Leinster Rugby v Cardiff Blues

Leo Cullen
HEAD COACH WELCOME
THE GAMES
ARE COMING
THICK AND
FAST AT THE
MOMENT, SO I
HOPE YOU ARE
ENJOYING THE
ACTION AND
GETTING A
BIT OF ‘RUGBY
RELEASE’
DURING LEVEL
5 LOCKDOWN!
A warm welcome to John Mulvihill
and his Cardiff Blues team for this
evening’s Guinness PRO14 game. John
is no stranger to Leinster Rugby as he
has experience of coaching Navan
back in the early ‘noughties’. It’s been
a while since we’ve come up against
one another and, off the back of their
big win on Monday against Benetton,
we know we’re in for a tough
challenge this evening.
This block of games has been really positive
as not only have we seen a number of players
getting their first Leinster caps, but we’ve also
had a number of Leinster players making
their international debuts with Ireland. A big
congratulations to James Lowe, who is the
latest Leinster player to become a fully-fledged
Irish international. James has made a huge
impression on the pitch and in the dressing
room since his arrival from Tasman and the
Chiefs in New Zealand just over three years
ago.
Congratulations also to James Ryan who
was named Ireland captain for the Autumn
Nations Cup international against England at
Twickenham this weekend. It’s a great honour
for James, and his family, but thoroughly welldeserved
for one of the most influential players
in Ireland at the moment.
Today will be our last home game until we
take on Northampton in Round 2 of this
season’s Champions Cup. We will have played
Montpellier the week before that and, with only
four pool games, it’s clear that every point will
be vital if we want to qualify for the quarterfinals.
The new competition format means there
are a number of elements outside your control
and nobody can afford any slip-ups.
The months of December and January always
go a long way to defining our season, as
sandwiched in between four Champions Cup
games, we play three interpro derbies over
consecutive weekends. Welcome to rugby’s
‘festive’ season!
Normally, we would be playing these games
in front of packed houses and we all look
forward to the day that we can have our
supporters back to create the special moments.
It is encouraging to hear some positives noises
about that prospect.
A huge thanks to all of you who have signed
up to become Official Members. Every bit of
help is welcome at the moment!
For November, we are also delighted to have
Women’s Aid as the team’s charity partner. An
important reminder that we must all dig deep to
help and support the many great causes there
are out there.
Thanks again to all the team’s sponsors, in
particular Bank of Ireland, for their continued
support and loyalty. Everyone has been
working hard to ensure these partnerships
continue to deliver value on both sides.
There’s lots to look forward to, and we are
working hard to get ourselves into the best
possible position to hit the ‘business’ end of the
season in good shape. Hopefully, by the time
the big knock-out games come along, we will
be back playing in front of packed stadiums.
Back to this evening and I hope you enjoy the
game. Thanks as always for your support and
stay safe.
Leo
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 7 | From The Ground Up