Leinster vs Ulster | PRO14 Final 2020

FINAL LEINSTER V ULSTER

THE LINEUP

CEO

Martin Anayi

Chairman

Dominic McKay

Tournament Director

David Jordan

Commercial Director

Dermot Rigley

Marketing Director

Tom Lister

Finance Director

Dermot O’Sullivan

Head of Operations

Charl Crous

Head of Broadcast &

Communications

Adam Redmond

Head of Marketing

Marc Fernandez

Head of Insight

Rob Balmer

Tournament Manager

Amy Monaghan

Elite Referee Manager

Greg Garner

Events & Commercial

Operations Manager

Laura Ruhan

Commercial Partnerships

Manager

Elma Beirne

Social Media Channels

Manager

Matthew Thoma

Brand Partnership Lead

Christopher Best

Communications

Executive

Anna Egan

Marketing Executive

Alex Patel

Finance Executive

Alba Sarrias

Office Management

Aine O’Malley

PRO14 Editors: Adam Redmond & Anna Egan

6

Match Preview

10

Head to Head Statistics

13

Leinster Season Statistics

14

Andrew Porter

20

Leo Cullen

24

Leinster Squad Profiles

32

Today’s Teams

38

Munster Squad Profiles

44

Dan McFarland

48

Ian Madigan

41

Ulster Season Statistics

56

Awards Winners

60

Chamionship

Final Trivia

66

Man in the Middle

Photos: INPHO | Marketing: Mark Fernandez | Content: Beatmedia

Special thanks: Marcus O’Buachalla (Leinster) and Robyn McMurray (Ulster).

This programme was designed and on behalf of

Guinness PRO14 by Ignition Sports Media.

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com

12|09|20 AVIVA STADIUM | DUBLIN 3

GUINNESS PRO14 FINAL

4

12|09|20 AVIVA STADIUM | DUBLIN


GUINNESS

WELCOME

As another thrilling season of epic

tackles, running rugby and historymaking

tries comes to its delayed

climax, it is with huge pleasure that

I welcome Leinster and Ulster to the

hotly anticipated GUINNESS PRO14

Final at AVIVA Stadium. This game

is predicted to be a fantastic display

of rugby, full of Irish passion, with

both teams vying for a chance

to become GUINNESS PRO14

Champions.

It goes without saying that 2020 has

been a year unlike any other, one

that none of us could have predicted

and one that continues to challenge

us all daily. Over the last number

of months, the absence of sport

left a gap in so many people’s lives.

The return of rugby has been so

welcome, as we reignite our passion

and a hope for the future when we

will all be able to be together again

in the stands.

This clash between interprovincial

rivals Leinster and Ulster looks to

have all the ingredients of a classic.

Leo Cullen’s Leinster side come to

the AVIVA looking to retain their

GUINNESS PRO14 title. Over the

last three weekends, Leinster have

picked up right where they left off in

February, continuing their unbeaten

record with impressive victories over

Ulster and Munster to book their

THE RETURN

OF RUGBY

HAS BEEN SO

WELCOME, AS

WE REIGNITE

OUR PASSION

AND A HOPE

FOR THE

FUTURE WHEN

WE WILL ALL

BE ABLE TO

BE TOGETHER

AGAIN IN THE

STANDS.

place in the GUINNESS PRO14 final.

Ulster found their form on Saturday

to claim an impressive comeback

victory against Edinburgh. We were

all at the edge of our seats as Ian

Madigan lined up that last second

kick in BT Murrayfield last weekend.

A thrilling conclusion to another

epic display of rugby in this year’s

GUINNESS PRO14.

Wherever you may be viewing the

action, we hope you enjoy what

promises to be a fantastic Final.

Good luck to both teams and thank

you for the spirit-lifting performance

you bring to every game.

Hilary Quinn

Marketing Director | DIAGEO IRELAND



MATCH PREVIEW

LEINSTER

FOURTEEN

TEAMS SET OUT

IN PURSUIT

OF GUINNESS

PRO14 GLORY

IN 2019/20 –

AND JUST TWO

REMAIN.

[ By Paul Martin ]

Will it be Leinster, seeking to finish an invincible

season and in search of a remarkable hat-trick of

titles? Or can their Irish rivals Ulster, appearing

in their first Final since 2012/13, manage what

no other side has done this season and stop the

juggernaut in its tracks?

Recent history sits with Leinster. Leo Cullen’s men

have become a relentless winning machine and have

beaten Ulster twice this season, including a 28-10

triumph just a fortnight ago.

A 13-3 victory over Munster in the last four booked

their place in a third straight Final and Leinster’s

6



V ULSTER

trophy-winning knowhow marks them out as

favourites going into this showpiece occasion.

Standing in their way, however, are an Ulster side

whose never-say-die attitude came to the fore in

their Semi-Final at BT Murrayfield.

Trailing 12-0 and 19-7 against an Edinburgh outfit

who had topped Conference B in the regular season,

Dan McFarland’s men surged back to claim victory

in the most dramatic of circumstances.

Ian Madigan’s penalty with the last kick of the game

kept Ulster’s dreams of a first title since 2006 alive

and they will be determined to upset the odds on

the big stage.

Both sides love to attack. No-one has scored more

tries than Leinster’s 75 this season, with Ulster’s

tally of 53 putting them joint-second – December’s

match between the two, which ended 54-42 in

Leinster’s favour, was evidence of the threat carried

by both line-ups.

The battle of the back-rows will be crucial to

deciding the outcome. Ulster’s Marcell Coetzee has

made 63 successful carries this season and will be

up against Leinster’s dynamic duo Caelan Doris,

fresh from a man of the match performance in

the Semi-Final, and the Guinness PRO14’s leading

tackler Will Connors.

Strap yourselves in – this should be a belter.



PRO14

WELCOME

TONIGHT’S GAME ARRIVES AT A TIME AND FASHION

THAT WASN’T WHAT ANY OF US EXPECTED,

BUT SIX MONTHS ON FROM WHEN THE WORLD

CHANGED I HOPE THE GUINNESS PRO14 FINAL IS

A VERY WELCOME SIGN OF BETTER DAYS AHEAD.

I hope you have the best

spot on the sofa picked out,

refreshments are at arms’

length and that family members

have been warned not to

obstruct the TV. After some

great drama in our Semi-Finals

we’re confident that Leinster

and Ulster can serve up another

helping of excitement and

cutting-edge rugby.

Certainly, Ulster will need to

be at their very best to inflict a

first defeat on Leinster in over

a calendar year. Leo Cullen’s

squad – emphasis on the wider

group – is full of eye-watering

talent while the former Leinster

captain has shrewdly assembled

a coaching team that draws from

all walks of rugby life.

Comparisons have been made

by some with the Ajax team

of the 1970s and 80s where

their dominance was built by

a conveyor-belt academy that

delivered top-class players to

the first team year after year.

Leinster are arguably one of the

best club sides in the world and

that sets a high bar for everyone

in the Guinness PRO14.

We see our league as one where

youth is given a chance to

flourish around the established

stars of the world game as

dozens of new internationals

emerge each year. Our clubs

invest smartly in sharp coaching

talent to produce attractive

rugby that so often sees our

teams outperform the others on

the European battlefields.

Dan McFarland is such a great

example of this. Ulster haven’t

reached the final by accident,

their incredible second-half

display against Edinburgh saw

them become only the second

team to win away from home in

the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Finals.

His team are so well coached

which is evidenced by their

great link play between forwards

and backs and their good record

when it comes to discipline –

I’m told they’re one of the least

penalised teams in the league.

They also have a differencemaker

in Marcell Coetzee and

his combination with Stuart

McCloskey last week created

that incredible score by Rob

Lyttle. Just like Leinster they

have bright young talent,

established international players

and a couple of overseas gems

– not to mention their ice-cold

kicker Ian Madigan waiting to

strike from the bench.

This game has all the aspects

of a classic although it will

not be played out in front of

a familiar backdrop. Over the

past four years we have set new

attendance records at our Finals

and now due to the pandemic

the stadium doors must be shut.

So, we put you in the very

capable hands of our

broadcasters, eir Sport, Premier

Sports, TG4, DAZN, S4C and

Super Sport. They will give you

the best insights, draw out the

emotion of the magic moments

and hard-earned yards while

bringing you the thoughts of the

players and coaches in Dublin.

In times where we have all had

to rethink our game plans, I

would like to pay huge thanks to

our title partners Guinness and

our broadcasters who have been

hugely supportive in our drive

to get back on the pitch. I also

wish to thank Ronseal, Big Red

Cloud, Gilbert and Macron for

their commitment as we work

hard to make sure your teams

can emerge from this period in a

good place.

Now, chill the drinks, fill the

snack bowls and turn up

the volume. Let our finalists

entertain you.

Enjoy the game,

Martin Anayi

CEO | Pro Rugby Championship

8





PLAYED WON LOST DRAW

16 16 0 0

POINTS FOR

POINTS AGAINST

544 219

(34 PER GAME) (13.6)

TRIES FOR

TRIES AGAINST

75 28

(4.7) (1.75)

BIGGEST WIN THIS SEASON

BIGGEST LOSS THIS SEASON

53-5

(ROUND 2 v OSPREYS)

0-

MOST POINTS SCORED THIS SEASON

55

(ROUND 13 v GLASGOW)

MOST POINTS AGAINST THIS SEASON

42

(ROUND 8 V ULSTER)

TRY-SCORING

BONUS POINTS

9 LOSING

BONUS POINTS 0

10



PLAYED WON LOST DRAW

16 9 6 1

POINTS FOR

POINTS AGAINST

407 325

(25.4 PER GAME) (20.3)

TRIES FOR

TRIES AGAINST

53 43

(3.3) (2.6)

BIGGEST WIN THIS SEASON

BIGGEST LOSS THIS SEASON

35-3 63-26

(ROUND 9 v CONNACHT)

(ROUND 2 v TOYOTA CHEETAHS)

MOST POINTS SCORED THIS SEASON

42

(ROUND 3 V SOUTHERN KINGS AND

ROUND 8 V LEINSTER)

MOST POINTS AGAINST THIS SEASON

63

(ROUND 2 v TOYOTA CHEETAHS)

TRY-SCORING

7 BONUS POINTS LOSING

3

BONUS POINTS


#ONECONSTANT

WWW.GILBERTRUGBY.COM


2019/20

STATISTICS

TACKLE

SUCCESS

88.15

PENALTIES

CONCEDED

150

(9.3 per game)

YELLOW CARDS

[%]

TURNOVERS

WON

6RED

CARDS

0

67

(4.4 per game)

CARRIES

2176

METRES GAINED

6320

(136 per game)

(395 per game)



ANDREW

PORTER

SUCCESS IS OFTEN SAID

TO BREED COMPLACENCY

– BUT THAT’S NOT THE

CASE AT LEINSTER.

[ By Andy Baber ]

14



“

IT’S A NEW

GAME AND

EVERYTHING IS

TO PLAY FOR,

SO WE’LL BE

LOOKING AT

THEIR THREATS

AND HOW TO

DEAL WITH

THEM.


How blue are you?

Show

Support

Your

Become an official member TODAY

at leinsterrugby.ie


In fact, as far as Andrew Porter is

concerned, Leinster’s unbeaten run

to the Guinness PRO14 Final will

mean absolutely nothing unless they

get the job done in Dublin.

A showdown with Ulster is all that

stands in the way of the reigning

champions winning their third

consecutive title, having won 22

games in a row in all competitions

this season.

But despite beating their

interprovincial rivals convincingly

in their final game of the regular

season, Porter insists the men in blue

are not taking anything for granted.

“We’re looking at the many threats

that Ulster are going to bring and we

know they are definitely not going

to be the same team we played two

weeks ago,” he said.

“We’re not going to be complacent

or benchmark ourselves on that, it’s

a new game and everything is to play

for, so we’ll be looking at their threats

and how to deal with them.

“We will definitely be reflecting on

past experiences playing against

them and what kind of threats they

will bring and I’m sure they’ll also

be looking back at how they’ve

exploited us.”

He added: “It’s sink or swim really.

You know the short space of time

you have to prepare for this but

you still have to do it – and that’s

“ WE’RE

NEVER

GOING TO BE

SATISFIED

NO MATTER

WHAT.

been one of the biggest things to

overcome.

“Now these are the games that mean

something, it’s make-or-break for the

season. All our unbeaten run would

be worthless if this weekend didn’t

result in anything but a win.”

Leinster finished at the summit of

Conference A at the end of the

regular season, with 15 wins from 15,

before overcoming Munster in the

last four for the third year in a row.

And while Leo Cullen’s men were far

from their best in that 13-3 Semi-Final

triumph, Porter is confident Leinster’s

insatiable appetite for improvement

will right any wrongs.

“It was great for us to win against

Munster. The main thing was we

came into that game ‘win at all costs’

so it didn’t matter who it was, we

only had one outcome in mind,” he

said.

“We felt we could have done better

in some areas, there is always going

to be room for improvement, but



that’s the great thing

about the squad.

“We’re always looking

for those areas to

improve, even if we

had played better

against Munster

we’d be looking for

those extra small

percentages here

and there.

“That’s the great

thing about this

team, we’re never

going to be satisfied no matter

what but we got the result and

we’ll have to step it up coming into

the final this week.”

Leinster are on the brink of a

second domestic and European

double in three years, with a

Champions Cup quarter-final with

Saracens following the Guinness

PRO14 Final.

But despite the games coming thick

and fast, Porter believes the strength

in depth in the Irish province’s

ranks and competition for

places could prove to be the

difference.

“We’ve used 53 players I

think in the whole course

of the season and that’s

something we’re really big

on, it’s great in driving the

performance in this team,”

added the 24-year-old.

“Competition is so high and

no position is secure really.

Lads are fighting for positions

all week in training and it’s that

matchday 23 who get to represent

the entire squad.

“So for the guys who aren’t selected,

they are still pushing the matchday

23 in terms of preparation and that’s

huge – not just now, but throughout

the season.

“That’s something that has been

really good for us, the competition

driving performance.”



20



LEO

CULLEN

AS THE ENGINEER BEHIND THE LEINSTER

RUGBY MACHINE, LEO CULLEN NEVER

SETTLES FOR SECOND BEST.

The club’s relentless march towards

silverware season after season says

all you need to know about the

standards he expects from his players

every time they pull on the jersey.

It’s why the Irish province stand on the

brink of a third consecutive Guinness

PRO14 title and a perfect season,

having won all 16 of their games in the

2019/20 campaign to date.

Unbeaten in 24 games in all

competitions overall, Leinster have not

experienced defeat since losing the

final of the European Champions Cup

to Saracens in May 2019.

Since then, Cullen’s blue army have

conquered every single team in their

path and are on the cusp of going

down in history as ‘The Invincibles’ of

European club rugby.

This all-encompassing drive for

success would not be possible without

the brains of Cullen, though, whose

tendency to avoid the limelight often

belies his influence.

Cullen may possess an unassuming

nature but make no doubt about it, he

is also a winner – a characteristic he

has imbued in the fabric of Leinster

since taking over the top job.

In fact, you only have to look at his

list of achievements at Leinster as a

player, and then head coach, to see

why supporters of the Irish province

worship the ground he walks on.

The 42-year-old was already a threetime

European Champions Cup

winning captain with the club before

he was somewhat thrust into the role

of coach in 2015.

And despite a turbulent start to his

reign, he created history in 2018 by

guiding Leinster to an unprecedented

Guinness PRO14 and European double

in just his third season in charge.



By doing so, he also became the first

man to lift the Champions Cup both as

a player and as a coach when Leinster

edged out Racing 92 in Bilbao for their

fourth European crown.

But while his transition to head coach

has proved to be a masterstroke, Cullen

was initially wary about being suddenly

parachuted into the role following the

sacking of Matt O’Connor.

Cullen was Leinster’s forwards coach at

the time O’Connor was shown the door

and it was far from smooth sailing for

the Wicklow native after he was chosen

as the club’s saviour.

In his first season, Leinster lost five of

six European pool games – including a

humbling 33-6 defeat by Wasps at the

RDS Arena – and looked unlikely to add

to the three stars on their shirt.

He went on to lead Leinster to a

Guinness PRO12 final defeat to

Connacht in that first season, before

turning his attention to transforming

the club in a bid for future success.

Cullen’s impact began to bear fruit in

his second season in charge with two

semi-finals and the selfless decision to

appoint former England head coach

Stuart Lancaster to his coaching staff.

Lancaster’s recruitment, along with

Cullen’s faith in the province’s young

talent, proved to be the final pieces

of the jigsaw as Leinster completed a

remarkable double in his third season.

He followed up that success by guiding

Leinster to back-to-back Guinness

PRO14 titles – the club’s sixth overall

- last year with victory over Glasgow

Warriors in the Final.

And despite missing out on the doubledouble

after losing to Saracens in

Europe’s showpiece, Cullen’s men are

once again knocking on the door in

both competitions this season.

Only Ulster stand in their way of a

hat-trick of Guinness PRO14 titles

while a rematch against Saracens in

the Champions Cup quarter-finals also

awaits the Irish province.

Whether or not they achieve a second

double in three years, as long as Cullen

is at the helm keeping the engine

purring, Leinster will remain a dominant

force in club rugby.

“

LANCASTER’S

RECRUITMENT,

ALONG WITH

CULLEN’S FAITH IN

THE PROVINCE’S

YOUNG TALENT,

PROVED TO BE

THE FINAL PIECES

OF THE JIGSAW

AS LEINSTER

COMPLETED A

REMARKABLE

DOUBLE IN HIS

THIRD SEASON.



LEINSTER

RUGBY

[ 2019|20 SQUAD PROFILES ]

Please note: appearances and points are PRO14 only.

24



ABDALADZE, VAKH PROP

DOB: 06-Feb-96

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”

WEIGHT: 116kg/18st 3lb

APPS ST REP MINS T C PG DG PTS

4 - 4 120 - - - - -

BAIRD, RYAN LOCK

DOB: 26-Jul-99

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



8 3 5 384 3 - - - 15

BENT, MICHAEL PROP

DOB: 25-Apr-86

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



13 10 3 638 3 - - - 15

HOUNOURS: Ireland [4]

BYRNE, ADAM WING | FULL BACK

DOB: 10-Apr-94

HEIGHT: 1.9m/6’3”



5 5 - 375 1 - - - 5

HONOURS: Ireland [1]

BYRNE, ED PROP

BYRNE, HARRY FLY HALF

BYRNE, ROSS FLY HALF

CLARKSON, TOM PROP

DOB: 09-Sep-93

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11



4 - 4 95 - - - - -

DOB: 22-Apr-99

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



10 3 7 335 3 20 1 - 58

DOB: 08-Apr-95

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



10 8 2 605 1 21 12 - 83


DOB: 22-Feb-00

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



1 - 1 22 - - - - -

CONAN, JACK NO 8

DOB: 29-Jul-92

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



2 2 - 160 - - - - -


CONNORS, WILL BACK ROW

DOB: 04-Apr-96

WEIGHT: 1.95m/6’5”

100kg/5st 10lb


13 11 2 788 2 - - - 10

CRONIN, SÉAN HOOKER

DOB: 06-May-86

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



9 4 5 320 - - - - -


DEEGAN, MAX NO 8

DOB: 01-Oct-96

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”

WEIGHT: 108kg/17st 0lb8


12 10 2 812 5 - - - 25


DOOLEY, PETER PROP

DOB: 04-Aug-94

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



12 11 1 642 - - - - -

DORIS, CAELAN BACK ROW

DOB: 02-Apr-98

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



10 8 2 637 1 - - - 5


DUNNE, JACK LOCK

DOB: 1-Nov-98

HEIGHT: 2.03m/6’8”



2 - 2 16 - - - - -

FARDY, SCOTT LOCK

DOB: 05-Jul-84

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



11 11 - 758 1 - - - 5

HONOURS: Australia [39]



FRAWLEY, CIARÁN FLY HALF

DOB: 04-Dec-97




9 4 5 356 1 14 1 - 36

FURLONG, TADHG PROP

DOB: 14-Nov-92

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



1 1 - 64 - - - - -


GIBSON-PARK, JAMISON SCRUM HALF

DOB: 23-Feb-92

HEIGHT: 1.75m/5’9”



15 9 6 701 1 - - - 5

HEALY, CIAN PROP

DOB: 07-Oct-87

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



4 3 1 194 1 - - - 5


HENSHAW, ROBBIE CENTRE | FULL BACK

DOB: 12-Jun-93

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



3 3 - 222 1 - - - 5


KEARNEY, DAVE WING | FULL BACK

DOB: 19-Jun-89

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



7 7 - 482 9 - - - 45


KEARNEY, ROB FULL BACK | WING

DOB: 26-Mar-86

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



4 3 1 259 1 - - - 5


KEENAN, HUGO FULL BACK

DOB: 18-Jun-96

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



11 10 1 785 - - - - -

KELLEHER, CIAN WING | FULL BACK

DOB: 07-Aug-94

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



8 5 3 455 4 - - - 20

KELLEHER, RÓNAN HOOKER

DOB: 24-Jan-98

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



8 8 - 451 8 - - - 40


LARMOUR, JORDAN WING

DOB: 10-Jun-97

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



3 3 - 206 - - - - -


LEAVY, DAN FLANKER

DOB: 23-May-94


106kg/16st 9lb


- - - - - - - - -


LOWE, JAMES WING | FULL BACK

DOB: 08-Jul-92

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



9 9 - 706 6 - - - 30

McGRATH, LUKE SCRUM HALF

DOB: 03-Feb-93

HEIGHT: 1.75m/5’9”



6 6 - 370 1 - - - 5


MILNE, MICHAEL PROP

DOB: 05-Feb-99

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



9 - 9 186 2 - - - 10

MOLONY, ROSS LOCK

DOB: 11-May-94

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



12 7 5 624 - - - - -


2

10 YEAR

WOODSTAIN

1

22 10 50

DECKING

RESCUE PAINT

4

DECKING

PROTECTOR

5

3

SHED & FENCE

PRESERVER

22

HIGH PERFORMANCE

WOOD FILLER

10

50

10

10

6

GARDEN

PAINT

7

DECKING

STAIN

22

8

FENCE LIFE

PLUS+

DOES EXACTLY

WHAT IT SAYS ON

THE TIN

22


O’LOUGHLIN, RORY CENTRE

OSBORNE, ROWAN SCRUM HALF

O’SULLIVAN, HUGH SCRUM HALF

PENNY, SCOTT FLANKER

MURPHY, JOSH FLANKER

O’BRIEN, CONOR CENTRE

O’BRIEN, JIMMY CENTRE

O’BRIEN, TOMMY CENTRE

DOB: 17-Feb-95

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



11 9 2 596 1 - - - 5

DOB: 06-Feb-96




6 4 2 247 - - - - -

DOB: 27-Nov-96

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



11 8 3 678 - - - - -

DOB: 28-May-98

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



3 1 2 130 1 - - - 5

DOB: 21-Jan-94

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



7 6 1 482 - - - - -


DOB: 03-Nov-96

HEIGHT: 1.68m/5’6”



5 1 4 123 1 - - - 5

DOB: 4-Feb-98

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



6 - 6 92 1 - - - 5

DOB: 22-Sep-99

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



8 5 3 423 4 - - - 20

PORTER, ANDREW PROP

DOB: 16-Jan-96

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



5 5 - 306 2 - - - 10


RINGROSE, GARRY CENTRE

DOB: 26-Jan-95




3 3 - 240 3 - - - 15


RUDDOCK, RHYS BACK ROW

DOB: 13-Nov-90




6 3 3 313 1 - - - 5


RYAN, JAMES LOCK

DOB: 24-Jul-96

HEIGHT: 2.03m/6’8”



1 1 - 24 - - - - -


SEXTON, JOHNNY FLY HALF

DOB: 11-Jul-85

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



2 2 - 127 - 4 3 - 17


TONER, DEVIN LOCK

DOB: 29-Jun-86

HEIGHT: 2.11m/6’11”

WEIGHT: 127kg19st 13lb


10 9 1 699 - - - - -


TRACY, JAMES HOOKER

DOB: 02-Apr-91

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



11 4 7 414 - - - - -


VAN DER FLIER, JOSH FLANKER

DOB: 25-Apr-93

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



3 1 2 74 - - - -




Friday, Sep 04 2020

GUINNESS PRO14 SEMI-FINAL

LEINSTER VS MUNSTER

Leinster’s Johnny Sexton converts a penalty

Image ©INPHO | Dan Sheridan

30





LEINSTER

RUGBY

JORDAN

LARMOUR

15

HUGO

KEENAN

14

GARRY

RINGROSE [C]

13

Match Officials

ROBBIE

HENSHAW

12

JAMES

LOWE

11

ROSS

BYRNE

10

REFEREE:

ANDREW BRACE (IRFU)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 1:

FRANK MURPHY (IRFU)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 2:

GEORGE CLANCY (IRFU)

TMO:

BRIAN MACNEICE (IRFU)

JAMISON

GIBSON-PARK

09

CIAN

HEALY

01

RÓNAN

KELLEHER

02

Replacements

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

JAMES TRACY

ED BYRNE

MICHAEL BENT

SCOTT FARDY

WILL CONNORS

LUKE McGRATH

JOHNNY SEXTON

RORY O’LOUGHLIN

ANDREW

PORTER

CAELAN

DORIS

03

06

DEVIN

TONER

04

07

JOSH VAN DER

FLIER

JAMES

RYAN

JACK

CONAN

05

08

32



MIKE

LOWRY

15

ROB

LYTTLE

14

JAMES

HUME

13

ULSTER

RUGBY

STUART

McCLOSKEY

12

JACOB

STOCKDALE

11

BILLY

BURNS

10

ALBY

MATHEWSON

09

ERIC

O’SULLIVAN

01

ROB

HERRING

02

TOM

O’TOOLE

MATTHEW

REA

03

06

ALAN

O’CONNOR

SEAN

REIDY

04

07

MARCELL

COETZEE

05

IAIN

HENDERSON [C]

08

Replacements

JOHN ANDREW 16

JACK McGRATH 17

MARTY MOORE 18

SAM CARTER 19

JORDI MURPHY 20

JOHN COONEY 21

IAN MADIGAN 22

NICK TIMONEY 23



Saturday, Sep 05 2020

GUINNESS PRO14 SEMI-FINAL

EDINBURGH VS ULSTER

Ulster’s Ian Madigan celebrates after converting

the final kick of the game to win

Image ©INPHO | Ian Rutherford

34





ULSTER

RUGBY

[ 2019|20 SQUAD PROFILES ]

Please note: appearances and points are PRO14 only.

38



ADDISON, WILL UTILITY BACK

DOB: 20-Aug-92

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



4 4 - 257 - - - - -


ALLISON, AZUR BACK ROW

DOB: 19-Apr-99

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



1 - 1 28 - - - - -

ANDREW, JOHN HOOKER

DOB: 26-May-93

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



10 1 9 219 1 - - - 5

BALOUCOUNE, ROBERT WING

DOB: 19-Aug-97

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



6 5 1 409 5 - - - 25

BURNS, BILLY FLY HALF

DOB: 13-Jun-94

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



8 8 - 509 2 3 1 - 19

CARTER, SAM LOCK

DOB: 10-Sep-89

HEIGHT: 2.01m/6’7”



9 6 3 472 1 - - - 5

HONOURS: Australia [16]

COETZEE, MARCELL BACK ROW

DOB: 08-May-91

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



10 10 - 669 - - - - -

HONOURS: South Africa [30]

COONEY, JOHN SCRUM HALF

DOB: 01-May-90

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



12 11 1 701 4 26 11 - 105


CURTIS, ANGUS FLY HALF | CENTRE

DOB: 26-Mar-98

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



5 2 3 176 - - - - -

FADDES, MATT CENTRE | WING

DOB: 06-Nov-91

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



10 9 1 705 6 - - - 30

GILROY, CRAIG WING

DOB: 11-Mar-91

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



12 7 5 713 4 - - - 20


HERRING, ROB HOOKER

HENDERSON, IAIN LOCK

DOB: 21-Feb-92

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



1 1 - 80 - - - - -


HUME, JAMES CENTRE

JOHNSTON, BILL FLY HALF

JONES, GREG BACK ROW

DOB: 27-Apr-90

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



10 10 - 627 5 - - - 25


DOB: 07-Sep-98

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



8 7 1 484 1 - - - 5

DOB: 07-Feb-97

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



9 5 4 451 - 14 3 - 37

DOB: 13-Jan-96

HEIGHT: 1.95m/6’5”



5 3 2 254 3 - - - 15



KANE, ROSS PROP

DOB: 14-Oct-94

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



6 - 6 114 - - - - -

LOWRY, MICHAEL FLY HALF | FULL BACK

DOB: 20-Aug-98




5 1 4 169 - - - - -

LUDIK, LOUIS FULL BACK

DOB: 08-Oct-86

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



12 9 3 632 - - - - -

LYTTLE, ROB WING

DOB: 28-Jan-97

HEIGHT: 1.75m/5’9”



7 7 - 495 2 - - - 10

MADIGAN, IAN FLY HALF

DOB: 21-Mar-89

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11”



3 1 2 100 - 2 1 - 7


MARSHALL, LUKE CENTRE

DOB: 03-Mar-91

HEIGHT: 1.8m/5’11



10 10 - 766 2 - - - 10


MATHEWSON, ALBY SCRUM HALF

DOB: 13-Dec-85

HEIGHT: 1.73m/5’8”



2 - 2 80 - - - - -

HONOURS: New Zealand [4]

McBURNEY, ADAM HOOKER

DOB: 05-Sep-96

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



10 4 6 351 - - - - -

McCALL, KYLE PROP

DOB: 02-Jan-92

HEIGHT: 1.75m/5’9”



7 - 7 142 - - - - -

McCLOSKEY, STUART CENTRE

DOB: 06-Aug-92

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



9 9 - 680 2 - - - 10


McGRATH, JACK PROP

DOB: 11-Oct-89

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



9 7 2 461 - - - - -

Ireland [56]

MOORE, MARTY PROP

McILROY, ETHAN WING

DOB: 10-Aug-00

HEIGHT:

WEIGHT:


1 - 1 56 - - - - -

MOORE, STEWART CENTRE

MURPHY, JORDI BACK ROW

O’CONNOR, ALAN LOCK

DOB: 01-Mar-91

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



9 7 2 363 - - - - -


DOB: 08-Aug-99

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



2 - 2 42 - - - - -

DOB: 22-Apr-91

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



6 5 1 337 - - - - -


DOB: 10-Sep-92

HEIGHT: 1.95m/6’5”



14 12 2 862 1 - - - 5



O’CONNOR, DAVID LOCK | BACK ROW

DOB: 19-May-95

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”

110kg/17st 4lb


7 1 6 196 - - - - -

O’SULLIVAN, ERIC PROP

DOB: 30-Nov-95

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



11 7 4 526 - - - - -

O’TOOLE, TOM PROP

DOB: 23-Sep-98

HEIGHT: 1.85m/6’1”



15 8 7 723 1 - - - 5

REA, MARCUS BACK ROW

DOB: 08-Sep-97

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



- - - - - - - - -

REA, MATTY NO 8

DOB: 21-Sep-93

HEIGHT: 1.93m/6’4”



14 12 2 960 2 - - - 10

REIDY, SEAN BACK ROW

DOB: 10-May-89

HEIGHT: 1.83m/6’0”



12 9 3 751 1 - - - 5


SHANAHAN, DAVE SCRUM HALF

DOB: 20-Jun-93

HEIGHT: 1.75m/5’9”



12 4 8 410 2 - - - 10

STOCKDALE, JACOB WING

DOB: 03-Apr-96




5 5 - 375 2 - - - 10


TIMONEY, NICK BACK ROW

DOB: 01-Aug-95

HEIGHT: 1.88m/6’2”



10 6 4 575 2 - - - 10

TREADWELL, KIERAN LOCK

DOB: 06-Nov-95

HEIGHT: 1.98m/6’6”



13 10 3 788 - - - - -


WARWICK, ANDREW PROP

DOB: 2-Mar-91

HEIGHT: 1.78m/5’10”



2 1 1 70 - - - - -



DAN

McFARLAND

IN JUST TWO YEARS AT THE HELM,

DAN MCFARLAND HAS BROUGHT GOOD

VIBES BACK TO ULSTER, SO MUCH SO

THAT THEY JUST MIGHT END A

14-YEAR TROPHY DROUGHT.

When the Englishman started his role

as the province’s new head coach in

August 2018, Ulster had just come off

a season in which they failed to reach

the Guinness PRO14 Final Series,

crashed out of the European Rugby

Champions Cup at the group stage

and off-field issues had clouded any

rugby progress they were making.

“The ‘annus horribilis’ that was the

year before [I arrived] was a lot to

do with off-field stuff,” explained the

48-year-old McFarland this week.

“There was a perception, because of

the context that happened in that

year that (people working for the

club) didn’t care. The perception was

wrong. But the key thing was that

everybody had to perceive.

“They had to look in and say ‘do you

know what, I know that they care.

I know that every inch on the pitch

matters to these guys. That they’re

working non-stop to get there’.”

Now, nobody can accuse McFarland’s

Ulster of not caring and they

demonstrated that willingness to

fight for every inch last week as they

overturned a 12-point deficit to beat

Edinburgh thanks to Ian Madigan’s

last-gasp kick in a high-stakes Semi-

Final.

In his first season as head coach,

McFarland steered the Ulstermen

back into the Final Series after a

two-year absence, before they lost to

Glasgow Warriors in the last-four, and

this time they have already gone one

better.

Not bad for a man in his first senior

head coaching position.

44




2019/20

SPONSORS

& PARTNERS

THANK YOU

Ulster Rugby and the IRFU (Ulster Branch) wish

to thank all of our sponsors and partners as well

as ground advertisers, programme advertisers

and supporters of corporate hospitality for their

continued support.

Ulster Rugby wish to thank all of our sponsors

and partners for their continued support.

MAIN SPONSOR

OFFICIAL KIT SPONSORS

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

DOMESTICS SPONSORS

mmw

Millar McCall Wylie

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

PUBLISHED BY

Ulster Rugby @ Kingspan Stadium

134 Mount Merrion Ave

Belfast BT6 0FT

T 028 9049 3222

ulsterrugby.com

DESIGN & PRINT

T 028 9070 5205

minprint.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY

UlsterRugby.com


McFarland was born and raised in

Oxfordshire, yet his rugby loyalties have

always laid with the green of Ireland.

His rugby-playing grandfather was from

Belfast and moved to England to work

as a chief engineer at a nuclear power

station.

As a youngster, McFarland shunned

the opportunity to study for a PGCE in

favour of signing with Richmond, but

the skills he had shown as a prospective

teacher later became evident as he

would go on to establish himself as a

leader in the rugby world.

Following three years in London,

McFarland enjoyed a brief spell at Stade

Francais, before moving to Connacht

where he spent six years as a player

before retiring to take up the forwards

coach role in 2006.

He then became assistant coach at the

Sportsground four years later, working

alongside Michael Bradley and Pat Lam.

During his 15-year association with

Connacht, McFarland also worked with

the Ireland youth teams, assisting Eric

Elwood as they clinched the Under-20s

Six Nations Grand Slam in 2007.

In 2015, he departed for Guinness

PRO14 rivals Glasgow Warriors – linking

up with Gregor Townsend as forwards

coach – and followed Townsend into the

international game.

He played a pivotal role as Scotland

finished third in the 2018 Six Nations

and reclaimed the Calcutta Cup for the

first time in a decade.

Soon after the competition, McFarland

announced his new role as Ulster head

coach and while he may have faced

something of a baptism of fire at the

Kingspan, his sense of challenge and

strong familial ties to Belfast clearly

played their part in persuading him to

take the job.

At the time of his appointment,

McFarland said: “I always wanted to be

a head coach. You have to be ready and

the opportunity has to be right. Those

two things married up in this situation.”

The improvement since his arrival has

been clear for all to see and if he gets

things right today, then Ulster could

well be celebrating with the PRO14

trophy for the first time since 2006.

“

HE PLAYED A

PIVOTAL ROLE

AS SCOTLAND

FINISHED THIRD

IN THE 2018 SIX

NATIONS AND

RECLAIMED

THE CALCUTTA

CUP FOR THE

FIRST TIME IN A

DECADE.



“

I’VE BEEN

TRUE TO

MYSELF IN

HOW I’VE

GONE ABOUT

MY TRAINING

AND GETTING

MY MIND AND

MY BODY

RIGHT TO HIT

THE GROUND

RUNNING

WITH ULSTER.

48



IAN

MADIGAN

AS IAN MADIGAN SHAPED UP

FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST

KICKS OF HIS CAREER,

ULSTER’S CAPTAIN ALAN

O’CONNOR THOUGHT IT WISE

TO OFFER SOME WORDS OF

ENCOURAGEMENT.

[ By Charlie Bennett ]


EVERY FIXTURE

EVERY TRY

EVERY TACKLE

ALL IN

ONE APP


Madigan, a talented fly-half who

has played in Ireland, France and

England, won two Six Nations titles

and 30 international caps, admits

his mouth went dry and his palms a

little sweaty.

There may have been no fans at

BT Murrayfield, but that probably

made it worse. So, stand-in skipper

O’Connor, like all intuitive captains,

stepped in.

“He told me he loved me which was a

nice touch,” Madigan said.

“I’ve only known him a couple of

weeks but for him to be expressing

his love for me, it gave me a boost of

confidence.

“That could have been the

difference.”

Seconds later, Madigan booted

the penalty through the posts to

complete a remarkable comeback

and send Ulster to the Guinness

PRO14 Final at Edinburgh’s expense.

For such a big club, it is perhaps

surprising to learn it is their first

PRO14 final in seven years. They

played Leinster that day too, losing

24-18.

“ I’M VERY

LUCKY

BECAUSE I

HAVE GREAT

PEOPLE

AROUND ME.

None of the Ulster XV that started

that day are still at the club. However,

Madigan remembers it well. He was in

the No.12 jersey. For Leinster.

Then aged 24, things were looking

up. He’d forced his way into the

Leinster team at inside centre, with

head coach Joe Schmidt recognising

he needed to find a place for such a

talent.

That win was his first of two PRO14

titles, while he already has two

European Champions Cup medals

– including one from 2012 that also

came against Ulster.

Ireland soon made him a key player,

a back-up to Johnny Sexton and the

man they brought on to finish games.

In 2015, he played in all five matches

as Ireland won the title.

However, playing back-up to Sexton

only appealed for so long and in

2016 Madigan packed his bags and

headed east to France for a year at



Bordeaux before Bristol Bears

came calling.

He spent three seasons at

Ashton Gate but his career

fizzled out in the last 18 months,

restricted to a season on the

bench.

Now 31, he’s back in the

Guinness PRO14. And

though Billy Burns has a

tight hold on the No.10

jersey, Madigan is Ulster’s

not-so-secret weapon

hoping to tear down

Leinster’s perfect

campaign.

“I don’t really have any

demons from the last 18

months because I still

think I’ve been true to

myself in how I’ve gone

about my training and

getting my mind and my

body right to hit the ground

running with Ulster,” he said.

“At the same time, it was a

period that went quite slowly

for me. I’m very lucky because

I have great people around me

- my fiancée Anna, my parents,

my friends - and just being able to

draw on them and being around

them throughout the last few months

built up my confidence again.

“Even with the club, Dan (McFarland)

is big on the psychological side

and he’s been great at building my

confidence up and ensuring I fit into

the squad really quickly.

“It’s happened thick and fast but I’d

have it no other way.”

Ulster are aware of how tall their

task is on Saturday night. Leinster

are chasing history, attempting

to win every game en route to

the title.

Few expect them to stumble

but then few expected Japan

to beat South Africa, Greece

to win the Euros or the

Giants to beat the Patriots.

Ulster have hope. And

they also have Madigan.

“A big part of it is

what is going on in

your head, filling

your head with

positive thoughts.”



2019/20

STATISTICS

TACKLE

SUCCESS

88.92

PENALTIES

CONCEDED

139

(8.7 per game)

YELLOW CARDS

[%]

TURNOVERS

WON

6RED

CARDS

0

79

(4.9 per game)

CARRIES

1980

METRES GAINED

5460

(127.7 per game)

(341 per game)



GUINNESS PRO14 2019|20

AWARDS WINNERS

Leinster, Munster and Ulster are

familiar faces when it comes to

the Guinness PRO14 Final Series

but Edinburgh’s arrival as a major

force was one of the stories of

the 2019/20 season.

The Scottish outfit topped

Conference B with 11 wins,

finishing ahead of Munster, and

that success has led Richard

Cockerill to be named the

Guinness PRO14 Coach of the

Season.

Edinburgh’s evolution from

sleeping giant to major players

has been gradual but since

Cockerill’s arrival, they have

travelled in just one direction.

The Englishman joined Edinburgh

in 2017 after a 12-year spell

coaching at Leicester Tigers,

including seven as head coach.

There he won three English

Premiership titles and made

it to the final of the European

Champions Cup, while as a player

he won 27 England caps.

Yet while Cockerill was forging

a reputation as one of English

rugby’s brightest young coaches,

Edinburgh were drifting in the

bottom half of the then-PRO12.

Between 2010-2017, they failed to

finish higher than eighth. When

Cockerill arrived and the 14 clubs

56

COACH OF THE

SEASON

Richard

COCKERILL

(EDINBURGH)

were split into two conferences,

things changed.

In his first season, Cockerill led

Edinburgh to the Quarter-Finals,

where they narrowly lost 20-16 to

Munster, before they took a slight

step backwards last season by

finishing fifth in Conference B.

However, under Cockerill’s watch,

Edinburgh have developed some

of the league’s finest players.

Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson,

Magnus Bradbury, Darcy Graham

and Blair Kinghorn are all regulars

in the Scotland squad and so it

is no surprise Edinburgh have

emerged this season.

Head-turning wins against

Scarlets (46-7), Munster (18-16)

and Connacht (41-14) steered

them to the Semi-Finals while

they also secured a third

successive 1872 Cup on the way,

with two wins against rivals

Glasgow Warriors.

Ulster’s BT Murrayfield miracle

may have denied them a place

in the Final but they dominated

their opponents for large portions

of the game.

Edinburgh may have been a

surprise package this season but

everyone is aware of them now.

Richard Cockerill has played a

massive part in that.

DREAM TEAM

They may have narrowly missed

out on a place in the Final

but Edinburgh can take some

comfort from the fact that six

of their players made it in the

Guinness PRO14 Dream Team.

Richard Cockerill’s side topped

Conference B after winning 11

of their 15 matches and that

impressive campaign has been

recognised in the end-of-season

awards.

Edinburgh fill two of the back

three spots, with winger Duhan

van der Merwe an obvious pick

on the left after he bagged seven

tries and made more metres

(971), more clean breaks (32) and

beat more defenders (80) than

anyone else in the PRO14.

Scotland international Blair

Kinghorn fills in at full-back,

while Benetton’s Monty Ioane is

the only player from an Italian

club and gets the nod at No.14.

Pace and power make up the

centre combination of Ulster’s

Ireland international Stuart

McCloskey and the electric

Cardiff Blues ace Rey Lee-Lo,

while Jaco van der Walt –

another Edinburgh player – and

Ulster’s John Cooney get in at

half-back.

Cooney’s has followed in the

footsteps of predecessor Ruan

Pienaar to become a talismanic

Ulster No.9 and he was also the

league’s second-highest points

scorer (105) behind only JJ

Hanrahan.

The pack is jammed full of talent

and the front row combination

of Edinburgh’s Pierre Schoeman,

Toyota Cheetahs’ Joseph Dweba

and Dragons’ Leon Brown is as

fierce as it comes.



Leinster -who are targeting a

Guinness PRO14 clean sweep

in the Final – have their first

player in at No.4, with imperious

Australian Scott Fardy joining

Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist in the

engine room.

1

And two of Leinster’s glut of

incredibly talented back-row

players – blindside flanker Max

Deegan and openside Will

Connors – make up two thirds of

that unit, alongside the everimpressive

Bill Mata.

6 – EDINBURGH

3 – LEINSTER

2 – ULSTER

1 – DRAGONS

1 – CARDIFF BLUES

1 – BENETTON RUGBY

1 – TOYOTA CHEETAHS

DREAM TEAM 2019|20

2

3

4

5

Pierre

SCHOEMAN

Joseph

DWEBA

Leon

BROWN

Scott

FARDY

Grant

GILCHRIST

6

7

8

9

10

Max

DEEGAN

Will

CONNORS

Bill

MATA

John

COONEY

Jaco van der

WALT

11

12

13

14

15

Duhan van der

MERWE

Stuart

McCLOSKEY

Rey

LEE-LO

Monty

IOANE

Blair

KINGHORN

GILBERT GOLDEN BOOT

JJ HANRAHAN

(MUNSTER)

Munster’s JJ Hanrahan has been a crucial performer

in his team’s path to the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Finals

with his place-kicking coming to the fore. Hanrahan’s

accuracy off the tee was 90.91% as he converted 50

kicks from 55 attempts. The Munster out-half has

scored 121 points in 14 appearances this season.



GUINNESS PLAYERS’

PLAYER OF THE

SEASON

Duhan van der

MERWE

(EDINBURGH)

No player has been more

dangerous with the ball in

hand in the 2019/20 Guinness

PRO14 season than electrifying

Edinburgh winger Duhan van der

Merwe.

The mere sight of the 25-year-old

has struck fear in the opposition

– and he has now been named

the Guinness Players’ Player

of the Season for his standout

campaign.

Earning the recognition of his

fellow players is just reward for

the South African-born flyer, who

carried his regular season form

into Edinburgh’s Semi-Final clash

with Ulster.

While his efforts ultimately

proved to be in vain as Scotland’s

capital team were beaten 22-19 in

a dramatic finale, Van der Merwe

was once again one of the best

players on the pitch.

He finished the game with eight

successful carries, three clean

breaks and 13 defenders beaten

for a total of 101 metres, with

Ulster’s Rob Lyttle his nearest

rival with 78 metres.

It was a performance that

appeared to have guided

Edinburgh to their first Guinness

PRO14 Final before Ulster

mounted a late comeback, sealing

victory in the 80th minute.

But Van der Merwe’s display at

BT Murrayfield was nothing out of

the ordinary for a player who has

consistently brought his A-game

week-in, week-out throughout

this season.

In fact, he finished the regular

campaign top of the stats charts

in several different categories,

with the most clean breaks (32),

defenders beaten (80) and

metres gained (971).

To hammer home just how good

he has been, you only have to

look at the stats of his nearest

rival in each table, Rhyno Smith,

who is a distant second in all

three categories.

Smith gained 229m less, beat 31

fewer defenders and made 14

fewer clean breaks than his fellow

back-three star.

With such a potent weapon

on the wing, it is no surprise

Edinburgh have enjoyed such a

magnificent season as Richard

Cockerill’s side finished top of

Conference B.

One of the highlights of Van der

Merwe’s campaign came in Round

4 when he scored a hat-trick

in a 46-7 victory over Scarlets,

including two tries in the opening

ten minutes.

That was by no means the end of

his try-scoring exploits though,

with another coming against

Dragons in a 20-7 triumph at BT

Murrayfield in Round 6.

He scored one of eight tries

against Isuzu Southern Kings

when Edinburgh romped to a

61-13 success before also crossing

the whitewash against Scarlets

again and Connacht.

Finishing with seven tries in total,

fifth in the leading try scorer

table, there is no doubt that van

der Merwe will continue to light

up the Guinness PRO14 for many

years to come.

TOP TRY-SCORER

RHYNO SMITH

(TOYOTA CHEETAHS)

Toyota Cheetahs full-back

Rhyno Smith was key to

the South African team’s

remarkable home form where

they scored 196 points across

four games. But it was not just

home comforts that worked for

the Free State speedster, who

scored four of his 10 tries away

from home.

BIG RED CLOUD TURNOVER KING

JOSH MacLEOD

(SCARLETS)

The West Wales region have a strong

pedigree for snaffling the ball away

from the opposition at the breakdown

with James Davies and ex-Scarlet

Tadhg Beirne appearing high in the

turnover charts in the past couple of

seasons. In the absence of Davies during this

campaign, MacLeod has performed strongly

at openside picking 23 turnovers to earn the

Big Red Cloud Turnover King award.

58



NEXT-GEN STAR OF

THE SEASON

Caelan

DORIS

(LEINSTER)

A man of the match display

in Leinster’s Guinness PRO14

Semi-Final victory over Munster

further cemented Caelan Doris’

status as one of the brightest

young talents in European

rugby.

And the 22-year-old’s superb

performances throughout

2019/20 have not gone

unnoticed, as he has been named

the Guinness PRO14 Next-Gen

Star of the Season.

The back-rower has been a

key part of Leinster’s so-far

unbeaten campaign, making 10

appearances for Leo Cullen’s

side – nine of which came in the

regular season as they swept all

before them to top Conference A.

Doris’ tackling has been a

particularly impressive aspect

of his game. The 6ft 4in star has

made 113 tackles in 2019/20 and

has a tackle success rate of 98%,

the fourth highest across the

Guinness PRO14.

With his fellow Leinster backrow

Will Connors leading the

way for tackles made (191), the

pair have been integral in laying

the foundations on which the

province have built their success.

He has also consistently made

yards with ball in hand –

producing 59 successful carries

this term, joint third most in the

PRO14.

Doris has been one to watch

for several years now. He came

through the ranks at Blackrock

College and shone for Ireland

Under-20s while playing a year

up in 2017, captaining the side

the following year at the World

Rugby Under-20 Championship.

He was handed his first Leinster

start against Cardiff Blues in

August 2018 and has gone from

strength to strength since with

performances that have not

escaped the attention of Ireland

head coach Andy Farrell.

Doris’ displays led to a first senior

Ireland call-up ahead of the 2020

Guinness Six Nations and he was

selected to start against Scotland

on the opening weekend.

Farrell was impressed with what

he had seen from the youngster

in the build-up, saying: “I like the

fact that he is just himself, he is

not fazed by anything. His first

time in an international scene and

he’s himself.

“Training has been competitive

and physical and you can see his

attributes all over that, he doesn’t

want to come second best in

contact.”

Doris announced his arrival on the

international stage by winning a

turnover within 90 seconds but

injury cut short his debut shortly

afterwards. He recovered to come

off the bench against England

later in the Championship and

looks set for a sustained career at

international level.

Lockdown didn’t stop his

momentum as it might have done.

Doris continued to train hard in

rural surroundings back in his

native County Mayo and he has

picked up from where he left off

since the restart.

Now all his focus will be on

helping Leinster secure their third

straight Guinness PRO14 title as

Doris looks to add collective glory

to his individual accolades.

RONSEAL TACKLE MACHINE

PAUL BOYLE

(CONNACHT)

Connacht’s young back rower is becoming well

known around the Guinness PRO14 and should be

in contention for the Next-Gen Star of the Season

award. Providing strength and reliability from No

8, Boyle has been fearsome in

defence with a remarkable 98.3%

tackle completion rate from his

179 tackles attempted to earn

him the title of Ronseal Tackle

Machine.

IRONMAN AWARD

MATTHEW SCREECH

(DRAGONS)

Playing in all 15 of Dragons’ Guinness

PRO14 fixtures wasn’t enough for second

row Matthew Screech who was on the

pitch 1,161 minutes out of a possible

1,200. Director of Rugby Dean Ryan has

brought a feel-good factor to Dragons

who have just had their place in the

Champions Cup confirmed and the

reliability of Screech will add to their

options for the new campaign.



PRO14

CHAMIONSHIP

FINAL TRIVIA

[ 2003 & 2013 ]

47,128

[ 2019 ]

JOHNNY McNICHOLL

1ST PLAYER TO SCORE

A HAT-TRICK IN FINAL

[ 2018 ]

SEAN CRONIN

FIRST PLAYER

TO SCORE IN

THREE FINALS

[ 2012, 2016 & 2018 ]

JORDAN LARMOUR

YOUNGEST EVER

TRY SCORER

[ 2018 ]

[ 2018 ]

NIGEL OWENS

MOST FINALS

REFEREED

[ 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2019 ]

[ 2013 ]

SHANE

JENNINGS

QUICKEST TRY

3 MINUTES

60



JOHNNY SEXTON

MOST TIME PLAYED

ALUN WYN JONES

YOUNGEST

CAPTAIN

[ 2012 ]

HIGHEST SCORE

SCARLETS 46 v MUNSTER 22

[ 2017 ]

76

JOHNNY

SEXTON

MOST

POINTS

CLOSEST MATCH [1]

[ 2012 ]

OSPREYS LEINSTER

31

30

MAN OF THE MATCH

IN THE FINAL

2001/02

SHANE HORGAN

(LEINSTER)

2002/03

ALAN QUINLAN

(MUNSTER)

2009/10

LEE BYRNE

(OSPREYS)

2010/11

DAVID WALLACE

(MUNSTER)

2011/12

ISA NACEWA

(LEINSTER)

2012/13

SHANE JENNINGS

(LEINSTER)

2013/14

SEAN CRONIN

(LEINSTER)

2014/15

LEONE NAKARAWA

(GLASGOW)

2015/16

JOHN MULDOON

(CONNACHT)

2016/17

AARON SHINGLER

(SCARLETS)

2017/18

JOHNNY SEXTON

(LEINSTER)

2018/19

CIAN HEALY

(LEINSTER)



SHANE

WILLIAMS

OLDEST POINTS

& TRY SCORER

[ 2012 ]

35YRS

90 DAYS

FILO TIATIA

OLDEST

FINALIST

38yrs 360days

[ 2012 ]

8

LEE JARVIS

MOST DROP

GOALS

JOHNNY

SEXTON

MOST

CONVERSIONS

[ 2010 ]

MOST POINTS

PER HALF

1ST HALF

2ND HALF

29 22

[ 2017 ] [ 2012 ]

[ 2013 ]

JOHNNY SEXTON

MOST PENALTY

GOALS [20]

LEINSTER 40 + SCARLETS 32

[ 2018 ]

BROTHERS

IN THE FINAL

DAVE & ROB KEARNEY

(LEINSTER 2012 & 2016)

JAMES & JONATHAN DAVIES

(SCARLETS 2017)

RORY & NIALL SCANNELL

(MUNSTER 2017)

GEORGE & PETE HORNE

(GLASGOW 2019)

MATT & ZANDER FAGERSON

(GLASGOW 2019)

ED & BRYAN BYRNE

(TWINS) (LEINSTER 2019)

62



JOHNNY SEXTON

MOST PENALTY GOALS

SCARLETS

TEAM TO

SCORE THE

MOST TRIES

IN THE

FINAL

[20]

[ 2017 ] [ 2011 ]

SCARLETS 46, MUNSTER 22

[ 2017 ]

JACK McGRATH

MOST APPEARANCES

AS A REPLACEMENT

MATTHEW MORGAN

YOUNGEST EVER

FINALIST

[ 2012 ]

[ 2017 ]

FINAL FOR TWO

SEPARATE TEAMS

TOMMY BOWE

(OSPREYS 2010* AND ULSTER 2013)

JOHN COONEY

(LEINSTER 2012 & 2013*, AND

CONNACHT 2016*)

DTH VAN DER MERWE

(GLASGOW 2015*

AND SCARLETS 2017*)

ANDREW CONWAY

(LEINSTER 2013* & MUNSTER 2017)

* WINNER



MOMENT IN TIME

64


MAY 25, 2013

After losing three finals in a row, Fergus McFadden (centre), Brian O’Driscoll and

Johnny Sexton (centre left) celebrate Leinster’s triumph after beating Ulster in

Dublin. Seven years later Ian Madigan (behind McFadden) is expected face his

own team by lining out for Ulster today. Picture: James Crombie / INPHO.ie




REFEREE:

ANDREW BRACE

(IRFU)

MAN

IN THE

MIDDLE

Andrew Brace has been appointed as the match referee for this

weekend’s Guinness PRO14 Final between Leinster and Ulster at

Aviva Stadium (KO 19:35).

The 32-year-old is in line to make his 55th Championship

appearance and his first in the title decider. It caps an impressive

season for the the Irish official who was chosen as an assistant

referee for the Rugby World Cup in Japan, received his first

Guinness Six Nations appointment in February and follows up his

first knock-out appearance in the PRO14 Championship with this

selection.

Brace, a full-time professional referee, made his Guinness PRO14

debut in 2015 and earned further recognition at the Junior World

Championships and Under 20 Six Nations the following year.

Having taken charge of the Leinster v Munster semi-final the

Cardiff-born match official is in line to make his ninth appearance

of the season.

Frank Murphy and George Clancy have been appointed as

assistant referees with Brian MacNiece fulfilling the role of

Television Match Official. All of the appointments are IRFU match

officials.

66

IN CASE

OF A TIE

EXTRA TIME AND PLACE

KICKING COMPETITION

(ABBREVIATED RULES)

In the event of a tie at full time

in a Guinness PRO14 Semi-

Final Qualifier, Semi-Final or

the Guinness PRO14 Final

then extra-time will be played,

consisting of two periods, each

of 10 minutes. If the score is still

tied after extra-time, the Team

that has scored the most tries

in the match will be deemed

the winner.

If the Teams are still tied on

points and tries at the end of

extra-time then the winner

will be determined by a Place

Kick Competition. In the event

that a Place Kick Competition

is required, each Team will

nominate three goal kickers

who will take six place kicks

between them from different

positions along the 22 metre

and 10 metre lines.

The Team with the most place

kicks scored will be the winner.

If the Teams are tied at the end

of their six kicks, then sudden

death will apply. Only players

in the playing area at the final

whistle of extra-time may be

nominated for the Place Kick

Competition. No substituted

players or players who have

been shown a red card may

take part at any time including

any player who has received a

yellow card and who remains

in the sin bin at the time of the

final whistle of extra-time.

The above sets out a summary

of certain provisions of the

Guinness PRO14 Rules for

information purposes only.

As such these provisions may

not be relied upon and for a

full and proper understanding

of the provisions and rules of

the Guinness PRO14, reference

must be made to the Guinness

PRO14 Rules in their existing

and entire form.


WATCH EVERY

GUINNESS

PRO14

GAME ON

Visit eirsport.ie to subscribe

MAKE IT A GAME

YOU’LL REMEMBER.

MAKE YOUR NEXT PINT 100% H2O.

#GUINNESSCLEAR

Leinster vs Ulster | PRO14 Final 2020

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?