Leinster Rugby v Connacht Rugby

ISSUE 06 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

MAX 

O'REILLY 

JAMES 

TRACY 

Dooley 

Peter 

ANDREW 

SMITH 

JAN 

02 

20 

21 

KICK OFF 19:35

© 2020 adidas AG 

READY 

FOR 

ACTION 

A sea of blue 

rising since 1879.

#LEIVCON 

Newstead Building A, UCD, 

Belfield, Dublin 4 

Telephone: 

012693224 

Fax: 

012693142 

E-mail: 

information@leinsterrugby.ie 

www.leinsterrugby.ie 

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT 

President: John Walsh 

Chief Executive: Michael Dawson 

Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley 

Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail 

7 22 

RUGBY MANAGEMENT 

Head Coach: Leo Cullen 

Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster 

Head of Rugby Operations: 

Guy Easterby 

Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde 

Backs Coach: Felipe Contepomi 

Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell 

Contact Skills Coach: Hugh Hogan 

PROGRAMME CREDITS 

Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla 

& Ryan Corry 

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 

14 

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CONNECTED 

& KEEP 

UP-TO-DATE 

www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3 | From The Ground Up

In this island of saints and sinners, 

the cathedrals of rugby are silent. 

The faithful have been banished 

and scattered. We long for the 

time that we can come together 

and pay homage to our heroes 

be they at the RDS Arena or the 

Sportsground. Our game inspires 

us and our communities at home 

and abroad. The impact of 

Covid-19 on our lives these past 10 

months has been severe and, like 

so many other sports, rugby at all 

levels has taken a major blow to 

its activities and finances. We wish 

to thank and acknowledge both 

Government and Sport Ireland 

for the provision of €18 million 

in assistance to the sport and in 

particular that €4 million has been 

allocated to support rugby clubs. 

This evening’s fixture is not just Round 

10 of the Guinness PRO14 but also 

marks the second round of this season’s 

Interprovincial Series which commenced 

in 1946 and these games bring a unique 

edge to these parish encounters. 

As current champions we will be 

determined to retain the crown. We 

extend a warm Leinster welcome to the 

Connacht team and club officials Ann 

Heneghan (President), Willie Ruane 

(CEO), Andy Friend (Head Coach) and 

Jarrad Butler (Team Captain) 

Congratulations to Ann in particular 

on her recent election as President of 

Connacht Rugby and becoming the first 

female President of a Provincial Branch. 

It’s a well-deserved honour for her, her 

family and her club Ballinrobe RFC and 

recognition of the tremendous service that 

she has given to the sport and her native 

Connacht. 

Leinster will be aware that Connacht 

pose a threat to any side as they play 

with passion, heart and commitment ‘til 

the final whistle. It’s not that long ago 

since they defeated Leinster in the PRO12 

Final in 2016. 

Connacht, like Leinster, are building for 

the future and both provinces will shortly 

embark on major multi million euro 

development projects at the Sportsground 

and RDS Arena which will significantly 

increase the quality of facilities for 

our fans and players. We are very 

JOHN WALSH 

appreciative of the support and vote of 

confidence that our sport has received 

from the Irish Government. 

We welcome the development of the 

Sportsground as it will surely provide 

Connacht Rugby with a further boost to 

their continued development. All Irish 

rugby fans will be aware that for far 

too long Connacht rugby has been the 

neglected child in our rugby family since 

its birth in 1885. Just 17 seasons ago, 

there was a failed attempt to reduce the 

Irish professional sides to three teams 

with Connacht once again drawing the 

short straw. 

Thankfully the acorn has now matured 

and Connacht are a proud province 

with victories over 53 clubs in European 

competitions including against top teams 

like Toulon and they have contributed 

over 70 players to the Irish side including 

the likes of Lions players Ray McLoughlin, 

Ciaran Fitzgerald and John O’Driscoll. 

It’s pleasing to note that coaches such 

as Warren Gatland, Michael Bradley, 

Eric Elwood, Pat Lam and others have 

contributed so much to the Connacht 

cause and that the Grassroots to 

Greenshirts programme along with 

the significant increase in girls playing 

the game are now paying dividends. 

The US Dime may well be regarded 

as an insignificant coin but it bears the 

significant inscription of “E Pluribus 

Unum” (out of many one) and it’s a 

message that all involved in our sport 

should always keep to the forefront of 

our minds 

WEL COME 

A heartfelt thank you to our partners and 

sponsors, in particular Bank of Ireland, 

for standing shoulder to shoulder with us 

during this difficult period and Leinster 

look forward to their continued support. 

Once again an urgent reminder to all 

Leinster clubs that a new round of the 

Sports Capital Fund has been launched 

by the Government with approximately 

€40 Million in funding available. The 

closing date is Friday, 12 February, 

2021, and I would urge all club 

secretaries and Executive Committees to 

contact Carol Maybury at Leinster Rugby 

for support and advice in relation to 

submitting applications. 

In the previous round of the Fund Leinster 

Clubs received €900,000 in grant aid 

towards a variety of projects including 

sports equipment so in these difficult times 

for our clubs we expect all our clubs to 

submit an application. 

As we embark on a New Year and a 

season of rugby that hopefully will bring 

some normality to the domestic game we 

take a moment to reflect on 2020 and 

the magnificent year that our Leinster 

team had. In a season that saw Leinster 

crowned as Guinness PRO14 champions 

for a record third year in-a-row. We 

congratulate our players, coaches and 

support team for their dedication that 

brought so many victories and just a 

single defeat in the calendar year. 

Our nation is now experiencing a new 

assault from the Covid-19 pandemic and 

Leinster Rugby are fully cognisant of the 

impact that this brings to our lives not to 

mention our sport. Once again a heavy 

burden will fall on our medical and front 

line workers in the fight to defeat this 

unseen enemy. All involved in Leinster 

Rugby must be prepared to give their full 

support to those on that team and adhere 

to the medical advice that we receive. 

On behalf of Leinster Rugby I wish all 

involved in our great sport a happy and 

prosperous New Year and that it brings 

you and those that you hold dear to you 

joy and happiness into your lives. 

Until we meet again, Keep The Faith 

JOHN WALSH 

PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2020/21 


Leo Cullen 

HEAD COACH WELCOME 

A VERY 

HAPPY 

NEW YEAR 

TO YOU 

ALL AND 

A WARM 

WELCOME 

TO ANDY 

FRIEND 

AND HIS 

CONNACHT 

TEAM. 

Of course, we know a few members 

of the visiting squad as many have 

embarked on their careers via the 

Leinster Rugby pathway. We are 

always proud to see ex-Leinster 

players continue their development 

in the professional game elsewhere – 

although ideally not at our 

expense! 

We’ve all had a very challenging couple of 

weeks, with Covid-19 numbers sadly on the rise 

all around the country and Level 5 restrictions 

with us until the end of the month at least. 

Unfortunately, here at Leinster we have not 

been immune to this and have had to deal with 

some positive cases recently. 

Our first concern will always be for the welfare 

of those involved, and in some cases their close 

contacts, including family or friends. Thankfully, 

up to now the symptoms have been on the mild 

side and, like everyone, we are hoping that 

things get under control quickly. We wish the 

players a speedy recovery and will give them 

whatever support they need. 

On the pitch, we are heading into a 

traditionally very important phase of the 

season, one that always goes a long way 

towards defining how the ‘business end’ plays 

out. We have managed to work ourselves into 

a good position in the Champions Cup, but we 

know our next couple of games in Europe will 

be massive for us as we look to secure a place 

in the quarter-finals. 

Before our attention turns to Europe, 

however, we have the not-so-small matter of 

two Guinness PRO14 interprovincial derby 

games to deal with. After a tough test against 

Connacht, we move on to play Ulster who are 

riding high at the top of our Conference, and 

we’re acutely aware of how hard we will have 

to work in order to try and catch them. 

At this time of year, I’d like to thank our loyal 

sponsors, in particular Bank of Ireland, for 

everything they do to help the team, on and 

off the pitch. The pandemic has made us all 

appreciate the support and backing we receive 

more than ever before, and we look forward to 

spending time with our sponsors and partners 

again in the future. 

On that note, with the vaccine now being 

rolled out across Ireland and around the globe, 

there is definitely a greater sense of optimism 

that we will be able to get our supporters back 

and play in front of noisy, colourful crowds 

again before long. Believe me, we all have our 

fingers crossed for that! 

We had further positive news with the 

announcement of the Rainbow Cup, which 

will signal the arrival of South Africa’s ‘big 

four’ franchise teams. This is a hugely exciting 

development for the PRO14 and means that 

our players will get to test themselves against 

more of the best players in the world. The 

inaugural Rainbow Cup will hopefully be a 

stepping-stone towards even bigger and better 

things in the future. 

I’d like to finish by wishing you, our extended 

Leinster family, a very happy 2021. 

The past year has been strange beyond belief 

for so many people and, even though we 

are not quite out of the woods yet, we can 

hopefully look forward to happier and more 

settled times ahead. 

Enjoy the game, thanks again for your support, 

and stay safe. 

Leo 


JOANN 

HOSEY 

HAPPY NEW 

YEAR TO ALL 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

SUPPORTERS, 

AND I’M SURE 

EVERYONE 

ASSOCIATED 

WITH THE 

PROVINCE 

IS LOOKING 

FORWARD TO 

ANOTHER YEAR 

OF COMPETITIVE 

ACTION. I 

ALSO WANT TO 

OFFER A WARM 

WELCOME TO 

CONNACHT 

RUGBY, OUR 

FIRST VISITORS OF 

2021 TO THE RDS 

ARENA FOR THIS 

GUINNESS PRO14 

CLASH. 

PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR 

BANK OF IRELAND DUBLIN 

Whilst we must acknowledge how 

difficult a year 2020 was for people, 

we can all hope that 2021 will be a 

better one, and that Leo Cullen and 

Ben Armstrong can lead their sides to 

more glory. Bringing silverware back 

to the Leinster Rugby base at UCD 

was a real bright spot in what was a 

gloomy 2020. 

As proud sponsors of Leinster Rugby since 

2007 Bank of Ireland is delighted to support 

the domestic rugby programme, as well as the 

professional side, as they continue to represent 

the 12 counties of Leinster to their utmost. 

The Never Stop Competing attitude is there 

in abundance for us all to see across the 

province, and huge credit must go to those 

who did all they could to keep the game going 

during the pandemic, in what were the most 

challenging of circumstances. 

As a new year begins, the hope now for us all 

is that competitive rugby will return to clubs 

and schools in the coming months. We were 

delighted to recently host the Bank of Ireland 

Leinster Rugby Schools and Clubs draw, and 

for the thousands of boys and girls looking 

forward to a resumption of some kind of 

normality it offers a countdown of sorts to when 

they can hopefully once again represent their 

teams in competitive action. 

Whilst we look forward to the months ahead 

becoming brighter, we must continue to play 

our part by adhering to the public health 

guidelines. This Leinster Rugby squad provided 

great entertainment in delivering a series 

of victories in 2020, and we would all like 

nothing more than to be there in person to 

celebrate more magic moments during 2021. 

We very much look forward to the day when 

we can turn out as a sea of blue, but for now 

we’ll continue supporting the side from a safe 

distance and wish them well as a new year of 

rugby gets underway today against Connacht. 

Enjoy the first game of 2021 and best wishes 

for the year ahead, 

JH 


FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION ON 

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PRO14 HOME 

LATEST NEWS, LIVE MATCH 

CENTRES, STATS & MORE 

VISIT NOW 

WWW.PRO14.RUGBY

WHY IT MATTERS 

EIMEAR CONSIDINE | IRELAND & MUNSTER 

From left: Máire Treasa Ní Dubhbgaill, Máire Ní Bhraonáin, Deirbhile Níc Bháird, Jenny Murphy, Eimear Considine 

Whether it’s international rugby or live 

broadcasting, nobody gets picked unless 

they’re good enough. Every team I’ve 

been on has been selected solely on 

merit. 

It was no different in November when I 

was part of TG4’s all-female talent on their 

Leinster v Cardiff Blues broadcast for the 

Guinness PRO14. Yes, it was historic to see 

an all-female team and we all felt great 

pride (and pressure!), but every person 

had proven they were right for the job. 

Quite rightly, TG4 has picked up a lot of 

positive attention and hopefully this is a 

step in the right direction towards a new 

normal, where fans get opinions, analysis 

and commentary from people who have 

the experience to provide the insights – 

regardless of gender. 

I can’t imagine what my young teenage 

self would have made of this. When I look 

back to that time in Ireland, I can only 

think of Sonia O’Sullivan competing at the 

Olympics as a role model for girls. Now, 

women’s international sports have such 

a greater platform and aspiring female 

athletes today have so many stars to look 

up to. 

Twenty years ago, there were very few 

Katie Taylors, Emily Scarratts, Serena 

Williams or Megan Rapinoes like we 

have today – people who have become 

household names. 

None of this happens overnight. Women’s 

sport and female athletes have moved out 

of the shadows and into the same arenas 

and stadiums as their male counterparts 

through support from clubs, sports 

organisations, broadcasters and sponsors. 

It’s proven now that if you show women’s 

sport in prime-time slots, people will 

watch. 

For those of you from outside Ireland, 

TG4 are an Irish-language station that 

have been very progressive in their 

broadcasting of women’s sport and 

promoting female talent for over 20 years. 

Their support of Gaelic football has led 

to record attendances for women’s finals 

and they have been keen to put strong, 

capable women on their rugby broadcasts 

for a number of seasons now. In Ireland, 

they have certainly been part of the first 

waves of momentum we see today. 

An all-female line-up was not about 

courting publicity. I’ve been involved for 

three years with TG4 and during that time 

they have assembled and developed the 

talent to make it work. 

Our leading host, Máire Treasa Ní 

Dubhbgaill is a hugely recognisable face in 

Irish sports broadcasting and she has been 

phenomenal at her job for over a decade. 

Deirbhile Níc Bháird has played in the 

backs and the forwards, played for Ireland, 

played Sevens and she has an insight that 

very few can provide. 

Jenny Murphy conducted interviews 

and provided analysis and she has an 

accomplished rugby CV having won a 

Grand Slam, played Sevens for Ireland 

and represented the Baa-Baas. Máire 

Ní Bhraonáin, who works at Clongowes 

College where she gets to see the latest 

Leinster talent emerge, was our lead 

commentator and she has already got 

plenty of Guinness PRO14 games under 

her belt now. Our team at the RDS was 

well proven, that’s for sure. 

Earlier, I mentioned Emily Scarratt, who is 

the most talented player I’ve ever come 

across in rugby. When she won the Player 

of the Tournament award for the Six 

Nations, the announcement was made in 

tandem with Antoine Dupont’s win for the 

male award. Guinness’ decision to sponsor 

the Womens’ Six Nations has massively 

helped the profile of women’s rugby in 

Europe. 

We see it all the time now, especially 

with the England national team who play 

at Twickenham – usually on the same 

day as the mens’ team. Last year another 

Irish international, Louise Galvin, and 

myself were part of eir Sport’s World Cup 

coverage. 

I was fortunate to appear in a national TV 

advert alongside Tommy Bowe, Gordon 

D’Arcy and Peter Stringer – three icons of 

Irish rugby, and that again elevated the 

perception of female athletes. So much 

so, in fact, that because our training 

schedule for the national team limited our 

appearances – an expectancy was created 

and any time we were not involved, fans 

were asking about us. 

All of this visibility and support is making a 

real difference. 

My cousin’s daughter, Éowyn, has become 

obsessed with rugby because she can 

watch the women’s team play on TV. She 

can go see Munster and Ireland play live 

at proper stadiums that make it a great 

day out for families. Ahead of the men’s 

World Cup last year the national squad 

were doing an open training session in 

each province, but when she arrived at the 

event in Thomond Park she was distraught 

because it was the men’s team and not the 

women’s! 

That hits home because to her it’s normal to 

see women playing elite sport, it’s normal 

to see big crowds attending their games 

and it’s normal to see female TV analysts. 

In Ireland we have the 20x20 campaign 

(#CantSeeCantBe) urging everyone 

involved in sport to find ways to play their 

part and it is great to see TG4 being such 

leaders in 

this space. 

We’ve also 

received great 

support from 

our provinces and sponsors but I would 

challenge everyone to ask what more can 

they do to raise the profile of women in 

sport? What other broadcasters and media 

outlets can follow this path? 

We’ve proven that if she can see it, she can 

be it… but we can’t and we won’t stop there.

Did you 

know? 

• Leinster have won their 

last 26 Guinness PRO14 

matches including all seven 

they have played this season 

with maximum points. 

• The Leinstermen have not 

been defeated at home by 

a fellow Irish province since 

Munster visited Aviva Stadium 

in October 2014. 

• Connacht’s last eight 

matches in the Guinness 

PRO14 have been evenly 

split with four wins and four 

defeats. 

• Connacht have won 

just twice away from home 

since March, at Edinburgh 

in October and at Zebre in 

November. 

• Leinster have won their 

last four matches against 

Connacht whilst only two 

Irish provinces have lowered 

Leinster’s colours at the RDS 

Arena in any competition, 

Munster in September 2008 

and Ulster in March 2013. 

#LEIVcon 

Overall Guinness 

PRO14 head to head 

record: 

36 27 9 0 

PLAYED Leinster won Leinster lost DRAWs 

COMPARISON 

Last 3 PRO14 results: 

LEINSTER 

8 Nov - Ospreys (A) 

W 26-7 

16 Nov - Edinburgh (H) 

W 50-10 

22 Nov - Cardiff Blues (H) 

W 40-5 

Conf A: 

2nd - W7 D0 L0 - 35pts 

WWWWWW 

(30pts) 

Scott Penny 5 

Harry Byrne 46 

PRO14 

2020/21 

PRO14 

form 

Top try 

scorer 

Top points 

scorer 

CONNACHT 

22 Nov - Zebre (A) 

W 47-12 

4 Dec - Benetton (H) 

W 31-14 

27 Dec - Ulster (H) 

L 19-32 

Conf B: 

2nd - W4 D0 L3 - 20pts 

LWLWWL 

(16pts) 

5 Alex Wootton 

36 Jack Carty 

Date Venue L C Leinster scorers Connacht scorers 

Mon 1 Jan 18 RDS Arena 21 18 Max Deegan(T) Luke McGrath(T) Johnny 

Sexton(C/3P) 

Matt Healy(T) Jack Carty(C/2P) Finlay 

Bealham(T) 

Sat 28 Apr 18 Sportsground 10 47 Barry Daly(T) Joey Carbery(C/P) Tiernan O'Halloran(T) Caolin Blade(T) 

Jack Carty(4C) Kieran Marmion(2T) Niyi 

Adeolokun(2T) Bundee Aki(T) John Muldoon(C) 

Craig Ronaldson(C) 

Sat 29 Sep 18 Sportsground 20 3 Sean Cronin(T) Garry Ringrose(T) Johnny 

Sexton(2C/2P) 

Sat 22 Dec 18 RDS Arena 33 29 Ross Byrne(4C) Andrew Porter(T) Mick 

Kearney(T) Sean Cronin(T) Dan Leavy(T) Conor 

O'Brien(T) 

Fri 8 Nov 19 Sportsground 42 11 James Lowe(T) Ross Byrne(T/6C) Andrew 

Porter(2T) Ronan Kelleher(2T) 

Sat 4 Jan 20 RDS Arena 54 7 Max Deegan(2T) Ciaran Frawley(T/6C) Harry 

Byrne(C) Joe Tomane(T) Dave Kearney(T) 

Garry Ringrose(2T) Luke McGrath(T) 

Jack Carty(P) 

Caolin Blade(T) Jack Carty(T/3C/P) Cian 

Kelleher(T) Darragh Leader(T) 

Jack Carty(P) Stephen Fitzgerald(T) Darragh 

Leader(P) 

Conor Fitzgerald(C) Tom McCartney(T) 


Dooley 

peter 

AS PETER DOOLEY 

REFLECTS ON 

THE POSTPONED 

MUNSTER GAME, 

THE LAST TWO 

WEEKS IN GENERAL 

AND LOOKS 

TO ASSESS THE 

DISRUPTION THAT 

BEFELL LEINSTER 

RUGBY AND 

THE GUINNESS 

PRO14 INTERPRO 

SCHEDULE, HE 

SUMS IT ALL UP 

QUITE SUCCINCTLY. 

“I’VE NO QUALMS.” 

From The Ground Up | 14 | www.leinsterrugby.ie


This could be another example 

of a professional athlete staying 

focused on what he can control 

or indeed the next job at hand 

and not sweating the stuff that he 

can’t influence but the 26-year-old 

is more than happy to admit that 

the last few weeks were anything 

but easy to deal with. 

It’s more that there is a healthy dose of 

perspective as well. 

“I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t difficult 

at times, but it’s like that for everyone 

really. The way the numbers are spiking 

and how prevalent it is now again in 

society. It’s difficult as well for the people 

around us, our family, our loved ones. 

“With all that is going on in society there 

is a very real sense that others are a 

lot worse off than us. We are the lucky 

ones. We get to go to work every day 

doing what we love to do and still get to 

travel albeit in our bubble so that is very 

different. 

“We also feel that responsibility to try to 

play and deliver for those at home. Those 

supporters, the family and the friends that 

don’t have those outlets anymore and 

if we can put on a good 80 minutes for 

them, then great. 

“So yeah, as I said, I’d be lying if I said 

that the last two weeks weren’t frustrating 

or didn’t impact at all on me but by the 

same token I am very grateful to be able 

to get out there doing what we do and 

great credit to the PRO14 and the EPCR 

and all that have been behind getting our 

sport up and running.” 

There has also this week been the two 

confirmed positive Covid-19 cases in 

Leinster Rugby which have refocused 

them all, he believes, on redoubling their 

efforts to keep the bubble secure. 

“It is so prevalent now in society and I 

suppose with the talk of vaccines and 

better days ahead there is the temptation 

to let your guard down but if anything 

we have to make sure that we make even 

more effort so that we can get back to 

normal as soon as possible. 

“It won’t be today or tomorrow that this 

happens but the quicker it happens the 

better for us all.” 

The Leinster loosehead prop had his own 

sense of normality over Christmas when 

he managed to get home for a few days. 

Home for Dooley is Birr in Co. Offaly 

where his mother and father, Martina and 

Gerry, still live. 

He hadn’t been home in months so the 

enforced break had other benefits for him 

and his family. 

“I can’t remember the last time I’d been 

home so it was lovely. I’d actually go 

as far as saying that it was the longest 

stretch at home I have had in quite some 

time. The extra few days with the Munster 

game gone was lovely. Just being able to 

switch off from rugby mode was nice. 

“An extra slice of turkey as well knowing 

you didn’t have half an eye on a game 

the next day was also welcome! 

“So again, easy to get caught up in the 

game being off and that being a negative 

but it offered us all a chance to spend 

some extra time with family which we 

haven’t been able to do in quite a while 

during Covid so it was really nice, it was 

that extra bit special.” 


“I HAD A LOT TO LEARN AND I’M STILL LEARNING TO THIS DAY AND I 

SUPPOSE I’M VERY LUCKY THAT ALL THE WAY UP I HAD VERY GOOD 

FAMILY, PEOPLE AND COACHES AROUND ME SUPPORTING ME.” 

Thankfully the Dooleys are in fine fettle all 

things considered. 

Father, Gerry, works in animal feed and 

business is still good as the farms and the 

livestock still need supplies. 

His mother, Martina, runs a playschool 

and while she was impacted during the 

first lockdown she is open now a few 

months and operating as normally as can 

be within the limitations of Covid. 

Likewise, sister Sarah who is a teacher 

and is also working away the last while 

but was home on her Christmas break. 

But like everyone in society it’s the other 

bits and pieces that make up ‘a life’ that 

they are missing. 

Seeing family and friends regularly, 

socialising, getting out and about on your 

own terms, getting away. 

And of course, they are missing the 

regular trips to Dublin to support their son 

and sibling. 

“Big time. To be fair there is an excellent 

community spirit where they are from. 

Families looking out for one another and 

helping each other out. 

“But they are missing the trips up to 

Dublin, Dad in particular. It’s not just the 

games and supporting me. They really 

enjoy meeting up with other parents 

and families that they have become 

friendly with over the years and the social 

element of it all. 

“It’s a proper day or evening out and 

they really enjoy it and miss seeing the 

familiar faces in the RDS.” 

They have been making that pilgrimage 

from Birr to Ballsbridge for the last six 

years. 

Dooley made his debut in October 

2014 and has since played on 83 

occasions for Leinster Rugby across both 

the Guinness PRO14 and the Heineken 

Champions Cup. 

But his story is very much rooted in Birr 

and in the very same community that he 

says have been working so brilliantly for 

each other during Covid. 

“I started in Birr and they gave me a 

great platform. A lot of lads would play 

GAA in Birr I suppose but I loved the 

game and the club and it just took off. 

Great people. 


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“My Dad would have been my coach 

all the way through the ranks from U-8 to 

maybe U-17 or 18 and then when I came 

onto the Midlands Area side it would 

have been Derek Maybury guiding me all 

the way up to the Leinster Youths and then 

Wayne Mitchell from Leinster 18s to 20s 

and into the Leinster Academy.” 

Dooley might be well-regarded as a 

teak tough loosehead prop now but that 

wasn’t always the case. 

In his formative years he was more used 

to the base of the scrum, picking and 

going, driving at opposition out-halves all 

day long to see what they were made of. 

That was until former Leinster and Ireland 

Head Coach Gerry Murphy decided to 

see what Dooley was made of. 

In the front row. 

“Gerry came over to me one day in Naas 

and said ‘how do you fancy the front 

row?’ and I just laughed it off. ‘No Gerry, 

I won’t be going there at all’ I said to him! 

“YOU SEE THAT AND IT DOES INSPIRE YOU 

TO KEEP GOING, TO KEEP LISTENING TO THE 

RIGHT PEOPLE, TO KEEP DOING THE RIGHT 

THING AND THAT MAYBE SOME DAY YOU 

MIGHT GET A SHOT AT A LEINSTER JERSEY.” 

“Sure I wouldn’t have had a clue at the 

time but Gerry said ‘don’t knock it, until 

you’ve tried it!’ 

“I have Gerry to thank for that initial 

nudge towards the front row and the work 

he did with me as a young lad and then 

Reggie Corrigan as well. Again I wouldn’t 

have had any grounding in front row play 

or how to play in a scrum but the lads 

invested a serious amount of time in me. 

“I had a lot to learn and I’m still learning 

to this day and I suppose I’m very lucky 

that all the way up I had very good 

family, people and coaches around me 

supporting me.” 

Coming from hurling heartlands who 

were his idols growing up? 

“Growing up rugby was big but GAA 

was bigger and I wasn’t looking at it as 

an option really. I never thought I would 

play with Leinster if I am honest so I was 

more looking at players that were good 

rather than looking to emulate lads. I 

loved watching Brian O’Driscoll. 

“But then when I started playing with the 

Leinster Youths a bit it was Cian Healy 

obviously and the work that he could get 

through in a game as a prop and then 

Tadhg Furlong.” 


It is interesting that he should choose 

Tadhg Furlong with Furlong only two 

years his senior but it was more that the 

pathway was there for him to follow. 

“Tadhg was just a few years above me 

but again it’s about seeing a fella from a 

similar back ground, from the clubs and 

the Youths system going on and getting 

an Academy contract, getting a first cap 

with Leinster and then driving on. 

“You see that and it does inspire you to 

keep going, to keep listening to the right 

people, to keep doing the right thing and 

that maybe some day you might get a 

shot at a Leinster jersey.” 

The Youths system that Dooley refers to 

is by now a well-worn path for a number 

of the professionals within Leinster but it 

wasn’t always like that. 

“Yeah the schools system was more the 

route to a contract in Leinster but then 

Seánie (O’Brien) was the trail blazer I 

suppose for the club pathway and his 

journey from Tullow but Shane Horgan 

before him as well and his journey from 

Naas and there have been plenty of lads 

since then.” 

Today, the clubs’ pathway is well 

developed and there is an avenue for 

boys and girls to represent their local 

clubs on one of five representative teams 

(the Midlands, North Midlands, Metro, 

South East and the North East) that play 

against each other every year on a 

league basis. 

For the boys, the Shane Horgan Cup 

celebrates that pathway for the U-16s 

and the five areas play against each 

other every season to be crowned 

Shane Horgan Cup champions. The 

cream of that crop rise to the top to 

join their schools brethren in age grade 

representative sides for Leinster Rugby. 

Dooley would have pulled on the 

Midlands colours in the Shane Horgan 

Cup and only last year he, along with 

Conor O’Brien from Mullingar and 

another Birr man, Michael Milne, 

were recognised for their contributions 

to Midlands Rugby with a special 

presentation in Leinster HQ. 

The Midlands Area is clearly just as 

proud of his achievements as he is of 

representing Birr RFC and the Midlands 

Area. 

Will we see a Peter Dooley Cup? 

“Ha! I think they need to find a way to 

present a Tadhg Furlong Cup first! 

“But it is nice to think that we are showing 

a way to others out there that might be 

thinking is there a way for me to the top 

because there is a way. It gives hope. 

If he can do it, why can’t I? It takes a 

lot of hard work and dedication and 

self-sacrifice but the route is there for 

everyone regardless of where you come 

from.” 

Of course the reality of modern 

professional sport is that not all of those 

will end up in Leinster Rugby colours and 

one such example is Tom Daly, a close 

friend of Dooley’s who he lived with while 

in the Academy together, who will pull on 

a Connacht jersey at the RDS today. 

“Tom is flying it with Connacht since 

going there. He has settled in well. He’s 

a big powerful lad and he can carry well 

and can kick as well. I was watching their 

game against Ulster at the weekend and 

he played well, scored a nice try. I’m sure 

he has a big future with Connacht ahead 

of him.” 


Friendship to one side for 80 minutes? 

“Big time. It’s the unique nature of these 

interpros isn’t it? It’s just a fella in a green 

jersey that you have to get the better of. 

Given where he plays and where I play, 

it’s unlikely we’ll match up against each 

other too often but he might seek me out 

with a carry or two! I’m sure there will be 

a few throwaway remarks as well over 

the game! 

“But he’s another face I haven’t seen in 

months so after the game it will be good 

to maybe catch up quickly before he hits 

the road again. 

“It’s what we all love about the games 

though. Going up against your mates 

or fellas you played with at underage 

level or whatever and then there is a lot 

of former Leinster players in the other 

provinces that feel they have a point to 

prove so it’s never easy.” 

And never easy against Connacht either? 

“No definitely not. We got out of jail 

against them there a few years ago with 

Porter getting over for that late try that 

denied them the win and we’ve had 

some great battles in Galway with them 

as well. Never much between the sides 

and then they’ve been going well lately. 

“They were unlucky I thought in Europe 

and especially in Paris away to Racing 

and could have taken a scalp there 

and again against Bristol just a few 

things going against them. Last weekend 

against Ulster the same. The conditions 

didn’t help in the second half and 

the game just got away on them but 

they’ve been playing good stuff and we 

definitely know that a trip to the RDS 

won’t phase them one bit.” 

And a first game in a few weeks for 

himself? 

“Yeah obviously annoying to miss out 

on the Munster game but like we spoke 

about earlier I think there were positives 

to that and the extra few days off. 

“But I’m enjoying my rugby. I felt I was 

going well towards February and March 

and then lockdown hit and I had a small 

procedure on my shoulder and that kept 

me out for longer than I would have 

liked but that’s the way it goes. 

“I’m back now since October and 

playing regularly and I feel that is 

what helps me the most in terms 

of my performance levels, regular 

game time. The body feels good and 

like everyone I just hope we can get 

a run of games together now over the 

coming weeks in the PRO14 to set us 

up for Europe. 

“It’s a massive block and there is no 

better challenge than Connacht to get us 

back up and running again.” 


HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP 

RDS ARENA 

19 DECEMBER 2020 

REF: PIERRE BROUSSET 

35 

19 

Jimmy O’Brien (Cian Kelleher 

8); Hugo Keenan, Garry 

Ringrose (Ciarán Frawley 

12-20, 75); Robbie Henshaw, 

Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, 

Jamison Gibson-Park (Luke 

McGrath 56); Cian Healy 

(Peter Dooley 56), Rónan 

Kelleher (James Tracy 56), 

Andrew Porter (Michael Bent 

56); Ryan Baird, James Ryan; 

Josh Murphy (Ross Molony 

66), Josh van der Flier, Rhys 

Ruddock (Dan Leavy 60). 

SCORERS: Tries: Josh Murphy, 

Cian Healy, Dave Kearney, 

Jamison Gibson-Park. Cons: 

Ross Byrne (3). Pens: Ross 

Byrne (3). 

Tom Collins; Ryan Olowofela 

(Piers Francis 58), Fraser 

Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, 

Taqele Naiyaravoro (Matt 

Proctor 58); George Furbank, 

Tom James (Henry Taylor 64); 

Alex Waller (Francois van 

Wyk 47), Samuel Matavesi 

(Mike Haywood 50), Paul 

Hill (Owen Franks 58); Alex 

Moon, Api Ratuniyarawa 

(Teimana Harrison 61); Nick 

Isiekwe (Alex Coles 64), Tom 

Wood, Shaun Adendorff. 

SCORERS: Tries: Fraser 

Dingwall, Tom James, 

Nick Isiekwe. Cons: Rory 

Hutchinson (2). 

“THE 

SCORELINE 

PROBABLY 

DOESN’T 

FULLY 

REFLECT THE 

GAME BUT 

WE’LL TAKE 

THAT RESULT. 

IT’S GOING 

TO BE VERY 

COMPETITIVE 

AT THE TOP OF 

THE POOL.” 

Dave Kearney 


“CONDITIONS 

WERE DIFFICULT. 

WE STARTED 

WELL BUT 

SAINTS CAME 

BACK STRONG 

INTO THE GAME. 

FULL CREDIT 

TO THE LADS, 

WE HAD SOME 

DISRUPTIONS 

BUT WE ADAPTED 

REASONABLY 

WELL.” 

Leo Cullen 



Music Overload: 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO LEINSTER RUGBY’S HOME WORKOUT MIX 

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE, WITH TRACKS SELECTED BY PLAYERS 

FROM LEINSTER RUGBY’S MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS. 

GO 

YOUR 

OWN 

WAY: 

LINDSAY PEAT 

IS THE LATEST 

PLAYER TO TAKE 

ON OUR MUSIC 

Q&A WITH 

SOME ECLECTIC 

SELECTIONS, 

FROM BOMBAY 

BICYCLE CLUB TO 

WET WET WET! 

1. What was the last song you listened to? 

“Big Picture” by London Grammar. 

2. Tell us a song you’re currently obsessed with. 

“I Can Hardly Speak” by Bombay Bicycle Club. 

3. You’re booking your dream festival line-up: 

who are the main stage headliners for the 

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? 

Oh…tough one. Ok, has to be Jenny Greene 

Friday night, Mumford & Sons Saturday night, 

and Billie Eilish on Sunday. 

4. Earliest music memory? 

My mam singing and playing Leonard Cohen and 

Fleetwood Mac. 

5. Your guilty pleasure? 

Fleetwood Mac “Gypsy” or The Dubliners “The 

Salamanca Reel”! 

6. You can only listen to one album for the rest 

of your life, what is it? 

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. 

7. What was the first concert you ever went to? 

I think it was Wet Wet Wet! 

8. Favourite Irish band/artist? 

Oh, there’s loads of great Irish bands but I’ll go 

with Picture This. 

9. What two songs do you want to add to the 

Leinster Rugby Workout Mix on Spotify? 

“Never Come Back” by Caribou and “All These 

Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. 

10. And what one song do you want to remove? 

Mostly great tunes, definitely one or two dodgy 

ones but the winner to be removed is…drum roll… 

“Before I Forget” by Slipknot. It would drive me 

nuts in the gym – sorry! 


Tullow RFC Minis Christmas Training 


Gorey RFC Minis Christmas Training 


Leo 

Kids 

the Lion's 

Corner 

spot the 

differences 

ANAGRAMS 

Can you un-jumble the 

names of these players? 

OR A NEON 

BROWS 

NO ORB 

ON RICE 

GUESS 

WHO? 

Can you name these 

three players? 

ANSWERS 

ANAGRAMS 

Rowan Osborne 

Conor O’Brien 

GUESS WHO? 

Caelan Doris 

Tadhg Furlong 

Cian Healy 


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QUEST10NS 

with... 

Ross 

Byrne 

1. What's the one thing that you check is 

always in the gear bag on match day? 

Boots 

2. Who sits beside you in the Leinster 

dressing-room? 

James Ryan. And he is 

disgracefully messy. 

3. What is currently on your playlist? 

Rod Stewart 

4. What did you want to be growing up? 

Brian O’Meara 

5. What is your phone screensaver at the 

moment? 

Seán Cronin 

6. What are your last three Google 

searches? 

ASOS 

Fergus McFadden’s age 

Luke McGrath’s height 

7. You can be another sportsperson for one 

event...who and what is the event? 

Has to be Tiger Woods at Augusta. 

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling? 

Chicken, bacon, red onion, peppers, 

cheese and coleslaw. 

9. What was the last thing you bought? 

The above sandwich. 

10. Which young rugby player should fans be 

looking out for this season and why? 

Harry Byrne. I taught him 

everything he knows. 



Laya Healthcare are proud to be 

Official Health and Wellbeing Partner 

to Leinster Rugby

Newbridge College 

Medal Presentation 

Marcus Kiely (Senior Cup captain) is 

presented with the Leinster Senior Cup by 

Newbridge College Principal Pat O’Brien 

During December, Leinster Rugby 

made a special presentation 

of medals to both Newbridge 

College’s 2020 Junior and Senior 

Cup teams. 

Both the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby 

Schools Junior Cup and Senior Cup lifts 

took place and the teams were presented 

with their medals, after reaching the final 

of both competitions for 2020. 

Ruairí Byrne (Junior Cup captain) is presented with the Leinster Junior Cup 

by former President Robert Deacon 

The Junior final between Newbridge 

College and Blackrock College was due 

to take place in Energia Park while the 

Senior final against Clongowes Wood 

College was due to kick off in the RDS 

Arena on St Patrick’s Day, but the games 

were cancelled due to Covid-19. 

Conducted in line with Covid protocols 

and guidelines, the Junior Cup squad 

were presented their medals first and 

captain Ruairí Byrne gladly accepted 

the Leinster Junior Cup from the former 

President of Leinster Rugby, Robert 

Deacon (2019/20). 

Later the Senior Cup squad received their 

medals. Dónal Conroy (vice-captain) 

deputised to receive the Senior Cup from 

Robert Deacon. Captain Marcus Kiely 

received his medal from Pat O’Brien 

(Newbridge College Principal) at a 

Dónal Conroy (Senior Cup vice-captain) is presented with the Leinster Senior Cup 

by former President Robert Deacon 

later date due to his involvement with 

Leinster Rugby ‘A’ at the time of the initial 

presentation. 

A unique season, extraordinary 

circumstances, but a fantastic 

achievement nonetheless by both the 

school’s Junior and Senior rugby 

teams. 

Congratulations to all in Newbridge 

College on their success. 


2020/21 squad 

VAKH ABDALADZE - #1263 

DOB 6 FEBRUARY 1996 

From KUTAISI, GEORGIA 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 

Weight 117KG (18st 6lbs) 

Position PROP 

Club CLONTARF FC 

Leinster Debut 2 DECEMBER 2017 

Honours IRELAND U20S (2 caps) 

MICHAEL BENT - #1212 

DOB 25 APRIL 1986 

From HAWERA, NEW ZEALAND 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club DUBLIN UNIVERSITY FC 


Honours IRELAND (4 caps) 

ED BYRNE - #1222 

DOB 9 SEPTEMBER 1993 

From CARLOW 

Height 1.80M (5’ 11”) 


Position PROP 

Club UCD RFC 

Leinster Debut 9 FEBRUARY 2014 


ROSS BYRNE - #1236 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 3”) 


Position OUTHALF 

Club UCD RFC 

Leinster Debut 4 SEPTEMBER 2015 


WILL CONNORS - #1264 


From DONADEA, KILDARE 

Height 1.94 (6’ 4”) 


Position BACK ROW 

Club UCD RFC 



RYAN BAIRD - #1278 

DOB 26 JULY 1999 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.98M (6’ 6”) 


Position SECOND ROW 


Leinster Debut 27 APRIL 2019 


ADAM BYRNE - #1213 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.93M (6’ 4”) 


Position WING / FULL BACK 

Club UCD RFC 


Honours IRELAND (1 cap) 

HARRY BYRNE - #1280 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club LANSDOWNE 



JACK CONAN - #1223 


From BRAY, WICKLOW 

Height 1.93M (6’ 4”) 


Position NO. 8 

Club OLD BELVEDERE RFC 



SEÁN CRONIN - #1202 

DOB 6 MAY 1986 

From LIMERICK 

Height 1.80M (5’ 11”) 


Position HOOKER 

Club ST. MARY’S COLLEGE RFC 

Leinster Debut 28 OCTOBER 2011 



MAX DEEGAN - #1256 

DOB 1 OCTOBER 1996 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.93M (6’ 3”) 


Position NO. 8 

Club LANSDOWNE FC 



CAELAN DORIS - #1268 


From MAYO 

Height 1.94M (6’ 4”) 




Leinster Debut 28 APRIL 2018 


SCOTT FARDY - #1257 


From SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 

Height 1.98 M (6’ 6”) 

Weight 111 KG (17st 7lbs) 


Club UNASSIGNED 


Honours AUSTRALIA (39 caps) 

TADHG FURLONG - #1220 

DOB 14 NOVEMBER 1992 

From WEXFORD 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club NEW ROSS RFC / CLONTARF FC 

Leinster Debut 1 NOVEMBER 2013 

Honours IRELAND (44 caps) AND 

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS (6 caps) 

CIAN HEALY - #1142 

DOB 7 OCTOBER 1987 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 


Leinster Debut 5 MAY 2007 



DAVE KEARNEY - #1158 

DOB 19 JUNE 1989 

From LOUTH 

Height 1.81M (5’ 11”) 






CIAN KELLEHER - #1234 

DOB 7 AUGUST 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 


Position WINGER/FULL BACK 




PETER DOOLEY - #1230 

DOB 4 AUGUST 1994 

Birthplace OFFALY 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 




JACK DUNNE - #1276 


From DUBLIN 

Height 2.02M (6’ 7”) 



School ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE 




CIARÁN FRAWLEY - #1265 

DOB 4 DECEMBER 1997 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.92M (6’ 3”) 

Weight 95.6KG (15st 1lbs) 


Club UCD RFC 



JAMISON GIBSON-PARK - #1247 


From GREAT BARRIER ISLAND, NEW 

ZEALAND 

Height 1.76M (5’ 9”) 


Position SCRUM HALF 

Club UNASSIGNED 



ROBBIE HENSHAW - #1251 


From ATHLONE 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 


Position CENTRE / FULL BACK 

Club BUCCANEERS RFC 




HUGO KEENAN - #1253 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 


Position FULL BACK 

Club UCD RFC 



RÓNAN KELLEHER - #1277 

DOB 24 JANUARY 1998 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 







JORDAN LARMOUR - #1258 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.78M (5’ 10”) 


Position WING 




JAMES LOWE - #1262 


From NELSON, NEW ZEALAND 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club CLONDALKIN RFC 



ROSS MOLONY - #1233 

DOB 11 MAY 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 2.00M (6’ 6”) 



Club UCD RFC 



ROWAN OSBORNE - #1281 


From EADESTOWN, KILDARE 

Height 1.71M (5’ 7”) 





Honours IRELAND SCHOOLS 

JIMMY O'BRIEN - #1272 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.84M (6’ 0”) 


Position CENTRE 

Club NAAS RFC 



RORY O'LOUGHLIN - #1248 

DOB 21 JANUARY1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 



Club OLD BELVEDERE RFC 



CIARAN PARKER* - #1288 

DOB: 5 OCTOBER 1995 

From: STOCKPORT, ENGLAND 

Height: 1.88M (6’ 2”) 

Weight: 120KG (18st 10lbs) 

Position: PROP 

Club: UNASSIGNED 

Leinster Debut: 23 OCTOBER 2020 

Honours: ENGLAND U20S 

*on loan from Jersey Reds September – December 2020 

DAN LEAVY - #1231 

DOB 23 MAY 1994 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 


Position FLANKER 

Club UCD RFC 



LUKE McGRATH - #1206 


From ONTARIO, CANADA 

Height 1.75M (5’ 9”) 



Club UCD RFC 



JOSH MURPHY - #1261 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.96M (6’ 5”) 



Club UCD RFC 



CONOR O'BRIEN - #1260 


From WESTMEATH 

Height 1.90M (6’ 3”) 






TOMMY O'BRIEN - #1283 

DOB 28 MAY 1998 

From DUBLIN 

Height 1.83M (6’ 0”) 



Club UCD RFC 



HUGH O'SULLIVAN - #1270 


From MEATH 

Height 1.79M (5’ 9”) 






SCOTT PENNY - #1271 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.85M (6’ 0”) 



Club UCD RFC 




ANDREW PORTER - #1246 


Birthplace DUBLIN 

Height 1.84M (6’ 1”) 


Position PROP 

Club UCD RFC 



RHYS RUDDOCK - #1167 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91M (6’ 3”) 






JOHNNY SEXTON - #1127 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.88M (6’ 2”) 




Leinster Debut 27 JANUARY 2006 

Honours IRELAND (95 caps) AND BRITISH & 

IRISH LIONS (14 caps) 

DEVIN TONER - #1128 


From MEATH 

Height 2.08M (6’ 10”) 




Leinster Debut 27 JANUARY 2006 


GARRY RINGROSE - #1237 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.87M (6’ 2”) 



Club UCD RFC 



JAMES RYAN - #1259 


From DUBLIN 

Height 2.04M (6’ 7”) 



Club UCD RFC 



DAN SHEEHAN - #1286 


From DUBLIN 

Height 1.91 M (6’ 3”) 






JAMES TRACY - #1211 


From KILDARE 

Height 1.85M (6’ 1”) 



Club UCD RFC 



JOSH VAN DER FLIER - #1228 


From WICKLOW 

Height 1.87M (6’ 2”) 



Club UCD RFC 



Coaching Staff 

LEO CULLEN 

HEAD COACH 

STUART LANCASTER 

SENIOR COACH 

ROBIN MCBRYDE 

ASSISTANT COACH 

FELIPE CONTEPOMI 

BACKS COACH 

EMMET FARRELL 

KICKING COACH AND 

LEAD PERFORMANCE ANALYST 

GUY EASTERBY 

HEAD OF RUGBY OPERATIONS 

HUGH HOGAN 

CONTACT SKILLS COACH 


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on 01 470 0541 or email mhamilton@bdo.ie 

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2021 BANK OF IRELAND LEINSTER 

The draws for the 2021 Bank of 

Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools 

Cup competitions were broadcast 

recently on the Bank of Ireland 

Facebook and YouTube pages. 

The draws were conducted for the Bank 

of Ireland Senior Cup, Vinnie Murray 

Cup, Junior Cup, and Fr Godfrey Cup. 

While there are no confirmed dates for 

games as of yet, with very positive news 

of vaccines and the easing of restrictions 

over the last few weeks, it is important to 

plan and give young players something 

to look forward to. 

Like everyone in society though, until 

the all-clear has been received from 

the government to resume competitive 

action, Leinster Rugby would encourage 

all others to continue to follow the latest 

Covid-19 guidelines. 

Bank of Ireland Fr 

Godfrey Cup 

Teams competing in the Bank of Ireland 

Fr Godfrey Cup have been drawn into 

two separate pools. 

All teams from Pool A will play each 

other once, and all teams in Pool B will 

play each other once. 

The top two teams from each pool will 

qualify for the semi-finals, with the winner 

of Pool A facing the runner-up in Pool 

B, and the winner of Pool B facing the 

runner-up in Pool A. 

The Fr Godfrey Cup finalists will not 

qualify for the Bank of Ireland Junior Cup 

in 2021. 

POOL A 

St Fintan’s High School 

St Patrick’s Classical School, 

Navan 

St Andrew’s College 

FIXTURES: 

St Fintan’s High School v 


Navan 


Navan v 


St Andrew’s College v 


POOL B 

Newpark Comprehensive 

The King’s Hospital 

The High School 

FIXTURES: 

Newpark Comprehensive v 



RUGBY Schools Cup Draws 

The King’s Hospital v 


The High School v 

Newpark Comprehensive 

Bank of Ireland Leinster 

Rugby Junior Cup 

ROUND 1: 

St Mary’s College v 

Blackrock College 

ROUND 2: 

Newbridge College v 

Presentation College, Bray 

Cistercian College Roscrea v 

Clongowes Wood College 

Temple Carrig School v 

Winner of Round 1 

St Michael’s College v 

St Vincent’s Castleknock 

Gonzaga College v 

St Gerard’s School 

Catholic University School v 

Terenure College 

CBC Monkstown v 

Wesley College 

Belvedere College v 

Kilkenny College 

Bank of Ireland Vinnie 

Murray Cup 

As with the Fr Godfrey Cup, teams in the 

Bank of Ireland Vinnie Murray Cup have 

been drawn into two separate pools. 

All teams from Pool A will play each 

other once, and all teams in Pool B 

will play each other once. 

The top two teams from 

each pool will qualify for 

the semi-finals, with the 

winner of Pool A facing the 

runner-up in Pool B, and the 

winner of Pool B facing the 

runner-up in Pool A. 

The Vinnie Murray Cup finalists 

will not qualify for the Senior Cup 

in 2021. 

POOL A 




FIXTURES: 

The High School v 


The King’s Hospital v 


St Andrew’s College v 


POOL B 

Salesian College, Celbridge 

Skerries Community College 


FIXTURES: 

Salesian College, Celbridge v 


Skerries Community College v 


St Fintan’s High School v 

Salesian College, Celbridge 

Bank of Ireland Leinster 

Rugby Schools Senior Cup 

ROUND 1: 

Gonzaga College v 

Newbridge College 

ROUND 2: 

Clongowes Wood College v 

Terenure College 

CBC Monkstown v 

Temple Carrig School 

Catholic University School v 

St Mary’s College 

Cistercian College, Roscrea v 

St Vincent’s Castleknock 

St Michael’s College v 

Winner of Round 1 

St Gerard’s School v 

Wesley College 


Kilkenny College v 

Presentation College Bray 

Blackrock College v 

Belvedere College 

The draws for the Bank of Ireland 

McMullen Cup, Anne McInerney Cup, 

Duff Cup and Pat Rossiter Cup also took 

place earlier and were revealed during 

the broadcast. 

Bank of Ireland Pat 

Rossiter Cup 

ROUND 1: 

Ballymakenny College v 

Portmarnock Community School 

Malahide Community School v 

St Mary’s Secondary School, 

Edenderry 

Mercy Secondary School, 

Kilbeggan v 

St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise 

Moyne Community School v 

Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar 

PDLS Bagenalstown v 

CBS Wexford 

East Glendalough School v 

St David’s Holy Faith Secondary 

School 

Confey College v 

Coláiste Cois Life 

Woodbrook College v 

Adamstown Community College 

Bank of Ireland Duff Cup 

ROUND 1: 

Good Counsel College v 

Gorey Community School 

St Benildus College v 

Sandford Park School 

Drogheda Grammar School v 


De La Salle College, Churchtown v 

St Conleth’s College 

Salesian College, Celbridge v 

Wilson’s Hospital School 

ROUND 2: 

Good Counsel School or Gorey 

Community School v 

Ardscoil na Tríonóide 

St Columba’s College v 

St Benildus College or Sandford 

Park School 

Dundalk Grammar School v 

Drogheda Grammar School or 


De la Salle College, Churchtown 

or St Conleth’s College v 

Salesian College or Wilson’s 

Hospital School 

Bank of Ireland Anne 

McInerney Cup 

ROUND 1: 

Coláiste Choilm CBS, Swords v 

Ballymakenny College 

St. Joseph’s, Drogheda v 

Coláiste Rís 

ROUND 2: 

Coláiste Choilm CBS, Swords or 

Ballymakenny College v 

St Joseph’s, Drogheda or 

Coláiste Rís 

Malahide Community School v 

Portmarnock Community School 

Coláiste Cois Life v De La Salle 

College, Churchtown 

Confey College v 

Woodbrook College 

Moyne Community School v 

Mercy Secondary School, 

Kilbeggan 

St Mary’s Secondary School, 

Edenderry v St Mary’s CBS, 

Portlaoise 

East Glendalough School v 

St David’s Holy Faith Secondary 

School 

Cbs Secondary, New Ross v 

PDLS Bagenalstown 

Bank of Ireland 

McMullen Cup 

ROUND 1: 

Gorey Community School v 

Good Counsel College 

CBS Wexford v 

St Mary’s CBS, Enniscorthy 

St Conleth’s College v 

New Park Comprehensive School 

Drogheda Grammar School v 

Dundalk Grammar School 


Navan v Wilson’s Hospital School 

ROUND 2: 

Ardscoil na Tríonóide v 

St Benildus College 

Gorey Community School or 

Good Counsel College v 

CBS Wexford or St Mary’s CBS, 

Enniscorthy 

St Conleth’s College or New Park 

Comprehensive School v 

St Columba’s College 

Drogheda Grammar School or 

Dundalk Grammar School v 


Navan or Wilson’s Hospital 

School 


Leinster Player Statistics 

SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 

2020/21 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER 

ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

VAKH ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 - - - - - - - - - 0+11 1 5 0+11 1 5 - - - 10 - 

RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 3+3 1 5 2+2 1 5 1+1 - - 6+10 4 20 5+8 4 20 1+2 - - 6 - 

MICHAEL BENT 1212 1 DEC 12 8+1 2 10 7 2 10 1+1 - - 87+62 6 30 82+39 6 30 5+23 - - 6 IR 4 

ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 - - - - - - - - - 49+8 20 100 39+8 14 70 10 6 30 5 IR 1 

ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 2 - - 2 - - - - - 16+43 8 40 16+34 7 35 0+9 1 5 6 IR 3 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 5+2 - 51 5+1 - 46 0+1 - 5 8+9 3 109 8+8 3 104 0+1 - 5 8 - 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 3+1 - 41 1+1 - 21 2 - 20 61+32 5 559 50+17 2 415 11+15 3 144 14 IR 11 

TOM CLARKSON 1285 29 AUG 20 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - - - 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 2 - - 2 - - - - - 74+21 21 105 55+11 14 70 19+10 7 35 12 IR 17 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 1 - - 1 - - - - - 16+5 2 10 15+5 2 10 1 - - 8 IR 5 

SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 115+72 41 205 71+51 24 120 43+19 16 80 11 IR 72 

MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 35+30 18 90 32+22 16 80 3+8 2 10 7 IR 1 

PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 5+2 2 10 4+1 2 10 1+1 - - 33+50 4 20 31+44 4 20 2+6 - - 4 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 2 - - 1 - - 1 - - 27+8 5 25 21+6 3 15 6+2 2 10 4 IR 7 

JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 1+9 - - 1+9 - - - - - - - 

SCOTT FARDY 1257 2 SEP 17 4+2 - - 3+2 - - 1 - - 54+13 10 50 39+8 6 30 15+5 4 20 10 AU 39 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 5+1 1 15 4 - 10 1+1 1 5 14+18 4 139 13+14 3 128 1+4 1 11 2 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 - - - - - - - - - 69+39 7 35 40+31 3 15 29+8 4 20 4 IR 44 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 3+1 1 5 2 - - 1+1 1 5 47+50 17 85 42+26 14 70 5+24 3 15 1 IR 5 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 1+3 1 5 0+2 - - 1+1 1 5 149+75 26 130 85+48 12 60 62+26 13 65 1 IR 104 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 3 - - 1 - - 2 - - 50+1 9 45 21 3 15 29+1 6 30 5 IR 47 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 7 6 30 5 4 20 2 2 10 135+21 47 235 109+15 40 200 25+5 7 35 1 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 4 - - 2 - - 2 - - 19+3 1 5 16+3 1 5 3 - - 19 IR 6 

CIAN KELLEHER 1234 16 MAY 15 4+1 3 15 4 3 15 0+1 - - 10+10 8 40 10+9 8 40 0+1 - - 3 - 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 2+1 - - 1 - - 1+1 - - 15+3 9 45 11+1 8 40 4+2 1 5 6 IR 6 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 44+8 14 70 25+5 11 55 19+3 3 15 2 IR 24 

DAN LEAVY 1231 31 OCT 14 2+5 2 10 2+3 1 5 0+2 1 5 41+29 16 80 33+19 12 60 8+10 4 20 2 IR 11 

JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 2 3 15 2 3 15 - - - 49 33 165 33 25 125 16 8 40 1 IR 2 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 6+3 3 15 5+2 3 15 1+1 - - 89+47 34 170 58+41 26 130 31+6 8 40 4 IR 19 

MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 1+4 - - 1+4 - - - - - 1+13 2 10 1+13 2 10 - - - 12 - 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 4+3 - - 4+2 - - 0+1 - - 56+47 3 15 54+33 3 15 2+14 - - 65 - 

JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 5+1 2 10 4+1 1 5 1 1 5 33+6 4 20 32+5 3 15 1+1 1 5 1 - 

ROWAN OSBORNE 1281 4 OCT 19 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 1+5 1 5 1+5 1 5 - - - 5 - 


SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 


ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 - - - - - - - - - 16+7 6 30 16+6 6 30 0+1 - - 9 - 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 7+1 3 15 5+1 2 10 2 1 5 18+8 6 30 16+8 5 25 2 1 5 2 - 

TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 3+1 2 10 3+1 2 10 - - - 4+3 3 15 4+3 3 15 - - - 3 - 

RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 2 - - 2 - - - - - 53+20 21 105 47+13 18 90 6+7 3 15 16 IR 1 

HUGH O'SULLIVAN 1270 15 SEP 18 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - 2+22 1 5 2+20 1 5 0+2 - - 8 - 

CIARAN PARKER 1288 23 OCT 20 0+3 1 5 0+3 1 5 - - - 0+3 1 5 0+3 1 5 - - - 3 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 4+1 5 25 4+1 5 25 - - - 14+5 11 55 14+5 11 55 - - - 1 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 1+2 - - 0+1 - - 1+1 - - 23+46 10 50 18+29 7 35 5+17 3 15 4 IR 32 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 3 1 7 2 1 7 1 - - 77+2 26 132 46+1 15 77 31+1 11 55 3 IR 30 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 8+1 - - 6+1 - - 2 - - 137+45 10 50 102+31 8 40 34+12 2 10 13 IR 26 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3+1 1 5 2 1 5 1+1 - - 37+6 3 15 16+1 1 5 21+5 2 10 3 IR 32 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 1 - 2 1 - 2 - - - 144+24 26 1497 84+18 13 825 58+6 12 641 8 IR 95 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 1+4 2 10 1+4 2 10 - - - 1+4 2 10 1+4 2 10 - - - 5 - 

MICHAEL SILVESTER 1289 23 OCT 20 0+2 1 5 0+2 1 5 - - - 0+2 1 5 0+2 1 5 - - - 1 - 

DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 4+2 - - 3+2 - - 1 - - 199+56 4 20 135+38 4 20 61+18 - - 38 IR 70 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 6+2 3 15 5+1 3 15 1+1 - - 52+66 11 55 45+40 10 50 7+26 1 5 3 IR 6 

LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 3+1 - - 3+1 - - - - - 3+1 - - 3+1 - - - - - - - 

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 3 1 5 1 - - 2 1 5 67+20 10 50 39+14 6 30 28+6 4 20 2 IR 28 


ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14 EPCR OVERALL 

KICKING 

SUCCESS 

RATE 

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

% 

- - - - - - HARRY BYRNE 80.00% 21 3 20 2 1 1 41 4 40 3 1 1 59 76.27% 

ROSS BYRNE 85.00% 10 7 - 6 3 - 4 4 - 171 63 1 132 46 1 39 17 - 310 75.48% 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 62.50% 5 - - 5 - - - - - 49 7 - 46 7 - 3 - - 69 81.16% 

GARRY RINGROSE 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 100.00% 

JOHNNY SEXTON 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 232 290 11 119 167 7 106 119 4 653 79.94% 


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THE BIG 

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recap 

2020 



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Bonne Année, Buon anno, Frohes Neues Jahr, Feliz 

Ano Novo or just quite simply Happy New Year. 

From all of us on the OLSC 

committee, we hope you all had 

a nice break if you were able to 

do so and were able to take some 

time to be with your family and 

loved ones to just quietly reflect 

on the year that was. 

And what a year 2020 was but that’s not 

why we’re here, we’re not here to dwell 

on what was but to look ahead to a new 

year and the continuation of the Guinness 

PRO14. 

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to 

all the players, coaches and backroom 

staff of Connacht for this evening’s fixture 

here in the RDS Arena. 

It’s a tradition that this fixture crops up 

around this time as just a mere 12 months 

ago we hosted Connacht here also and it 

was safe to say that the OLSC Committee 

spent as much time organising and 

running around that day off the pitch as 

the team did on it! 

We were delighted that prior to the 

game, Scott Fardy and James Lowe 

joined us in the Laighin Out for our kids 

Q&A and it was a really fantastic event 

with some hard-hitting, thought-provoking 

questions directed at both players. 

Here’s hoping we’re not too far off a 

return to events like these! 

“All is quiet on New Year’s Day” (the 

day after in this case) and although 

Bono and the lads weren’t singing about 

any headaches they had from NYE 

celebrations, this quiet will unfortunately 

be the case today when both teams take 

to the pitch for what is no doubt sure to 

be another cracking encounter. 

Connacht will be looking for some 

measure of revenge given neither of the 

results against Leinster last season went 

their way, with the most recent one in 

January in the RDS in front of a crowd of 

18,300 finishing 54-7 to the boys in blue. 

The team know what the impact of not 

having supporters in the ground is like 

as both they and the coaching staff have 

spoken openly on this and they are no 

doubt hoping for a return to the days 

when the Leinster 12 County Army can 

be there with them to feel every tackle, 

cheer every point scored and say ‘chin 

up – you’ll get the next one’ for every 

missed tackle or wayward pass. 

Both Conferences continue to be 

dominated by the Irish Provinces and they 

all will want this to continue as they go in 

search of glory come the final weekend 

of the competition later in the year. 

Competition for places within the squads 

will be fierce as, following the conclusion 

of the recent Autumn Nations Cup, we’re 

just a mere six weeks away from the start 

of the 2021 Six Nations where first up for 

Ireland is Wales away in Cardiff. 

Leo and co. have spoken numerous times 

about selection headaches in the past. 

You can be sure that this weekend will 

not be one of rest for Andy Farrell and 

his team as you can be guaranteed that 

every player across the four provinces 

will be looking to impress so that they 

get the opportunity to pull on the green 

of Ireland come the start of the next 

campaign. 

All of us on the OLSC committee are 

mindful of the fact that we are all still 

unable to attend games and therefore by 

putting together some material for you to 

peruse over, we hope it keeps you in the 

rugby mind frame as we start a new year 

and thankfully the season rolls along! 

As always we’re thankful for the support 

we get from Leinster Rugby as a whole 

as well as yourselves and we encourage 

you to continue to show your support for 

the team through social media and the 

posts on our pages. 

For now though, once again a very 

Happy New Year to you and yours and 

as always, stay safe! 

Yours in Rugby, 

OLSC Committee 


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ONE FROM 

The Vaults 

Leinster 54 Connacht 7 

4 January 2020 | Guinness PRO14 | RDS Arena | Ref: Mike Adamson 

Leinster Rugby claimed the quickest 

try-scoring bonus point of the 2019/20 

Guinness PRO14 season in a 54-7 

derby win over Connacht at the RDS. 

Leo Cullen’s men chalked up their bonus 

point with just under 20 minutes on the clock 

– Glasgow Warriors’ 23 minutes was the 

previous best – as Max Deegan, who crossed 

after only 103 seconds, Dave Kearney, Ciarán 

Frawley and Joe Tomane swept over for scores. 

It was a point-a-minute for Leinster in the first 

half, as further tries from Luke McGrath and 

Deegan left injury-hit Connacht a full 40 points 

behind. The hosts had their own injury concerns 

with James Ryan going off with a tight calf. 

Into the second period, Garry Ringrose’s welltaken 

brace sandwiched a consolation 69thminute 

maul try from Connacht replacement 

Tom McCartney. A 10th victory of the PRO14 

campaign keeps Leinster 11 points clear of 

Ulster at the top of Conference A. 

The defending champions were three tries up 

inside 14 minutes as Connacht struggled to 

contain the blue attacking wave. A miscued 

first-minute lineout handed Leinster possession 

and Peter Dooley barrelled through to set up 

influential No 8 Deegan to score. 

Out-half Frawley converted and was involved in 

setting up Kearney’s 10th-minute try, combining 

with Ringrose to find the experienced winger 

who stepped inside Caolin Blade’s challenge 

and took Niyi Adeolokun and Conor Fitzgerald 

with him over the line in a savvy finish. 

Robin Copeland’s turnover penalty had briefly 

stopped Leinster in their tracks, but a slick 

interchange between Frawley and Deegan 

carved open the heart of Connacht’s defence 

and sent the Skerries youngster in beside the 

posts to make it 19-0. 

Deegan provided a second assist when 

Tomane proved too powerful from close range, 

and scrum half McGrath got on the scoresheet 

LEINSTER: Jordan Larmour; 

Fergus McFadden, Garry 

Ringrose, Joe Tomane, Dave 

Kearney (Cian Kelleher 

50); Ciarán Frawley (Harry 

Byrne 59), Luke McGrath 

(Jamison Gibson-Park 59); 

Peter Dooley (Ed Byrne 50), 

Seán Cronin (Bryan Byrne 

50), Tadhg Furlong (Roman 

Salanoa 63); Ross Molony, 

James Ryan (Ryan Baird 23); 

Rhys Ruddock, Will Connors 

(Caelan Doris h-t), Max 

Deegan. 

CONNACHT: Stephen 

Fitzgerald; Niyi Adeolokun, 

Kyle Godwin, Tom Daly, 

John Porch (David Horwitz 

50); Conor Fitzgerald, 

Caolin Blade (Stephen Kerins 

59); Denis Buckley, Shane 

Delahunt, Dominic Robertson- 

McCoy; Niall Murray, Gavin 

Thornbury (Joe Maksymiw 

52); Eoghan Masterson 

(Seán Masterson 59), Paul 

Boyle, Robin Copeland. 

in the 33rd minute when crossing from a ruck 

just a couple of metres out. 

With centre Ringrose to the fore, Leinster’s 

running lines caused further problems for 

Connacht approaching half-time. Kearney 

was stopped short but the forwards took over 

as Deegan squeezed over, allowing Frawley 

to land his fifth successful conversion from six 

kicks. 

Deegan turned provider again in the 47th 

minute, evading two defenders before releasing 

Ringrose to weave in under the posts. With an 

improved bout of carrying, Connacht were on 

the cusp of scoring before man-of-the-match 

Rhys Ruddock’s rip in the tackle denied them. 

Replacement Stephen Kerins and Niyi 

Adeolokun increased Connacht’s attacking 

threat with breaks through the middle and out 

wide, and their endeavour was rewarded with 

McCartney’s pushover effort. 

However, with young number 10 Fitzgerald 

suffering a worrying ankle injury, the 

westerners leaked an eighth try when Ringrose 

nipped over in the right corner via a Jamison 

Gibson-Park kick. Harry Byrne’s well-struck 

conversion ensured it was Leinster’s highest 

ever points tally against Connacht, eclipsing 

the 53-8 win from October 1999. 



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HANGING WITH THE STARS SINCE 2004. 

OFFICIAL 

CLOTHING 

PARTNER

From The Ground Up | 62 | www.leinsterrugby.ie 

“IN TIME, WITH 

PERSPECTIVE, YOU 

HAVE TO MAKE 

PEACE WITH THAT 

COMPETITIVE SIDE 

OF YOURSELF.”

Where are they now? 

By Des Berry 

PETER 

COYLE 

THEN: PETER MADE HIS DEBUT AGAINST ARGENTINA IN AUGUST OF 1999, 

GOING ON TO EARN 59 LEINSTER CAPS OVER SIX SEASONS. 

NOW: NOW, 45, HE LIVES WITH HIS WIFE ORNA, SONS BEN AND NATHAN AND 

DAUGHTER MIA IN RATHFARNHAM, WORKING AS A SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR FISERV, 

A PROVIDER OF TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO THE FINANCIAL WORLD. 

Peter Coyle is a different kind of 

man, not one given to going along 

just to get along. 

If there is something on his mind, it 

doesn’t take a claw hammer to prise it 

out. That is the beauty of this particular 

endangered species. 

“I have two loves in my life, rugby and 

technology,” he says, just before Orna, 

his wife, reminded him to rethink that 

statement. 

“When I was younger, let’s just say I 

wasn’t the most sociable of characters, 

not the easiest to get on with. I was a bit 

of an oddball, a mad scientist.” 

The ‘out-there’ former prop is a character. 

Simple as that. In hindsight, he was never 

the prototypical professional. There was 

just too much of the boy-with-his-hand-upin-class 

about him. 

“I remember rocking up to St Andrew’s 

in the Mike Ruddock era. I had one blue 

sock, one red sock from some (agegrade) 

international against Wales, a 

gaudy blue shorts and a Welsh top with 

a green tint. This sort of thing wouldn’t 

register with me. 

“Horsebox, Trevor Brennan, turned 

around to me and said, ‘Jesus, Coyler 

you look like a clown.’” 

Despite this, the relationship between 

Coyle and Ruddock was an amicable 

one. Until honesty got in the way. 

“I had been up at UCD during freshers 

week. You can fill in the gap yourself. 

The next thing, the Leinster Manager 

Jim Glennon rings me around 11 on a 

Saturday morning asking me to sit on the 

bench against someone like Pontypridd. 

The fumes off me alone would be 

problematic.” 

This is where the Navan man’s 

tendency to reveal everything came 

back to bite him where his 

coach came close to 

kicking him. 

“I pulled Mike 

Ruddock aside 

and let him know 

that I had been out 

the previous night. 

Mike took me out of 

the dressing room and 

around the side of the 

building and gave me a 

full dressing down. 

“I told Mike how I was 

just being honest with him. 

I hadn’t been involved in 

training. I was not supposed 

to be involved. I was letting Mike 

know I was doing him a favour. 

“Back then, I didn’t realise he was 

stressed out of his eyeballs in a new job. 

That was myself and Mike’s relationship 

done. There and then. 

“He cut me from the Leinster squad, 

completely ignored me, didn’t want to 

talk to me again for two years. I couldn’t 

blame him.” 

In time, Ruddock invited Coyle to rejoin 

the Leinster squad in the summer 

of 1999, such was his form for St 

Mary’s in the All-Ireland League. 

“I made my full debut against 

Argentina. There is a story 

behind that. Gary Halpin 

the Ireland prop is a 

great friend of mine. He 

basically took one look 

at the Argentinean 

team sheet and went, 

‘you know what, I’m 

too old for this.’ 

“We have since referred to the 

injury that ruled him out as ‘The 

Belgrano Knee.’ Maybe I’m 

doing him a disservice. Maybe 

he was hurt.” 

As it happened, Coyle fared well 

against the gnarled Puma front row, 

prompting Ruddock to promise: “I’ll 

have you on the Irish team in three 

years.” 


Of course, it was just Coyle’s luck that 

Ruddock left for Wales shortly after and 

Matt Williams came in. 

“Matt knew nothing about me, who I 

was, what I was capable of. I was always 

on the backfoot from that moment on,” 

he admits. 

“I remember once we were due to play 

against Ulster. Matt had just taken over. 

He wouldn’t suffer fools gladly. He was a 

short fuse type of guy. 

“We were missing players with injuries, 

and whatever else, and Matt kept talking 

about our weaknesses, who we didn’t 

have. 

“I felt he was overly-critical of the team 

that was playing and found myself saying 

just that. Bob Casey was sitting beside me 

and I could feel his hand gripping me, 

suggesting I should shut up. 

“I was just a naive young fella,’ bursting 

with hope and promise. Let’s just say, it 

went down like a cold bag of sick. 

“That would be me. I wouldn’t be great 

at reading the room, picking up the 

emotional cues,” he stated. 

Williams’ insistence on professionalism 

at all times was not exactly in line with 

Coyle turning up to work with floppy hair 

and sandals - on his moped. 

“That moped drove Matt up the walls. He 

doesn’t know this story. All the lads loved 

bopping around on it. 

“Players just behind the frontline were 

paid a pittance, next to nothing. I think I 

was on 20,000-a-year for three or four 

years. If you take the cost of living in 

Dublin out of that, rent at 500-per-month, 

I don’t know how I afforded the moped, 

never mind a car. 

“In fact, I couldn’t even afford a mobile 

phone. Matt blew up at me one day 

about getting one. I said: ‘well, pay me 

more and I will get one.’ That wasn’t the 

answer he wanted to hear. 

“Anyway, as I said, all the lads, like 

Nathan Spooner and Ben Willis, would 

love scooting around on the moped. 

“One day, I heard this crash on the far 

side of the clubhouse in Anglesea Road. 

Who was on the moped? Gordon D’Arcy. 

I knew if Matt got wind of it, I was in 

trouble. 

“My first thought was to look for the exit 

and get out of there. The only thing worse 

would have been for Brian O’Driscoll to 

come off it. 

“But, Darce came around the corner 

with a big dent in the side of the moped. 

He was alright. I was just relieved. That 

bloody moped.” 

This all leads to the inevitable question: 

‘did his personality get in the way of his 

career?’ 

“No question. I believe there are 

elements to my personality that hindered 

my rugby career,” he says. 

When the short-lived Gary Ella era 

began, the slate was clean. Coyle was 

first choice for the 2004 Heineken Cup 

and those matches, more particularly 

those match-ups, gave him the sustenance 

to know he could have been a contender. 

“My favourite moments were from the 

two matches against Sale and another 

against Biarritz,” he reveals. 

“I was able to prove myself against 

Andrew Sheridan and another England 

international Chris Yates for Sale and the 

Romanian prop Petru Balan for Biarritz. 

“I can always look back on that and 

know that I was good enough to do it. I’m 

happy with that. 

“If I wanted to keep going, I had offers 

from Biarritz, Perpignan and Connacht 


in November-December of my last 

season. 

“Maybe, I should have made the move 

to Connacht. I only wanted to play for 

Ireland. I didn’t want to be a journeyman 

playing in France or England. 

“Anyway, it was made perfectly clear 

there was no avenue to becoming an 

Ireland international open to me.” 

This is where one of Coyle’s other loves - 

technology - came in. 

“I retired in 2006. I’m not going to lie. 

I spent 25 years at something and it is 

taken from you. It mightn’t hit you, fully 

impact you, there and then. At some 

point, you have to work through that 

process. 

“In time, with perspective, you have to 

make peace with that competitive side of 

yourself,” he shares. 

There was even delayed grief, triggered 

by the night he saw himself in Mickey 

Rourke’s character Randy ‘The Ram’ 

Robinson in the acclaimed film The 

Wrestler in 2008. 

The effect was to turn Coyle into a 

blubbering mess as he was hunched over 

the railings downstairs from the cinema in 

Dundrum. 

“I just related to this guy who was 

washed up. His body was his way of 

earning money and it was failing on him. 

He had nothing else. It cut me to the 

quick.” 

It may have had something to do with the 

fact Coyle was in a personal bind and, 

were it not for the strength and support 

of Orna, he would have been completely 

lost. 

“I set up my own IT business and worked 

with firms whose revenue was in property. 

When the crash came in 2008, I was 

wiped out. 

“Luckily, I started studying Informations 

Systems in Trinity College in 2007 and 

the bank bailout happened the first month 

of the first year of the course.” 

There was far worse to come. In 2010, 

Orna gave birth to three boys. Sadly, 

baby Logan survived for just 60 days. 

“I had no income. I couldn’t get any 

work. Orna went back to work as a 

teacher,” he recalls. 

“I was at home looking after the boys 

Nathan and Ben for two years. I won’t 

lie. I wasn’t in a good place. I wouldn’t 

shy away from that. I eventually broke 

down and begged my wife to swap.” 

For this to happen, Orna had to accept 

a financial hit looking after three kids, 

youngest Mia had now also arrived, all 

three years or younger, as Coyle started 

at the bottom of the ladder, even with a 

first-class honours degree. 

All along, Coyle never lost his unique 

sense of humour. 

“The recruiter I was dealing with found a 

temporary position for one week. Just one 

week. I knew I just needed to get my foot 

in the door to prove what I could do. 

“Then, they came back to me and said 

the company had decided not to fill 

the position. I was so disappointed, my 

confidence at a low. 

“I said, ‘so, you are saying they would 

prefer nothing over me.’” 

Eventually, Coyle did get his foot through 

another door and his career has been on 

an upward trajectory ever since, working 

for IBM and Facebook. 

“Once I got that experience, I was like 

a rat out of an aqueduct. I was on my 

way. There is always light at the end of 

the tunnel.” 

Right now, he is working for Fiserv, a 

financial-technology company, with 

a worldwide reach, looking after the 

systems that log all the information 

produced so that auditors and regulators 

can quickly see that the house is in order. 

Orna, a special needs teacher, and 

Peter are living in Rathfarnham, parents 

to 10-year-old boys Ben and Nathan, 

daughter Mia, 7, and darling Logan. 

“It has been a hard battle to get to where 

we are,” he shared. 

“As my friend Liam Toland told me once, 

‘there’s no point being lucky unless you 

know you’re lucky. It’s true.” 


December and January would 

normally be a busy time for our 

referees but of course this year is 

different. We are looking forward 

to getting back on the pitch in the 

New Year. 

Good luck to Sean Gallagher and Brian 

MacNeice, and our more senior referees, 

who will be in regular action over the 

Christmas period. 

In recent weeks, I took some time to 

catch up with the President of Leinster 

Rugby Referees, David Robb, to see how 

his year is going. Dave is a member of 

Railway Union where he is also a keen 

cricketer. 

Railway has provided two past presidents 

of the Leinster Association of Referees in 

Desmond Flanagan and Ciarán O’Brien, 

and this year Dave became Railway’s 

third president, a second in three years. 

The Robb surname may look familiar to 

Connacht supporters. Dave is father of 

Connacht centre Peter. 

BY DAN WALLACE 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE. WE 

HOPE EVERYONE IS ENJOYING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. 


I’m sure Peter is well versed on the laws 

of the game as a result. Dave has been 

a member of the ARLB for 23 years. He 

retired from playing and his neighbour, 

another ARLB stalwart and former IRFU 

referee, Tony Redmond, got him involved 

in refereeing. 

As well as refereeing Dave is an 

assessor (evaluator) and has been 

Chair of the Junior Selection Committee, 

ARLB Representative on the Leinster 

Competitions Committee and Junior 

Committee and, in the run up to his year 

as president, was Junior Vice President 

and Senior Vice President. 

Being close to the game and being able 

to give back was the more important 

aspect of why Dave took up refereeing. 

The Leinster Rugby Referees are, of 

course, more than just referees on the 

pitch – there are other roles people 

can get involved in, especially after 

their on-field career including coaching, 

mentoring, assessing, touch judging, 

discipline and citing. 

Of course there are pathways for 

everyone in Leinster, not just those who 

want to get to the National Panel. There 

are now about 7,000 games to be 

refereed in a normal season when you 

include Youths, Women’s and Men’s 

rugby. 

There is also Sevens rugby and there is 

a need for Assistant Referees and Touch 

Judges for all competition levels. 

Dave’s favourite referee when he was 

refereeing was probably Alain Rolland 

who he describes as the consummate 

professional. Alain stepped down from his 

role as World Rugby’s high-performance 

15s match officials’ manager earlier this 

year, a role which he held for four years. 

How did you end up as President of the 

referees? 

I was asked by Norman Carter and 

Conor Byrne, the then Senior Vice 

President and Junior Vice President, and 

spent a couple of years on the referee 

committee doing the hard yards. 

What are his goals for the year as 

president? 

Before Covid there were two main goals 

– First to help develop the education and 

training side of things to assist referees 

in their development and also to get to 

see as many referees in action around 

Leinster as I could get to. Sadly, the 

second is more difficult this season but 

Dave has done a great job assisting the 

development of referees in trying times. 

Dave has simple advice for those referees 

setting out on their careers. Don’t be 

afraid to ask questions on any matter you 

are unsure about as everyone will learn 

from each other. 

It is also important to attend all the 

Area Workshops and Seminars and 

watch referees on TV. Lastly, but very 

importantly, rehearse/role play what 

they will say in difficult situations such as 

foul play. 

Want to get involved? 

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 and Google + 

pages, our website www.arlb.ie or through twitter 

@leinsterreferee. 

What would he like to see the 

Leinster Rugby Referees achieving 

over the next 5 years? 

Getting referees to officiate at 

Internationals, Champions Cup and 

Guinness PRO14 Games and to see 

all ARLB referees be the best they 

can be. Something that we would all 

like to see. 

Finally Dave has some simple advice 

for would-be referees thinking about 

taking up the whistle - take the 

plunge. 

There is great support these days 

from mentors, evaluators and 

referees so talk to them and get 

involved in WhatsApp groups 

where there are discussions 

about match situations. 

Many thanks to Dave for his time 

and we wish him well with the 

rest of his presidency. 


The North Midlands Area 

Leinster Branch IRFU 

The North Midlands Area 

(NMLBIRFU) is one of five areas 

of the Leinster Branch. It sends 

representatives to the Leinster 

Junior Committee, which is one of 

the oldest committees in Leinster 

Rugby as well as to the Senior 

Executive Committee of the 

Leinster Branch. 

North Midlands is responsible for the 

administration of rugby in Kildare, Laois 

and West Wicklow. Its member clubs 

include Naas, the Area’s only Energia 

All-Ireland League club, along with 

Athy, Cill Dara, Clane, Clondalkin, 

Newbridge, North Kildare, Portarlington 

and Portlaoise who all compete in the 

Leinster Leagues. Our most recent recruit, 

Blessington, joined the North Midlands at 

youth level in the 2018/19 season. 

The Area by-laws include provision for 

the rotation of the Chair on a two-season 

cycle. The Chair, confirmed at the Annual 

General Meeting, represents the Area at 

the Leinster Executive Committee, while 

the Vice Chair represents the Area at the 

Leinster Junior Committee. 

The current Chair is Ollie Delaney 

(Newbridge RFC), with Barry Lyons 

(North Kildare) serving as Vice Chair. 

This rotation encourages all clubs to 

have an active engagement in both 

Area and Leinster activities, bringing that 

experience back to the clubs. The by-laws 

also include provisions for inclusivity 

and guidance on respect for officials, 

supporters and players at all levels of the 

game. 

North Midlands clubs can be seen across 

the Leinster Leagues enjoying numerous 

successes over the years. Both Naas and 

Cill Dara have won the Leinster League 

Division 1A in recent years. This allowed 

Naas RFC to be promoted to the AIL. Cill 

Dara lost out on the narrowest of margins 

in 2007 in the AIL round robin. 

In addition to participation in the men's 

game, the North Midlands has a very 

high engagement in both the women’s 

and girls’ Leinster Leagues. There are 

currently five women’s sides, while six 

clubs participate in the girls’ leagues. In 

recent years, two alumni, Philip Lawlor 

and Colin McEntee, have progressed 

through the rugby ranks to hold 

significant positions in Leinster Rugby and 

IRFU. 

NAAS RFC 

Naas RFC, re-founded in 1922, is 

arguably the largest of the Area 

clubs. Naas has contributed many 

players who have gone on to 

attain full International honours. 

Among the alumni who have achieved 

at the highest level are Mark Deering 

(1928), the Byrne brothers (1950s/60s), 

Philip Lawlor, Geordan Murphy, Jamie 

Heaslip and, more recently, James Tracy, 

Tadhg Beirne and Adam Byrne. 

The club has also had representation at 

Ireland U-20 (5), Irish Youths (11), Irish 

Schools (8), Irish Women’s and Men’s 

Sevens (6), Irish Clubs 15s (5) and 

Leinster Youths and Girls U-18. 

Naas RFC’s success has been the result 

of slow and steady investment of time and 

effort in their youth structures. The club 

has over 90 certified coaches currently. 

This dedication is reflected in the current 

playing environment where the vast 

majority of the club’s All-Ireland League 

Division 1B team are home grown. 

Indeed, Naas stalwart, Joe Kavanagh 

was the first recipient of the Sean O’Brien 

Junior Rugby Award, in recognition of his 

contribution to Junior Rugby in Leinster, in 

particular the Naas U-20s. 

The current President of the Leinster 

Branch is Naas' own John Walsh, who 

has contributed at all levels of rugby, 

both as player and as an administrator at 

the club. John has given over 20 years of 

service to the Area and Leinster Branch, 

as well as serving on several IRFU 

Committees. 

As the former Provincial Towns Cup 

Director, John is credited with starting 

the journey in raising the profile of the 

prestigious tournament. John was the 

second member of Naas RFC to serve in 

this prestigious position. PJ Power, then a 

representative of Junior Rugby, served in 

the 1938/39 season. 


ATHY RFC 

The oldest club in the Area is Athy 

RFC, formed in 1888, with a proud 

history in the Provincial Towns 

Cup, winning on six occasions. 

Athy is justly proud of its record in 

developing its underage players. 

Among its notable alumni is the Anderson 

family. 

They are among the founding members of 

the club, with Frank and Leslie Anderson 

both serving as President. The Anderson 

family connection with the club and 

with Leinster was confirmed with the 

presentation of the Anderson Cup, for 

competition among Junior 3 clubs across 

the province, in 1970. 

Among its more recent alumni who are 

now playing at the highest provincial 

level, are Martin Moloney with the 

Leinster Academy and Jeremy Loughman 

and Joey Carbery in Munster. 

All three cut their teeth in the Athy RFC 

and North Midlands Area team, part of 

the Shane Horgan Leinster U-16 Inter- 

Area Competition. 

Athy RFC's John Treacy sits on the Leinster 

Youths Committee (Former Chair) and 

Mark Bergin on the Leinster Women’s 

Committee. Another member of the 

Anderson family, Roger, became the 

second winner of the Sean O’Brien 

Award in 2019. 

NEWBRIDGE RFC 

Newbridge RFC was formed 

with the merger of two long 

established clubs, Curragh RFC 

and Old Kilcullen. The club has a 

proud history with the Defence 

Forces where many of their senior 

players and committee members 

have been based at the Curragh 

Camp. 

Among the Newbridge Alumni are 

Ciaran Fitzgerald, former Ireland 

and Lions captain. One of their past 

Presidents, John Dardis, is the only referee 

who has officiated at three Provincial 

Towns Cup Finals. 

The current Chairman at Newbridge, 

Mick McCoy, has, for many seasons, 

represented the North Midlands Area at 

the Leinster Youths Committee, serves as 

Honorary Secretary of that Committee 

and as a member of the Leinster Senior 

Executive Committee. 

The current North Midlands Chair, Oliver 

Delaney, is President of Newbridge and 

serves as the Area representative on the 

Leinster Senior Executive. 

CLANE RFC 

Formed in 1984, Clane RFC is the 

newest club in the Area. The club 

has a very active and progressive 

Youths Section. The development 

of underage players has been one 

of the key roles of the club. 

Marcus Hanan, who represented the 

North Midlands in the Shane Horgan 

Cup, played in recent Leinster ‘A’ v 

Connacht ‘A’ and Munster ‘A’ games, 

as well as the inaugural IRFU Sevens 

Academy Series in November. 

The club also has an active girls 

programme seeing seven of their players 

represent Leinster at U-18 Girls or U-18 

Sevens level. 

CLONDALKIN RFC 

Clondalkin RFC, who were part 

of the Metro Area, applied to join 

the North Midlands in 2006/07. 

Since then, the club has enjoyed a 

significant growth in adult teams as well 

as in their youth and mini programmes. 

The club currently field Firsts and Seconds 

in Leinster League 1B with two more sides 

in Metro Leagues. 

Clondalkin Women - the Clonettes - while 

new to the game, were runners-up in the 

Paul Flood Plate and League semi-finalists 

in the 2018/19 season. 

While the club itself is relatively new 

- founded in 1973 – they have had 

a number of players achieve Leinster 

honours, Chris Jebb and John Sexton 

both played for Leinster Youths. 

John, who won an Oxford Blue against 

Cambridge, went on to gain full 

international honours winning four caps 

in 1988. He also played against USA 

and Canada in 1989, but caps were not 

awarded for these games. 


Most recently, James Lowe has pledged 

his allegiance to Clondalkin. The Leinster 

and Ireland winger is a regular visitor to 

Clondalkin on Sunday mornings for minis 

training. 

Like other clubs in the Area, Clondalkin 

have not been seen wanting when it 

comes to supporting the development of 

the game at Area and Leinster level. 

Gordon Condell who refereed for many 

years is currently Vice President of ARLB. 

The former Chair of the Leinster Junior 

Rugby Committee, Tom Duffy is Provincial 

Towns Cup Director. Tom along with his 

predecessor Tom Ashe (Clane/Naas), 

both served on the IRFU Junior Working 

Group. 

Eugene Noble is the current Chairperson 

of the Women’s Committee and also 

sits on the Leinster Rugby and Finance 

Committees. 

CILL DARA RFC 

Moving south to Kildare, we find 

Cill Dara. Founded in 1976, the 

club has developed excellent 

facilities at Silken Thomas Park. 

Among its alumni is recently retired 

Leinster and Ireland player, Fergus 

McFadden. Fergus has won 34 Irish caps 

and played 184 times for Leinster. 

Cill Dara also feature in the 

administration of rugby across the 

province. 

Enda Finn, current Secretary of the North 

Midlands, is the head coach of Leinster 

Juniors, a side which has won back-toback 

interprovincial series. 

Another Cill Dara man, Dermot 

O'Mahony, having refereed for many 

seasons, is now Fixtures Administrator 

at Leinster Rugby, coordinating and 

overseeing Leinster Junior competitions 

as well as Development Schools 

competitions. 

One of the greatest honours bestowed 

on any club member is the ‘Mr Boots’ 

Award. This IRFU Award is presented 

in recognition of the contribution a 

club member makes at all levels of 

rugby. 

Joe Flanagan received the Award in 

2016 before an audience of over 300 

from the rugby community. 

PORTLAOISE RFC 

County Laois provides two clubs 

to the North Midlands Area. 

Portlaoise, founded in 1966, and 

Portarlington, founded in 1974. 

Portlaoise has a consistent record of 

participation in Division 1 and 1B of the 

Leinster League. 

The club has won the Provincial Towns 

Cup on two occasions as part of their 

16-trophy haul over the years. 

Their Youths structure has seen a strong 

representation in both the Youths and 

Girls U-18 Leinster sides. 

Club alumni Gerry Culliton (19), Brian 

Rigney (8), Alison Miller (47) and 


Emma Hooban (7) have gone on to win 

international honours. 

Harry Nicholls, who has represented the 

Area on the Youths Committee for over 

15 years, is also a member of the Branch 

Disciplinary Committee, as well as being 

the Youths Representative on the Schools 

Committee. 

PORTARLINGTON RFC 

Not to be outdone, Portarlington, 

having been very strong during 

the 2000s, winning the Hosie Cup 

in 2012, have revitalized and 

are now expanding in the local 

community. 

Amalgamating with Cill Dara to field the 

Port/Dara women’s and girls’ sides, the 

club has seen a significant growth in their 

participative engagement. 

In addition, the growth of the mini section 

reflects the engagement of the CCRO 

initiatives in expanding playing numbers. 

NORTH KILDARE RFC 

Moving North again, we reach 

our final club, North Kildare, 

which is located on the borders of 

Kildare, Dublin and Meath. 

One of the Areas original clubs, North 

Kildare was founded in 1928. 

In 1992, Tom Darcy, a stalwart of North 

Kildare and the North Midlands, served 

as President of Leinster Rugby as a 

member of Terenure RFC. 

The club won the Provincial Towns Cup 

on two occasions along with eight other 

provincial trophies. 

North Kildare have had a good record in 

the Area Competitions winning the Hosie 

Cup (6), Lalor Cup (4), Spiers Cup (1) 

and Scully Cup (3). 

Because of its location, North Kildare 

frequently lost key players to the 

Metropolitan clubs. 

However, the club has faced this 

challenge head-on, continuing to develop 

players at youths and mini level. Among 

its alumni are Bob Casey (7), Devin 

Toner (70) and, most recently, Will 

Connors (2) who have gone on to win full 

international honours. 

AREA CCROs 

Work on the development of 

rugby in the Area is supported by 

Leinster Rugby through the Rugby 

Development Programme. 

At youths level, John Bagnall is the Coach 

and Player Development Officer (CPDO). 

Jennie Bagnall has a similar role in 

developing the women’s game. 

The CPDO is supported by the 

Community Rugby Officers (Joe Carbery, 

Rob Mullen and Glen Predy) and the 

eight Club and Community Rugby 

Officers (CCROs). 

The CCROs have had a significant role in 

the development of coaching and training 

in the schools and clubs. Over the last 

five years, the CCRO programme has 

resulted in clubs accessing a significant 

number of new primary and second level 

schools. 

The introduction of the Harry Nicholls 

Trophy last season saw first years (U-14) 

from 14 schools in the Kildare/Laois 

region play in a number of festivals 

hosted by clubs in the Area. 

In addition, St Laurence's National 

School in Sallins has played and 

defeated, home and away, many of the 

Dublin primary schools where rugby 

forms a traditional part of the sports 

programme. 

More recently, the CCRO programme, 

in conjunction with Kildare Sports 

Partnership, has brought rugby to new 

communities through the ‘Rugby on the 

Green’ initiative. 

INCLUSIVE RUGBY 

A new initiative throughout the 

Area has been the development 

of ‘Inclusive Rugby’ aimed at 

players of mixed ability. 

This development requires specific 

training for coaches and significant 

volunteer commitment. 


© 2020 adidas AG 

READY 

FOR 

ACTION 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

TRAINING 20/21

Currently, Inclusive Rugby is available in 

four clubs with plans for expansion in four 

more, once normal playing conditions 

return. 

YOUTHS COMMITTEE 

North Midlands Youth Committee 

meet monthly with the aim of 

administering age-grade rugby 

throughout the Area. 

The Area competitions provide rugby 

across all age groups from U-13 to 

U-18.5. 

The girls U-14, U-16 and U-18 sides 

have early season blitz events. These 

competitions, which are run from mid- 

September, provide an ideal preparation 

for the Leinster Leagues. 

The Area Committee endeavour to host 

the Area Finals in clusters in order to 

attract bigger crowds, with the U-18.5 

final being a precursor to the Hosie Cup 

final, the premier Area Competition at 

Junior 1 level. 

The mini plan for the Area is set out in 

August each year and then advised 

to clubs. The games are scheduled 

on a home and away basis over the 

season and enables clubs to plan their 

wider programme throughout the other 

weekends. 

With the growth of the girls’ game, these 

exchanges now include U-10 and U-12 

girls. 

REFEREES 

Rugby cannot happen without the 

referees. There are currently 44 

ARLB referees attached to North 

Midlands clubs. 

While there is always scope for 

additional referees, there is a culture in 

the Area which nurtures and encourages 

former and often current players to take 

up the whistle. 

Des Flanagan, Brendan Lynch and Conor 

Byrne have served as President of the 

ARLB and will be joined by Gordon 

Condell, see Clondalkin above, in the 

near future. 

The North Midland ARLB representative, 

John Dunne, ensures that the area 

continues to develop and produce quality 

referees. 

VOLUNTEERS 

The administration of the game in 

the Area cannot happen without 

volunteers. 

This means clubs have to provide valued 

resources to the Area and in turn to 

Leinster Branch to administer the game 

locally and provincially. 

The North Midlands recognize this is 

an important pathway and thank our 

clubs and volunteers for their continued 

support. 

In addition to those referred to earlier, 

there are also nominees to Domestic 

PR, mini and girls working groups, all of 

whom play important roles at all levels of 

the game 

At club level, the involvement of 

committees, coaches and team managers, 

plays a critical role in the running of the 

clubs. 

Whether it is on the pitch or behind the 

scenes, their roles are vital in financing 

the clubs, preparing clubhouses and 

pitches, managing parking, coaching the 

adults, youths, minis and inclusive teams. 

Without your help our wonderful game 

cannot happen. 

UPCOMING 

The North Midlands is currently 

finalising a publication on the 

Area. This will include, inter alia, 

details about the clubs, the history 

of the Area trophies and who 

were victorious. 

Details of Leinster and All-Ireland 

achievements along with Alumni of the 

North Midlands who have gone on to 

represent Ireland. 

If there are any omissions or errors here, 

please message the North Midlands on 

Facebook. 

A member of the project team will revert 

to you. 


TO MAXIMISE YOUR SPORTS AND EXERCISE 

PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION 

Optimum Nutrition and Leinster Rugby have partnered to help share good nutrition tips throughout 

the season to help you achieve your performance goals. Here are some simple tips and things to 

remember to help maximise your performance and help you recover quickly to come back stronger. 

Protein Rich. 

Protein provides your muscles with 

the building blocks to repair & grow. 

Carb-Up. 

Carbohydrate foods are king as they 

power high intensity play. 

Fuel-Up. 

Consume the majority of your 

carbohydrates around training to 

support fuelling and recovery. 

Recover. 

Quality rest & nutrition between 

training sessions is the key to 

recovery. Remember to: 

Repair with protein, 

Refuel with carbohydrate, 

Rehydrate with fluid. 

Hydrate. 

Dehydration can lead to a drop in 

exercise intensity & can impact your 

decision making. Drink 2-3 litres of 

fluid each day to ensure hydration. 

Game Day. 

To fuel performance on the field, 

consume a large carbohydrate rich 

meal 2-3 hours before kick-off, i.e. 

chicken & pasta, turkey bolognaise 

wraps. 

Get 20% off all Optimum Nutrition products 

using code Leinster20 on optimumnutrition.ie

Knowing what advice to take 

is essential in this game. 

beauchamps.ie 

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Contact: John White, Managing Partner +353 (0)1 4186000 | j.white@beauchamps.ie

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ST MICHAEL'S HOUSE, SKERRIES 

Host Inaugural Rugby Fun Day 

IT DIDN’T TAKE MUCH ENCOURAGEMENT FOR 

LEINSTER RUGBY’S FINGAL COMMUNITY STAFF TO 

PITCH UP IN ST MICHAEL’S HOUSE IN SKERRIES FOR 

THE INAUGURAL RUGBY FUN DAY LAST MONTH. 

They all know what an enjoyable 

place it is to visit. On the day, they 

were joined by David Daly, Inclusion 

Disability Officer with Fingal County 

Council, David McKay, IRFU Inclusion 

Manager, Larissa Muldoon from the 

Leinster and Ireland women’s team 

and representatives of Skerries RFC, 

who were co-hosting the day. 

With all necessary safety requirements in 

place, Karen Byrne, school principal, was 

delighted to welcome rugby back to St 

Michael’s for the first organised sporting event 

of the year. 

All the staff and pupils got fully involved in 

the passing, kicking and tag games that were 

being played. It was hard at times to see 

who was having more fun – the pupils or the 

Leinster Rugby staff. 

Andy Carabini, Club Community Rugby Officer 

for Skerries RFC, was delighted with the turnout 

and engagement amongst everyone, stating, 

“Last season it would have been well known 

that the highlight of my week has been the 

Friday sessions in St Michael’s House and it 

was great for the staff to get to see first hand 

what a special place this is. 

“OUR HOPE IS 

TO INTRODUCE 

AN INCLUSION 

SECTION WITHIN 

OUR CLUB, TO 

SHARE SOME OF 

THE BENEFITS 

WE SEE THAT 

RUGBY BRINGS TO 

EVERYONE…” 

“Karen and her team here do an incredible job 

in difficult circumstances and they deserve all 

the support they can get. From day one, staff 

and pupils have welcomed us into their school 

and it is very satisfying to see how important 

the weekly rugby sessions have become. 

“I live locally and myself and my kids get a big 

kick every day when the guys wave at us from 

the school bus”. 

Nick Heeney, Chairman of Skerries RFC, and a 

supporter of inclusion in sport added, “We are 

delighted to support St Michael’s House and 

look forward to working closely with the team 

here in the future. 

“Our hope is to introduce an inclusion section 

within our club, to share some of the benefits 

we see that rugby brings to everyone, be it 

physical, mental or social.” 

There is no doubt that the day itself was a 

big success, and the relationship between St 

Michael’s House, Leinster Rugby and Skerries 

RFC has strengthened in recent times, despite 

the many challenges faced. 

For more information, or to contact 

our Skerries RFC Club Community 

Rugby Officer, email Andy Carabini. 


St Stephen’s Day 2015 was the last 

time Ulster had come away victorious 

from the Sportsground but two tries 

in the space of five minutes from 

back-rowers Jordi Murphy and Nick 

Timoney helped the visitors overturn a 

14-9 half-time deficit. 

Tom Daly’s try – following up first-half scores 

from Jack Carty and John Porch – got 

Connacht back in it but three late penalties from 

the excellent Ian Madigan sealed the derby 

day bragging rights for the visitors. 

Dan McFarland’s men now sit seven points 

clear at the top of Conference A, having 

played two games more than Leinster, after 

their ninth win in as many matches this season. 

Ulster began the game on the front foot and 

were ahead inside three minutes through 

Madigan, who slotted over from 30 metres 

after Daly was penalised at an early 

breakdown. 

The visiting out-half repeated the trick eight 

minutes later after a fine turnover from Murphy 

but Connacht grew into the game and applied 

regular pressure for the remainder of the half. 

Neat hands down the left-hand side set up their 

first opportunity, resulting in a series of fivemetre 

scrums after Ulster held the hosts up just 

short of the line. 

Following a string of infringements at the scrum 

which led to Ulster losing Kyle McCall to the 

sin-bin, Connacht made their man advantage 

count when the ball came out and Jack Carty 

expertly finished on the spin in the right-hand 

corner. 

IN OPPOSITION 

Connacht Rugby 

Last Time Out 

Connacht Rugby 19 Ulster Rugby 32 

Sportsground | Guinness PRO14 | Ref: Seán Gallagher 

ULSTER STAGED A SUPERB SECOND-HALF FIGHTBACK TO BEAT 

CONNACHT 32-19 AND CLAIM THEIR FIRST WIN IN GALWAY 

FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. 

CONNACHT: 

Tiernan O’Halloran 

(Colm de Buitlear 31); 

John Porch, Sam Arnold, 

Tom Daly, Matt Healy; 

Jack Carty, Caolin 

Blade (Kieran Marmion 

68); Denis Buckley 

(Jordan Duggan 50), 

Shane Delahunt (Dave 

Heffernan 56), Finlay 

Bealham (Dominic 

Robertson-McCoy 56); 

Ultan Dillane, Quinn 

Roux (Gavin Thornbury 

55); Eoghan Masterson, 

Conor Oliver, Jarrad 

Butler. 

ULSTER: 

Michael Lowry; Craig 

Gilroy (Matt Faddes 65), 

James Hume, Stewart 

Moore (Ben Moxham 

62), Ethan McIlroy 

(Andrew Warwick 19); 

Ian Madigan, Alby 

Mathewson (David 

Shanahan 78); Kyle 

McCall (McIlroy 31), 

John Andrew (Bradley 

Roberts 68), Tom 

O’Toole (Marty Moore 

52); Alan O’Connor, 

Kieran Treadwell (David 

O’Connor 69); Greg 

Jones (Matthew Rea 

69), Jordi Murphy, Nick 

Timoney. 

COUNTRY 

IRELAND 

HOME GROUND 

SPORTSGROUND 

FOUNDED 

1885 

A superb touchline conversion saw Carty add 

the extras to his score but Ulster immediately 

restored their advantage through Madigan, 

who punished the hosts for an infringement at 

the lineout. 

Back came Andy Friend’s men, who went in 

front once more when another smartly-worked 

move ended with quick hands opening up 

space for Porch to finish in the corner. 

Carty nailed his second tricky conversion of the 

night to make it 14-9, which was how it stayed 

until the interval after a half largely dominated 

by Connacht. 

The second half began ominously for Ulster 

when they dropped the restart but McFarland’s 

men went on to assert their authority on the 

contest. 

Their early second half pressure paid off when 

Murphy ploughed over after Alby Mathewson 

had wriggled free from a tackle to get within 

five metres – Madigan’s conversion nudged 

Ulster in front. 

Within five minutes the visitors were over again 

as their back-rowers combined to devastating 

effect, Greg Jones feeding Timoney with a neat 

inside pass which saw the No 8 – deputising 

for the injured Marcell Coetzee – barge over. 

Madigan successfully added the extras and in 

a flash, Ulster had gone from five points down 

to nine points in front. 

Connacht were in no mood to lie down and hit 

back through Tom Daly, who powered through 

the attempted tackle of James Hume to score 

his side’s third try of the evening. 


Carty dragged his conversion wide before his 

opposite number Madigan took his own tally 

to six from six with a mighty kick from just inside 

the Connacht half to stretch Ulster’s lead to 

26-19 with 15 minutes to play. 

He then missed for the first time all evening 

shortly afterwards but made no mistake when 

handed another opportunity from the same 

position to give his side an unassailable 

advantage. 

There was still time for one more penalty for 

Madigan, who finished with 22 points, to put 

the shine on a hard-fought Ulster victory. 


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Squad | Positions 2020/21 

FORWARDS 

JACK AUNGIER 

JONNY MURPHY 

HOOKER 

CONOR DEAN 

FLY HALF 

Head coach | Andy Friend 

Andy Friend took over the reins at 

Connacht in 2018, joining from the 

Australian 7s team. 

His coaching career has taken in wellknown 

clubs across both the southern 

and northern hemispheres. 

The Australia native presided over 

Premiership side Harlequins for three 

years in the mid-noughties before 

returning to Canberra to take the head 

coach position with Brumbies. 

He also coached Canon Eagles and 

Suntory Sungoliath in the Japanese Top 

League. 

Captain | Jarrad Butler 

Flanker Jarrad Butler has held 

the role of captain in Ireland’s 

western province since 2018, only 

a year after arriving in Galway. 

The now 29-year-old was named players’ 

player of the year following that first 

campaign when joining from Brumbies. 

Originally born in New Zealand, Butler 

has been capped at under age level for 

Australia. 

He has also featured for the Barbarians, 

against Argentina in 2015. 

PROP 

FINLAY BEALHAM 

PROP 

PAUL BOYLE 

BACK ROW 

DENIS BUCKLEY 

PROP 

MATTHEW BURKE 

PROP 

JARRAD BUTLER 

NO. 8 C 

SHANE DELAHUNT 

HOOKER 

ULTAN DILLANE 

LOCK 

OISIN DOWLING 

LOCK 

JORDAN DUGGAN 

PROP 

CILLIAN GALLAGHER 

FLANKER 

DAVE HEFFERNAN 

HOOKER 

CONOR KENNY 

PROP 

EOGHAN MASTERSON 

LOCK 

SEAN MASTERSON 

FLANKER 

PADDY MCALLISTER 

PROP 

NIALL MURRAY 

LOCK 

SEAN O’BRIEN 

FLANKER 

CONOR OLIVER 

BACK ROW 

ABRAHAM PAPALI’I 

BACK ROW 

CIAN 

PRENDERGAST 

FLANKER 

DOMINIC 

ROBERTSON-MCCOY 

PROP 

QUINN ROUX 

LOCK 

GAVIN 

THORNBURY 

LOCK 

BACKS 

BUNDEE AKI 

CENTRE 

SAM ARNOLD 

CENTRE 

CAOLIN BLADE 

SCRUM HALF 

JACK CARTY 

FLY HALF 

TOM DALY 

CENTRE 

TOM FARRELL 

CENTRE 

STEPHEN FITZGERALD 

FULL BACK 

CONOR FITZGERALD 

FLY HALF 

MATT HEALY 

WINGER 

STEPHEN KERINS 

SCRUM HALF 

DIARMUID KILGALLEN 

WINGER 

KIERAN MARMION 

SCRUM HALF 

SEAN O’BRIEN 

CENTRE 

BEN O’DONNELL 

CENTRE 

TIERNAN 

O’HALLORAN 

FULL BACK 

JOHN PORCH 

CENTRE 

COLM REILLY 

SCRUM HALF 

PETER ROBB 

CENTRE 

PETER SULLIVAN 

WINGER 

ALEX WOOTTON 

WINGER 


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Tullamore Tigers 

ONE CLUB FOR EVERYONE 

A whirlwind six months 

culminated with Tullamore Rugby 

Club hiring a train to take many of 

their members to Aviva Stadium 

in December 2016. 

Garreth Cronin, Anthony Galvin and Darra Farrely 

There was a whole carriage reserved 

for the team that prompted the mass 

movement from the midlands town - 

Tigers. 

Leinster were all set for the hosting of 

Northampton Saints in the Champions 

Cup and the club’s disability squad was 

invited to show what they could do in an 

exhibition match at half-time. 

“Once word got around, we ended up 

hiring a train from Iarnrod Eireann to take 

550 people from Tullamore,” said Paul 

Cronin, who has been coaching along 

with John Burns. 

“It was a day that will live long in the 

memory for the excitement and fun that 

we had and none of it would have been 

possible without the Tigers. 

“We basically took over a whole corner 

at the Lansdowne station end around the 

corner flag. The group included everyone 

from our U-6s right up to senior players, 

parents, grandparents, everybody. 

“The best thing about it was that we were 

all there to see and support the Tigers. 

It gave everyone great joy. It was an 

incredible day out.” 

Just to think, this other arm of the club to 

go alongside the men, women, minis and 

youths teams had been created earlier 

that summer when disability pioneer 

Martin Nunan had shared the benefits 

bestowed on Mullingar rugby club for 

assembling The Lions, their inclusive 

squad. 

“We used to hold Tag competitions 

during the summer. I was refereeing,” 

said Cronin. 

“We were just up there one night. Martin 

came up to tell us, ‘I’ve got an idea that 

has worked in Mullingar.’” 

There ensued discussions with 

several organisations in the town and 

surrounding catchment area, including 

Rehab Care Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair 

Association and outreach support units. 

Cronin was just the man for the job as he 

has a career background in psychiatric 

and learning disabilties and Burns is a 

longtime coach at the club. 

They quickly became the driving force 

behind the Tigers. 

“The club came to me partly as a coach 

and partly as someone who understands 

the conditions people bring to the Tigers. 

Johnny (Burns) is a main coach in the 

club and my son, Garreth, came up to 

give us a hand, loved it and has stayed 

on with us.” 

Cronin could not have foreseen the 

positive influence the Tigers would have 

on the overall atmosphere at the club as 

the mixed ability playing membership 

grew from 15 players to 41, finding 

a way into the hearts of those there 

already. 

“They have done so much to bring 

everyone in the club closer together,” he 

stated. 

“There was an issue for us when we first 

started in terms of what part the Tigers 

would play in the club. We quickly 

realised they had to be at the heart of it, 

not just an add on. We knew they had to 

be fully integrated. 


Johnny Burns, Paul Cronin, Garreth Cronin 

“We have had six of our own players 

go on and do coaching courses and it is 

noticeable how people come up to watch 

the Tigers play. 

“We have had people asking, ‘what 

do we, the volunteers, get out of it?’ My 

simple answer is that they run out onto 

the pitch and play the game. What more 

do you want from it? They love it and it 

shows. That is all the reward you need.” 

The coming of Covid ruined the summer 

season just gone by. It has only served 

to further fuel the players’ passion for the 

game. 

“Normally, we have our own Tag 

Summer League. For the first three years, 

until this year, they played in it in their 

own right and mixed in with other teams. 

“They love the social side of it as well. It is 

now an integral part of the club. They are 

treated the same as everyone else and 

that is the way it should be. 

“Last year, at our awards night, we had 

a full formal dinner for the players and 

their families in November when the 

Disability season ends. First team players 

from the men and women also gave up 

time to come in and serve up the dinners, 

even staying on for the disco as we made 

general fools of ourselves,” he laughed. 

Cronin was committed to setting up a 

junior section when that dastardly Covid 

struck. The roll out of the vaccine has 

enabled the club to look forward to what 

will be. 

“They all miss it so much. We have our 

WhatsApp group and they are constantly 

on it asking, ‘when are we back training?’ 

The Tigers wouldn’t be possible without 

the buy-in of so many club members and 

senior player Róisín Kane is another who 

has given her free time. 

“I became very friendly with Paul and he 

became a big asset in the club. I found 

myself saying ‘yes’ almost before I was 

asked. It was just something I was keen 

on getting involved in. 

“I suppose the lads had most of the work 

done and I was only coming in to give a 

hand at training,” she said. 

“Basically, we had our IRFU Tag Rugby 

Leagues and we entered the Tigers as a 

team where they would play against the 

players at the club every Thursday. 

“Everyone supported them and stood 

around watching them play. It became 

a thing where players wanted to 

play against them because it was so 

personally rewarding, sharing in the 

experience.” 

In October 2016, Tullamore hosted their 

first Disability Tag Rugby Blitz tournament 

at their grounds in Spollanstown for two 

teams from Mullingar and one each 

from Barnhall, DLSP, Galwegians and 

Greystones. 

“To see how much it has grown is huge. 

When we set out to hold our own 

tournament in Tullamore, we had seven 

disability teams come to the club. 

“The transformation in the players from 

when we started out to now has been 

incredible. They have gone from being 

shy and not knowing what was going on 

to see them almost going into character 

when the boots went on.” 

This has led to two exhibition matches 

at the RDS, two in Energia Park and that 

unforgettable day at the Aviva. 

The Tigers have played in over 20 

tournaments and over 90 games, held 

two further home Blitz competitions and 

been given amazing help and support by 

the people and businesses of Tullamore. 

In 2018, Paul and Johnny were joined on 

the coaching side by Paul’s son Garreth 

as the fitness and game coach. They have 

attracted a lot of new players and are 

currently looking into playing two teams 

on a regular basis in 2021. 

“They developed so much, so quickly as 

individuals and as a team. The support 

of the parents and even people from the 

club is something special to see,” stated 

Kane. 

That day in the Aviva in 2016 was an 

occasion that sealed the Tigers’ fate as 

an arm of the club which no one could 

let go. 


These clubs have chosen Macron 

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Soroka 

Alex 

WORDS: RYAN CORRY 


LIKE MANY 

OTHER FAMILIES 

ACROSS 

IRELAND THIS 

DECEMBER, 

CHRISTMAS 

WAS A MUCH 

QUIETER 

AFFAIR THAN 

USUAL FOR THE 

SOROKAS. 

With the rugby calendar traditionally 

busy at this time of year, middle child 

Alex had plenty on his mind outside 

of Christmas planning to keep him 

occupied. 

As a student of Business and Law in DIT, 

exams were at the forefront of his thinking, 

while there’s the duties that come with being a 

member of the Leinster Rugby Academy to fill 

the remaining hours of the day. 

Soroka wilfully admits that his mother, Tanya, 

would describe him as not being much help 

around the house on the day itself but he’ll 

always make the offer anyway. 

That image doesn’t necessarily fit in with the 

robust, all-action style of play that the No 8 

brings to the rugby pitch. 

He’s in just his first year in the Academy, the 

latest step in a sporting journey that has also 

taken in stops such as Bective Rangers and 

Belvedere College, largely following in the 

footsteps of older brother, Ivan, once of today’s 

opposition, Connacht. 

“My Dad was really heavy into the football 

and wanted us to get into the football so we 

were playing that,” Soroka explains. 

“Then my brother was going into Belvedere 

College, my parents didn’t really know 

anything about schools and stuff but they heard 

from one of their mates about the link to rugby 

in Belvedere. 

“So, they wanted to give Ivan a bit of a head 

start and signed him up for Bective. I came a 

week later and we just kind of fell in love with it 

from there. We still played football but when it 

came time to make a choice between the two, 

we both picked rugby and decided to focus in 

on that.” 

As a six-year-old, the younger Soroka 

happened to catch a Belvedere College cup 

match at Bective’s Donnybrook Stadium (now 

Energia Park) home and that was it, he was 

hooked. 

In the time since, he’s been an ever present for 

the school both on the pitch and in the stands. 

“When I first came down to Bective, we saw 

a Belvedere cup game and I fell in love with it 

straight away. 

“From the age of six up as far as 18, I think I 

only missed like two cup games, I went to every 

single other one. I became a bit obsessed with 

it.” 

And so, the precedent was set that he would 

follow in the footsteps of his brother, the next 

step from Bective would be to the Great 

Denmark Street school with ambitions of pulling 


on the black-and-white hooped jersey in the 

Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Senior Cup. 

As a player, he credits the set-up in the school 

with developing him to a level that enabled him 

to earn his spot in the Leinster Rugby system but 

there’s a hint of regret and ‘what if’ about his 

playing days there, particularly at Senior level. 

Having watched the Brian Egan and Max 

Kearney-led teams of 2016 and 2017 claim 

back-to-back titles, the desire to emulate that 

only grew stronger within Soroka when he 

came into the fold in 2018. 

Fellow Academy member David Hawkshaw 

captained the team to the final that year while 

the likes of Liam Turner, Tom Clarkson and 

Seán O’Brien lined out for Blackrock College 

in the other corner. 

Unfortunately for Soroka, his season didn’t last 

that long. 

“Both years (2018 and 2019) still kind of bug 

me. When 2018 came, and I was in fifth year, 

I got my chance to go at it. We lost in the final 

but I got injured in the quarter-final so a bit of 

me was always wishing I had got to play and 

try and make a difference. 

“In sixth year then, there was stuff going on 

with the team and it was just a weird year. We 

still got to the semis and lost by a point, it was 

pretty tough to take and you still think about it. 

“You obviously can’t go back. It was my 

toughest experience in rugby so far.” 


“AT THE END 

OF THE DAY, 

LEINSTER ARE 

ONE OF THE BEST 

CLUBS IN THE 

WORLD AND TO 

BE ABLE TO TRAIN 

THERE EVERY 

DAY, THERE’S 

MULTIPLE LIONS 

IN THERE AND 

SO MANY IRISH 

INTERNATIONALS, 

TO GET A CHANCE 

TO LEARN OFF 

OF THEM IS 

PRICELESS.” 

That 16-15 semi-final defeat to St Michael’s 

College in March 2019 would mark the end of 

his rugby-playing days with Belvedere but the 

connection still exists. 

And the coaching staff in the school are 

people that Soroka regularly keeps in contact 

with as he progresses through the ranks of the 

professional game. 

“I got very, very lucky, especially with my 

coaches in first year,” he says. 

“Phil Werahiko played a big part in my 

development, unbelievable coach and really 

good outside of rugby as well, life skills and 

stuff. 

“Conor Wynne-Walsh was my S&C coach in 

fifth and sixth year, he still gives me advice and 

help if I need it. He’s in the sub-Academy so I 

still talk to him. 

“If I ever need an extra session or extra prep, 

he’ll have no bother doing it. I remember when 

we were done with the cup, he didn’t have 

to be in school. I was getting ready for 18s 

Six Nations and he was coming in every day 

coaching me. I’m very grateful for him, 

Phil and a few others like 

John Broderick.” 

In the year 

of negatives, 

disappointment and, at 

times, reflection that 

2020 has been for the 

world at large, Soroka 

is lucky to have that 

support system throughout this first year in the 

Academy, battling with protocols, schedules 

and systems that are new not only to him but to 

the coaches and staff of Leinster Rugby. 

Limited game time without the Energia All- 

Ireland League and without the Celtic Cup left 

Soroka from February until December without 

playing a game. 

How does a player fill that void? Work harder. 

“From talking to Noel (McNamara) and Denis 

(Leamy), they just tell us that it is what it is,” he 

states. 

“There’s no point complaining about it. We 

just have to treat those big training days, those 

‘Stuesdays’, treat them more like a match. 

“Noel was saying that those Tuesdays become 

your matchdays if you’re not playing. You get 

yourself really involved in training and show the 

coaches what you’re about. 

“There’s not always going to be opportunities 

but there will always be excuses. At the end of 

the day, Leinster are one of the best clubs in the 

world and to be able to train there every day, 

there’s multiple Lions in there and so many Irish 

internationals, to get a chance to learn off of 

them is priceless.” 

Prior to running out for Leinster ‘A’ in the two 

recent interprovincials against Connacht and 

Munster, his last appearance came for Ireland 

U-20s against England in the Six Nations as 

they put their third win in-a-row together. 


READY 

FOR 

TOMORROW 

Turning unwanted into unstoppable. 

A new wave of commitment. For the future. 

© 2020 adidas AG

“IT’S A REALLY 

SPECIAL 

FEELING 

PLAYING 

FOR YOUR 

COUNTRY. YOU 

CAN’T REALLY 

REPLACE IT.” 

Seeking a second consecutive Grand Slam, 

there was a sense of frustration for Soroka 

and Ireland when tournament organisers 

announced that the competition would go 

unfinished. 

Born in Ireland to Ukrainian parents, Soroka 

has gone on to represent his country at various 

levels and admits that the novelty of pulling on 

the green jersey will never wear off on him. 

“I was born here but my parents moved from 

there in, I think, ’98. They moved to London 

and stayed there for a couple of years and 

when my Mum was pregnant with me, they 

moved to Dublin but then went down to Cork. 

“So, I was born in Cork and lived there for a 

few years. I have to be honest, I supported 

Munster growing up – whisper that one,” he 

laughs. 

“It’s a really special feeling playing for your 

country. You can’t really replace it. 

“You get very close with the lads and then to 

get the chance to pull on the green jersey with 

them is pretty special. 

“I was really, really looking forward to the 

last two, especially the one against France. 

Particularly after watching the England game, 

their game in France was packed out, a huge 

stadium. 

“Thankfully I have it again this year so I 

can’t really complain, it’s worse for some 

of the other lads who won’t have a chance 

again.” 

It’s one of a number of goals he has set out for 

the coming year. With another international 

window around the corner, he’s hoping to be 

involved with the U-20 side again. 

Soroka is aiming high. With the talent among 

the Ireland squad and the environment Noel 

McNamara has created, he reckons they 

have enough about them to trouble some of 

the much-heralded southern hemisphere teams 

to back up their form in the Six Nations since 

2019. 

“I’m just going to take things one week at a 

time, I’d love to win an U-20 Six Nations and 

then try and win the World Cup as well. 

“Trying to get a bit of silverware with the 20s, 

it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and 

if I’m back in UCD, not in camp, everyone 

will say this, but try and win a cap for 

Leinster. 

“Those three things would be my plans.” 

And maybe if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and 

Manchester United can match Soroka’s 

ambition for silverware, 2021 will be a pretty 

happy year for the 19-year-old. 


Academy squad 

2020|21 

DOB: 15 December 1999 

From: Hampshire, England 

Height: 1.88m (6’ 2”) 

Weight: 92kg (14st 5lbs) 

Position: Back Three 

School: Henley College 

Honours: Ireland U20 (1 cap) 

AARON O’SULLIVAN 

Did You Know: Aaron was signed from Wasps where 

he made two appearances for the Senior team in the 

2017/18 Anglo Welsh Cup. Aaron’s dad, Barry, had trials at 

Newcastle and his grandad, at the age of 80, completed 

five stages of the Tour de France in 2011. 

Instagram: aaron_sullivan11 

DOB: 02 March 2000 

From: Wexford 

Height: 1.99m (6’ 6”) 


Position: Second Row 

School: St Peter’s College 

Club: Clontarf FC 

Honours: Ireland U20 (8 caps) 

BRIAN DEENY 

Did You Know: Brian played youth rugby with Wexford 

Wanderers RFC. He got his first Irish cap playing for 

Ireland Under-18 Sevens. Brian played midfield for his 

school St Peter’s College in Gaelic football and reached the 

All-Ireland Colleges Final in 2017. He is currently studying 

Science in Trinity and lives in Abbey House B&B, Wexford... 

if you are looking for a room?! Instagram: brian_deeny 

DOB: 03 July 1999 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.77m (5’ 10”) 


Position: Centre/Outhalf 

School: Belvedere College 

Club: Clontarf RFC 


& Leinster Rugby (3 caps) 

DAVID HAWKSHAW #1290 

Did You Know: David started playing rugby at Coolmine RFC before 

joining Belvedere College and won two Schools Senior Cup titles. He has 

represented Ireland U18 Schools and was selected as Ireland U20s captain 

for the 2019 Grand Slam winning campaign only to have his season cut 

short after three games. He played hurling and Gaelic football for St Brigid’s 

GAA club and also represented Dublin minors, winning a Leinster hurling 

title. Currently studying humanities in DCU. Instagram: davidhawkshaw99 

DOB: 30 November 1998 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.72m (5’ 8”) 


Position: Scrum Half 

School: Blackrock College 

Club: UCD RFC 

Honours: Ireland U20 (1 cap) 


PATRICK PATTERSON #1274 

Did You Know: Paddy made his debut for Leinster during 

the 2018/19 season when only in the first year of the 

Leinster Academy. He also scored his first Senior try for 

Leinster off the bench against Southern Kings during that 

maiden campaign. 

Instagram: paddypatterson 

Academy squad 

2020|21 

DOB: 24 October 1999 

From: Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow 

Height: 1.81m (5’ 9”) 


Position: Scrum Half 

School: St. Gerard’s School 

Club: Lansdowne FC 


CORMAC FOLEY 

Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Greystones 

RFC when he was nine. Growing up, Cormac did a lot of 

show jumping and he is now studying Economics and 

Finance in UCD. 

Instagram: cormacfoley6 

DOB: 05 February 1999 

From: Birr, Offaly 

Height: 1.82m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Prop 

School: Cistercian College, Roscrea 

Club: Birr RFC/UCD RFC 



MICHAEL MILNE #1279 

Did You Know: Michael has won two All-Ireland hurling 

titles, one with his school in Roscrea and another with 

Offaly Under-17s. 

Instagram: michael_milne 

DOB: 04 June 1998 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 



School: Clongowes Wood College 

Club: Dublin University FC 



MICHAEL SILVESTER #1289 

Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Wanderers 

RFC before playing in school with St. Michaels and then 

Clongowes. Played competitive tennis from the age of nine, 

winning a national championship at age 12, before focusing 

on rugby after moving to Clongowes. Graduated from 

Trinity with a BESS degree. 

Instagram: msilvester98 


From: Dublin 

Height: 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Position: Prop 





TOM CLARKSON #1285 

Did You Know: Tom studies Human Health and Disease 

in Trinity College. He played underage rugby for Wicklow 

RFC before moving to Dublin to attend Willow Park 

primary school. 

Instagram: tclarkson37 

DOB: 19 October 1999 

From: Athy, Kildare 

Height: 1.88m (6’ 2”) 


Position: Back Row 

School: Clontarf FC 

Club: Old Belvedere RFC 


MARTIN MOLONEY 

Did You Know: Martin played hurling for Kildare and played 

GAA and basketball for his secondary school, Knockbeg 

College, and local GAA club, St Laurence’s. He played his 

youth rugby with Athy RFC. He is now studying Business 

and Law in UCD, He also enjoys working on the family farm. 

Instagram: martin_moloney 



From: Dublin 

Height: 2.01m (6’ 7”) 

Weight: 108kg (17st) 



Club: UCD RFC 


CHARLIE RYAN 

Did You Know: Charlie played youth rugby at Blackrock 

College RFC while also attending the school since Senior 

Infants. He captained Ireland to the U20 Grand Slam in 

2019 and again for the U20s World Cup. His friends call 

him Chuck! He is currently studying Business and Legal 

Studies in UCD. 

Instagram: chuck_ryan5 

Academy squad 

2020|21 


From: Belfast 

Height: 1.82m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Hooker 

School: Campbell College 

Club: Old Belvedere RFC 


JOHN McKEE 

Did You Know: John grew up in Belfast going to school 

at Campbell College where he won a Senior Cup. He was 

involved with Ulster at age grade level until moving to 

Dublin after school. He also has multiple medals from 

Northern Irish Schools Judo competitions. 

Instagram: johnmckee_ 

DOB: 21 July 2000 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 



School: St Michael’s College 

Club: Clontarf FC 


ANDREW SMITH 

Did You Know: Andrew is currently studying Quantity 

Surveying and Construction Economics in TUD. In 2019, 

he won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup with St Michael’s 

College. Andrew also played Gaelic football with his local 

club - Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club. 

Instagram: andrew.sm1th 

DOB: 14 July 1999 

From: Dublin 

Height: 173cm (5’ 9”) 


Position: Centre 





LIAM TURNER #1287 

Did You Know: Liam started to play rugby at the age 

of six at Blackrock College RFC. He later joined Blackrock 

College and was part of the 2018 Senior Cup winning team. 

He was also part of the Ireland U20 team that went on to 

win the 2019 Grand Slam. Liam currently studys BESS in 

Trinity College. 

Instagram: liamtn123 

DOB: 06 April 2000 

From: Dublin 

Height: 1.83m (6’ 0”) 


Position: Wing 


Club: UCD RFC 

Honours: Ireland U20 

NIALL COMERFORD 

Did You Know: Niall played both hurling and Gaelic 

football with Kilmacud Crokes for 14 years. He also 

represented Dublin in Gaelic football in the U17 Leinster 

Championship. He is currently studying Commerce in UCD. 

Instagram: niall_c123 

DOB: 31 July 2000 

From: Pittsburgh, USA 

Height: 1.90m (6’ 3”) 

Weight: 102kg (16st 1lb) 



Club: UCD RFC 


SEÁN O’BRIEN 

Did You Know: Seán started playing rugby at age six 

with Greystones RFC where he played up until Under-13. 

He then played on the Junior and Senior Cup teams in 

Blackrock College. He is currently studying Economics and 

Finance in UCD 

Instagram: seanobrien456 


From: Pearse St, Dublin 

Height: 1.95m (6’ 5”) 

Weight: 104.5kg (16st 6lbs) 


School: Belvedere College 



ALEX SOROKA 

Did You Know: Alex’s family moved to Ireland from 

Ukraine shortly before his birth. He was born in Cork 

before moving to Dublin. 

Instagram: alex._.soroka 

DOB: 26 March 2001 

From: Manhattan, NY 

Height: 1.95m (6’ 5”) 






JOE McCARTHY 

Did You Know: Joe started playing rugby with Blackrock 

College RFC at the age of six before moving to Willow Park 

and then Blackrock College. He was also on the Blackrock 

swim team for five years. He’s currently studying Global 

Business in Trinity College Dublin. 

Instagram: joetmmcc 


From: Enniskerry, Wicklow 

Height: 1.85m (6’ 1”) 


Position: Full Back 

School: St Gerard’s School 



& Ireland Mens 7s (1 cap) 

MAX O’REILLY 

Did You Know: Max is currently in his third year of Business 

and Management in DIT. His preferred sport was soccer 

until about the age of 15, which he had played at centre 

midfield with Enniskerry FC for over 10 years and also 

for Wicklow. 

Instagram: max_oreilly 


Fixtures & 

results 

2020/21 

virtual match mascot 

Harry Graham 

Age: 8 

School: St. Mary’s College, 

Rathmines 

Hobbies: Loves all sports, plays 

Gaelic football for Templeogue 

Synge Street and is a long suffering 

Man United supporter but rugby is his 

number one, plays for both club (St. 

Mary’s College) and school. Fancies 

himself as full back or centre! 

Fri 2 Oct 20:15 

Guinness PRO14 

W 35-5 

Sat 10 Oct 18:15 


W 37-25 

FRI 23 Oct 19:35 


W 63-8 

MON 2 Nov 20:15 


W 32-19 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR 1T 

RINGROSE 1T 2C 

FRAWLEY (T O'BRIEN 9) 

LOWE 2T 

SEXTON 1C (R BYRNE 23 3C) 

GIBSON-PARK (MCGRATH 67) 

E BYRNE (HEALY 49) 

R KELLEHER (CRONIN 49) 

BENT (PORTER 49) 

FARDY 

RYAN 

RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

CONAN (DEEGAN 49 (BAIRD 62 1T)) 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR (J O'BRIEN 48) 

RINGROSE 

HENSHAW 

LOWE 1T 

R BYRNE 3C 3P (H BYRNE 79) 

GIBSON-PARK (MCGRATH 56) 

E BYRNE (HEALY 52) 

TRACY 1T (CRONIN 53) 

BENT (CLARKSON 63) 

BAIRD (MOLONY 64) 

RYAN 1T 

DORIS 

CONNORS 

CONAN 

J O'BRIEN 

T O'BRIEN 2T 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY (SILVESTER 64) 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 9C 

MCGRATH (H O'SULLIVAN 56) 

DOOLEY (MILNE 52) 

SHEEHAN 2T (TRACY 51) 

BENT 1T (PARKER 51 1T) 

MOLONY 

TONER (DUNNE 56) 

MURPHY 1T (FARDY 69) 

PENNY 1T 

RUDDOCK (LEAVY 51) 

J O'BRIEN 1T (HAWKSHAW 71) 

C KELLEHER 

O'LOUGHLIN 

T O'BRIEN 

D KEARNEY 

H BYRNE 3C 2P 

MCGRATH 1T (H O'SULLIVAN 76) 


TRACY (SHEEHAN 54) 

BENT 1T (CLARKSON 60) 

MOLONY (FARDY 60) 

TONER 

MURPHY (DUNNE 71) 

PENNY 1T 


SUN 8 Nov 15:00 


W 26-7 

J O'BRIEN 

C KELLEHER 

O'LOUGHLIN (TURNER 59) 

T O'BRIEN (H O'SULLIVAN 65) 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 3C (HAWKSHAW 61) 

MCGRATH 

MILNE (DOOLEY 51 1T) 

TRACY 1T (SHEEHAN 51) 

BENT (PARKER 51) 

MOLONY 

FARDY (TONER 72) 

MURPHY (LEAVY 54) 

PENNY 1T 

RUDDOCK 

MON 16 NOV 20:15 


W 50-10 

J O'BRIEN 

C KELLEHER 3T 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY 5C 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE (HAWKSHAW 54) 

MCGRATH 2T (H O'SULLIVAN 57) 

RUDDOCK (MURPHY 50) 

PENNY 

LEAVY 1T (BAIRD 58) 

FARDY 

TONER (MOLONY 68) 

BENT (PARKER 50) 

TRACY (SHEEHAN 50) 

DOOLEY 1T (MILNE 50) 

Sun 22 Nov 17:15 


W 40-5 

J O'BRIEN 1T (SILVESTER 41 1T) 

C KELLEHER 

TURNER 

FRAWLEY 

KEARNEY 1T 

H BYRNE 5C 

MCGRATH (OSBORNE 67) 


TRACY 1T (SHEEHAN 58) 

BENT (CLARKSON 52) 

MOLONY (TONER 62) 

BAIRD 

MURPHY (PENNY 52 2T) 

LEAVY (DUNNE 70) 

RUDDOCK 

ROUND 

08 

Scarlets v 


Postponed 


Brian Hewson 

Age: 10 

School: Our Lady’s Grove, 

Goatstown 

Hobbies: Art, rugby, soccer, tennis 

and Lego 

virtual match mascot 

Sat 12 Dec 17:30 

Champions Cup 

W 35-14 

J O'BRIEN 1T 

KEENAN 

HENSHAW 

FRAWLEY 1T 

KEARNEY 1T 

R BYRNE 1C 1P (H BYRNE 61 1C 1P) 

MCGRATH (GIBSON-PARK 69) 

DOOLEY (HEALY 46) 

TRACY (KELLEHER 46) 

BENT (PORTER 46) 

TONER (BAIRD 69) 

FARDY (RYAN 52) 

RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 1T 

DORIS (LEAVY 59 1T) 

Sat 19 Dec 13:00 

Champions Cup 

W 35-19 

J O'BRIEN (C KELLEHER 8) 

KEENAN 

RINGROSE (FRAWLEY 75) 

HENSHAW 

KEARNEY 1T 

R BYRNE 3C 3P 

GIBSON-PARK 1T (MCGRATH 56) 

HEALY 1T (DOOLEY 56) 

R KELLEHER (TRACY 56) 

PORTER (BENT 56) 

BAIRD 

RYAN 

MURPHY 1T (MOLONY 66) 

VAN DER FLIER 


ROUND 

09 

munster rugby v 


Postponed 

ROUND 

10 


v connacht rugby 

saturday 

january 2 

RDS Arena 

KO 7.35pm 

ROUND 

11 


v ulster rugby 

friday 

january 8 

RDS Arena 

KO 7.35pm 

Northampton 

Saints v 


Friday 

January 15 

Franklin's Gardens 

KO 5.30pm 


v Montpellier 

Friday 

January22 

RDS Arena 

KO 5.30pm 


At Sword we know how important the Game is. 

We know how important your memories are ....so relax 

and enjoy yourself, you're in safe hands. 

LEINSTER RUGBY FANS .... Secured by the team at Sword 

Dublin: 01-6688220 

info@swordsecurity.com 

www.swordsecurity.com 

Securing Sports Fans around the World.

Coronavirus 

COVID-19 

Coronavirus 

COVID-19 

Public Health 

Advice 

Stay safe. 

Protect each other. 

Continue to: 

Wash 

your hands well 

and often to avoid 

contamination. 

Cover 

your mouth and nose 

with a tissue or sleeve 

when coughing or 

sneezing and discard 

used tissue safely 

Distance 

yourself at least 

2 metres (6 feet) away 

from other people, 

especially those who 

might be unwell 

Avoid 

crowds and 

crowded places 

Know 

the symptoms. If you 

have them self isolate 

and contact your GP 

immediately 

COVID-19 symptoms include 

> high temperature 

> cough 

> breathing difficulty 

> sudden loss of sense of smell or taste 

> flu-like symptoms 

If you have any symptoms, self-isolate to 

protect others and call your GP for a 

COVID-19 test. 

#holdfirm 

For more information 

www.gov.ie/health-covid-19 

www.hse.ie 

Ireland’s public health advice is guided by WHO and ECDC advice

Max O’Reilly 

Andrew Smith 

Jimmy O’Brien 

Rory O’Loughlin 

Dave Kearney 

Johnny Sexton 

Luke McGrath [C] 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

John Porch 

Peter Sullivan 

Sam Arnold 

Tom Daly 

Alex Wootton 

Jack Carty 

Caolin Blade 

Peter Dooley 

James Tracy 

Michael Bent 

Ross Molony 

Devin Toner 

Ryan Baird 

Scott Penny 

Dan Leavy 

Seán Cronin 

Ed Byrne 

Tom Clarkson 

Josh Murphy 

Jack Conan 

Hugh O’Sullivan 

Liam Turner 

Will Connors 

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 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

Denis Buckley 

Shane Delahunt 

Dominic Robertson-McCoy 

Gavin Thornbury 

Quinn Roux [C] 

Eoghan Masterson 

Conor Oliver 

Seán Masterson 

Jonny Murphy 

Matthew Burke 

Conor Kenny 

Ultan Dillane 

Cian Prendergast 

Kieran Marmion 

Diarmuid Kilgallen 

Ben O’Donnell 

Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU, 4th competition game) 

Assistant Referes: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) 

Assistant Referes: Eoghan Cross (IRFU) 

TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU) 


MAKE IT A GAME 

YOU’LL REMEMBER. 

MODERATE YOUR DRINKING. 

MAKE YOUR NEXT PINT TAP WATER. 

SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE 

#GUINNESSCLEAR

Leinster Rugby v Connacht Rugby

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