym and making fitness a priority is 

noticeable. 

True, there are many more young girls 

engaged in sport. There are also many 

more sports options for them. 

This is where Emily comes into the 

equation as the WDO for Dun Laoghaire- 

Rathdown (DLR), working with six clubs 

Blackrock College, Seapoint, DLSP, St 

Brigid’s, Old Wesley and Stillorgan- 

Rathfarnham. 

The four areas under Metro’s umbrella 

are completed by Dublin City Council 

(DCC), South Dublin City Council (SDCC) 

and Fingal County Council (FCC). 

The two WDOs in Metro, Emily and 

Grainne Vaugh, are allocated to DLR 

and DCC, respectively, their extra-time 

committed to the other two areas. 

“We have tracked the numbers from 

2019, looking at every age group from 

U8s all the way up up to U18s in all the 

clubs in Leinster,” says Emily. 

“Girls have so many choices, so many 

sports to pick from. We want to give 

them a chance to play rugby as early as 

possible. 

“The clubs have been really on board 

with what we are trying to do. While 

placing a special focus on the minis, we 

have seen the numbers growing across 

all age groups.” 


One glance at the area and 

representative teams across Leinster 

reveals how Metro has been poorly 

represented, compared to Midlands, 

North Midlands, North-East and South- 

East. 

In the last three years, the overall 

provincial increase in player participation 

is 31%, while the numbers in Metro 

have rocketed from 383 to 1,058, an 

explosion of 176%. 

“You can see it, especially across the 

minis section. The growth across Leinster 

has been very encouraging, but Metro’s 

rise in numbers does come from lower 

participation. 

“It is probably not just a coincidence that 

it was the first year the Women’s Interpros 

were televised and the first year the 

Women’s AIL was televised. 

“It was all in Donnybrook which was 

good for Metro because it made those 

games really accessible for the girls to 

come and see the game. 

“It should eventually help the Metro 

area development. We did struggle to 

compete in the Sarah Robinson Cup 

because we had such low numbers. 

“A lot of them weren’t even playing 15-a– 

side rugby in their clubs because they 

didn’t have the numbers. 

“Even this season, there has been an 

improvement in that competition. For 

example, we drew with North East (29- 

29). We are getting better and better.” 

“We have been doing a Sevens 

developmental competition for players 

completely new to the game for a few 

years. 

“Some of the schools have moved past 

that development stage and they have 

set up a 10-a-side competition, organised 

by Adam Malin from The High School, 

in a signal of how the girls want more 

rugby. 

“At the moment, there have been 17 

schools alone in Metro taking part in the 

7s and/or 10s,” says Emily. 

“We do a lot of Touch and Tag rugby 

in PE. I have noticed how the girls are 

asking for contact and help from the 

Leinster Schools Committee has been 

really important in giving more girls what 

they want from the game. 

“This year will be the Schools 

Committee’s second time doing the 10s 

competition. Last year, it was in play for 

half the season. This year, it is for the 

whole season. 

“There will be a review at the end of 

the season asking the schools what they 

are looking for and the aim is to have 

15-a-side as the endgame.” 

There is also a healthy and generous 

commitment for players at the highest 

level to give back to their clubs. 


“For example, Blackrock have their 

Ireland players Christy Haney, Aoife 

Wafer and Hannah O’Connor, coaching 

their girls’ teams and those girls can see 

their coaches playing for Ireland on the 

television.” 

There can be no better visual of the 

pathway all the way from mini to 

international rugby. 

“The clubs have been really helpful 

across Metro, even amalgamating with 

other clubs to make sure girls get game 

time. 

“This is a real factor in our retention 

being really good this year. It is one thing 

to get a girl to come to a club; another 

to provide good coaching and the game 

time to get better.” 

“For those interested in pursuing 

representative rugby, there are so many 

opportunities for U16s 7s, U18s Area 

squads, U18s Leinster and U18s Ireland. 

“Whatever level you want to play at, 

there is an option there for you,” she says. 

“For Women, there are the development 

teams, the Leinster League, the All-Ireland 

League and representative rugby with 

Leinster and even Ireland.” 

It is on trend to be a woman working in 

sport: “It is really exciting to work in this 

area. 

“I didn’t start playing rugby until I was 

16. I would have loved the opportunity to 

play it earlier. 

“It is all about options. You don’t have to 

love rugby. At least, you can try it out and 

find out whether it is for you or not. 

“It is about giving opportunity, creating 

the awareness that there are loads of 

clubs out there offering rugby to girls of 

every age.” 

Emily is often asked why she loves rugby 

so much. 

“I just think it has a sport for everyone. 

No matter who you are. smaller, taller, 

lighter, bigger, there is a place for you on 

the pitch. 

“It can be a sport for girls who have 

struggled to fit into other physical things 

they have tried.” 

The true beauty of bringing the game to 

the masses is the intended consequence 

of giving girls a place to express that 

physical side of themselves. 

“It can have such a positive impact on 

growing confidence in young girls,” she 

says. 

“I have had teachers in secondary 

schools come to me and share that a girl 

who has not been able to find that thing 

they love has found their confidence 

through playing rugby. 

“Those girls are the ones that come out 

and help us coaching because they didn’t 

consider themselves good at sport until 

they played rugby. 

“They have discovered their sport and 

they want to share that with other girls.” 

What more could you want? 

If you are 

interested in 

taking up rugby 

or you would like 

to follow our 

updates, check out 

our social media 

channels: 

Leinster Women 

LeinsterWomens 

@LeinsterWomen 

womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie 


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with 

Jack Boyle 

A – Action: If you could be a superhero, 

which would you be? 

Superman 

B – Boyhood: Who was your favourite 

sporting idol growing up? 

Tiger Woods / Brian O’Driscoll 

C – Childhood: What is your favourite 

childhood memory? 

When my younger brother Herbie 

was born 

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

meal? 

Chicken and rice 

E – Education: What was your favourite 

subject in school? 

Business 

F – Film buff: What’s your favourite film? 

The Wolf of Wall Street 

G – Groove: Who is the best dancer in the 

squad? 

Rob Russell 

H – Holiday: What’s your favourite 

holiday destination? 

Portugal 

I – Inside: Who is the worst to sit beside 

in the dressing room? 

Lee Barron 

J – Joker: Who is the funniest in the 

squad? 

Martin Moloney 

K – Kick-off: What’s your favourite time 

of the day to play a match? 

Evening time 

L – Languages: How many languages can 

you speak? 

One - English 

M – Music: Your favourite artist and song 

right now? 

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac 

N – Number: Do you have a lucky 

number? 

1 


O – Others: What’s your 

favourite sport outside of 

rugby? 

Golf or football 

P – Pal: Who is your best mate 

in the squad? 

Too many to choose from! 

Q – Quirky: Who has the most 

interesting fashion sense? 

Martin Moloney 

R – Red Carpet: Who is the most 

famous contact in your phone? 

Jamie Osborne 

S – Superstitions: Do you have 

any matchday routines? 

Lucky boxers! 

T – Trim: What’s the worst 

haircut you’ve ever had? 

When I dyed my hair yellow! 

U: Under pressure: Who in the 

squad would be the best in a 

bad situation? 

Harry Byrne 

V – Verified: How often do you 

use social media? 

Most days 

W – Worst fear: What are you 

most scared of? 

Heights and spiders 

X – X-ray: Have you ever broken 

any bones? 

None 

Y – Youth: Where did you grow 

up? 

Dublin 

Z – Zoo: What’s 

your favourite 

animal? 

Black jaguar 


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Bank of Ireland Sarah Robinson Cup 

and Shane Horgan Cup continues 

North East 19 

Midlands 17 

A fast start for North East was the 

difference in the Bank of Ireland 

Leinster U18 Girls Sarah Robinson 

Cup at Navan RFC on Tuesday 

afternoon. 

NE were quickly into their patterns, using 

the significant advantage of the wind to 

camp inside enemy territory. 

They got the best possible return from the 

early pressure when outside centre Ella 

O’Higgins crossed for the first try at her 

hometown ground for Eve Conway to 

convert. 

It got even better for them when their 

cutting edge delivered a second try for 

inside centre Rachel Fanning, converted 

by left-wing Conway for 14-0 in as many 

minutes. 

There was a worry that the game could 

get completely away from Midlands until 

they found their feet as flanker Claire 

Burke and Jodie Ahern began to have a 

real impact. 


In fact, it was the long-striding centre 

Ahern who exploited a brilliant pass by 

out-half Aoife Hughes to skin the defence 

for 14-5 in the 26th minute. 

However, North East had enough in 

reserve to move into position again. This 

time, scrum-half Alex Connor was the 

main beneficiary of the pressure applied 

for the unconverted try. 

Prop Keelin Byrne and full-back Sorcha 

Tierney were making good decisions 

before the pick-and-go employed by 

the forwards producing a try for Byrne, 

converted by Saoirse Guinan, in the 62nd 

minute. 

There was a nervous endgame to be 

negotiated by NE and they just about 

managed to keep their noses in front. 

On Wednesday, 22 February, in Tullow 

RFC, South-East and North Midlands will 

face off for the Sarah Robinson Cup title. 

Scorers – North East – E O’Higgins, R 

Fanning, A Connor try each; E Conway 2 

cons. Midlands – J Ahern, K Byrne, S Tierney 

try each; S Guinan con. 

North East – 15. Skye Healy (Ashbourne), 

14. Sarah Molloy (Navan), 13. Ella 

O’Higgins (Navan), 12. Rachel Fanning 

(Boyne), 11. Eve Conway (Dundalk), 10. Lilian 

Brady (Navan), 9. Alex Connor (Navan); 

1 . Chloe Brady (Navan), 2. Lauren Bryce 

(Skerries), 3. Orla Haughey (Ardee), 4. Kina 

Jackson (Ardee), 5. Sarah Guinan (Ardee), 

6. Caoimhe Stewart (Ardee), 7. Ava Govern 

(Ardee, Capt), 8. Meah Reid (Navan). 

Replacements: 16. Makia Carey 

(Ashbourne), 17. Aoibhin Nulty (Balbriggan), 

18. Fiona Odige (Balbriggan), 19. Orla 

Skerritt (Ashbourne), 20. Melanie Fourie 

(Dundalk), 21. Emma Gallagher (Ashbourne), 

22. Isabella Gogan (Navan), 23. Sarah 

White (Navan). 

Midlands – 15. Sorcha Tierney (Birr), 14. 

Chloe Mulcahy (Tullamore), 13. Jodie Ahern 

(Mullingar, Capt), 12. Clodagh Farrell 

(Edenderry), 11. Hannah Connon (Tullamore), 

10. Aoife Hughes (Tullamore), 9. Abigail 

O’Connor (Mullingar); 1. Shannon Doran 

(Edenderry), 2. Dorieann Oman (Tullamore), 

3. Keelin Byrne (Longford), 4. Dervla Walshe 

(Longford), 5. Saoirse Guinan (Tullamore), 

6. Eve Byrne (Mullingar), 7. Claire Burke 

(Tullamore), 8. Abigail Johnson (Mullingar). 

Replacements: 16. Maebh Staunton 

(Edenderry), 17. Moya Murtagh (Mullingar). 

The Bank of Ireland Leinster 

Shane Horgan (U16) Cup 

continued with a double-header 

at Skerries RFC on Wednesday 

afternoon. 

North East 21 

Metro 19 

The North East came out on the 

right side of a back-and-forth 

encounter with Metro in the 

opening match. 

In what was often a scrappy affair, NE 

struck first from a try by number eight 

Alex Carter which was converted by 

Harry Watters. 

It was a lead they never gave up, 

despite the swings in momentum, Metro 

answering with an unconverted try by 

flanker Adam Coffey 

In fact, it was the accuracy of full-back 

Watters that allowed NE to build in 

sevens rather than fives, booting the 

extras to go on top of centre Daniel 

Mallon’s try for a nine-point gap.

Again, Metro were well up to the task of 

coming back into it, driving forward for 

centre Jamie Carr to cross and for Ben 

Barnes to notch the extras. 

Then, from an attacking scrum on the 

right-hand side, North East moved nicely 

into their flow for Watters to touchdown 

and convert. 

Once again, Metro knuckled down to the 

task, moving well enough to break open 

the defence for hooker Sam Kingsworth 

to dot down, Barnes converting for 21-19 

with time running out. 

Scorers – North East – H Watters try, 3 

cons; A Carter, D Mallon try each. Metro – 

A Coffey, J Carr, S Kingsworth try each; B 

Barnes 2 cons. 

North East – 15. Harry Watters (Ratoath), 

14. Sam Manuel (Skerries), 13. Paddy 

Yourrell (Navan), 12. Daniel Mallon 

(Balbriggan), 11. Isaac Soden (Ashbourne), 

10. Ronan Foley (Dundalk), 9. Rhy Dixon 

(Navan); 1. Aidan McGovern (Boyne), 

2. Sam Kingsworth (Skerries), 3. Thomas 

Kearns (Navan), 4. Robin Hamill (Dundalk), 

5. Michael Daly (Dundalk), 6. Eoghan 

Monaghan (Navan), 7. Cathal O’Connor 

(Skerries), 8. Alex Carter (Navan). 

Replacements: 16. Robert Wogan (Boyne), 

17. Fabian Tahiraji (Ashbourne), 18. Saul 

Harris (Ratoath), 19. Sean McQuillan 

(Boyne), 20. Mark O’Donoghue (Dundalk), 

21. TJ Dauramanzi (Boyne). 

Metro – 15. Carl Morrison (Lansdowne), 14. 

Brian Waugh (Malahide), 13. Tadhg Young 

(Clontarf), 12. Jamie Carr (Malahide), 11. 

Lucas O’Donnell (Seapoint), 10. Ben Barnes 

(Suttonians), 9. Gavin O’Dowd (Lansdowne); 

1. Lance Soriano (Clontarf), 2. Alex 

Murgatroyd (Coolmine), 3. Hugh Heagney 

(Coolmine), 4. Evan Hayes (Lansdowne), 

5. Jack Marnell (Seapoint), 6. Noah Tyrrell 

(Malahide), 7. Adam Coffey (Suttonians), 8. 

Brendan McSorley (Malahide). 

Replacements: 16. Finn Saunders (DLSP), 

17. Brian Downing (Seapoint), 18. Michael 

Bolger (Suttonians), 19. Rory O’Dowd 

(Lansdowne), 22. Ryan Curley (Suttonians). 

South East 48 

Midlands 14 

The South East were flattered 

somewhat by the scoreline as 

Midlands just couldn’t maintain 

their effort at Skerries RFC on 

Wednesday afternoon 

SE were buoyed by two early tries, both 

coming from centre Brynn Nolan, the 

second converted by James Curry, for 

12-0 in the sixth minute. 

Midlands grew into the game as their 

forwards began to give as good as they 

took, their outstanding number eight 

Shane McGuigan getting over from a 

series of picks on the fringes for Jack 

Gorman to convert. 

They could not consolidate their position 

as the winners hammered home a third 

try for Nolan’s hat-trick, converted by 

Curry, for 19-7 at half-time. 

It was game on again when the Midlands 

forwards made sure headway for out-half 

Ronan Hooper to send centre Kien Egan 

through for their second try, converted by 

scrum-half Gorman to make it 19-14 in 

the 41st minute. 

It was anyone’s at this point and both 

sides looked to someone to step up 

and take control. It happened to be SE 

out-half out-half Curry, who used the ball 

particularly well. 

There appeared to be a telepathic 

understanding with Nolan, who breached 

the defence for the fourth time for another 

seven points in the 37th minute. 

Thereafter, South East rolled forward 

at will to add on tries by centre Daniel 

Norval, loose-head Caleb Oglesby as 

well as two tries in three minutes by Jack 

Byrne. 

Scorers – South East – B Nolan 4 tries; J 

Byrne 2 tries D Norval, C Oglesby try each; 

J Curry 4 cons. Midlands – S McGuigan, K 

Egan try each; J Gorman 2 cons. 

South East – 15. Ryan Donohoe (Enniscorthy), 

14. Warren Hubbard (Wicklow), 13. Brynn 

Nolan (Tullow), 12. Daniel Norval (Wexford 

Wanderers), 11. Noah Oglesby (County 

Carlow), 10. James Curry (Wicklow), 9. 

James Stewart (Wexford Wanderers); 1. 

Caleb Oglesby (County Carlow), 2. Aaron 

Hughes (Wicklow), 3. Senan Keating (Tullow), 

4. Matthew McGowan (Enniscorthy), 5. Zach 

Kenny (Wicklow), 6. James Kehoe (County 

Carlow), 7. Will Jones (Gorey), 8. Eoin 

O’Doherty (Wexford Wanderers, Capt). 

Replacements: 16. Patrick Cox (Enniscorthy), 

17. Luke Hearne (Wexford Wanderers), 18. 

Tom Bolger (Wexford Wanderers), 19. Emmet 

Slator (Gorey), 20. Jack Young (Enniscorthy), 

21. Bill Blyth (Enniscorthy), 22. Finn Soraine 

(Enniscorthy), 23. Jack Byrne (Tullow). 

Midlands – 15. Jake Greene (Mullingar), 

14. Cillian Traynor (Mullingar), 13. Peadar 

Glennon (Mullingar), 12. Kien Egan 

(Tullamore), 11. James Flynn (Mullingar), 10. 

Ronan Hooper (Tullamore), 9. Jack Gorman 

(Edenderry); 1. Andrew Murray (Roscrea), 

2. Sean Nolan (Roscrea), 3. Jack Byrne 

(Edenderry), 4. Derek Belton (Longford), 5. 

Rory O’Brien (Mullingar), 6. Ifeoluwaleke 

Mogaji (Mullingar), 7. Oisin O’Shea 

(Roscrea), 8. Shane McGuigan (Longford). 

Replacements: 16. Alex Coonan (Birr), 

17. Lochlann O’Reilly (Mullingar), 18. 

Brook Glennon (Mullingar), 19. Jan Palacz 

(Roscrea), 20. Jack Marshall (Birr), 21. Senan 

Murphy (Longford), 22. Jonathan Groenwald 

(Longford), 23. Michael Dooley (Birr). 


leinster 

squad 2022/23 

season 

Vakhtang Abdaladze #1263 

Prop 

DOB 6 Feb 1996 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 

WEIGHT 121kg (19st 1 lb) 

3 

CAP 

Michael Ala’alatoa #1301 

12 

CAPS 

Prop 

DOB 28 August 1991 

HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 

WEIGHT 126kg (19st 11lbs) 

Ryan Baird #1278 

Second Row 

DOB 26 July 1999 

HEIGHT 1.98m (6’ 6”) 


8 

CAPS 

Ed Byrne #1222 

Prop 

DOB 9 September 1993 

HEIGHT 1.80m (5’ 11”) 

WEIGHT 115kg (18st) 

6 

CAP 

Harry Byrne #1280 

2 

CAPS 

Outhalf 

DOB 22 April 1999 

HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 


Ross Byrne #1236 

Out-half 


HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 


16 

CAPS 

Thomas Clarkson #1285 

Prop 

DOB 22 February 2000 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Jack Conan #1223 

35 

CAPS 

7 

CAPS 

No 8 


HEIGHT 1.93m (6’ 4”) 

WEIGHT 110kg (17st 4 lbs) 


Will Connors #1264 

9 

CAPS 

Max Deegan #1256 

2 

CAPS 

Brian Deeny #1306 

Caelan Doris #1268 

25 

CAPS 

Back Row 


HEIGHT 1.96 (6’ 5”) 


No 8 

DOB 1 October 1996 

HEIGHT 1.93m (6’ 4”) 


Second Row 

DOB 2 March 2000 

HEIGHT 1.99m (6’ 6”) 


Back Row 


HEIGHT 1.94m (6’ 4”) 


Cormac Foley #1299 

Scrum-half 


HEIGHT 1.81m (5’ 11 ”) 

WEIGHT 90kg (14 st 2 lbs) 

Ciarán Frawley #1265 

Out-half 

DOB 4 December 1997 

HEIGHT 1.92m (6’ 3”) 


Tadhg Furlong #1220 

63 

CAPS 

13 

CAPS 

Prop 

DOB 14 November 1992 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Jamison Gibson-Park #1247 

Scrum-half 


HEIGHT 1.76m (5’ 9”) 


23 

CAPS 

Cian Healy #1142 

121 

CAPS 

2 

CAPS 

Robbie Henshaw #1251 

61 

CAPS 

9 

CAPS 

Jason Jenkins #1310 

1 

CAP 

Dave Kearney #1158 

19 

CAPS 

Prop 


HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Centre / Full Back 

DOB 12 June 1993 

HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 


Lock 

DOB 2 December 1995 

HEIGHT 2.03 m (6’ 8”) 


Wing / Full Back 


HEIGHT 1.81m (5’ 11”) 


Hugo Keenan #1253 

26 

CAPS 

Rónan Kelleher #1277 

19 

CAPS 

Jordan Larmour #1258 

30 

CAPS 

James Lowe #1262 

17 

CAPS 

Full Back 


HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Hooker 

DOB 24 January 1998 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 0”) 


Wing 


HEIGHT 1.78m (5’ 10”) 


Wing / Full Back 


HEIGHT 1.88m (6’ 2”) 



Joe McCarthy #1303 

1 

CAP 

Nick McCarthy #1241 

Tadgh McElroy #1312 

Luke McGrath #1206 

19 

CAPS 

Second Row 


HEIGHT 1.98m (6’ 6”) 


Scrum Half 


HEIGHT 1.8m (5’ 11”) 


Hooker 

DOB 16 June1997 

HEIGHT 1.78m (5’ 10’) 

WEIGHT 103kg (16st, 2lbs) 

Scrum Half 


HEIGHT 1.75m (5’ 9”) 


Michael Milne #1279 

Martin Moloney #1300 

Ross Molony #1233 

Charlie Ngatai #1311 

1 

CAP 

Prop 


HEIGHT 1.83m (6’ 0”) 


Back Row 


HEIGHT 1.88m (6’ 2”) 


Lock 

DOB 11 May 1994 

HEIGHT 2.00m (6’ 6”) 


Centre / Full Back 


HEIGHT 1.87 m (6’ 2”) 


Jimmy O’Brien #1272 

3 

CAPS 

Tommy O’Brien #1283 

Jamie Osborne #1294 

Scott Penny #1271 

Back Three 


HEIGHT 1.84m (6’ 0”) 


Wing 

DOB 28 May 1998 

HEIGHT 1.83m (6’ 0”) 


Centre 


HEIGHT 1.93m (6’ 4”) 

WEIGHT 97.5kg (15st 5lbs) 

Flanker 


HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Andrew Porter #1246 

50 

CAPS 

Garry Ringrose #1237 

49 

CAPS 

Rhys Ruddock #1167 

27 

CAPS 

Charlie Ryan 

Prop 


HEIGHT 1.84m (6’ 1”) 


Centre 


HEIGHT 1.87m (6’ 2”) 


Back Row 


HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 


Lock 


HEIGHT 2.01m (6’ 7”) 



James Ryan #1259 

50 

CAPS 

Johnny Sexton #1127 

111 

CAPS 

14 

CAPS 

Dan Sheehan #1286 

14 

CAPS 

James Tracy #1211 

6 

CAPS 

Lock 


HEIGHT 2.00m (6’ 7”) 


Out-half 


HEIGHT 1.88m (6’ 2”) 


Hooker 


HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 


Hooker 


HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Liam Turner #1287 

Centre 


HEIGHT 1.73m (5’ 8”) 


Josh van der Flier #1228 

47 

CAPS 

Flanker 


HEIGHT 1.87m (6’ 2”) 


for full squad profiles 

please scan this qr code 

Coaching 

Staff 2022/23 

Stuart 

Lancaster 

Senior Coach 

season 

Leo Cullen 

Head 

Coach 

Emmet 

Farrell 

Kicking Coach and 

Lead Performance Analyst 

Robin 

McBryde 

Assistant Coach 

SEÁN 

O’BRIEN 

CONTACT SKILLS Coach 

ANDREW 

GOODMAN 

ASSISTANT COACH 

Guy 

Easterby 

Head of Rugby Operations 


We always strive to be 

A beat ahead 

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The Irish Times is proud to be official media partner to Leinster Rugby. 

With unparalleled rugby coverage we look forward to keeping you up to 

date with everything on and off the field in the 2022/23 season.

Bank of Ireland Paul 

Flood, Paul Cusack & 

Division 5 Cup Draws 

The draws for 

the 2023 Bank 

of Ireland Paul 

Flood, Paul 

Cusack and 

Division 5 Cup 

competitions 

were made last 

week in Leinster 

Rugby HQ. 

The draw was conducted by 

Leinster Rugby’s Chair of the 

Rugby Committee Karl O’Neill 

and Chair of the Women’s 

Committee Eugene Noble. 

35 women’s teams from around the 

province will take part in this year’s 

competitions. 

Eugene Noble, Chair or the Women’s 

Committee said, “It is fantastic to have 35 

teams entered into the various draws for 

the Paul Flood, Paul Cusack and Division 

5 Cups - the biggest number of teams to 

date which is a very clear indicator of 

the continuing growth of the game within 

Leinster. 

“I wish all the club’s - some experiencing 

their first taste of cup rugby - the very 

best of luck in their campaigns and look 

forward to the Bank of Ireland finals day 

in SETU Carlow Sports Campus.” 

Last season’s Paul Flood Cup winners 

Tullow RFC begin their campaign away 

to Clondalkin RFC, Paul Cusack winners 

Naas RFC promoted to Division 2 in 

2022 take their first steps in the Paul 

Flood Cup away to last years runners up 

Tullamore RFC. 

Division 5 Cup inaugural winners 

Kilkenny RFC will participate in the Paul 

Cusack Cup following their promotion to 

Division 4 in 2022, they face Navan RFC 

at home on 12th March. 

All first-round ties are scheduled to be 

played on Sunday 12th, March, with the 

final scheduled for Saturday, 22 April, at 

SETU Carlow Sport Campus. 

Bank of Ireland Paul Flood Cup 

First Round Draw: 

Round One: 

Clondalkin RFC v Tullow RFC 

Dublin University v MU Barnhall RFC 

Port Dara Falcons v DCU 

Old Belvedere RFC v Mullingar RFC 

Railway Union RFC J1 v Balbriggan RFC 

Tullamore RFC v Naas RFC 

Byes into Second Round: 

Portlaoise RFC 

CYM RFC 

Bank of Ireland Paul Cusack Cup 

First Round Draw: 

Tullamore RFC J1 v Garda 

Westmanstown RFC 

Longford RFC v MU Barnhall RFC J1 

South East Lions v New Ross RFC 

St Mary’s College RFC v Wanderers RFC 

Kilkenny RFC v Navan RFC 

Clontarf RFC v Wicklow RFC J1 

Arklow RFC v Athy RFC 

Greystones RFC Gorey RFC 

Bank of Ireland Women’s 

Division 5 Cup Draw: 

Round 1 – 26 March 2023 

Ashbourne RFC v Tallaght RFC 

Semi Finals – 16 April 2023 

Round 1 Winner v DLSP RFC 

Swords RFC v Newbridge RFC 


compiled by stuart farmer 

media services limited 

Leinster Player 

SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 

Statistics 

2022/23 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER 

ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

VAKHTANG ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 0+8 - - 0+8 - - - - - 0+25 2 10 0+24 2 10 0+1 - - 10 GEO 2 

MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA 1301 25 SEP 21 13+1 1 5 9+1 - - 4 1 5 25+14 4 20 20+7 2 10 5+7 2 10 3 WS 12 

AITZOL ARENZANA-KING 1316 28 JAN 23 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 8+2 2 10 6+1 2 10 2+1 - - 27+21 9 45 23+15 9 45 4+6 - - 3 IR 8 

LEE BARRON 1308 23 APR 22 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

BEN BROWNLEE 1313 28 OCT 22 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - - 

ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 4+4 1 5 4+2 - - 0+2 1 5 31+62 13 65 31+47 11 55 0+15 2 10 2 IR 6 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 2+5 - 25 2+2 - 15 0+3 - 10 23+20 6 208 23+16 6 193 0+4 - 15 22 IR 2 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 11+4 - 99 7+4 - 67 4 - 32 96+47 9 925 78+25 4 663 18+22 5 262 26 IR 16 

TOM CLARKSON 1285 29 AUG 20 2+2 1 5 2+2 1 5 - - - 8+14 1 5 8+14 1 5 - - - 3 - 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 6+4 - - 4+2 - - 2+2 - - 97+30 25 125 67+18 16 80 30+12 9 45 20 IR 35 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 1+4 - - 1+4 - - - - - 19+11 2 10 18+11 2 10 1 - - 17 IR 9 

CHRIS COSGRAVE 1305 26 MAR 22 2+1 1 5 2+1 1 5 - - - 3+2 1 5 3+2 1 5 - - - 3 - 

JAMES CULHANE 1315 28 JAN 23 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 6+1 1 5 6 1 5 0+1 - - 49+42 25 125 46+29 23 115 3+13 2 10 1 IR 2 

BRIAN DEENY 1306 23 APR 22 3+3 2 10 3+2 2 10 0+1 - - 5+3 2 10 5+2 2 10 0+1 - - 1 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 8+1 2 10 4+1 - - 4 2 10 55+9 10 50 37+7 6 30 18+2 4 20 2 IR 25 

CORMAC FOLEY 1299 24 APR 21 2+4 1 5 2+4 1 5 - - - 4+7 2 10 4+7 2 10 - - - 4 - 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 2+2 - 9 2+2 - 9 - - - 33+27 7 188 30+19 5 172 3+8 2 16 6 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 86+43 10 50 48+35 3 15 38+8 7 35 8 IR 63 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 5+1 - - 2 - - 3+1 - - 65+57 22 110 51+30 15 75 14+27 7 35 8 IR 23 

MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - - - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 4+6 - - 4+2 - - 0+4 - - 164+95 30 150 97+58 16 80 65+36 13 65 11 IR 121 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 4+1 1 5 4+1 1 5 - - - 70+3 17 85 33+2 8 40 37+1 9 45 3 IR 61 

JASON JENKINS 1310 17 SEP 22 8+1 2 10 7+1 2 10 1 - - 8+1 2 10 7+1 2 10 1 - - 6 SA 1 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 6 2 10 6 2 10 - - - 156+23 54 270 130+16 47 235 25+6 7 35 2 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 7 4 20 3 1 5 4 3 15 48+3 13 65 31+3 6 30 17 7 35 1 IR 27 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 6+3 4 20 4+1 1 5 2+2 3 15 35+10 17 85 20+6 12 60 15+4 5 25 2 IR 19 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 8+1 4 20 6 2 10 2+1 2 10 72+11 31 155 46+7 22 110 26+4 9 45 2 IR 30 

TEMI LASISI 1304 12 MAR 22 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 4 3 15 2 1 5 2 2 10 67+2 50 250 41+1 29 145 26+1 21 105 2 IR 17 


SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

JOE MCCARTHY 1303 29 JAN 22 3+3 - - 2+2 - - 1+1 - - 11+6 1 5 10+2 1 5 1+4 - - 8 IR 1 

NICK MCCARTHY 1241 19 DEC 15 1+9 - - 1+8 - - 0+1 - - 10+46 5 25 10+39 5 25 0+7 - - 16 - 

TADGH MCELROY 1312 28 OCT 22 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 9+3 6 30 8+1 5 25 1+2 1 5 123+64 47 235 87+50 38 190 36+14 9 45 1 IR 19 

JOHN MCKEE 1307 23 APR 22 2+7 2 10 2+7 2 10 - - - 4+8 2 10 4+8 2 10 - - - 4 - 

MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 2+6 1 5 2+4 1 5 0+2 - - 3+22 3 15 3+20 3 15 0+2 - - 6 - 

MARTIN MOLONEY 1300 24 APR 21 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 2+8 - - 2+8 - - - - - - - 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 11+5 - - 9+3 - - 2+2 - - 93+62 5 25 81+45 4 20 12+17 1 5 32 - 

BEN MURPHY 1309 21 MAY 22 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

CHARLIE NGATAI 1311 17 SEP 22 9+2 - - 7+2 - - 2 - - 9+2 - - 7+2 - - 2 - - - NZ 1 

JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 8+2 1 5 6+1 - - 2+1 1 5 21+8 2 10 19+7 1 5 2+1 1 5 2 - 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 12 3 15 8 1 5 4 2 10 55+10 19 99 42+9 11 59 13+1 8 40 1 IR 3 

SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - - 

TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 - - - - - - - - - 10+11 6 30 10+9 6 30 0+2 - - 2 - 

MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 10+1 2 10 10+1 2 10 - - - 1 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 7+2 2 10 7+1 2 10 0+1 - - 41+9 25 125 41+8 25 125 0+1 - - 5 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 8+4 3 15 4+4 2 10 4 1 5 49+54 17 85 33+35 12 60 16+19 5 25 6 IR 50 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 10+1 6 30 6+1 4 20 4 2 10 110+3 36 188 66+2 23 123 44+1 13 65 1 IR 49 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 7 2 10 7 2 10 - - - 163+54 14 70 125+35 12 60 37+17 2 10 7 IR 27 

ROB RUSSELL 1302 3 OCT 21 6+2 7 35 6+2 7 35 - - - 9+4 7 35 9+4 7 35 - - - 2 - 

CHARLIE RYAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 8+3 1 5 4+3 - - 4 1 5 60+9 4 20 31+4 1 5 29+5 3 15 5 IR 50 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 3+2 1 32 3+1 1 30 0+1 - 2 159+30 27 1646 92+22 14 887 65+8 12 728 4 IR 111 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 9+3 9 45 7+1 8 40 2+2 1 5 18+23 25 125 15+14 21 105 3+9 4 20 3 IR 14 

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

ALEX SOROKA 1296 28 FEB 21 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 2+5 - - 2+5 - - - - - - - 

CHARLIE TECTOR 1314 28 OCT 22 0+3 - 2 0+3 - 2 - - - 0+3 - 2 0+3 - 2 - - - - - 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 - - - - - - - - - 64+77 18 90 57+48 17 85 7+29 1 5 5 IR 6 

LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 5+2 2 10 5+1 2 10 0+1 - - 9+4 2 10 9+3 2 10 0+1 - - 1 - 

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 9+1 7 35 5+1 2 10 4 5 25 99+25 25 125 57+19 10 50 42+6 15 75 1 IR 47 

KICKING 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR OVERALL 

SUCCESS 

RATE 

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

% 

- - - HARRY BYRNE 66.67% 11 1 - 6 1 - 5 - - 74 10 68 9 6 1 110 76.36% 

ROSS BYRNE 83.93% 42 5 - 26 5 - 16 - - 296 95 1 221 66 1 75 29 - 496 78.83% 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 100.00% 3 1 - 3 1 - - - - 57 13 - 54 13 - 3 - - 84 83.33% 

JIMMY O'BRIEN - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - 2 - - - - - 4 50.00% 

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

JOHNNY SEXTON 68.42% 12 1 - 11 1 - 1 - - 277 308 11 140 172 7 130 132 4 733 79.81% 

CHARLIE TECTOR 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 100.0% 


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Bank of Ireland 

Match Day Mascots 

RILEY 

BYRNE 

Age: 5 

School: SN Seachnaill Naofa 

Class: Senior Infants 

Hobbies: Ballet, Music and Art 

Favourite player: Sene Naoupu 

NIAMH 

KANE 

Age: 9 

School: St. Raphaelas Primary School, Stillorgan 

Class: 3rd class 

Hobbies: GAA, Gymnastics, Rugby and Drama 

Favourite Player: Jonathan Sexton 


ig picture 

28 January 2023 

Debutants James Culhane and 

Aitzol King of Leinster after the 

United Rugby Championship match 

between Leinster and Cardiff at 

RDS Arena in Dublin. 


Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile 


Thank you 

to all the rugby volunteers 

& behind-the-scenes heroes. 

You make the 

game we love possible. 

Think of the Possibilities

offical leinster 

supporters club 

We are delighted to be back in the RDS this 

evening where we take on Dragons RFC in Round 

14 of the BKT United rugby championship. 

The OLSC extends a very 

warm welcome to our visitors 

to the RDS, we also welcome 

back some of our Irish squad 

members whilst the Six Nations 

takes a well-deserved break. 

What a week it’s been! Massive 

congratulations to the Irish team for 

delivering that incredible performance 

against France last Saturday. It sets the 

coming weeks up to be very exciting. A 

shoutout to Andrew Porter and James 

Ryan who earned their 50th Caps for 

Ireland! 

However, as we know rugby can also 

be a cruel sport and we say goodbye 

to Charlie Ryan who at 24 has had to 

retire from rugby through injury, we wish 

Charlie well for the future. 

We also wish Jack McGrath the very 

best who has also just announced his 

retirement in the last few days. Jack 

was a former Leinster stalwart, having 

represented his province 145 times from 

2010-2019 earning a Champions Cup 

medal, a Challenge Cup and three 

domestic titles. He represented Ireland 56 

times, and won three caps on the British 

and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand 

2017. Thank you, Charlie and Jack, for 

your contribution. 

We have lots of things planned 

so keep an eye out on social media 

and please get in touch if you 

want to help, we really can’t do it 

without our army of volunteers. 

It’s been a few busy months on the OLSC, 

we have settled in very well to our new 

home in the Laighin Den, and we are 

delighted with the move to our new base. 

We are helping Energia today who have 

lots of fun activities going as Gaeilge, 

there’s a pop-up Gaeltacht, Try the 

Lightbulb Challenge, or ask for something 

from the shop in Irish, lots of prizes to be 

won, so stop by and have a try. 

The shop is open before and after the 

game, Leo the lion is back, but may not 

stay too long and we also just got the 

beer carriers back in stock. We also 

have some new stickers and packs of 

Legend postcard prints. The Legends wall 

beside the shop has become a must-see 

in the Guinness Fanzone. 

Did you know that for the last 20 years, 

we have produced a Legend t-shirt each 

season? A player is nominated, then 

we design and produce a t-shirt that 

depicts that player in some way, and 

all proceeds raised are donated to our 

chosen charity that season. Watch this 

space for our chosen Legend which is 

soon to be revealed. 

Our next game is on the 24th of March 

against the DHL Stormers, and after that, 

it’s Ulster in the Aviva! We have lots of 

things planned so keep an eye out on 

social media and please get in touch if 

you want to help, we really can’t do it 

without our army of volunteers. Please 

tag us in any of your photos from the day 

#OLSC. 

As always, we’re thankful for the support 

we as a committee get from Leinster 

Rugby, Bank of Ireland, Energia, Laya 

Healthcare, Guinness, and all our other 

sponsors and we encourage you to show 

your support through our social media 

channels. 

Be loud, be true, be blue! 

Yours in Rugby, 

The OLSC Committee 

olsc@leisterrugby.ie 


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2022/23 

At Jigsaw, we understand and support young 

people’s mental health. 

Both online and in person, we give advice and support to 

help young people aged 12 to 25 years-old. 

jigsaw.ie 

Jigsaw is a registered charity in Ireland.

SEAN O’BRIEN HALL OF FAME 

AWARDS CEREMONY AND LUNCH 

After a three-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic the 

Sean O’Brien Hall of Fame Awards took place prior to 

the recent URC game between Leinster and Cardiff. 

The event, which awards and 

honours volunteerism in the 

domestic game, drew a capacity 

crowd from clubs across the 

province to the Bective Rangers 

clubhouse in Energia Park. 

170 attendees assembled for an excellent 

lunch and it proved to be a wonderful 

opportunity to meet and catch up with 

rugby friends and acquaintances from the 

four corners of Leinster. 

Phil Lawlor, the Leinster Domestic 

Rugby Manager and MC for the day, 

introduced Pat Carolan (Chair of the 

Junior Committee) and Debbie Carty, 

President who both welcomed those 

attending and spoke about the value 

of volunteers in our clubs and Branch 

Committees. They also spoke of the 

importance of recognising and awarding 

those who give of their time to the game. 

Prior to the event, the five regions and 

the senior clubs had each nominated a 

candidate to be inducted into the Hall 

of Fame and from which there would be 

selected an overall winner of the Sean 

O’Brien trophy. 

The selected inductees to the 2023 

Seán O’Brien Hall of Fame are: 

LORCAN KIRK 

North East Area and 

Dundalk RFC. 

Lorcan’s involvement with 

Dundalk RFC extended over more 

than 30 years. His playing career 

included a successful role as 

Captain of the 4th XV Team. 

Turning his attention to administrative 

roles within the Club, acting as Honorary 

Secretary serving for more than 10 years 

and as our representative on the North 

East Area of the Leinster Branch. Other 

roles included Fixtures Secretary, Referee 

and Team Manager. 

Attaining promotion to the AIL in 2015, 

there was only one name put forward to 

represent Dundalk RFC on the Leinster 

Rugby Executive Committee. 

Lorcan wore his blazer with great pride; 

the value of his contribution to Leinster 

Rugby was reflected in the fact that, even 

as Dundalk lost their Senior status, Lorcan 

was asked to remain with appointments 

to a number of Branch Committees. 

Ever present at Dundalk RFC matches, 

Lorcan was a great character sadly 

passing away last October and will be 

sorely missed by all who knew him; a 

significant loss to the Club and we may 

never see his like again. 

MICK McCOY 

North Midlands Area and 

Newbridge RFC. 

A native of Newcastle West, Co. 

Limerick, Mick learnt his rugby at 

Blackrock College. Mick studied at 

UCC where he continued to play 

rugby. 


In 1972 he relocated to Armagh and 

recommenced playing the game. He 

captained two teams that reached the 

Ulster league finals in Ravenhill in 1973 

and 1974. 

After relocating to Newbridge. Mick 

volunteered in 1999 to assume the 

role of Mini and Youth Coordinator at 

Newbridge RFC until 2007. 

Mick served as the Club representative 

on the North Midlands Area Youths & 

Mini Committee for eight seasons – 1999 

to 2007. In 2001, Mick was elected 

Honorary Secretary of the Leinster Youths 

Committee in the season 2009/2010 

and remains active in that role today 

also serving as a member of the Leinster 

Executive Committee. 

Mick served on the Newbridge RFC 

Executive from May 2000 to May 2022. 

He was elected Club President in seasons 

2017 to 2019. 

Away from rugby, Mick is very active in 

the community and has represented the 

club on the management committee of the 

local Community Employment Scheme. 

IAN MORGAN 

Senior Clubs and 

Terenure RFC. 

Ian, affectionally known as 

Moggy, was part of the 1983- 

1984 Terenure College SCT team 

who won the SCT Cup that season. 

On leaving school, Moggy played 

Senior Rugby for Terenure 

College RFC, Dublin University 

(who he captained in 1990), Old 

Belvedere RFC & Barnhall RFC. He 

represented the Leinster Schools, 

U19s, the Irish Universities and 

the Leinster Juniors. 

At 29 years of age, he accepted his first 

coaching position with Barnhall RFC 

spending 13 years with them as player/ 

coach and then Director of Coaching 

winning promotion to the AIL in 1999. 

In 2009, Moggy moved back to Terenure 

College RFC as Head Coach and after 

completing various Coaching roles in the 

Club is now the Director of Rugby and 

also the Club Fixtures Secretary. 

His Leinster Juniors career extended from 

1997 unto 1999 where he fulfilled the 

role of Player/Coach. 

He was also Head Coach of the Leinster 

U21s for three seasons from 2002 to 

2005. His off the pitch activity includes 

many key roles within the Leinster Branch. 

Ian Morgan has participated 

passionately and served selflessly in 

Leinster & Irish Rugby for almost 40 years 

both on and off the pitch. 

GER O’BRIEN 

South East Area and 

Tullow RFC. 

Ger was born in 1969 and sadly 

died of Covid on 12th December 

2020. Described as Tullow’s 

Anthony Foley, the club lost a true 

giant of the game. 

He distinguished himself on the field of 

play on Tullow’s first ever U18s team as 

captain. 

O’Brien continued to play on the club’s 

firsts for 17 years and was club captain 

in 1998/99 winning a South East Cup 

in 1989 and Provincial Towns Plate in 

1996. 

After hanging up his boots Ger was part 

of the coaching group when Tullow RFC 

won the Towns Cup in April 2017. He 

was instrumental in establishing the now 

highly successful girls underage structure 

as well as contributing to our senior 

women’s teams. 

Tullow RFC has recently completed 

a major infrastructural development 

programme and Ger was a key member 

of the steering group bringing his unique 

combination of technical knowledge, 

intelligence and good humour to bear on 

proceedings. 

The loss of Ger to his family and our 

club was incalculable, Ger’s memory is 

now enshrined in a beautiful granite seat 

erected in his honour and memory. 

DERICK TURNER 

Midlands Area and 

Longford RFC. 

Derick’s rugby career started 

when he picked up the oval ball 

in Wilsons Hospital where he 

captained the Schools Team to a 

Connaught Schools Cup and going 

on to play for Connacht Schools. 

As a young adult, Derick went on to 

join Mullingar RFC, where as a callow 

17-year-old he featured in the Provincial 

Towns Cup playing against Wexford 

RFC. 

In the mid-60s, Derick was part of the 

re-establishment of Rugby Football in 

Longford with a number of like-minded 

colleagues formed the Club commencing 

with humble and very basic facilities 

available and a field borrowed from a 

local farmer! 

His dedication to Longford and Leinster 

Rugby has seen him serve as Club 

Captain, 1st Team Coach and Club 

President. He represented Longford 

on the Leinster Midlands Committee 

and consequently the Leinster Junior 

committee for many years. Derick also 

spent a period of three years as manager 


of the Leinster Junior Team winning an 

Interprovincial series. 

Last season, Derick stepped down from 

his involvement with Leinster Rugby 

bringing to an end five decades of 

service to the Leinster Rugby cause. 

THOMAS MAGNER 

Metro Area and 

Suttonians RFC. 

Thomas had a long career in AIB 

where he played and managed 

with the AIB Rugby Club in the 

1980s & 1990s. As his playing 

career ended, Thomas became a 

first-class administrator. Not only 

did he continue to manage the 

AIB Club, but he also filled many 

roles in Suttonians RFC including 

fulfilling the role of Club Honorary 

Secretary and was also as an 

extremely proud President of the 

Club in the 2019/2020 season. 

For over a decade, Thomas served as 

the Suttonians RFC representative on 

the Metropolitan Area Committee In 

recent years from 2020-2022, Thomas 

also represented Suttonians RFC on the 

Leinster Branch Executive. 

Thomas sadly passed away suddenly last 

June. His passing has left a major void in 

Suttonians RFC and on the Metropolitan 

Area Committee where his appetite for 

hard work and strong interest in Club 

issues will be greatly missed by all and 

his presence very difficult to fill. 

Three of the inductees were posthumous 

and it wonderful to see family members 

and club representatives of Lorcan Kirk, 

Ger O’Brien and Thomas Magner in 

attendance. These three gentlemen had 

given wonderful service to their clubs and 

rugby in general and are sadly missed by 

all of Leinster’s rugby fraternity. 

The winner of the Sean O’Brien 

Trophy went to DerIck Turner of 

Longford RFC who upon receiving 

his award gave a wonderful 

insight into his involvement in his 

club over many decades and his 

role in their development. He truly 

epitomises what volunteerism 

is all about and was a worthy 

recipient of the accolade and 

award. The winner also received 

a voucher for a bespoke suit 

sponsored by Best Menswear and 

presented to Derick on the day by 

John Smith. 

Congratulations to each and everyone on 

receiving the awards and induction into 

the Sean O’Brien Hall of Fame. 

There was also a special presentation 

on the day to Trevor Merry of Clontarf 

RFC to acknowledge his many years of 

dedicated service as Honorary Secretary 

of the Leinster Junior Committee. 

During the afternoon, Phil Lawlor 

conducted an interesting and entertaining 

Q&A with special guests and former 

Internationals Lyndsay Peat and Mike 

Ross. They both regaled stories of their 

playing careers and their views on the 

current game and 2023 Six Nations 

competitions. 

A sincere thank you to all who 

contributed to making the day such 

a wonderful success by way of 

sponsorship, and to all those you took out 

advertisements in the excellent brochure 

produced for the day, the continued 

support of all is greatly appreciated. 

To the staff and members of Bective 

Rangers RFC and to Vinny Hanlon 

Catering, their role in what was a 

wonderful occasion was also very much 

appreciated. 

Finally, these events do not happen but 

for the hard work and dedication of the 

organising committee. Again, a sincere 

thank you are due to each and every one 

of them for their time and dedication. 

Congratulations to all and roll on next 

season’s event. 


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GETTING 

We check social media 

for the latest views 

and thoughts across 

SOCIAL 

the 12 counties 


WHERE 

ARE 

THEY 

NOW? 

PETER BY DES BERRY 

McKENNA 

THEN: Peter 

played 41 times 

for Leinster from 

1997 to 2003. 

NOW: He practices 

law at his 

firm McKenna 

Durcan, living in 

Blackrock with 

his wife Gillian 

and three sons 

Matthew (10), 

Ollie (7) and 

Andrew (3). 


Peter McKenna with parents Arthur and Kathleen 

“Why not? Why not 

you?” 

It was a mantra of his father 

Arthur that always drove, and 

never left, Peter McKenna. 

“If you have an interest in something, I 

suppose why not tug on that string and 

see what can happen? That is what I 

have tried to do, when I have felt brave 

enough!” he says. 

r“My dad always had this thing of ‘why 

not? why not you?” 

Peter stretched out his education from 

CBC Monkstown to study Law in 

UCD, adding on a post-graduate 

higher diploma in Business and an 

MBS in Management Information 

systems. 

He branched out into cocommentating 

on rugby for Setanta 

Sports, even writing a book ‘Rugby 

Explained’ to break down a 

complicated game, and was involved 

in founding the Irish Rugby Union 

Players Association (IRUPA), now 

known as Rugby Players Ireland (RPI). 

It is 20 years since Peter last laced his 

boots for Leinster. Time does fly. 

“I know you look back wearing 

rose-tinted glasses, but, it truly was 

a wonderful time and experience,” 

he says. 

“I was in the prime of my life and health, 

and I got to play a really good standard 

of rugby with some exceptional players 

and teammates. 


“Looking back now, from the comfort 

and confines of my desk, it truly was 

a gift in many ways. Back then, a 

typical day might involve lifting weights 

in the morning, followed by a coffee 

and a chat with your mates, and an 

afternoon spent playing international 

standard touch rugby as a warm-up 

to your training session with the likes 

of O’Driscoll, Horgan, Hickie, D’Arcy, 

Dempsey and so on. Sometimes we were 

even sent home for a two-hour snooze in 

the afternoon!” he smiles. 

Peter’s Leinster career began in 1996 

when he played for one season, as 

the provincial game was turning from 

amateur to professional. 

“In 1997, I turned down the offer of a 

contract in favour of studying for my 

Masters. At the time, nobody really knew 

what a professional rugby life at the 

provincial level would entail.” 

Back then, for Peter, his studies and 

rugby were in a constant battle for 

his attention. Ultimately, he signed a 

one-year, part-time contract with Mike 

Ruddock in 1999. 

“I had started my traineeship as a 

solicitor in 1998 with Donal Spring & 

Company. My boss was Donal Spring, 

the ex-Ireland number eight. He was 

great. He fully supported my decision 

to play rugby and put my legal career 

temporarily on hold.” 

“I went part-time for a year to test the 

waters and to see if it was for me. 

Actually, I think I am the very last person 

on a part-time contract to have played 

for Ireland. 

“That started my four years as a 

professional where I was able to continue 

with my studies at Blackhall Place in the 

background. It was a nice balance. 

“I put those recently learned legal skills to 

use in helping to set up IRUPA (now RPI) 

along with fellow players Liam Toland, 

Mike Mullins, Justin Fitzpatrick and Dan 

McFarland. 

“It was such an interesting time. We had 

only formed in 2001 when, in late 2002, 

the IRFU proposed to disband Connacht. 

“This galvanised us as a group and the 

players came together to challenge the 

proposal, along with the many thousands 

who marched on Lansdowne Road.” 

In fairness to the IRFU, they changed their 

position, got behind Connacht and the 

rest, as they say, is history. 

In 2003, Peter was offered another 

contract with Leinster. It just didn’t feel 

right. Leinster had lost to Perpignan in 

the Heineken Cup semi-final. Coaches 

Matt Williams and Willie Anderson were 

heading to Scotland. Other friends in the 

squad were moving on too. 

“I was 29 and I knew I was going to 

have to restart my traineeship which 

would continue for two more years,” he 

shares. 

“I knew that’s what I had to do. I felt that 

I should do that sooner rather than later.” 

It was only when he stepped away 

from the game that he realised what an 

exceptional environment it was in which 

to earn a living. 

“In the normal workplace, it can be a 

different environment. I love the law and 

I continue my interest in technology as 

chairperson of the technology committee 


of the Law Society. I like what I do. But, it 

is not the same.” 

“In the professional rugby environment, 

everyone is pulling in the same direction. 

You all want the same outcome. You are 

all there with the same passion and for 

the same reasons. And Leinster created 

an environment to allow you to thrive if 

you were willing to work hard.” 

Peter saw many men come and go at 

Leinster and, in his time, he learned one 

immutable truth. 

“Hard work trumps talent, pretty much 

all the time. Hard work and talent trumps 

everything else,” he says. 

“In 2000, I tore ligaments in my ankle 

playing for St Mary’s RFC two weeks 

before I was due to play for Ireland A. 

My main concern that night was to get 

on the crutches to get back to make last 

orders in the bar at St Mary’s, which I 

did, by the way, but I was out for five to 

six weeks. 

“Fast-forward a year or so, Girvan 

(Dempsey) suffered a similar injury and 

I saw it as my chance to try and play 

ahead of him for an extended period of 

time. But he was only out for three weeks. 

“I couldn’t figure it out. How did he get 

back so soon? He later told me how for 

the first few days after his injury, he would 

get up in the middle of the night and 

ice his ankle every four hours to get the 

swelling down. 

“It highlighted for me that I was still 

in amateur mode, whilst Girvan had 

converted fully to professionalism.” 

“The lessons I learned from watching the 

top calibre players we had at the time 

were the benefits of focus, certainly the 

power of discipline and the value of hard 

work.” 

When Peter retired, he stayed at the 

heart of the game by co-commentating, 

writing the book, and playing with Old 

Belvedere RFC in the All-Ireland League, 

but, not unexpectedly, he found himself 

acutely drawn to where the law and 

rugby crossed paths. 

“I have always believed passionately 

about player welfare issues, with a deep 

desire to help make Ireland the best 

place in the world to play rugby. 

“I felt that if the right contract environment 

existed for players, it would help play 

some small part in keeping our best talent 

here and attracting talent in. 

“One of my proudest achievements as a 

legal advisor to RPI was being involved 

in drafting the Collective Bargaining 

Agreement between the IRFU, RPI and the 

Players in 2019. 

“It was progressive, pioneering and 

the first such agreement in northern 

hemisphere Rugby. It’s something Irish 

rugby should be very proud of.” 

Peter retired from professional rugby in 

June 2003 but there was an unexpected 

swansong when Leinster coach Gary 

Ella came calling to help fill a hole in the 

Leinster squad left by the departure of 

Ireland’s internationals to the World Cup 

in October 2003. 

“I went back in for four games to help 

them out. I can’t tell you how lovely that 

was. Only then did I realise how much I 

missed it. And still do” he adds wistfully. 


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Referees 

Corner 

BY DAN WALLACE 

A warm welcome to the RDS and 

another edition of Referees Corner. 

Today’s match official is Mike 

Adamson from Scotland. 

Mike is a former Scotland 7s 

international rugby union player 

and now professional referee. 

His primary playing position 

was at fly-half. Adamson played 

professionally for Glasgow 

Warriors and London Scottish 

and at amateur level for 

Glasgow Hawks. 

He has worked his way up the 

refereeing ladder, officiating in the 

Anglo-Welsh Cup in England, the Currie 

Cup in South Africa as well as PRO D2 

in France. His refereeing progress and 

development has been deemed a rapid 

rise. Adamson has been refereeing 

World 7s matches since 2014. 

He was appointed to the Refereeing 

Panel for the Olympic Games Rugby 

Sevens for Rio 2016. He refereed his 

first Pro12 match on 26 November 

2016; the match Munster versus Treviso. 

He became the first ex-player to play 

and referee in the Celtic League / Pro 

12 League. 

Adamson was named as one of the 

nine referees that will take charge of 

the World Rugby U20 Championships 

in Georgia 2017. On 20 November 

2021, he refereed his first Tier One 

International Match between Wales and 

Australia. On 6 August 2022, Adamson 

refereed his first Rugby Championship 

International match between Argentina 

and Australia. He is assisted by Oisin 

Quinn and Tomas O’Sullivan with Dave 

Sutherland of the SRU in the TMO box. 

We wish them well for today’s game. 


Schools Cups 

The first thing most referees look forward 

to after the Christmas period is the 

Bank of Ireland sponsored Leinster 

Schools Senior and Junior Cups. The 

draw in December kicks this off, but it is 

the selection of referees that is greatly 

anticipated. Refereeing a Schools Cup 

game, be it on the great new surface in 

Donnybrook, the RDS, or any other club 

in Leinster is one of the highlights or any 

referee’s career. 

Not every referee gets to do one so 

being selected makes it a bit more 

special. Some referees may never have 

played to that level in schools, some 

may not have played rugby in schools 

at all and some are reliving past glories 

on the D4 pitch. Whilst any Schools 

Cup game is special for the players, it 

is equally special for the referee. Some 

referees may never be lucky enough to 

referee a game in front of a big crowd 

again, others may never referee on 

TV again, so it is an opportunity to be 

cherished. 

We’ve already had some great games 

this season, with plenty more to look 

forward to. Colm Roche, Padraic Reidy, 

Robbie Jenkinson and Paul Haycock 

will referee the four Quarter-Finals of 

the Senior Cup this year with all games 

taking place in Energia Park. 

Monthly Seminars 

We’ve had some great turnouts at 

our first monthly seminars of 2023. 

This month we are focusing on the 

Lineout and the Maul. We’ve had some 

excellent presentations from our national 

panel referees Robbie Jenkinson, Sean 

Gallagher, Paul O’Connor and Sam 

Holt. We have discussed our routines 

for setting up the lineout, positioning, 

lineout formation issues, obstruction 

at the maul formation and refereeing 

maul collapses. If you are new to rugby, 

the lineout is a means of restarting the 

game after the ball, or a player carrying 

the ball, crosses the touchline. The 

opponents of the team who last held or 

touched the ball, prior to it going out of 

play, throw the ball into the lineout. To 

win possession, any player in the lineout 

can jump for the ball, supported in the 

jump by two team-mates. 

Often a maul is formed off a lineout 

hence the reason for educating these 

together. A maul typically evolves 

from a contact situation where the ball 

carrier is held by an opponent but is 

not brought to ground. It can develop 

into an effective method of retaining or 

contesting possession. A maul can be 

a dynamic attacking platform which 

commits defenders and therefore creates 

space to play. On formation of the maul, 

offside lines are created. The maul can 

be tricky to referee, as there are a lot of 

variables and a lot going on. The Rugby 

Ready section of the World Rugby 

website has a lot of great information on 

both and some law questions at https:// 

passport.world.rugby/injury-preventionand-risk-management/rugby-ready/ 

Want to get 

involved? 

Referees provide a vital 

function in servicing all 

levels of the game. Whether 

you aspire to referee at 

the highest level or to 

referee locally, there is a 

place for you. There are 

excellent support structures 

to develop referees and a 

thriving social aspect too. 

Feel free to make contact with 

the Leinster Rugby Referees at 

hayley.whyte@leinsterrugby.ie 

If you are interested in 

becoming a referee get in 

contact with us through our 

Facebook, our website 

www.leinsterrugbyreferees.ie 

or through 

twitter @leinsterreferee 


ank of ireland 

MATCHDAY minis 

Arklow RFC 

Players: Ava Dunne, Amelia Murphy, Bodi-Rae Leonard, 

Faye Marie Burke Emery, Isabelle Kirya, Abbie Byrne, 

Holly Hudson, Bonnie Rose Uzell, Lara Duggan, 

Zara Delaunois-Vanderperren, Sadhbh Nalty, Lily O’Donnell, 

Niamh Thomas, Annie Tutty, Cara Moore and 

Brooke Wolohan Byrne 

Coaches: Barney Hynes, Hans Delaunois-Vanderperren and 

Niamh Leonard 

Dundalk RFC 

Players: Sophie Dunne, Ava O Neill, Pippa Mooney, 

Islagh Hollywood, Juliette McEntegart, Bebhinn Harris, 

Orla McCourt, Evanna Mae Meegan, Nicole McNamee, 

Abigail Kerin, Katie Fearon, Vivian King, Aine Mc Cabe, 

Zoe Woods and Alannah McGeown. 

Coaches: Brendan Kerin and Niall McEntegart 

Navan RFC 

Players: Faye Lynch, Genevieve Berwick, Megan McGrane, 

Aobha Duffin, Aoibheann Fletcher, Holly Owens, Caitlin Russel, 

Heidi Gillespie, Layla Lynch, Lydia Trehy, Ella Weldon, Aoibhe 

Cheevers, Michaela Spillane, Grace Shortt, Anna Geraghty, 

Fiadh Stafford, Danielle Curtis, Sophie Colwell Brady, Faye 

Condra, Lucy Fletcher, Pippa Gillespie, Giulia Lepore, Abby 

Collwell Brady, Alice Larkin. 

Old Belvedere RFC 

Players: Abigail Redmond, Aiveen Macgregor, AnnaBeth 

Treacy, Clare Mehigan, Daria Murphy, Elise Fevrier, Ellen 

Coyne, Estelle Fevrier, Imogen Doran, Kate Merry, Madeline 

White, Maya Harrington, Nina Merry, Penny Lucas, Rosie 

Moyles and Sophia Callanan 

Coaches: Niamh Lynch and Ailish Slack 

Coaches: David Condra, Tommy Geraghty, Ronan Curtis, John 

Shortt, Ollie McDonald, Kyle Stafford and Sue Trehy. 


Leinster overcome 

Munster in U18 

Girls Interpros 

LEINSTER 29 MUNSTER 22 

A tremendous try by Orla Wafer 

in the last play of the game gave 

Leinster the edge in a U18 Girls 

Development Inter-provincial on 

the 4G pitch at Terenure College 

on Thursday afternoon. 

A host of changes from the weekend win 

over Ulster reflected the strength in depth 

available to the Leinster coaches. 

There was a reminder of how the gap 

is narrowing at this level when Munster 

moved into a 7-0 lead in the fourth 

minute. 

Leinster were able to answer in style, 

retrieving the kick-off by rucking over 

the top of Munster for second row Alma 

Atagamen to dot down in the eighth 

minute. 

This was followed up by a high tackle 

on Anna Mai O’Brien which handed the 

ball to the home side and centre Katie 

Corrigan breached the defence, Abby 

Healy converting for 12-7 in the 15th 

minute. 

The dazzling footwork of Robyn 

O’Connor was too much for Munster to 

handle, the Ireland U18 full-back blazing 

a trail to the line in the 20th minute. 

Munster kept in touch with a penalty and 

a converted try to level it up at 17-17 on 

the half-hour. 

There was still time enough for Leinster to 

reclaim the lead with hooker Kelly Burke 

leading from the front. Number eight 

Wafer took the ball on and the excellent 

Caoimhe McCormack finished in style for 

22-17 at the break. 

Chances were more difficult to create in 

the second period as defences managed 

the pressure better. 

Still, Munster were back on terms after 

a yellow card gave them a one-girl 

advantage they used to produce a try 

two minutes later in the 52nd minute. 

It was give and take from there on without 

neither province able to turn possession 

into points until the outstanding Wafer 

broke from the back of a scrum for the 

decisive try which Healy converted. 

Leinster Scorers - A Atagamen, 

K Corrigan, R O’Connor, C McCormack, 

O Wafer try each; A Healy 2 cons. 

LEINSTER: 15. Robyn O’Connor 

(Wexford Wanderers), 14. Emma Brogan 

(Navan), 13. Katie Corrigan (Tullow), 

12. Caoimhe McCormack (Mullingar), 

11. Niamh Murphy (Cill Dara), 10. Abby 

Healy (Wicklow), 9. Eve Prendergast 

(Wexford Wanderers); 1. Emma Jane 

Wilson (Cill Dara), 2. Kelly Burke 

(Mullingar), 3. Hope Lowney (Barnhall), 

4. Anna Mai O’Brien (Mullingar), 

5. Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan), 6. 

Georgia Young (Mullingar), 7. Orla 

McDonald (Portarlington), 8. Orla Wafer 

(Enniscorthy). 

Replacements: 16. Bronagh Boggan 

(Wexford Wanderers), 17. Emma 

Counihan (Barnhall), 18. Melissa Quirke 

(Wexford Wanderers), 19. Ellen Dunne 

(Athy), 20. Ciara Short (Wicklow), 21. 

Julie Nolan (Athy), 22. Amy Rushton 

(Portarlington), 23. Clara Dunne 

(Wicklow). 

MUNSTER: 15. Fia Whelan (Killorglin 

/ Killarney), 14. Lyndsay Clarke (Ennis), 

13. Caitriona Finn (UL Bohemian/Ballina- 

Killaloe), 12. Gráinne Burke (Ennis), 11. 

Órna Moynihan (Ennis), 10. Megan 

Crilly (Dolphin), 9. Rebecca Rogers 

(Ballina-Killaloe); 1. Lily Morris (Bantry 

Bay), 2. Emma Dunican (Tralee), 3. 

Tuathla Ryan (Ballina-Killaloe), 4. Amelia 

Greene (Carrick-on-Suir), 5. Aoibheann 

McGrath (Dungarvan), 6. Saskia 

Wycherley (Bantry Bay), 7. Clodagh 

O’Keeffe (Ballincollig), 8. Beth Buttimer 

(Fethard). 

Replacements: 16. Ava O’Malley 

(Killarney), 17. Sofia Carty (Dolphin 

RFC), 18. Ella Buckley (Kanturk RFC/ 

Ballincollig), 19. Sadie Murphy 

(Ballincollig), 20. Aoife Grimes 

(Shannon), 21. Grace Dillon (Shannon), 

22. Katie Hehir (Shannon), 23. Siobhan 

O’Callaghan (Ballincollig). 


ig picture 

9 February 2023 

Supporters Hugo Gilmartin, 

left, and Ben O’Neill play 

as the Leinster players train 

during a Leinster Rugby open 

training session at Wexford 

Wanderers RFC in Wexford. 


Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile 


COUNTRY: WALES HOME GROUND: RODNEY PARADE FOUNDED: 2003 CAPACITY: 8,700 (7,850 FOR FOOTBALL) 

last time out 

dragons RFC 28 

GLASGOW WARRIORS 42 

SATURDAY 28 JANUARY | BKT UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP · ROUND 13 | RODNEY PARADE | REFEREE: FRANK MURPHY (IRFU) 

In-form Warriors 

secure big victory 

Chris Coleman grabbed a late 

try bonus point as Dragons 

ended the second block with 

a 42-28 defeat to in-form 

Glasgow Warriors in the BKT 

United Rugby Championship 

at Rodney Parade. 

The Warriors – already on an 

eight-match winning run in all 

competitions – flew out of the 

traps with wing Cole Forbes and 

Fraser Brown scoring inside the 

opening ten minutes. 

Dragons hit back with Rhodri Williams 

and Sio Tomkinson drawing the teams 

level. But a second try from Brown via 

a driving maul and score from Duncan 

Weir on the stroke of half-time wrapped 

up the bonus point. Coleman had the 

final word as his try with the final play 

snatched a point for the Men of Gwent. 

DRAGONS RFC: Jordan Williams (Davies 65), Jared Rosser (Hughes 49), Sio 

Tomkinson, Jack Dixon, Ashton Hewitt, JJ Hanrahan, Rhodri Williams (L. Jones 71), 

Rhodri Jones (Seiuli 49), Brodie Coghlan (Benjamin 71), Lloyd Fairbrother (Coleman 

49), Matthew Screech, Ben Carter, George Nott (Fry 40 (Benjamin 42-49)), Sean 

Lonsdale (Taylor 71), Taine Basham 

REPLACEMENTS: James Benjamin, Aki Seiuli, Chris Coleman, Huw Taylor, Ben Fry, 

Lewis Jones, Sam Davies, Steff Hughes 

GLASGOW WARRIORS: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Stafford McDowall, 

Sam Johnson, Cole Forbes, Duncan Weir, Ali Price, Jamie Bhatti, Fraser Brown, Simon 

Berghan, Lewis Bean, JP du Preez, Thomas Gordon, Sione Vailanu, Jack Dempsey 

REPLACEMENTS: Johnny Matthews, Nathan McBeth, Lucio Sordoni, Alex Samuel, 

Euan Ferrie, Cameron Neild, Jamie Dobie, Tom Jordan 

Stafford McDowall and Taine Basham 

exchanged tries at the start of the second 

period before a late intercept score from 

Sebastian Cancelliere wrapped up the 

win. 

Head Coach Dai Flanagan made nine 

changes to his starting line-up with JJ 

Hanrahan, Tomkinson, Sam Davies 

and Jack Dixon among those to return. 

Hooker Brodie Coghlan also made his 

first start. 


Glasgow struck after less than two 

minutes as visiting skipper Stafford 

McDowall made a line break and clever 

inside run from Forbes sent him away and 

under the sticks for the converted score. 

It went from bad to worse on eight 

minutes as a succession of penalties saw 

the Warriors march up field before the 

Scots kicked to the corner and drove the 

maul over, with Fraser Brown scoring. 

Dragons needed a response and went 

close as Jack Dixon cut a superb line, 

but as quick hands were needed the ball 

went to ground. Jordan William then 

sent Rhodri Williams into space down 

the middle before more patient play was 

rewarded as captain Williams dived over 

from close range to cut the lead in half. 

Moments later we were all level as 

Tomkinson flew up in defence and picked 

off a stray pass in midfield to race in 

unopposed. Glasgow, though, were 

back in front at the midpoint of the half 

as another driving maul saw Brown touch 

down for his second of the game, after a 

lengthy consultation with the TMO. 

Dragons were working hard to stay in 

the game, but Glasgow were looking 

to the corner whenever possible and 

another penalty, for a late tackle, allowed 

them to attack once more. Great work 

at the breakdown from Rhodri Jones 

and Tomkinson forced a penalty in the 

shadow on the posts just as Glasgow 

looked menacing. 

Hooker Coghlan was yellow carded for 

a late hit on Ali Price, after the referee 

consulted the TMO, and the visitors made 

the numerical advantage count on the 

stroke of half-time through Weir’s try. Ben 

Fry came on for Nott at the break and 

carried strongly three times to try and 

give the hosts some go forward. 

Glasgow looked to pick up where they 

left off with giant second row Lewis Bean 

picking up and stretching over only for 

his try to be chalked off by the TMO. 

But the reprieve was only temporary 

as McDowall weaved his way over to 

extend the lead to 35-14. 

Dragons looked for a foothold and 

way into the second half, with a penalty 

allowing Hanrahan to go to the corner 

hunting a third home score. The move 

paid dividends as Coghlan did well 

to keep the drive alive before Basham 

bulldozed over with Carter adding 

weight on his shoulder. Hanrahan 

converted. 

The try seemed to invigorate Dragons 

as they went about their work with big 

carries and patience to force another 

penalty and a scrum under the Glasgow 

posts.The Scots, though, held firm and 

forced the mistake as a lofted pass found 

touch and the attack was over. 

Glasgow threatened again with wing 

Sebastian Cancelliere brushing off 

tackles, but a retreating Steff Hughes was 

back to pick off the offload. A late surge 

saw Tomkinson rattle into contact down 

the right wing and replacement Huw 

Taylor carry strongly to force a penalty. 

But the sting in the tail was to be from 

Glasgow as Cancelliere intercepted close 

to his own line and raced away. Dragons 

snatched a try bonus point with the final 

play as Coleman dived over for this first 

try for the club. 


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Head Coach 

Dai Flanagan 

Flanagan took over duties running the 

team, after Director of Rugby Dean Ryan 

left Dragons earlier this season. Flanagan 

joined Dragons at the start of the season, 

having worked previously with Scarlets. 

Co-Captains 

Harri Keddie 

and Will 

Rowlands 

The duo were named co-captains at the 

start of this season. Keddie is a one-club 

man, having made his debut in May 

2016. He made his 100th appearance 

for Dragons earlier this season in Rodney 

Parade, against Zebre Parma. Rowlands 

joined Dragons at the start of last season 

from Wasps. A Welsh international, 

Rowlands made his debut in 2020, and 

has amassed over 20 appearances. 

dragons squad 

FORWARDS 

TAINE BASHAM 

FLANKER 

JAMES BENJAMIN 

FLANKER 

LEON BROWN 

PROP 

BEN CARTER 

LOCK 

BRODIE COGHLAN 

HOOKER 

CHRIS COLEMAN 

PROP 

JOE DAVIES 

LOCK 

ELLIOT DEE 

HOOKER 

ROB EVANS 

PROP 

NATHAN EVANS 

PROP 

LLOYD FAIRBROTHER 

PROP 

BEN FRY 

FLANKER 

LENNON GREGGAINS 

FLANKER 

OLLIE GRIFFITHS 

FLANKER 

RHODRI JONES 

PROP 

HARRI KEDDIE 

FLANKER 

SEAN LONSDALE 

NO. 8 

BEN MOA 

NO. 8 

ROSS MORIARTY 

FLANKER 

GEORGE NOTT 

NO. 8 

JOSH REYNOLDS 

PROP 

BRADLEY ROBERTS 

HOOKER 

WILL ROWLANDS 

LOCK 

MATTHEW SCREECH 

LOCK 

AKI SEIULI 

PROP 

ELLIS SHIPP 

HOOKER 

HUW TAYLOR 

NO. 8 

AARON WAINWRIGHT 

FLANKER 

RYAN WOODMAN 

FLANKER 

LUKE YENDLE 

PROP 

GEORGE YOUNG 

FLANKER 

BACKS 

OLI ANDREW 

CENTRE 

GONZALO BERTRANOU 

SCRUM-HALF 

MAX CLARK 

CENTRE 

IOAN DAVIES 

FULLBACK 

SAM DAVIES 

FLY-HALF 

JACK DIXON 

CENTRE 

RIO DYER 

WING 

JJ HANRAHAN 

FLY-HALF 

ASHTON HEWITT 

WING 

CHE HOPE 

SCRUM-HALF 

STEFF HUGHES 

CENTRE 

LEWIS JONES 

SCRUM-HALF 

MORGAN LLOYD 

SCRUM-HALF 

ANGUS O’BRIEN 

FLY-HALF 

ANEURIN OWEN 

CENTRE 

WILL REED 

FLY-HALF 

DAVID RICHARDS 

FULLBACK 

JARED ROSSER 

WING 

EWAN ROSSER 

WING 

SIO TOMKINSON 

CENTRE 

JOE WESTWOOD 

FULLBACK 

JORDAN WILLIAMS 

WING 

RHODRI WILLIAMS 

SCRUM-HALF 


Club in 

Focus 

BY DES BERRY 

ARKLOW rFC 

Ah, the good old days. 

Established in 1936, Arklow’s 

prominence in the Leinster 

Provincial Towns Cup came 

through in their four final 

appearances, losing in 1968 and 

1974 and winning in 1985 and in 

2004. 

“In those days, there was an awful lot 

of employment around the town through 

NET (Nitrigin Eireann Teoranta) and 

Turlough Hill Power Station, bringing 

people in from the Universities,” shares 

Club President Chris Healy. 

“We were easily able to field two senior 

teams, occasionally three and one year 

there were four teams playing out of 

Arklow in the late 70s and early 80s. 

From 2004, the achievements of the last 

Towns Cup win coincided with a steady 

decline in fortunes, struggling to maintain 

the high standards set in previous 

decades. 

The economic recession didn’t exactly 

make it any easier as businesses folded 

like deck chairs and jobs were lost. 

The dwindling playing numbers meant 

Arklow struggled to field a senior team, 

a byproduct of failing to install a viable 

youths section. 

“We were blinded by the success of our 

senior team and placed no importance 

on our underage structures. No one was 

looking to the future,” says Chris. 

“It was dire at one stage. We even had 

a meeting to consider pulling our senior 

team from competition because players 

weren’t showing up. 

“In fact, it was the greater involvement 

of women that got the club going again, 

their organisational skills had a huge 

impact as did the growth of rugby in 

Leinster due to the European success.” 

The limited top-down approach has been 

shelved in favour of building from the 

ground up. 

“We feel the club took their eye off 

the ball for far too long, in terms of 

developing youths rugby,” says Robert 

Kelly, the club’s Public Relations 

Officer. 


“In the last five or six years, we have 

regrouped and re-energised the youths 

system in the club, taking kids right up the 

age grades. 

“There are some green shoots starting to 

appear.” 

“We have close to 120 at minis and we 

have ten youth teams in the club between 

the boys and girls right up to U18s. That 

is progress.” 

At the start of the season, hooker Ava 

Kavanagh and number eight Jane Neill 

and flanker Prudence Issac – she has 

since moved to All-Ireland League club 

Wicklow - were pillars of the Leinster 

U18 Girls in their unbeaten run to the 

Interprovincial championship. 

It is easy to pick out the huge frame of 

Joshua Burke playing at number eight for 

South-East in the Shane Horgan Cup in 

recent months. 

“We are very proud of all the girls and 

the boys that come through the club and 

it is nice to see some of them play at a 

higher level,” says Robert. 

“It puts us in the spotlight and it shows 

other kids that there is a pathway through 

Arklow to play for the South-East or 

Leinster or Ireland.” 

That was the exact route taken by Jane 

Neill last year, culminating in playing 

number eight for Ireland at the U18 Six 

Nations Festival at Easter. 

“If you are good enough, you will be 

spotted, and Barney Hynes in the club 

can nominate players to compete for a 

place in the South-East squad. Everyone 

knows there is a clear, defined pathway 

there for our boys and girls.” 

The success of Leinster and Irish rugby 

in recent years has led to an increase in 

numbers on the ground, even extending 

out to non-traditional schools. 

“In addition, our players go to school 

locally and Arklow CBS qualified for the 

Anne McInerney Development Cup final 

last year, playing in Energia Park. 

“That was a huge thing for the club as all 

but one of those players played with us,” 

stresses Robert. 

“In fact, we had four of our U18s 

Sean McCarthy, Roan Freehil, Padraic 

Bermingham and Eoin Byrne, who also 

played for Arklow CBS, come through 

into senior rugby this year. 

“This is progress, a sign of better times 

ahead. We just have to work hard to 

make sure there are three or four coming 

into senior rugby every year. 


Try Leinster’s Next Big Dish 

from Mao At Home today

“We have started a conveyor belt that, 

hopefully, will keep bringing players 

through our system. If we can produce 

enough, we will get back to where we 

want to be.” 

The heart of the senior team has been 

kept beating by the commitment of a 

small number of loyal locals, determined 

to do all in their power to keep the 

coastal town’s rugby sheep afloat. 

“In fairness, there are lads in their 40s 

playing just to keep the team alive. It is 

a great credit to Richard Murphy and 

Anthony O’Donnell that they show up 

every week for us. But, it can’t go on 

forever. 

“The plan is to keep the youth 

development programme going for all the 

boys and girls, building them up, putting 

the work in so that they will follow in 

the footsteps of the likes of Sean, Roan, 

Padraic and Eoin. 

“We know we are on our knees at the 

moment as a senior club. But, the green 

shoots are there and you don’t have to 

look too hard to see them.” 

There is an emphasis on lifting up all 

areas of the club and there is no better 

time to embrace the critical importance 

of women’s rugby to the lifeblood of 

Leinster’s clubs. 

The Arklow Amazons, the senior 

Women’s team, currently play in the 

Leinster League and they have been 

bolstered this season by the graduation of 

Jane (Neill), Lara Prestage and Grainne 

Flynn from the U18s. 

Arklow and Gorey rugby clubs have 

a good deal in common in terms of 

their numbers and are inclined to share 

playing resources if the need arises, a 

common sense attitude based around 

what’s best for their players. 

They combined to make up the Argo 

squad for the Girls U16s in 2021, a 

squad still operating in the U18s Leinster 

League this season due to light numbers 

at both clubs. It doesn’t end there. 

“Last season, we invited Sunday’s Well’s 

mixed ability team to play our Senior 

men’s team in ‘a match.’ It sowed the 

seeds for us to try to replicate what they 

were doing,” adds Robert. 

“With this in mind, we have formed a 

mixed-ability team this season, the Arklow 

Red Kites and it has been going really 

well. 

“A lot of people put a lot of work and 

time in behind the scenes to bring it 

together. The numbers are growing and 

there are plans to play in blitzes.” 

A struggling club has been revitalised 

by the energy and commitment of its 

members for its’ players, past, present 

and future. 

Long may it continue. 


KNOWING WHAT ADVICE TO TAKE 

IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS GAME. 

OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR 

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

beauchamps.ie

Leinster Rugby 

seeking applications 

for Bank of Ireland 

Summer Camps 


are inviting 

applications 

from coaches 

to run the 

2023 Bank 

of Ireland 


Summer Camps. 

The successful candidates will 

be responsible for the delivery 

of the content of the Summer 

Camp programme to all allocated 

participants in a safe and fun 

environment. 

Essential candidate requirements: 

•Holds appropriate IRFU Coaching 

Stage 1 Qualification (Mini Level) 

•Previous experience in working with 

rugby players aged 6-12 years 

•Candidates must be 18 years of age, at 

the time of the camp 

•Access to own transport and a full 

driver’s licence 

•Ability to work as part of a team 

•Committed, enthusiastic and motivated 

•Camps run Monday to Friday from 

9.30am to 1pm each day. 

The precise hours offered will be 

dependent on the camp’s requirements 

and the availability of the individual. 

Salary is €320 per week (please note 

travel expenses are not reimbursed). 

There will be a bonus payment for 

coaches who coach on six camps or 

more. 

All successful candidates will be updated 

on a regular basis regarding the camps 

and any changes. 

Applications can be made on 

leinsterrugby.ie 

The closing date for applications is 5pm 

on Wednesday, 15 March. 

Note: Successful applicants will be 

contacted via email by Leinster Rugby 

CRO Ray McCabe and invited to 

participate in the next stage of the 

recruitment process. If you have not heard 

back by Wednesday, 29 March, you 

have not been successful this time around. 

Should you have any queries please 

contact Ray McCabe by email at 

ray.mccabe@leinsterrugby.ie. 



liam 

turner 

THE INTERVIEW 

BY PAUL CAHILL 

February is a nostalgic month for 

Liam Turner. While the Leinster 

Rugby centre is enjoying a 

brilliant run of form with the 

senior team, this time of year 

for young rugby players is often 

associated with the Leinster 

Schools Cup and the U-20 Six 

Nations. Two competitions Turner 

was fortunate enough to win. 


PROUD TO BE OFFICIAL 

BUSINESS ADVISORS 

TO LEINSTER RUGBY 

For further information contact: 

Michael Costello, Managing Partner, 

on 01 470 0130 or email mcostello@bdo.ie 

Visit www.bdo.ie 

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member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent members firms.

After a frustrating year 

last season, this has been a 

breakthrough campaign for the 

former Blackrock College student. 

So far, he has scored his first Leinster 

Rugby try, made his European debut as 

well as captain the side against a Rugby 

World Cup opponent. 

So, plenty to look back on and plenty to 

look forward to. 

While his own personal achievements 

this year have surpassed his own 

expectations already, it was on a 

drive home from training where his first 

memories of the game came flooding 

back. 

“I love schools rugby,” says Turner. 

“I was driving home the other day and 

saw all of the Blackrock College jerseys 

walking up Cross Avenue making their 

way to Energia Park for the Junior Cup 

game, and I thought it looked class.” 

Seeing the sea of blue and white jerseys 

brought him back to his first trips to 

Energia Park to see his relatives play. 

“I’ve loved the Schools Cup from a young 

age. I was in a small National School but 

I had some older cousins in Blackrock 

College and they were good players. 

I remember going to watch them in big 

cup games and I fell in love with it there 

and then. 

“Then when I got to experience the Junior 

Cup and the Senior Cup for myself, it was 

just incredible. 

“On the matchdays, having the whole 

school out to support you, it was 

amazing. When you are in it, it really is 

such a big deal. It feels like the centre of 

the universe when you’re involved. 

“It’s something you’ll never forget.” 

Liam Turner’s journey through the Leinster 

Schools Cup had a fairy-tale ending as 

he lifted the famous trophy in his final 

game in 2018 as Blackrock College 

captain. 

Despite a brilliant finish, he had plenty of 

tough days along the way. 

“We lost the final when I was in fifth the 

year to Belvedere College. The year 

before that, we lost a replay to Belvedere 

in the quarter final. That replay finished 

something like 35-33 so it was tough to 

take. 

“I got to play with the likes of Caelan 

Doris and Tommy O’Brien in school so it 

was a great grounding. 

“I was captain in sixth year when we 

won. So that was a great way to finish my 

School playing days. They are still some 

of my favourite ever memories.” 

While he may have thought it doesn’t get 

any bigger that the Schools Cup at the 

time, Turner found himself in another huge 

competition just a year later. 

As we all sat down to watch the Ireland 

U-20s dramatic wins over Wales and 

France in recent weeks, Turner was 

transported back to his time in that shirt 

with his age group four years ago. 

The team of 2019 managed to secure a 

famous Grand Slam win. On and off the 

rugby pitch, it was a special period. 

“In the lead up to the tournament, we 

would go into two day camps every two 

weeks for about three months. You get 

really close with all of the lads because 

the rooms get swapped around every 

time so you spend time with every player. 


“It was another big step up. It’s 

international age-grade rugby but you 

are still coming up against some world 

class players. 

“Saying that, we had some incredible 

players too. Some of that team are 

already with the Irish senior squad with 

the likes of Craig Casey, Ryan Baird and 

Harry Byrne. 

“I thought our age group was great 

because we were a really close knit 

group. That cohesion really helped us 

through the tournament. It’s important in 

those types of situations. 

“We won the Grand Slam and capped it 

off in Wales on the final day which was 

just so special. It’s something I’ll never 

forget.” 

A year later, not long after rugby had 

restarted after the Covid break, Liam 

Turner made his Leinster Rugby debut at 

home to Zebre in October 2020. 

After winning a number of trophies in 

his age grade career, Turner was now a 

Leinster Rugby player. 

That shortened 2020/21 season was 

a fruitful one for the young centre as he 

would go on to play six times for the 

senior team. 

But, the following year would be a 

frustrating one. Between injury and a 

couple of call ups to the Irish 7s team, he 

didn’t make any Leinster appearances. 

This summer, ahead of the 2022/23 

season, he set his targets on making an 

impression in Leo Cullen’s setup. 

It was 

a great 

win and 

it sets 

us up 

nicely 

for the 

Dragons 

game 

this 

week. 

“I had to get a procedure done this time 

last year. It was a bit frustrating the way 

things played out, but that just meant that 

I wanted to give it an almighty crack this 

year. And it’s paying off at the moment.” 

This campaign, Liam Turner has played in 

eight games and scored two tries. That’s 

exactly what the doctor ordered. 

“Personally, after a stop-start year, I just 

wanted to hit the ground running in preseason 

and then play as many games as 

possible. 

“Thankfully, I have a few under my belt 

now and I’m pretty happy with how 

they’ve gone. I’m looking forward to the 

next block and hopefully I’ll get a few 

more opportunities to play.” 

With most of his game time coming in his 

favoured outside centre position, he has 

worked up a very good relationship with 

Charlie Ngatai in the centre. Not a bad 

player to play outside. 

“It’s been great playing with Charlie. He 

was obviously new to the building this 

year but he has so much experience. 

“He won the Challenge Cup last year 

with Lyon and he has played so much big 

rugby in New Zealand. I’ve just tried to 

soak in as much as I can from him. 

“He’s so easy to play with, so easy to talk 

to and so easy to get on with. He really 

made life easier for me coming into the 

team for those first few games.” 

After a good run in the team during 

the first block of games, he would hit 

a number of special milestones in the 

second. 

The first of which certainly wasn’t on the 

cards at the start of the season. 

During the November internationals, 

Leinster Rugby announced a challenge 

match against the Chile National team 

who had recently qualified for the 2023 

Rugby World Cup. 


Liam Turner was given the honour of 

captaining Leinster Rugby for the first 

time. 

“Chile wouldn’t be known as a big rugby 

nation, but having seen their Rugby 

World Cup qualifier against the USA, 

they fully deserve their spot. So, for us 

to play a World Cup side was a great 

experience. 

“Getting to captain the team was a bit 

unexpected, but for as long as I have 

played rugby, I have found myself in 

leadership roles through school. It was a 

great challenge but I really enjoyed it.” 

A few weeks after that, Turner hit another 

milestone as he scored his first ever 

Leinster try against Connacht in front of a 

packed RDS Arena. 

“It was a pretty cool few weeks. It was 

New Year’s Day so I had the whole 

family there after Christmas. 

“I scored my try quite early so it was a 

nice settler into the match.” 

A fortnight later, Turner was named in a 

European squad for the very first time as 

the team travelled to take on Gloucester 

Rugby. 

While every rugby player tries to treat 

every game the same, the arrival at 

Kingsholm made it clear to Turner that this 

was a little bit different. 

“The one thing that stood out to me was 

when the bus was pulling into the stadium 

and just seeing how many travelling 

supporters where there. I had never really 

experienced anything like that before. 

“I was sitting on the bus and that really 

got me going for the game. Seeing how 

many travelled and how much they care 

for the club. 

“Then getting off the bench for my 

European debut was amazing. It wasn’t 

something I had really aimed for at the 

start of the year, but I was buzzing when 

I got the opportunity.” 

Turner signed off a memorable block of 

games with a wonderful finish against 

Cardiff in the RDS at the end of January. 

A loose pass from the Cardiff scrum-half 

was picked up by Turner on the edge of 

the Cardiff 22. A nice step inside the last 

defender meant he could touch down 

under the posts. 

“I wasn’t really expecting it to be honest. 

I was getting ready for the next phase 

and then I see the ball sliding across the 

ground and thought, “oh, here we go.” 

It was a good way to finish the block of 

games. 

“We spoke about that game also being 

the start of this block as the Internationals 

had left and we were going to be 

working together for the next few weeks. 

“It was a great win and it sets us up 

nicely for the Dragons game this week.” 

Speaking to Liam Turner, it’s clear he is 

focused on the bigger picture. 

He is happy with the milestones he has 

hit this season, but the team goal is what 

really drives him. 

“I just want to build on what we’ve done 

so far this season. 

“For the team, even when a lot of the 

internationals are away, we really want 

to keep that going. 

“When the lads are watching in Irish 

camp, they’re seeing the effort that’s still 

going on here every day and that we’re 

still pushing the standards while they’re 

not here. 

“Once they come back, that goal doesn’t 

change and it’s still burning from the 

whole group when we get set to take 

on Ulster in the Champions Cup round 

of 16.” 



Rugby 

Academy 

Year 

Three: 


Marcus Hanan (4) #1295 


FROM Clane, Co Kildare 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 0”) 


POSITION Loosehead prop 

SCHOOL Salesian College, Celbridge 

CLUB Clane RFC 

HONOURS Ireland U-20 (2 caps) 

John McKee (12) #1307 


FROM Belfast 

HEIGHT 1.85m ( 6’ 0”) 


POSITION Hooker 

SCHOOL Campbell College 

CLUB Terenure College RFC 


Seán O’Brien (3) #1297 


FROM Pittsburgh, PA, USA 

HEIGHT 1.91m ( 6 ’ 3”) 

WEIGHT 106kg ( 16st 10lbs) 

POSITION Back Row 

SCHOOL Blackrock College 

CLUB UCD RFC 


Max O’Reilly (11) #1291 


FROM Long Island, USA 

HEIGHT 1.86m (6’ 1”) 


POSITION Full-back 

SCHOOL St Gerard’s School 

CLUB DUFC 


Andrew Smith (2) #1292 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.8 m (5’ 11”) 


POSITION Back Three 

SCHOOL St Michael’s College 

CLUB Clontarf FC 




Academy 

Year 

Two: 

Alex Soroka (7) #1296 


FROM Cork 

HEIGHT 1.95m (6’ 5”) 



SCHOOL Belvedere College 



Jack Boyle 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.86m (6’ 1”) 


POSITION Loosehead prop 




Lee Barron (2) #1308 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.93m (6’ 3”) 


POSITION Hooker 


CLUB DUFC 


Chris Cosgrave (5) #1305 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.85m (6’ 0”) 






Temi Lasisi (1) #1304 

DOB 9 May 2001 

FROM Enniscorthy, Co Wexford 

HEIGHT 1.83m (6’ 0 “) 


POSITION Tighthead prop 

SCHOOL CBS Enniscorthy 

CLUB Lansdowne FC/Enniscorthy RFC 


(3) = Leinster Rugby Senior caps

Ben Murphy (1) #1309 


FROM Bray 

HEIGHT 1.76m (5’ 8”) 


POSITION Scrum-half 

SCHOOL Presentation College, Bray 





Academy 

Year 

One: 

Rob Russell (13) #1302 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.83m (6’ 0”) 




CLUB DUFC 


Ben Brownlee (2) #1313 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.87m (6’ 2”) 


POSITION Centre 




James Culhane (1) #1315 


FROM Enniskerry, Co Wicklow 

HEIGHT 1.94m (6’ 4”) 






Aitzol Arenzana-King 

(1) #1316 


FROM Gormanston, Co Meath 

HEIGHT 1.91m (6’ 3”) 



SCHOOL Gormanston College/CUS 

CLUB Clontarf FC/Balbriggan RFC 


Diarmuid Mangan 


FROM Kildare 

HEIGHT 1.93 m (6’ 4”) 



SCHOOL Newbridge College 



Rory McGuire 


FROM Dublin 

HEIGHT 1.93m (6’ 4”) 


POSITION Tightead prop 




Sam Prendergast 


FROM Kildare 

HEIGHT 1.94m (6’ 4”) 


POSITION Out-half 

SCHOOL Newbridge College 

CLUB Lansdowne FC 


Charlie Tector (3) #1314 


FROM Wexford 

HEIGHT 1.89 m (6’ 2”) 


POSITION Out-half 

SCHOOL Kilkenny College 

CLUB Lansdowne FC 



fixtures and 

results 2022/23 

Date 

17/09 

23/09 

30/09 

08/10 

14/10 

22/10 

28/10 

26/11 

03/12 

10/12 

16/12 

26/12 

01/01 

07/01 

14/01 

21/01 

28/01 

KO/ 

Result 

Opposiotion Venue 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2 

W 

29-33 URC ZEBRE Stadio Sergio 

Lanfranchi 

O’REILLY RUSSELL OSBORNE NGATAI 

KEARNEY 

1T 

R. BYRNE 

C4 

W 

42-10 URC BENETTON RDS Arena O’BRIEN LARMOUR RINGROSE HENSHAW KEARNEY FRAWLEY 

3C 

W 

13-20 URC ULSTER Kingspan 

Stadium 

W 

54-34 

URC 

CELL C 

SHARKS 

O’BRIEN LARMOUR RINGROSE HENSHAW KEARNEY 

RDS Arena O’BRIEN LARMOUR 

HENSHAW 

1T 

NGATAI 

RUSSELL 

1T 

R. BYRNE 

2C 2P 

SEXTON 

1T, 7C 

W 

0-10 URC CONNACHT Sportsground O’BRIEN TURNER RINGROSE NGATAI RUSSELL R. BYRNE 

1C 

W 

27-13 URC MUNSTER Aviva 

Stadium 

W 

5-35 URC SCARLETS Parc y 

Scarlets 

FRAWLEY O’BRIEN RINGROSE HENSHAW OSBORNE 

COSGRAVE 

1T 

RUSSELL 

1T 

W 

40-5 URC GLASGOW RDS Arena OSBORNE RUSSELL 

3T 

TURNER NGATAI KEARNEY 

TURNER 

W 

38-29 URC ULSTER RDS Arena KEENAN O’BRIEN RINGROSE 

2T 

W 

10-42 HCC RACING 92 Stade 

Océane 

KEENAN 

O’BRIEN 

RINGROSE 

1T 

NGATAI 

OSBORNE 

NGATAI 

KEARNEY 

1T 

W 

57-0 HCC GLOUCESTER RDS Arena KEENAN O’BRIEN RINGROSE NGATAI LOWE 

2T 

W 

19-20 URC MUNSTER Thomond 

Park 

W 

41-12 URC CONNACHT RDS Arena O’BRIEN LARMOUR 

(2T) 

W 

19-24 URC OSPREYS Swansea. 

com Stadium 

LOWE 

1T 

LOWE 

KEENAN O’BRIEN RINGROSE OSBORNE LOWE 

KEENAN 

(1T) 

W 

14-49 HCC GLOUCESTER Kingsholm KEENAN 

(1T) 

W 

36-10 HCC RACING 92 Aviva 

Stadium 

W 

28-14 

URC 

CARDIFF 

RUGBY 

18/02 19:35 URC DRAGONS 

RFC 

04/03 17:05 URC EDINBURGH 

24/03 19:35 URC DHL 

STORMERS 

01/04 17:30 HCC ULSTER 

15/04 14:00 URC EMIRATES 

LIONS 

22/04 16:05 URC VODACOM 

BULLS 

RDS Arena 

RDS Arena 

DAM Health 

Stadium 

RDS Arena 

Aviva 

Stadium 

Emirates 

Airline Park 

Loftus 

Versfeld 

KEENAN 

(2T) 

COSGRAVE 

TURNER 

(1T) 

NGATAI 

LARMOUR OSBORNE NGATAI 

LARMOUR 

(1T) 

LARMOUR 

O’REILLY 

(1T) 

RINGROSE 

RINGROSE 

(1T) 

TURNER 

(1T) 

OSBORNE 

(1T) 

OSBORNE 

BROWNLEE 

RUSSELL 

(1T) 

O’BRIEN 

(1T) 

O’BRIEN 

O’BRIEN 

(2T) 

KEARNEY 

SEXTON 

2C, 1P 

R. BYRNE 

3C 

R. BYRNE 

4C 

R BYRNE 

5C, 1P 

R BYRNE 

4C 

R BYRNE 

5C 

R BYRNE 

2P, 2C 

SEXTON 

(2C) 

H. BYRNE 

(1P, 1C) 

R. BYRNE 

(5C) 

R. BYRNE 

(2C) 

H. BYRNE 

(3C) 

MCGRATH 

1T 

MCGRATH 

1T 

MCGRATH 

MCGRATH 

FOLEY 

1T 

MCGRATH 

1T 

E BYRNE 

PORTER 

PORTER 

PORTER 

1T 

KELLEHER 

SHEEHAN 

4T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

E. BYRNE SHEEHAN 

HEALY 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

MCGRATH E. BYRNE MCKEE 

MCGRATH E. BYRNE KELLEHER 

GIBSON-PARK 

GIBSON-PARK 

MCGRATH 

1T 

N MCCARTHY 

HEALY 

PORTER 

1T 

PORTER 

PORTER 

KELLEHER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

KELLEHER 

2T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

GIBSON-PARK MILNE KELLEHER 

FOLEY 

HEALY 

SHEEHAN 

(1T) 

GIBSON-PARK PORTER SHEEHAN 

GIBSON-PARK PORTER KELLEHER 

MCGRATH 

(2T) 

MILNE 

MCKEE 


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

ALAALATOA 

MOLONY 

JENKINS 

1T 

RUDDOCK 

T2 

ALAALATOA MOLONY JENKINS BAIRD 

ALAALATOA MOLONY JENKINS 

ALAALATOA 

MOLONY 

JENKINS 

2T 

BAIRD 

1T 

PENNY DEEGAN MCKEE MILNE ABDALADZE DEENY SOROKA MCCARTHY FRAWLEY CONNORS 

VAN DER FLIER 

1T 

DORIS KELLEHER E. BYRNE HEALY MCCARTHY CONNORS FOLEY 

R. BYRNE 

3C 

NGATAI 

VAN DER FLIER CONAN MCKEE E. BYRNE ABDALADZE RYAN CONNORS MCCARTHY SEXTON NGATAI 

BAIRD CONNORS RUDDOCK 

MCKEE 

1T 

HEALY ABDALADZE RYAN MOLONEY FOLEY BYRNE 

FURLONG MOLONY RYAN DORIS VAN DER FLIER CONAN MCKEE PORTER ALAALATOA MCCARTHY MOLONEY MCCARTHY 

ALA’ALATOA JENKINS RYAN DEEGAN 

CLARKSON 

1T 

PENNY 

1T 

FRAWLEY 

1P 

DORRIS MCKEE PORTER CLARKSON MOLONY CONAN MCCARTHY R. BYRNE 

RINGROSE 

2T 

HENSHAW 

MOLONY JENKINS RUDDOCK PENNY DEEGAN MCELROY MILNE ABDALADZE DEENY MOLONEY MCCARTHY TECTOR BROWNLEE 

CLARKSON MOLONY MCCARTHY RUDDOCK PENNY DEEGAN 

MCKEE 

1T 

ALA’ALATOA RYAN JENKINS BAIRD VAN DER FLIER CONAN SHEEHAN 

ALA’ALATOA RYAN JENKINS BAIRD 

ALA’ALATOA 

MOLONY 

RYAN 

1T 

DORIS 

1T 

HEALY BAIRD J MCCARTHY RUDDOCK 

ALA’ALATOA 

DEENY 

(1T) 

RYAN 

BAIRD 

(1T) 

VAN DER FLIER 

2T 

VAN DE FLIER 

1T 

PENNY 

1T 

VAN DER FLIER 

(1T) 

DORIS 

KELLEHER 

MILNE 

1T 

PORTER 

1T 

E BYRNE 

1T 

ABDALADZE JENKINS BAIRD FOLEY 

H. BYRNE 

1C 

RUSSELL 

1T 

COSGRAVE 

FURLONG MOLONY DORIS MCCARTHY TECTOR TURNER 

HEALY MOLONY CONAN MCGRATH 

CONAN SHEEHAN E. BYRNE HEALY J MCCARTHY DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK 

H BYRNE 

2C 

SEXTON 

1C 

OSBORNE 

LARMOUR 

1T 

DEEGAN MCKEE MILNE ABDALADZE MOLONY CONAN MCGRATH H BYRNE TURNER 

DORIS MCKEE PORTER ABDALADZE SOROKA PENNY FOLEY 

ALA’ALATOA MOLONY DEENY RUDDOCK PENNY CONAN MCKEE MILNE ABDALADZE RYAN VAN DER FLIER MCCARTHY 

ALA’ALATOA 

(1T) 

MOLONY RYAN BAIRD 

ALA’ALATOA J MCCARTHY RYAN DORIS 

ALA’ALATOA 

MOLONY 

DEENY 

(1T) 

RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

(1T) 

VAN DER FLIER 

(1T) 

PENNY 

DORIS 

(1T) 

KELLEHER 

(1T) 

MILNE HEALY DEENY CONAN MCCARTHY 

CONAN SHEEHAN MILNE HEALY MOLONY BAIRD MCGRATH 

DEEGAN 

(1T) 

MCELROY HANAN CLARKSON CULHANE CONNORS MCCARTHY 

H. BYRNE 

(1C) 

R. BYRNE 

(2C) 

H. BYRNE 

(2C) 

H BYRNE 

(1C) 

TECTOR 

(1C) 

OSBORNE 

RUSSELL 

TURNER 

PENNY 

KING 


matchday 

Squads 

officials 

Jimmy O’BRIEN 

Jordan LARMOUR 

Liam TURNER 

Jamie OSBORNE 

Dave KEARNEY 

Harry BYRNE 

Luke McGRATH 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

Angus O’BRIEN 

Sio TOMKINSON 

Steff HUGHES 

Jack DIXON 

Ashton HEWITT 

Will REED 

Rhodri WILLIAMS [C] 

REFEREE: 

MIKE ADAMSON 

(SRU, 68TH COMPETITION GAME 

ASSISTANT REFEREE: 

OISIN QUINN (IRFU) 

ASSISTANT REFEREE: 

TOMAS O’SULLIVAN (IRFU) 

TMO: 

DAVE SUTHERLAND (SRU) 

Michael Milne 

John McKEE 

Michael ALA’ALATOA 

Ross MOLONY 

Brian DEENY 

Rhys RUDDOCK [C] 

Scott PENNY 

Max DEEGAN 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

LOOSE HEAD PROP 

HOOKER 

TIGHT HEAD PROP 

SECOND ROW 

SECOND ROW 

BLINDSIDE FLANKER 

OPENSIDE FLANKER 

NUMBER 8 

Rhodri JONES 

Brodie COGHLAN 

Lloyd FAIRBROTHER 

Matthew SCREECH 

Ben CARTER 

Ben FRY 

Taine BASHAM 

Ross MORIARTY 

Lee BARRON 

Jack BOYLE 

Thomas CLARKSON 

Jason JENKINS 

Will CONNORS 

Nick McCARTHY 

Charlie TECTOR 

Rob RUSSELL 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

James BENJAMIN 

Aki SEIULI 

Chris COLEMAN 

Sean LONSDALE 

Ryan WOODMAN 

Lewis JONES 

JJ HANRAHAN 

Jordan WILLIAMS

*Restrictions apply. 

*

Parting Shot 

9 February 2023 

Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile 

Bobby McCarthy of 

Gonzaga College consoles 

Josh Kelly of St Mary’s 

College after the Bank 

of Ireland Leinster Rugby 

Schools Junior Cup First 

Round match between 

St Mary’s College and 

Gonzaga College at 

Energia Park in Dublin.

Leinster Rugby vs Dragons RFC

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