Leinster vs Ulster | PRO14 Final 2020

FINAL LEINSTER V ULSTER
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.
12|09|20 AVIVA STADIUM | DUBLIN 59