Leinster Rugby v Ospreys

ISSUE 09 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

THOMAS 

CLARKSON 

TIM 

CORKERY 

ROWAN 

OSBORNE 

Molony 

Ross 

MAR 

19 

20 

21 

KICK OFF 20:15

© 2020 adidas AG 

READY 

FOR 

ACTION 

A sea of blue 

rising since 1879.

#LEIVOSP 

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 

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 

7 22 

14 

62 

43 86 

STAY 

CONNECTED 

& KEEP 

UP-TO-DATE 

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

JOHN WALSHWEL COME 

On behalf of Leinster Rugby 

we extend a warm welcome to 

Ospreys to the RDS Arena for 

Round 16 of the Guinness PRO14 

and for the 39th league fixture 

between us Celtic cousins. 

A special welcome to our visitors Rob 

Davies (Chairperson), Toby Booth (Head 

Coach) and club captain Justin Tipuric 

and the travelling squad. There will always 

be a welcome on the Emerald Isle for 

Mike Ruddock who has contributed so 

much to the sport and we wish him every 

success in his role as Development Officer 

with Ospreys 

The stats for this particular fixture state that 

Leinster have won on 23 occasions with 

Ospreys winning 12 and just three draws 

between us. Leinster can boast seven 

league titles and Ospreys have four titles 

to their credit. However these stats do not 

reflect that Leinster have been runner-up 

to Ospreys on the two occasions that we 

have met in the league final and that these 

finals were staged on our home turf at 

the RDS Arena in front of our home fans. 

Ospreys have become renowned as party 

spoilers as they also edged out Munster to 

win their first league title in 2005. 

In the 2010 final, we were beaten 17-12 

in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,750. 

Leinster were skippered by Shane Jennings 

and Johnny Sexton landed four penalties 

but we failed to cross the whitewash and 

land a telling blow. Ospreys scores came 

from Lee Byrne and the flying winger 

Tommy Bowe (holder of the league’s 

try scoring record of 65 tries). Ospreys 

captain Ryan Jones lifted the trophy and 

spoilt the anticipated farewell party for 

Leinster coach Michael Cheika on his final 

game in charge. 

The 2012 final will no doubt be regarded 

as a thrilling classic game by all rugby 

fans with Ospreys edging Leinster by a 

single points, 31-30. 

Coached by Joe Schmidt, Leinster were 

favourites to add to their European Cup 

success over Ulster and were led by Leo 

Cullen. Leinster’s scores came from Seán 

Cronin (try), Ica Nacewa (two tries) with 

Sexton converting the three tries and 

landing three of his four penalty kicks. 

Ospreys scores came from Shane Williams 

(two tries), Ashley Beck (try) with Dan 

Biggar converting two and adding three 

penalties. 

Leinster led at half time by 17-9 but 

Ospreys edged their way back into the 

contest just after the restart. With Leinster 

down to 14 following a yellow card, 

Williams signed off his Ospreys career 

with a 78th-minute try that required a 

converted kick by out-half Biggar to 

seal victory and leave the Leinster fans 

shocked. 

The trophy was presented on that 

occasion to Ospreys captain Alun Wyn 

Jones who fittingly has become one of the 

world’s greatest rugby players. Capped 

145 times for Wales and a winner of three 

Grand Slam titles, the Player of the 2019 

Six Nations tournament has also toured 

with the Lions on three occasions playing 

in 20 fixtures including nine Tests. He now 

is the proud holder of the world record of 

154 international appearances ahead of 

Richie McCaw (148), Sergio Parisse (142) 

and Leinster’s Brian O’Driscoll (141). 

Leinster’s 35-29 victory over Dragons 

marked our 11th league victory of the 

season but significantly also marked the 

100th Leinster cap for Jack Conan who 

marked the occasion with a Man of the 

Match performance. Congratulations to 

our latest Leinster Centurion who made 

his debut for Leinster in February in 2014 

and has been capped for Ireland on 19 

occasions to date, scoring six tries. 

The Dragons game also was an important 

event for Leinster’s Marcus Hanan who 

made his senior debut. The loosehead 

prop commenced his rugby career with 

Clane and developed through the North 

Midlands Area development structures 

as did James Tracy, Devin Toner, Jamie 

Osborne and Rowan Osborne who also 

featured for Leinster at Rodney Parade. 

Marcus has been capped at U-20 level 

for Ireland and thus became the Kildare 

club’s first Irish international. 

On behalf of all those involved in Leinster 

Rugby, I wish to express our heartfelt 

thanks to David Ross who has served as 

Leinster’s Executive Services Manager and 

is now retiring after 18 years of dedicated 

service to Leinster Rugby. 

Knowledgeable in all aspects of the 

game the proud Old Belvo member has 

contributed enormously to Leinster Rugby’s 

success both on and off the pitch as we 

embarked on our journey to become one 

of the leading European rugby clubs. His 

guidance and advice to our Presidents 

and administrators has been really 

appreciated by all and his stewardship 

of our facilities at Energia Park, UCD and 

RDS during these Covid-19 troubled times 

went way and beyond the call of duty. 

We in Leinster have been most fortunate 

to have had such a valued player on 

our team. We all send him our very best 

wishes for the future and look forward 

to providing him with a fitting occasion 

to mark his major contribution to our 

province and game. 

I also wish to acknowledge and thank 

all our Leinster partners and sponsors for 

their support and commitment over the last 

12 months, in particular Bank of Ireland, 

during these tough times and we are very 

appreciative of having them on our team. 

We look forward to a more positive future 

and strengthening our relationships. 

Our nation is now experiencing a new 

assault from the Covid-19 pandemic and 

all in Leinster Rugby are fully cognisant of 

the impact that this brings to our lives not 

to mention our sport. Once again a heavy 

burden has fallen 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. 

John Walsh 

PRESIDENT, 

LEINSTER 

RUGBY 

2020/21 


Leo Cullen 

HEAD COACH WELCOME 

A WARM 

WELCOME 

TO TOBY 

BOOTH AND 

HIS OSPREYS 

TEAM FOR 

TONIGHT’S 

GAME. 

IT’S A LATE 

ONE! WE’LL 

ALL BE UP PAST 

OUR BED TIME 

TONIGHT! 

The games have been coming thick 

and fast recently, with the Guinness 

PRO14 and Six Nations running side 

by side. It’s been great to see so many 

Leinster players pulling on green 

shirts and we all wish the team and 

management the very best of luck for 

their final game tomorrow against 

England. 

I remember standing on the schoolboy terrace 

of the old Lansdowne Road for many great 

games against England. 

Mick Galwey scoring a late winning try in the 

corner in 1993 still remains one of my favourite 

sporting memories. The sheer joy that day from 

both players and supporters was incredible. If 

you haven’t already seen it, I recommend you 

seek out the clip on YouTube. 

That emotional connection with our supporters 

is the thing we are missing most of all at the 

moment, but hopefully we are getting closer to 

welcoming you back. 

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been 

delighted to see a number of Leinster players 

represent the province for the first time. A big 

congratulations to Seán O’Brien and Tim 

Corkery who both came off the bench last 

week in the win away to Zebre. 

Congratulations also to Alex Soroka who 

started his first game for Leinster in Italy after 

he made his debut off the bench two weeks 

before against Glasgow. 

All told, we have now had 57 players represent 

Leinster over the course of this season, which 

is an amazing number. Each of those players 

represents a different journey to the senior side 

and we are hugely grateful to all the coaches, 

mentors and helpers around the province who 

have played their part. 

Congratulations to Ryan Baird who made 

his Ireland debut during this Six Nations 

campaign. It is great to see Ryan already 

making his mark on the international stage at 

just 21 years of age and we hope he has a 

long and successful career ahead of him. 

At this stage of the season, I want to say thanks 

again to all the team’s sponsors, in particular 

Bank of Ireland, for their continued backing. 

There’s still a fair way to go before we are 

fully out of this pandemic, but your support is 

greatly appreciated by everyone connected 

with the team. 

There’s a lot to look forward to in the weeks 

ahead. 

It seems strange to be playing a Guinness 

PRO14 Final just a week after the Six Nations, 

but that is our challenge against a Munster 

team that has recruited heavily and who will, 

as always, represent a big challenge. 

I’m sure everyone has their favourite Blue v Red 

memory from years gone by, so hopefully we 

can create more special moments. 

Following that, we have the challenge of 

Toulon in the last 16 of the Champions Cup. 

The French side have caused us plenty of 

problems in the past, and we face an enormous 

task to progress to the quarter-finals. 

Lots to look forward to! 

It feels like each day is inching us closer to 

the prospect of crowds returning to stadiums 

around the globe, not just in rugby but football, 

Gaelic games, all sports. It’s been a long old 

year and we can’t wait to have you back! 

Take care and enjoy tonight’s game, 

Leo 


JOANN 

HOSEY 

A WARM 

WELCOME 

TO THE RDS 

ARENA FOR 

THE LAST 

REGULAR 

SEASON 

GAME IN 

THIS YEAR’S 

GUINNESS 

PRO14. 

PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR 

BANK OF IRELAND DUBLIN 

It has been a season like no other, and 

it is a huge credit to everyone involved 

with Leinster Rugby and the PRO14 

organisation that we made it this far in 

the face of unprecedented challenges. 

As we have acknowledged here before, their 

efforts ensured that we got to at least enjoy 

some marvellous rugby this season - albeit from 

the comfort of our own homes. 

Congratulations to Leo Cullen and his squad 

of players for reaching another PRO14 Final 

and we wish them the very best of luck next 

weekend as they seek to achieve a remarkable 

fourth title in a row. But first the Boys in Blue 

will focus all of their energies on overcoming 

the challenge posed by the Ospreys as they 

look to sustain winning momentum ahead of 

the big final. 

Coaches Leo Cullen, Stuart Lancaster, Felipe 

Contepomi and Robin McBryde have all 

signed new contracts, which is a huge boost to 

everyone associated with the club. Only a few 

weeks ago, Leo sat down with sponsors and 

outlined his vision for the club, a vision rooted 

in our local communities, as well as in the 

clubs and schools of Leinster. Leo is focussed 

on encouraging and trusting the pathway that 

develops home-grown talent and we in Bank of 

Ireland are delighted to be supporting him. 

We too take immense pride in our reach 

across the 12 counties that encompass Leinster 

Rugby and we look forward to engaging with 

these communities in the coming months as the 

Summer Camps and the Schools of Excellence 

hopefully begin to take shape. 

Leinster fans selected Scott Penny as their 

latest Bank of Ireland Player of the Month 

for February, a month in which he played 

brilliantly and earned two Man of the Match 

awards. Scott is emblematic of a bright future 

for Leinster Rugby on the pitch, and with the 

evenings getting brighter and the weather 

improving there is also a sense of positivity for 

supporters in the short-term. 

For now we can hope that when the new 

PRO16 launches in September and October 

later this year, we will be a lot closer to taking 

our place in the RDS Arena where we can 

cheer on the team in person. No doubt we’ll 

make some noise when that day comes! 

Enjoy the game, 

JH 


FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION ON 

PRO14.RUGBY 

YOUR GUINNESS 

PRO14 HOME 

LATEST NEWS, LIVE MATCH 

CENTRES, STATS & MORE 

VISIT NOW 

WWW.PRO14.RUGBY

GUINNESS PRO14 CAMPAIGN TO CONCLUDE IN 

MARCH AHEAD OF NEW “RAINBOW CUP” WITH 

SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP FOUR ‘SUPER’ TEAMS 

The current Guinness PRO14 campaign will 

end in March allowing South Africa’s four 

‘Super’ teams and our existing clubs to 

finish the season with a 16-team “Rainbow 

Cup” competition ahead of the British & 

Irish Lions tour. 

After consulting with key PRO14 stakeholders, the Guinness 

PRO14 Rainbow Cup was chosen as the best pathway to 

finish up the current campaign and introduce South Africa’s 

four ‘Super’ teams: the Vodacom Bulls; Emirates Lions; Cell 

C Sharks and DHL Stormers. This decision also allows our 

European-based sides to earn qualification for European 

Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) tournaments in 2021/22 in 

a fair and equitable manner. 

Ahead of the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, 

the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will provide a groundbreaking 

spectacle for fans who will see international star 

players from north and south establish new rivalries in their 

bid for the ultimate Test selection. 

Right through until the last kick of the ball in the Rainbow 

Cup in June, fans will be able to watch it all unfold with our 

broadcast partners Premier Sports, eir Sport, S4C, TG4, 

DAZN and Super Sport. 

How it will Work 

• The 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 campaign will finish after 16 

rounds with the Conference winners facing each other in a 

final in late March 

• Qualification for EPCR tournaments in 2021/22 will be 

decided by rankings after Round 16 

• On April 17, 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will 

kick-off and introduce the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions, 

Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers and their World Cupwinning 

Springboks 

• The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will consist of a pool 

stage (two pools of eight teams) and a final between the 

two pool winners 

FINAL CHAPTER OF GUINNESS PRO14 

fixture list will aim to ensure home and away in-conference 

fixtures are completed and each team plays all of its 

cross-conference matches also. Further clarification will be 

available when fixtures are confirmed. 

The scheduled dates for the conclusion of the 2020-21 

Guinness PRO14 campaign are: 

R12: February 20 

R13: February 27 

R14: March 6 

R15: March 13 

R16: March 20 

Final: March 27 

Once Round 16 has been completed, the top-ranked teams 

from each conference will qualify for the 2021/22 Heineken 

Champions Cup. Requirement for play-offs is under review. 

GUINNESS PRO14 “RAINBOW CUP” 

FORGING NEW RIVALRIES 

With South Africa preparing to host their first British & Irish 

Lions tour since 2009, the World Cup champions will see 

their ‘Super’ teams – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers 

take on the very best that Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales 

have to offer. 

Players aiming to make the British & Irish Lions squad will 

find no better trial environment to test themselves in, as 

they go up against the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter Steph du 

Toit (both DHL Stormers), Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom 

Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions) and former Guinness 

PRO14 top-try scorer Makazole Mapimipi (Cell C Sharks). 

The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will kick off on April 17 

with two pools of 8 teams made up of two Irish, two South 

African, two Welsh, one Italian and one Scottish club. Each 

team will play one game against each pool opponent and 

the sides that finish top of their pools will face off in a final 

on June 19. 

Across 57 matches, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will 

feature the best of the Springbok talent going toe-to-toe 

with some of the British & Irish Lions’ biggest names – every 

one of them keen to lay down a marker to their respective 

selectors ahead of what will prove to an historic tour. 

Rounds 12 to 16 will take place from February 20 and 

conclude on March 20. A final will then take place at the 

home venue of the highest-ranked team. This abbreviated

Did you 

know? 

• Leinster Rugby have won 

their last seven Guinness 

PRO14 fixtures since their 

reversal to Connacht in 

Dublin on 2 January. 

• The Leinstermen have 

not been beaten by a Welsh 

region since they visited 

Llanelli in September 2018. 

• Ospreys have slipped 

to three successive PRO14 

defeats and have not lost 

four in succession in the 

Championship since January 

2020. 

• Ospreys have won just 

twice away at Irish provinces 

since February 2016 and 

on both occasions it was on 

trips to Galway. 

• Leinster have won their 

last four encounters with 

Ospreys whilst Ospreys most 

recent success at the RDS 

Arena was by a single point 

in a thrilling final in May 

2012. 

#LEIVOSP 

Overall Guinness 

PRO14 head to head 

record: 

35 20 12 3 

PLAYED Leinster won Leinster lost DRAWs 

COMPARISON 

Last 3 PRO14 results: 

LEINSTER 

28 Feb - Glasgow (H) 

W 40-21 

6 Mar - Ulster (A) 

W 38-19 

12 Mar - Zebre (A) 

W 48-31 

Conf A: 

1st - W14 D0 L1 - 70pts 

WWWWWW 

(29pts) 

Scott Penny 9 

Harry Byrne 91 

OSPREYS 

PRO14 

2020/21 

PRO14 

form 

Top try 

scorer 

Top points 

scorer 

26 Feb - Ulster (A) 

L 7-21 

6 Mar - Dragons (H) 

L 20-31 

2 Mar - Glasgow (A) 

L 25-30 

Conf A: 

3rd - W7 D0 L8 - 32pts 

WWWLLL 

(14pts) 

4 Mat Protheroe 

94 Stephen Myler 

Date Venue L O Leinster scorers Ospreys scorers 

Sat 8 Apr 17 Liberty Stadium 20 18 Ross Byrne(D) Sean Cronin(T) Dan Leavy(T) Isa 

Nacewa(2C/P) 

Sat 24 Mar 18 Liberty Stadium 18 32 Ross Byrne(P) Barry Daly(T) Joey Carbery(C/P) 

Rory O'Loughlin(T) 

Fri 23 Nov 18 RDS Arena 52 7 Max Deegan(T) Ciaran Frawley(7C/P) Scott 

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

Byrne(T) Nick McCarthy(T) Conor O'Brien(T) 

Fri 4 Oct 19 RDS Arena 53 5 Ross Byrne(4C/P) Max Deegan(T) Harry 

Byrne(T/C) Joe Tomane(T) Ronan Kelleher(3T) 

Fergus McFadden(T) Michael Milne(T) 

Fri 21 Feb 20 The Gnoll 21 13 Ciaran Frawley(2C) Harry Byrne(C) Cian 

Kelleher(T) Josh Murphy(T) Tommy O'Brien(T) 

Sun 8 Nov 20 Liberty Stadium 26 7 Harry Byrne(3C) James Tracy(T) Peter 

Dooley(T) Scott Penny(T) Dave Kearney(T) 

Sam Davies(T/C) Dan Biggar(2P) Justin 

Tipuric(T) 

Dan Biggar(3C/2P) Tom Habberfield(T) Justin 

Tipuric(T) Dan Evans(2T) 

Sam Davies(C) Hanno Dirksen(T) 

Luke Morgan(T) 

Luke Morgan(T) Luke Price(C/2P) 

Penalty Try(T) 


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

Molony 

Ross 

THIS EVENING IN FRONT 

OF LESS THAN 200 PEOPLE, 

DEVIN TONER WILL EQUAL 

GORDON D’ARCY’S 

RECORD LEINSTER RUGBY 

APPEARANCE TOTAL OF 261. 

A JOURNEY THAT STARTED 

IN JANUARY 2006 AGAINST 

BORDER REIVERS WILL TAKE 

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STEP 

UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS, 

BUT EERIE SILENCE, OF A 

VIRTUALLY EMPTY 

RDS ARENA. 


“AS I LOOK BACK ON 

THE LAST 12 MONTHS, 

I THINK THE OVER- 

RIDING EMOTION 

IS GRATITUDE THAT 

WE WERE ABLE TO 

CONTINUE WORKING, 

TO CONTINUE PLAYING 

AND I AND WE AS 

A GROUP ARE VERY 

GRATEFUL FOR THAT.” 

Since 2015, Leinster Rugby second 

row Ross Molony has been 

keeping a closer eye than most on 

Toner. 

Molony made his debut that year, but 

due to the Rugby World Cup, he had to 

wait a little while longer to actually line 

up alongside Toner. 

In November of 2015, Molony replaced 

Mike McCarthy for the last 14 minutes 

of an 8-3 classic against Ulster Rugby in 

the RDS. 

He had the Meath man beside him and 

they saw out the game together. 

It may have been his first taste of a match 

day with Toner but he had already 

started to make an impact on the young 

Academy player. 

“Most definitely. Ask anyone about Dev 

and even the lads now in the Academy 

and they will tell you the same. 

“Always gracious with his time, happy to 

help or to give guidance and ultimately 

you don’t get to 70 Ireland caps and 

260 Leinster caps without being a very 

good player. 

“He’s been a brilliant servant and he’s 

not done yet.” 

What are his first memories of Toner? 

“Actually, my very first memories are after 

a game and myself and a bunch of mates 

met him in Eddie Rockets! A few of the 

lads got photos with him! He was good 

craic!” 

Thereafter it’s of a consummate 

professional. 

“Any young player coming through the 

system is very lucky because we have 

people like Dev to look up to. The same 

with Fards or Johnny or any of those 

senior Ireland players. 

“Dev has rarely been injured and looks 

after himself so well and because of that 

he rarely misses training either so he’s a 

brilliant example to all of us looking up to 

him. He’s also very good in the kitchen so 

always a good man for a recipe or two!” 

The experience of reaching a milestone 

in front of an empty stadium is one that 

Molony can relate to. 

Only a few months ago he led the 

Leinster Rugby team out on the occasion 

of his 100th cap for the province against 

this evening’s opponents, Ospreys, in the 

Liberty Stadium. 

Out he came, on his own, and barely a 

whisper. 

“Of course it was strange. My mum and 

dad would definitely have travelled over 

to celebrate the moment and maybe even 

some mates, but look it is what it is. 

“As I look back on the last 12 months, I 

think the over-riding emotion is gratitude 

that we were able to continue working, 

to continue playing and I and we as a 

group are very grateful for that. We are 

very much aware that others in society 

were not that lucky so you don’t dwell on 

moments like that or maybe the ‘what ifs’ 

for too long. 

“But yeah, a special milestone and I do 

feel very grateful. To pull on the jersey 

once is special, to do it 100 times, yeah, 

very special and it really does go in the 

blink of an eye. It’s mad how quick it has 

gone.” 

The six-foot six-inch lock made his debut 

off the bench for Shane Jennings against 

Zebre for 20 minutes in February 2015 

and a few months later he was repeating 


the same trick against Dragons coming 

on for Mike McCarthy at the tail end of 

Matt O’Connor’s final season. 

His first start would come at the start of 

Leo Cullen’s tenure, in the second game 

of the season against Cardiff and 

since then the games have just kept 

coming. 

One hundred and 10 games 

and the majority of them in 

the Leo Cullen era is quite the 

impact and he has been a 

crucial part of the success in 

that time. 

And yet, here he is, still a 

young man and not 27 until 

his next birthday in May, a 

Leinster centurion already 

and a senior member 

within the squad who has 

captained the team on a 

number of occasions. 

“You do think back on 

the journey and the many 

twists and turns and you 

are very grateful. 

“Don’t get me wrong 

there is a lot of hard work, 

sacrifice and the lows can be low but the 

highs are brilliant. I’ve loved every minute 

of it.” 

Who were the influences on a young 

Molony? 

“My grandad definitely and my dad. 

Both were huge rugby men and massively 

into the game and hugely supportive of 

me throughout my career. All my family 

really, my sisters, but especially those two. 

“My dad would have and still is a 

massive UCD RFC man and even my 

grandad, Jack, the same. A huge UCD 

man and he was capped by Ireland in 

1950 against Scotland. So it was very 

easy to be inspired by those stories 

growing up and to look up to those two 

always and then in St. Michael’s College 

if that’s what you wanted to do, if you 

wanted to play rugby it was a great 

platform in terms of sport and education 

to get you to where you wanted to get to. 

“Great people like Andy Skehan, Brian 

O’Meara and Kelvin Leahy in those years 

in Michael’s and then coming into the 

Leinster Rugby system, Wayne Mitchell 

and Girvan Dempsey. They put a lot of 

faith in me in the Academy. 


Sustainability: you can’t manage 

what you don’t measure 

The European Union’s new Green Deal and increasing customer expectations of climate-friendly 

services and products are encouraging companies to implement sustainability strategies. To help 

devise, implement, and communicate your strategy, BearingPoint is partnering with Clearstream 

Solutions to provide a robust and comprehensive sustainability consulting offering. 

End-of-Life 

Materials 

and 

Processing 

BearingPoint has developed an innovative, 

automated and cloud-based service that is 

fully certified to international standards and 

allows companies to track, report and reduce 

their emissions in real time, enabling them on 

their journey to become carbon neutral. 

Usage 

Production 

Support 

processes 

Transport / Travel 

• Business travel 

• Commuting 

• Offices 

Product carbon footprint 

Corporate carbon footprint 

Clearstream Solutions work with many industry leaders to implement carbon management and 

sustainability best practice in their organisations and are the local partner of the CDP global 

Climate Change program. 

This combination of BearingPoint’s powerful carbon reporting software and Clearstream Solutions’ 

deep sustainability management expertise will enable you to more effectively implement your 

sustainability strategies in your business. 

Contact us today to learn more 

01 418 1111 

www.bearingpoint.com 

ireland@bearingpoint.com 

@BearingPoint_IE 

OFFICIAL INNOVATION PARTNER

“So I was very lucky throughout those 

early years. I am very grateful to all the 

coaches that I’ve had along the way.” 

And speaking of influences on him and 

indeed inspirational second rows, not 

only does he have Devin Toner as a team 

mate, he also has Leo Cullen as a Head 

Coach. 

Cullen has 221 Leinster caps of 

experience in the second row. Plus a few 

years with Leicester Tigers. And not to 

mention his 32 Ireland caps. 

Molony welcomed the news of Cullen’s 

new contract and the contract extensions 

announced for Stuart Lancaster, Felipe 

Contepomi and Robin McBryde as well. 

“I think everyone welcomed the news, 

didn’t they? Look at what we have 

achieved under Leo and then Stuart 

coming in, Felipe coming in and Robin 

most recently. 

“I think a key part of that continuity of 

the team and the club over the years is 

down to the stability that they bring to the 

club and the way they have us playing 

and also the trust they put in the Leinster 

system and the young lads coming 

through. 

“As we’ve already touched on, I was one 

of those young lads in the Academy once. 

I made my first start under Leo and the 

way he put his trust in you and still does, 


eally empowers you and everyone can 

see that if you are performing well in 

training you will get a shot. 

“No matter your age or where you are 

in your career. Of course there are times 

when a call doesn’t go your way but 

that’s sport and the competitive nature of 

things here mean that there will always 

be other players scrambling for your 

jersey.” 

He has come through that very same 

pathway himself and was trusted while in 

the Academy with those games early on. 

He knows no better than the ‘Leinster 

Way’ but he wouldn’t have it any other 

way. 

“The Irish system I think is very different in 

modern sport, in professional sport. It is 

still very important where you come from 

and that sense of identity. 

“I look at some of my best mates and I 

have played with them for years. From 

Leinster age grade sides, U-19s, into the 

Academy and now playing with Leinster 

Rugby. 

“And that’s across both pathways. Fellas 

from schools and from clubs. From Dublin, 

or from any of the other 

counties of Leinster. 

It’s very special. 

Of course, other 

lads come in from 

other clubs or from 

abroad but I do think 

that we have something 

very special in Ireland and 

in Leinster. 

“I’m just very grateful too for the 

opportunities that I have had. I’m playing 

in a club that I have met my best mates. 

Some of those mates I knew at school 

but then others like Ciarán Frawley, Peter 

Dooley, Adam Byrne, great lads and 

I suppose the fact we all buy into that 

sense of identity, where we are from is 

something very special.” 

“IF WE COULD ALL GET 

TO THAT POINT IN OUR 

CAREERS AND LEAVE 

AS MUCH OF A LEGACY 

AS DEV HAS, WE’D BE 

DOING ALRIGHT FOR 

OURSELVES.” 


There has been a lot of ground covered 

in our chat so far but very little mention 

of the block of games Leinster Rugby are 

about to head into. 

Ospreys coming to the RDS Arena this 

evening is undoubtedly the immediate 

focus but is it hard to keep that focus 

when only around the corner is the small 

matter of the Guinness PRO14 final 

against Munster Rugby. 

And then the even smaller matter of threetime 

European champions Toulon coming 

to the RDS a week later. 

“These are the weeks you train and play 

for. 

“Obviously the make-up of the squad 

next week will be different and the week 

after the same with the Ireland boys 

coming back in but we have a chance 

this week to put in a performance 

that makes Leo and the 

coaches sit up and say, 

they deserve a chance in 

the Munster game or the 

Toulon game. 

“We have to just focus on 

Ospreys though. They are 

in the middle of a fight for 

a spot in the Champions 

Cup next season so have a lot still to 

play for and will come looking to get 

that European spot. 

“We have used 57 players so far this 

season and that may well go up by 

one or two more by the weekend and 

we all have a role to play in the 

coming weeks and you can’t 

lose sight of that. 

“So it’s definitely tricky to stay in the 

moment over the last few weeks when 

everyone is building towards the two 

massive games ahead but this is where 

we all want to be as players.” 

It’s fitting that he finishes with a word for 

the soon-to-be record cap holder. 

“If we could all get to that point in our 

careers and leave as much of a legacy 

as Dev has, we’d be doing alright for 

ourselves. 

“It’s a huge pity that more people won’t 

be there to see him play on Friday or 

indeed when he breaks the record in the 

coming weeks but knowing Dev, it will 

actually be the furthest thing from his 

mind and he’ll just want to do what he 

has always done when he has taken to 

the field. 

“And that’s to do his best for the players 

around him and the players not in the 

squad. A total team player and one that 

we are very lucky as a club to have.” 

A fitting tribute from a man who has been 

closer than most to Moynalvey’s finest. 


GUINNESS PRO14 

STADIO SERGIO LANFRANCHI 

12 MARCH 2021 

REF: MARIUS MITREA 

31 48 

Gabriele Di Giulio; Pierre 

Bruno, Jamie Elliott (Guglielmo 

Palazzani 39-ht), Enrico Lucchin, 

Giovanni D’Onofrio (Palazzani 

55); Antonio Rizzi, Josh Renton 

(Nicolo Casilio 63); Paulo 

Buonfiglio (Eduardo Bello 65), 

Massimo Ceciliani (Niccolo 

Taddia 61), Matteo Nocera 

(Alexandru Tarus 55); Mick 

Kearney, Ian Nagle (capt) 

(Leonard Krumov 57); Jacopo 

Bianchi (Samuele Ortis 57), Potu 

Leavasa, Renato Giammaroli 

(Lorenzo Masselli 3 (Ceciliani 

65)). 

SCORERS – TRIES: Giovanni 

D’Onofrio, Eduardo Bello, 

Niccolo Taddia. CONS: Antonio 

Rizzi (2). PENS: Antonio Rizzi (4). 

Max O’Reilly; Cian Kelleher, 

Jimmy O’Brien (Jamie Osborne 

53), Rory O’Loughlin, Dave 

Kearney; Harry Byrne (Tim 

Corkery 66), Luke McGrath 

(capt) (Hugh O’Sullivan ht); 

Peter Dooley (Marcus Hanan 

55), Dan Sheehan (James 

Tracy 55), Thomas Clarkson 

(Michael Bent 55); Ross 

Molony, Jack Dunne; Josh 

Murphy, Scott Penny (Seán 

O’Brien 39-ht, Devin Toner 65), 

Alex Soroka (S O’Brien 48). 

SCORERS – TRIES: Dan 

Sheehan (2), Cian Kelleher, 

Luke McGrath, Dave Kearney 

(3). CONS: Harry Byrne (4), 

Hugh O’Sullivan. PEN: Harry 

Byrne. 

“I’M 

DELIGHTED 

TO MAKE MY 

DEBUT. IT’S 

SOMETHING 

YOU DREAM 

OF DOING 

WHEN YOU’RE 

YOUNGER. AND 

TO GET THE 

WIN IS GREAT, 

I REALLY 

ENJOYED IT.” 

Seán O’Brien 


“IT’S UNREAL. 

I’M KIND OF 

LOST FOR WORDS 

TO BE HONEST. 

IT’S HARD TO 

DESCRIBE. 

IT TOOK ME 

A WHILE TO 

SETTLE IN BUT 

IT WAS JUST 

UNBELIEVABLE.” 

Tim Corkery 


Music Overload: 

WHAT DO PAOLO NUTINI, WILL FERRELL AND CHARLIE 

LANDSBOROUGH HAVE IN COMMON? THEY ALL FEATURE IN 

OUR LATEST MUSIC Q&A, THIS TIME FEATURING THE ECLECTIC 

TASTES OF LEINSTER WINGER ELISE O’BYRNE WHITE. 

1. What was the last song you 

listened to? 

Paulo Nutini’s ‘New Shoes’ which is 

a great song to put a smile on your 

face. 

2. Tell us a song you’re currently 

obsessed with. 

I’m obsessed with Fletcher’s new 

song ‘Bitter’. 

3. You’re booking your dream 

festival line-up: who are the main 

stage headliners for the Friday, 

Saturday and Sunday? 

I’d go with Frank Ocean Friday 

night, although he would probably 

cancel and then I’d call in Pink last 

minute. I don’t know if you can go 

wrong with Beyonce on Saturday 

night and then get some old school 

Fleetwood Mac on Sunday. 

4. Earliest music memory? 

My mum used to always have jazz 

and blues playing around the house. 

My earliest memory is Eartha Kitt 

playing in the kitchen. There was a 

particular song called ‘Yellow Bird’ 

that is etched in my brain forever. 

5. Your guilty pleasure (band/ 

artist/song/genre)? 

‘Jaja Ding Dong’ from the movie 

‘Eurovision Song Contest; The Story 

of Fire Saga’ with Will Ferrell and 

Rachel McAdams. A close second 

in that movie is the song ‘Volcano 

Man’. 

6. You can only listen to one album 

for the rest of your life, what is it? 

Abba Gold. There is a song for 

every moment in that album. 

7. What was the first concert you 

ever went to? 

This is very embarrassing, and 

I considered lying about this, 

but my first concert was Charlie 

Landsborough in the Great Northern 

Hotel in Bundoran. I only knew one 

song ‘What Colour is the Wind’ and 

I remember thinking it doesn’t get 

much bigger than this. 

8. Favourite Irish band/artist (what 

song or album got you into them)? 

I love Dermot Kennedy, his album 

‘Without Fear’ is class. My favourite 

songs are probably ‘An Evening I 

Will Not Forget’ and ‘Rome’. I would 

also have to give a mention to Niall 

Horan’s iconic ‘Slow Hands’ lyric 

‘like sweat dripping down our dirty 

laundry’, we all know it doesn’t 

make sense but it’s a great song 

nonetheless. 

9. What two songs do you want to 

add to the Leinster Rugby Workout 

Mix on Spotify? 

Going to go with some summer 

vibes. 

Superstition - Stevie Wonder 

Sexual Healing - Kygo Remix 

10. And what one song do you 

want to remove? 

Testarossa (SebartiAn Remix). I’m 

sure whoever put it on the playlist is 

a beautiful person, but it’s just a bit 

much for me. 

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. 



EVERY FIXTURE 

EVERY TRY 

EVERY TACKLE 

ALL IN 

ONE APP

St Fintan's SCT 

take on the Train M8 challenge 

THEY SAY THAT TIMING IS EVERYTHING AND THAT WAS 

CERTAINLY THE CASE WHEN CONOR MCGINN FROM 

TRAIN M8 GOT IN TOUCH WITH ST FINTAN’S SENIOR 

CUP HEAD COACH BRU AMERLYNCK AT THE BEGINNING 

OF FEBRUARY TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN 

TAKING PART IN A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER CHALLENGE FOR 

THE IRISH CANCER SOCIETY AND PIETA. 

The St Fintan’s SCT players had 

been back in pre-season since 

July and continued training right 

through to December despite not 

playing any games this season. 

Enthused by the cup draw and potential 

for games in the spring, it was all sadly 

curtailed at the start of the year due to 

the pandemic with no clear season to 

plan for and the almost inevitable feeling 

that there will be no cup this season, an 

especially disappointing scenario for the 

sixth years. 

During one of the weekly squad zoom 

calls in January, some senior players 

suggested doing something for charity 

and making use of the extra time now on 

the players’ hands due to school closures 

and cancelled trainings. 

The challenge organised by Train M8 

seemed relatively straightforward, 

perform 1000 reps of an exercise of your 

choice in a 24-hour period, on Saturday, 

20 February. 

The event was gathering momentum with 

over 100 teams, clubs, businessess and 

individuals signed up for the challenge. 

Both charities have had their main 

fundraising events, Daffodil Day and 

Darkness into Light, negatively impacted 

by Covid. 

The challenge was accepted by the 

squad with enthusiasm and dedication 

led by captain Reuben Cantwell, himself 

recovering from ACL surgery, who would 

attempt to do 1000 press ups in one 

hour. The rest of the squad would choose 

between press-ups, squats and sit-ups 

and then got stuck in to preparing for the 

challenge and promoting it on their social 

media platforms. The target for the squad 

was to raise €2,000. 

And so it was, on Saturday, 20 February, 

over 30 St Fintan’s SCT players across 

fourth, fifth and sixth year took on the 

challenge and, throughout the day, 

posted videos on the school rugby 

Facebook page of their progress and 

thanking people for their donations. 

Captain Cantwell wasn't quite able to 

break the hour mark but none the less 

completed his 1000 press ups in an 

impressive one hour and 24 minutes, 

later saying he was "very proud of the 

team’s effort, we wanted to do something 

positive and both charities are very 

worthy causes". 

For head coach Amerlynck it was 

hugely encouraging to see them really 

get behind the challenge which was 

also serving to help them work on their 

individual core strength. 

He noted that: "There was a very real 

chance of guys giving up and walking 

away from rugby after Christmas with 

the way the season was looking. They 

have been a huge credit to themselves 

and the school in the manner in which 

they took on this challenge. Their 

effort demonstrates that being part 

of an SCT group is more than just 

about the rugby and with all the 

negativity out there surrounding 

Covid the lads have been fantastic 

to take this on, in their own time 

and raise the money they did.” 

They had been hoping to prepare for a 

Vinnie Murray Cup match but Amerlynck 

believes that "their desire to create 

something positive from the situation they 

found themselves in will leave a legacy 

that the sixth years in particular can one 

day look back on and be proud of their 

efforts on and off the pitch this season. 

"When we wrote out the teams goals at 

the start of the season the leading phrase 

was 'be the best we can be' and I think 

this effort means we can at least say we 

achieved that goal.” 

The team have raised a significant sum 

for the charities and were one of the top 

teams in the fundraiser. Tomorrow (March 

20) is the final date for donations which 

can be made here: 


Leo 

Kids 

the Lion's 

Corner 

spot the 

differences 

ANAGRAMS 

Can you un-jumble the 

names of these players? 

GRAND 

GOLF HUT 

REWORD 

ART PEN 

GUESS 

WHO? 

Can you name these 

three players? 

ANSWERS 

ANAGRAMS 

Tadhg Furlong 

Andrew Porter 

GUESS WHO? 

Ed Byrne 

Ryan Baird 

Max Deegan 


AJ Products provides unique 

solutions for office, 

warehouse and 

environment 

www.ajproducts.ie


QUEST10NS 

with... 

Jack Dunne 

1. What do you remember about your first day 

at Leinster Rugby? 

On my first day at training, the bibs team had too 

many forwards and not enough backs. So I was set 

outside a scrum defending against Johnny 

and Robbie… quite the baptism of fire and not 

something I had ever imagined! 

2. What has been your most memorable moment 

playing with Leinster Rugby? 

Winning the Celtic Cup in 2019 was brilliant. Great 

group of lads and winning a trophy for Leinster was 

special. 

3. If you had to pick a teammate to be CEO of Leinster 

Rugby, who would it be? And why? 

Jimmy O’Brien. He has a good business mind on him. 

4. What piece of advice would you give to your 

18-year-old self now? 

Don’t be afraid of failure. 

5. What is a clever life-hack that you use? 

The scrum cap to keep the hair back! Although hardly 

a life hack! 

6. Who were your top five artists on Spotify 

Wrapped 2020? 

EDEN, Hozier, Tash Sultana, Childish Gambino, 

Mumford & Sons. 

7. What's the best nickname you've heard? 

And what's the origin? 

Too many to mention! 

8. What fictional TV/book character would you most 

like to meet in real life? 

Jon Snow 

9. If you could know the absolute truth to any 

question, what would you want to know? 

The chicken or the egg? 

10. What have you been watching on Netflix/TV lately? 

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Misfits, Dark. 


DISCOVER THE 

SPIRIT WITHIN. 

“ THE INDOMINABLE SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE 

IS THE VERY SOUL OF OUR WHISKY” 

Product available to purchase at 

WWW.LOCHLOMONDWHISKIES.COM 

@lochlomondmalts @lochlomondwhiskies 

THE SPIRIT OF PRO14 RUGBY 

Enjoy Responsibly

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 (48 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”) 





Honours IRELAND 10 caps) 


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 (98 caps) AND BRITISH & 

IRISH LIONS (14 caps) 

DEVIN TONER - #1128 


From MEATH 

Height 2.08M (6’ 10”) 




Leinster Debut 27 JANUARY 2006 


JOSH VAN DER FLIER - #1228 


From WICKLOW 

Height 1.87M (6’ 2”) 



Club UCD RFC 



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 



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 


do.ie 

audit 

tax 

advisory 

consulting 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

For further information contact: 

Michael Costello, Managing Partner, 

on 01 470 0130 or email mcostello@bdo.ie 

Mark Hamilton, Head of Business Development, 

on 01 470 0541 or email mhamilton@bdo.ie 

Click here to visit bdo.ie 

Smart business advisors 

BDO is authorised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland to carry on investment business. BDO, a partnership established under Irish Law, is a 

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

Your best support every season 

Managed IT Services IT Disaster Recovery 

Managed IT Security Services Cloud Services 

Delivering bespoke IT services from concept, delivery and support 

support@lantech.ie 

www.lantech.ie 

OFFICIAL 

IT PARTNER

Laya Healthcare are proud to be 

Official Health and Wellbeing Partner 

to Leinster Rugby

A Sporting Life: 

John Walsh, President Leinster Rugby 

BY DAVID MCFADDEN & KEVIN GREENE 

Naas RFC has a long and very proud 

history of achievement in Leinster and 

Irish rugby. First founded in 1881, the 

club was re-formed in 1922 and has 

enjoyed more than a century of success 

on and off the field of play. 

The club are Titans of the provincial 

game in Leinster. Naas RFC has a 

proud history in provincial competitions 

including winning the Towns Cup on three 

occasions. Having won Leinster League 

Division 1 in the 1999-00 season, they 

went on to win promotion to the All- 

Ireland League gaining senior status for 

the first time in its proud history. 

Naas RFC has given many fine people 

to Leinster and Irish rugby over the 

years. On the playing front, the club has 

produced many outstanding players 

who have gone on to earn Leinster and 

Ireland caps. 

These players include Mark Deering 

(1929), Seamus (1953) and Frank 

(1962) Byrne, along with more recent 

internationals Philip Lawlor, Geordan 

Murphy and Jamie Heaslip. Among the 

current crop of players, we find Adam 

Byrne, Adam Coyle and Jamie Osborne 

who have come through the Naas Youths 

sides and the Leinster Youth Development 

pathway to earn senior provincial caps. 

Other current Leinster players who are 

former Naas alumni are James Tracy 

and Rowan Osborne while several 

others currently play with Connacht and 

Munster. 

The club has played its part in the 

administration of rugby in the North 

Midlands Area and at Leinster Committee 

level, having had Brendan Lynch who 

became President of the Association of 

Referees Leinster Branch, and Joe Boyle 

and Tom Ashe who were Honorary 

Secretary and Chair of the Junior 

Committee respectively. 

While PJ Power served as President of 

Leinster Rugby in the 1938-39 season, 

it was over 70 years before Naas was 

to have the ultimate honour of again 

fulfilling the role of President of the 

Branch in the 2020-21 season. Having 

served on many Branch Committees, John 

Walsh was elected the 101st President of 

the Leinster Branch, IRFU. 

John Walsh has dedicated his life 

to sporting pursuits. A rugby man to 

his core, he is also well-known in the 

bloodstock industry. John's engagement 

in the bloodstock industry has taken him 

to most of the important horse sales in 

Europe and the USA, as well as to some 

of the most famous racecourses around 

the world. Despite the demands of the 

bloodstock industry, John has always 

found time to pursue his passion for 

rugby. 

John’s rugby CV is impressive. As a 

teenager, he played with Naas at 

youths and then at adult level. Playing 

with the firsts for many seasons, he was 

unfortunate to miss out, due to injury, on 

the side that won the Towns Plate and 

Hosie Cups in 1981. 

However, he did get back to play on 

the side that qualified for the Leinster 

Senior Cup. Once his playing career 

ended, John became involved in the 

administration of Naas RFC. He has held 

every position within the club including 

Honorary Secretary, Club Fixtures 

Secretary, Chair of Executive Committee, 

Club Publicity Officer, Chairperson of 

Grounds and Facilities, and club nominee 

to the North Midlands Area Committee. 

He was also Club President for two 

seasons, 1994 to 1996. Recalling his 

years as President of Naas, John referred 

to how, apart from having an excellent 

squad on the field, he was fortunate to 

have a superb back-up team in the club 

that created the momentum for success. 

This success included the club’s first 

Provincial Towns Cup victory after seven 

previous final defeats. This was followed 

by victories in the Seconds Provincial 

Towns Cup and the Anderson Cup the 

following year. At the end of that year, 

Naas RFC was awarded ‘Club of the 

Year’ by the IRFU. His immense work for 

the club saw John being twice awarded 

the Club Person of the Year, an honour 

also received by his older brother Martin. 

Once Naas became a senior club, John 

became the club’s representative to the 

Senior Executive of the Leinster Branch, 

from the 2000-01 season. 

John has served on numerous committees 

in Leinster Rugby over the past two 

decades. These include the Disciplinary 

Committee from 2000 to 2003, the 

Grounds Committee from 2001 to 2005, 

the Competitions Committee from 2006 

to 2018, the Finance Committee from 

2009 to 2018 and has chaired the 

Facilities and Administration Committee 

from 2018 to 2020. 

As Tournament Director of the Provincial 

Towns Cup, John continued his 

engagement with junior rugby building 

up a close relationship with many clubs. 

At IRFU level, John is a member of the 

Third Level Colleges Rugby Committee 

representing Leinster and of the IRFU 

Working Party on Promotion, Publicity 

and Communications of Domestic Rugby. 


John’s love of and interest in rugby 

reaches well beyond his own club. For 

those with an interest in the provincial 

competitions in Leinster, including the 

Towns Cup, you will know that John has 

researched and published extensively on 

the club game. 

His “History of Provincial Towns Cup and 

Plate” is an essential guide to all rugby 

aficionados which John keeps updated 

annually. John has also published the 

“Club and Media Guide to Leinster 

Provincial Competitions”, “Promotion and 

Guide of Third Level College Rugby in 

Leinster”, “The History of Rugby in the 

North Midlands Area” (2018), “Naas 

Rugby Club (1881-2020) My Sport, My 

Club, My Place” and “A Guide to 3G 

Rugby Pitches” (2018). 

John became President of Leinster Rugby 

during one of the most difficult periods 

the sport has faced in over a century. The 

Covid-19 global pandemic has seen the 

game at domestic level almost completely 

shut down across the province. 

Clubs continued up to Christmas to 

provide an outlet for youth and adult 

training, but no competitive rugby has 

taken place this season. Usually, a 

President of Leinster Rugby will have 

goals and aspirations for the club game 

during his tenure in office. This year, John 

Walsh’s hopes are of an altogether more 

existential nature. 

When asked by the authors for this article 

what his fears were for the domestic game 

in light of the past ‘lost’ season, John had 

this to say: 

“To date we have lost in excess of 6300 

domestic fixtures in the past 12 months of 

this pandemic, but I have to acknowledge 

that this is not significant in the greater 

scale of things that have befallen this 

island and the distress that it has caused 

to so many families and communities. 

“We in Leinster Rugby were asked to play 

our part and to support our medical and 

frontline workers and we have done that 

willingly and with good spirit. I’m very 

much aware that there is a hunger and a 

passion amongst our 73 clubs and 120 

schools to get back onto the playing pitch 

and we will continue to face challenges 

as how to re-energise and re-finance our 

game. 

“I’m an optimist by nature and I'm 

confident that we have in place teams of 

dedicated club and school volunteers that 

can once again answer both Ireland’s 

and Leinster’s call. 

“In particular the Leinster Covid-19 

Committee have undertaken tremendous 

work in keeping our Clubs and members 

safe throughout.” 

John was then asked what he believed 

club rugby in the province provides 

to young people and to the wider 

community. 

“The landscape of rugby continues to 

evolve, and the sport has to adapt to 

the needs of society and become more 

inclusive to all and it’s a challenge and 

an ethos that our clubs must embrace 

willingly. 

“For young people in our communities 

the rugby club should be an opportunity 

for them to have fun and enjoyment. It 

also allows them the scope to develop, 

establish lifelong friendships, guiding 

principles of respect, teamwork, 

camaraderie and sportsmanship.” 

When asked what his hopes for the 

domestic game were going forward, John 

had this to say: 

“The scope for the development of 

Leinster Rugby is considerable and I 

think we can make progress in key areas 

such as the continued development of 

girls’ and women’s rugby and also in our 

schools and the 13 third level colleges 

throughout the province. 

“I mentioned in my Presidential address 

at the commencement of my term, that 

sporting clubs can suffer from a syndrome 

aptly described as Deficit of Ambition and 

that it’s necessary for our clubs to take a 

rain check and embark on development 

programmes for the benefit of the game 

and to keep the structures of their club 

relevant in their community in which 

they are based. I would urge all clubs to 

review and adapt where necessary.” 

Finally, despite the difficult year that we 

have all endured, John outlined his high 

point: 

“My Presidential year is similar to those 

of my fellow Presidents in Connacht, 

Ulster and Munster in that we have had 

to focus on positively assisting our various 

committee structures in whatever way 

that we can. The mantra is to adapt and 

innovate. 

“It’s not been without its challenges but 

I’m so appreciative of all the goodwill 

and unstinting support and dedication of 

our loyal staff on team Leinster, not just 

those players and coaches associated 

with our professional side, but the 

backroom staff that contribute so much to 

our domestic rugby structures. 

“Your role in the cycle of Leinster 

Presidency involves a four-year 

apprenticeship as such and with projects 

such as the joint venture with the RDS 

to develop the RDS Arena as well as 

upgrading facilities at our ‘domestic 

home’ at Energia Park in Donnybrook, 

there is a bright future ahead for Leinster 

Rugby.” 

John Walsh has truly led a sporting life. 

Despite the difficulties facing the rugby 

and wider society, John has been the right 

man to lead our province in these dark 

days. 


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 6+3 2 10 5+2 2 10 1+1 - - 9+10 5 25 8+8 5 25 1+2 - - 3 IR 2 

MICHAEL BENT 1212 1 DEC 12 11+3 3 15 10+2 3 15 1+1 - - 90+64 7 35 85+41 7 35 5+23 - - 2 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 3+4 2 10 3+4 2 10 - - - 17+47 10 50 17+38 9 45 0+9 1 5 1 IR 4 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 9+2 1 86 9+1 1 81 0+1 - 5 12+9 4 144 12+8 4 139 0+1 - 5 2 - 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 6+2 - 66 4+2 - 46 2 - 20 64+33 5 584 53+18 2 440 11+15 3 144 18 IR 12 

THOMAS 

CLARKSON 

1285 29 AUG 20 2+6 - - 2+6 - - - - - 2+7 - - 2+7 - - - - - - - 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 4+3 - - 4+3 - - - - - 76+24 21 105 57+14 14 70 19+10 7 35 17 IR 19 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 2+1 - - 2+1 - - - - - 17+6 2 10 16+6 2 10 1 - - 10 IR 9 

TIM CORKERY 1298 12 MAR 21 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 3+4 1 5 3+4 1 5 - - - 118+74 42 210 74+53 25 125 43+19 16 80 4 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 10+3 3 15 9+2 3 15 1+1 - - 38+51 5 25 36+45 5 25 2+6 - - 4 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 4 - - 3 - - 1 - - 29+8 5 25 23+6 3 15 6+2 2 10 6 IR 7 

JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 1+6 - - 1+6 - - - - - 2+12 - - 2+12 - - - - - - - 

SCOTT FARDY 1257 2 SEP 17 8+4 - - 7+4 - - 1 - - 58+15 10 50 43+10 6 30 15+5 4 20 16 AU 39 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 6+1 1 15 5 - 10 1+1 1 5 15+18 4 139 14+14 3 128 1+4 1 11 3 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 1 - - 1 - - - - - 70+39 7 35 41+31 3 15 29+8 4 20 5 IR 48 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 4+2 1 5 3+1 - - 1+1 1 5 48+51 17 85 43+27 14 70 5+24 3 15 3 IR 9 

MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 0+7 1 11 0+7 1 11 - - - 0+7 1 11 0+7 1 11 - - - 3 - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 3+3 1 5 2+2 - - 1+1 1 5 151+75 26 130 87+48 12 60 62+26 13 65 3 IR 108 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 5 1 5 3 1 5 2 - - 52+1 10 50 23 4 20 29+1 6 30 2 IR 51 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 14 10 50 12 8 40 2 2 10 142+21 51 255 116+15 44 220 25+5 7 35 1 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 6 - - 4 - - 2 - - 21+3 1 5 18+3 1 5 3 - - 21 IR 10 

CIAN KELLEHER 1234 16 MAY 15 9+1 6 30 9 6 30 0+1 - - 15+10 11 55 15+9 11 55 0+1 - - 1 - 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 2+2 - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - 15+4 9 45 11+2 8 40 4+2 1 5 7 IR 10 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 4 2 10 4 2 10 - - - 46+8 15 75 27+5 12 60 19+3 3 15 1 IR 28 

DAN LEAVY 1231 31 OCT 14 4+5 3 15 4+3 2 10 0+2 1 5 43+29 17 85 35+19 13 65 8+10 4 20 1 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 6 

GREG MCGRATH 1293 2 JAN 21 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - - 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 13+4 7 35 12+3 7 35 1+1 - - 96+48 38 190 65+42 30 150 31+6 8 40 1 IR 19 

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


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 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 8+6 - - 8+5 - - 0+1 - - 60+50 3 15 58+36 3 15 2+14 - - 72 - 

JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 9+2 3 15 8+2 2 10 1 1 5 37+7 5 25 36+6 4 20 1+1 1 5 4 - 

JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 1+4 - - 1+4 - - - - - 1+4 - - 1+4 - - - - - - - 

ROWAN OSBORNE 1281 4 OCT 19 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - 1+8 1 5 1+8 1 5 - - - 8 - 

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 12+2 3 17 10+2 2 12 2 1 5 23+9 6 32 21+9 5 27 2 1 5 8 - 

SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

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 7 - - 7 - - - - - 58+20 21 105 52+13 18 90 6+7 3 15 21 IR 1 

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

HUGH O'SULLIVAN 1270 15 SEP 18 0+7 - 2 0+7 - 2 - - - 2+25 1 7 2+23 1 7 0+2 - - 11 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 9+1 9 45 9+1 9 45 - - - 19+5 15 75 19+5 15 75 - - - 3 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 3+2 - - 2+1 - - 1+1 - - 25+46 10 50 20+29 7 35 5+17 3 15 6 IR 36 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 4 1 7 3 1 7 1 - - 78+2 26 132 47+1 15 77 31+1 11 55 4 IR 34 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 11+1 1 5 9+1 1 5 2 - - 140+45 11 55 105+31 9 45 34+12 2 10 1 IR 27 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 5+1 1 5 4 1 5 1+1 - - 39+6 3 15 18+1 1 5 21+5 2 10 5 IR 35 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 4 - 10 4 - 10 - - - 147+24 26 1505 87+18 13 833 58+6 12 641 11 IR 98 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 2+7 6 30 2+7 6 30 - - - 2+7 6 30 2+7 6 30 - - - 1 - 

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

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

ALEX SOROKA 1296 28 FEB 21 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - - 

DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 7+4 - - 6+4 - - 1 - - 202+58 4 20 138+40 4 20 61+18 - - 43 IR 70 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 10+4 5 25 9+3 5 25 1+1 - - 56+68 13 65 49+42 12 60 7+26 1 5 4 IR 6 

LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - - - 

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 6+1 2 10 4+1 1 5 2 1 5 70+21 11 55 42+15 7 35 28+6 4 20 1 IR 30 


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 84.44% 33 5 32 4 1 1 53 6 52 5 1 1 74 79.73% 

ROSS BYRNE 90.63% 21 8 - 17 4 - 4 4 - 182 64 1 143 47 1 39 17 - 322 76.40% 

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

DAVID HAWKSHAW 75.00% 3 - - 3 - - - - - 3 - - 3 - - - - - 4 75.00% 

LUKE MCGRATH 0.00% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 0.00% 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 33.33% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 3 33.33% 

HUGH O'SULLIVAN 50.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 2 50.00% 

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

JOHNNY SEXTON 57.14% 2 2 - 2 2 - - - - 233 292 11 120 169 7 106 119 4 659 79.67% 


TITLE PARTNER 

OFFICAL KIT PARTNER 

PREMIUM PARTNERS 

PARTNERS & SUPPLIERS 

MEDIA PARTNERS 


Proudly Supporting 

Leinster Rugby 

Offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Mullingar 

Tel: +353 (0)1 266 6000 

Fax: +353 (0)1 266 6620 

Web: aon.com/Ireland 

Aon Ireland Limited t/a Aon, Aon Risk Solutions, Aon Risk Affinity, Aon Claims Management, The Bar of Ireland Financial 

Services and Unity Insurances is a private company limited by shares and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

THE BIG 

Picture 

Seán O'Brien 

#1297 


congratulations on your 

Leinster Debuts 

Alex Soroka 

#1296 

Tim Corkery 

#1298 


Visit eirsport.ie to subscribe

And so this is it - after a whirlwind year of more downs than ups 

(outside of the rugby world), we arrive at Round 16 - the final round 

of the Conference stage of the 2020-21 Guinness PRO14. 

Our victory over Ulster in round 

14 saw us secure our place in 

the final once again where on 

Saturday, March 27, we’ll meet 

the familiar opponent of Munster 

for what is sure to be another 

spectacle in the rugby calendar 

and one we’re all looking 

forward to. 

Before all that though there is the matter 

of concluding this weekend where, for 

this Friday night encounter, we welcome 

Ospreys here to the RDS Arena (KO 

8.15pm). 

We last faced off against Ospreys back 

in November, securing a 26-7 victory 

thanks to tries from Peter Dooley, James 

Tracy and two players who can’t stop 

themselves scoring of late – Dave 

Kearney and Scott Penny. Ross Molony 

also had the honour of leading Leinster 

out that day for what was his 100th cap 

and with the form he has been in of late – 

long may it continue for him. 

Going into this evening, it’s a case of first 

versus third in Conference A and you 

can be sure that Ospreys will want to try 

hold onto their current standing as this 

too is their final game but fourth-placed 

Glasgow do have two games in hand. 

A win for the Welsh this evening though 

would put them 11 points ahead of 

Glasgow and you can be sure this is the 

focus they need coming to the RDS this 

evening. 

This has all the hallmarks of a fantastic 

game in store with so many quality 

players looking to ensure they remain 

front and centre for the picking order 

amongst the coaching staff whilst other 

teammates remain on international duty. 

There is also the focus of the PRO14 Final 

as well as the Rainbow Cup so plenty of 

opportunities for players both regular and 

up-and-coming to ensure they do what 

they can to put themselves in the selection 

thoughts of Leo and co. 

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 the season rolls 

along! 

As always we’re thankful for the support 

we get from Leinster Rugby 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. 

Yours in Rugby, 

OLSC Committee 

LEINSTER 

OSPREYS 

557 Points Scored 277 

79 Tries Scored 31 

95 Offloads 40 

7,239 Metres Gained 4,417 

371 Defenders Beaten 193 

128 Clean Breaks 84 

261 Points Conceded 299 

30 Tries Conceded 36 

2,442 Tackles Made 2,094 

90% Tackle Success 89% 

69 Turnovers Won 84 

254 Total Tackles Missed 234 

178 Turnovers Lost 174 

Harry Byrne (81) Leading Points Scorer Stephen Myler (94) 

Scott Penny (9) Tries Scored Mat Protheroe (4) 

Dave Kearney (537) Metres Gained Luke Morgan (466) 

Ross Molony (97) Number of Tackles Thomas Gordon (110) 

Tadhg Furlong (100%) Tackle Success Fraser Brown (100%) 

Dave Kearney (6) Turnovers Won Thomas Gordon (7) 


OFFICIAL 

LEINSTER 

SUPPORTERS 

CLUB 

ONLINE SHOP 

The Official Leinster Supporters Club are delighted to announce that we have 

now launched our online shop. Our range of supporter items include: 

° FACEMASK ° 

° CAR STICKER ° LANYARD ° 

° PIN 

° BLANKET ° 

° BRACELET ° 

° BAG FOR LIFE ° 

° POP SOCKET ° 

° REFILLABLE HAND SANITISER 

KEEP CUP 

HIP FLASK 

BLUE WIG 

LUGGAGE TAG 

PENCIL CASE 

GIFT CARD 

12 

county 

army 

SHOP NOW 

OFFICIAL LEINSTER 

SUPPORTERS CLUB 

#SEA 

OF 

BLUE

Guinness PRO14 Final 

Details Confirmed 

The Final Chapter of the Guinness PRO14 will take 

place on 27 March with Leinster Rugby facing 

Munster Rugby at the RDS Arena (KO 5pm). 

The game will be broadcast live by eir Sport and TG4 in 

Ireland, with Premier Sports screening the contest live across the 

UK in addition to DAZN’s coverage in Italy and SuperSport’s 

showing in South Africa. 

Despite their historic rivalry and track record of high-placed 

finishes in the Championship, this will be only the third time that 

Leinster and Munster have faced each other in deciding game 

of the season. The first encounter took place on 15 December 

2001 at the old Lansdowne Road where a 14-man Leinster side 

won the first-ever Celtic League trophy. 

It was 10 years later when the teams would duel it out for the 

Celtic crown when Munster saw off the freshly-minted European 

champions at Thomond Park on 28 May 2011. 

Now, having won their respective Conferences in the Guinness 

PRO14, Leinster will host Munster by virtue of their superior 

match point total at their home ground. 

Champions Cup Round of 16 

Fixture Details 

Confirmed 

Leinster Rugby’s Heineken Champions Cup Round 

of 16 tie with RC Toulon will take place on Friday, 

2 April at the RDS Arena (KO 5.30pm, live on BT 

Sport), EPCR have confirmed. 

The fixture confirmation comes following the Champions 

Cup knockout stage draw which took place last Tuesday in 

Lausanne. 

As Leinster Rugby won both Champions Cup pool matches 

against Montpellier and Northampton Saints on the pitch before 

the suspension of the tournament in January, Leo Cullen’s side 

were guaranteed a home tie. 

However, should Leinster be successful against Toulon they will 

face a trip to either Exeter Chiefs or Lyon in the quarter-finals. 

Leinster last faced the three-time European champions in the 

pool stage of the 2015/16 Champions Cup, with Toulon 

winning both ties. 

The winner will become the 20th champion of the tournament 

since it began life as the Celtic League in 2001. Leinster are 

seeking to extend their record by winning an eighth title, while 

Munster are aiming to win their fourth title and first since 2011. 


ONE FROM 

The Vaults 

Leinster Rugby 53 Ospreys 5 

4 October 2019 | Guinness PRO14 | RDS Arena | Ref: Stuart Berry 

Rónan Kelleher opened his Leinster 

Rugby try account with a well-taken 

hat-trick in their 53-5 Guinness PRO14 

win over Ospreys at the RDS in 

October 2019. 

The defending champions marked their first 

home game of the new season with an eight-try 

display, Fergus McFadden and 21-year-old 

hooker Kelleher crossing early on before Joe 

Tomane’s first home score for the province had 

them 22-0 ahead at half-time. 

Ospreys’ only consolation in Dublin was a 

late effort from Luke Morgan. Kelleher, the 

man-of-the-match, completed his hat-trick by the 

49th minute and replacements Max Deegan, 

Harry Byrne and Michael Milne finished off 

this victory. 

An early Lloyd Ashley offside was punished 

with an opening penalty from Ross Byrne who 

then created McFadden’s try. Rory O’Loughlin 

reacted quickest to a turnover, chipping over 

the top with Hugo Keenan first to the ball, and 

a penalty advantage developed before Byrne’s 

cross-field kick was grounded by McFadden in 

the right corner. 

An inviting gap in the Ospreys midfield was 

ruthlessly exploited when Peter Dooley sent 

Will Connors galloping past halfway and 

he fed the supporting Kelleher who showed 

impressive pace to romp over from outside the 

22 and increase the lead to 8-0. 

Ospreys were foiled by Caelan Doris’ turnover 

penalty and a second lineout steal of the 

night from Scott Fardy. Their poor run of luck 

with injuries also continued as Dan Evans and 

Ashley both hobbled off, with new signing Ben 

Glynn making a brief PRO14 debut before 

injury struck. 

Tomane soon thundered onto a Byrne pass 

and through a couple of attempted tackles to 

register Leinster’s third try, seven minutes before 

the interval. Following Byrne’s conversion, 

Ospreys enjoyed one of their best attacking 

LEINSTER: 

Hugo Keenan; Fergus 

McFadden, Rory 

O’Loughlin, Joe Tomane 

(Conor O’Brien 61), 

James Lowe; Ross Byrne 

(Harry Byrne 56), 

Jamison Gibson-Park 

(Rowan Osborne 56); 

Peter Dooley (Michael 

Milne 51), Rónan 

Kelleher (James Tracy 

51), Michael Bent (Vakh 

Abdaladze 51); Devin 

Toner, Scott Fardy; Josh 

Murphy, Will Connors 

(Ross Molony 63), 

Caelan Doris (Max 

Deegan 51). 

OSPREYS: 

Cai Evans; Luke 

Morgan, Scott Williams 

(Tom Williams 67), 

Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, 

Keelan Giles; Luke Price 

(Hanno Dirksen 56), 

Shaun Venter (Matthew 

Aubrey 61); Rhodri 

Jones (Gareth Thomas 

50), Sam Parry, Tom 

Botha (Gheorge Gajion 

50); Dan Lydiate, Lloyd 

Ashley (Ben Glynn 35 

(Scott Otten h-t)); Olly 

Cracknell, Sam Cross, 

Dan Baker (Gareth 

Evans 26). 

spells but some late scrum pressure had no 

end-product. 

The Welsh region began the second half with 

two hookers on the field – Scott Otten had to 

come on for replacement lock Glynn – and 

Kelleher in brilliant form. James Lowe chipped 

through and combined with Jamison Gibson- 

Park and Kelleher in a counter-ruck, the latter 

dribbling through and touching down from a 

few metres out. 

With the bonus point secured, Leinster then 

used a penalty to set up a defence-splintering 

maul which handed Kelleher his third score. 

Another maul platform led to Deegan crashing 

over from a snappy Gibson-Park pass. Out-half 

Byrne landed both conversions to top off his 

11-point contribution. 

Scrum half Rowan Osborne came on to make 

his senior debut for Leinster, his speedy service 

a feature in the build-up to Byrne’s younger 

brother Harry slipping out of a tackle from Sam 

Cross to make it 46-0. 

Academy prop Milne piled over at the end 

of 12 phases to crown his RDS debut with a 

converted try. Ospreys finally got off the mark 

eight minutes from the end, as reserve scrum 

half Matthew Aubrey’s break and quickly-taken 

lineout sent Morgan over. 

Allen Clarke’s side lost replacement backrower 

Gareth Evans to the sinbin for a no-arms 

challenge on McFadden, but avoided a ninth 

concession when Keenan’s late try was ruled 

out for a forward pass from Deegan. 



GET INVOLVED 

FOLLOW 

ALL THE 

ACTION 

@PRO14Official 



@PRO14Rugby 

@PRO14Rugby 

@PRO14Rugby

A FEW 

GOOD MEN 

BY JOHN WALSH 

The inspirational Gerry Murphy takes leave of 

Leinster Rugby this month and leaves behind a 

legacy that is impossible to quantify but the four 

gold stars on the Leinster shirt will give testament to 

all his endeavours for Leinster Rugby. 

A visionary coach of the highest level he has been a key advisor 

and guide in the development of Leinster as one of the leading 

European teams. 

His infectious passion and energy for the sport has never 

diminished during the 17 years that he has been involved with 

Leinster. His mentoring and development of the pathways for 

players to maximise their talents have commanded the highest 

respect and regard from all in our organisation. On behalf of all 

involved in Leinster Rugby we thank you and wish you a happy 

and contented retirement. 

We also say a very sincere thank you to David Ross who has 

served as Leinster’s Executive Services Manager and is now 

retiring after 18 years of dedicated service to Leinster Rugby. 

Knowledgeable in all aspects of the game the proud Old Belvo 

member has contributed enormously to Leinster Rugby’s success 

both on and off the pitch as we embarked on our journey to 

become one of the leading European rugby clubs. 

His guidance and advice to our Presidents and administrators 

has been really appreciated by all and his stewardship of our 

facilities at Energia Park, UCD and RDS during these Covid-19 

troubled times went way and beyond the call of duty. 

We in Leinster have been most fortunate to have had such 

a valued player on our team. We all send him our very best 

wishes for the future and look forward to providing him with a 

fitting occasion to mark his major contribution to our province 

and game. 

RIP 

WALLY BORNEMANN 

Leinster Rugby extends their 

condolences to the Bornemann family 

on the recent passing of Walter (Wally). 

He represented Leinster v Australia 

in 1957, South Africa in 1961 and the 

Pyrenees in 1960. 

He also made 11 appearances for Leinster in 

the Interprovincial Series between 1956 and 

1967. 

Wally was capped four times for Ireland in 

1960 against England, Scotland, Wales and 

South Africa. 

He also captained his club Wanderers on two 

occasions and was a member of their 1959 

Leinster Senior Cup-winning team. He will be 

much missed by his many friends in Wanderers 

and Leinster. 

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. 


Where are they now? 

By Des Berry 

DAVID 

McALLISTER 

THEN: THE TERENURE 

COLLEGE OUT-HALF PLAYED 

SEVEN TIMES FOR LEINSTER 

IN THE 2004-05 SEASON, 

STARTING AGAINST ULSTER, 

MUNSTER AND CONNACHT. 

NOW: LIVING IN 

DONNYBROOK WITH HIS 

WIFE KAREN AND THEIR DOG 

MICHAEL, DAVID IS BACK IN 

RUGBY WORKING ON HIS 

COACHING BADGES. 

David McAllister and Conal 

Keaney meet up every now and 

then to swap ‘what might have 

been’ stories around the sporting 

decisions they made as teenagers. 

The Ballyboden-St Enda’s and Terenure 

College teammates opted to specialise 

just after the 1998 Leinster Schools Junior 

Cup. 

“I played a lot of Gaelic coming up,” 

says McAllister, “I knew how to catch and 

kick the ball. 

“When rugby started to become more 

important, I found the transition quite 

easy because you don’t have to hop or 

solo the ball. You just had to run. 

“Conal was one of my good friends 

growing up through primary and 

secondary schools. He quit rugby to 

concentrate on gaelic and I quit Gaelic to 

concentrate on rugby. 

“Sometimes, we chat about how I would 

have got on if I had gone for Gaelic and 

how he would have got on at rugby. I 

guess we’ll never know.” 

McAllister was a schoolboy hero who 

never quite hit the same heights as a 


professional player. Ten years after 

retiring that is alright by him. 

He admits the legacy of his rugby career 

may well stretch all the way back to the 

swing from heartbreak to glory in back-toback 

Leinster Schools Senior Cup finals in 

2000 and 2001. 

In the first, McAllister missed a difficult, 

late penalty to leave ‘Nure 13-11 short 

of Clongowes Wood in front of 15,000 

supporters at Lansdowne Road. 

Gerry Thornley wrote in The Irish Times 

how “in the heel of the hunt, the outcome 

was decided by a penalty from 35 metres 

in the sixth minute of injury time. 

“David McAllister’s angled kick seemed 

to drift back on course only after it 

bypassed the near post. 

“There was no consoling the Terenure outhalf 

as the full-time whistle immediately 

sounded.” 

In the second, as fate would decree, 

McAllister would be back in the same 

position as Terenure trailed Blackrock by 

one point (19-18), the ball at his feet, a 

challenging 45 metres from the posts with 

just four minutes left on the clock. 


It had taken all that he had within to 

recover from what had gone on the year 

before on a summer-long sabbatical 

playing with St John’s College in 

Hamilton, New Zealand. 

It was there in The Land of the Long 

White Cloud where McAllister’s 

rehabilitation of confidence began, 

playing his part in St John’s march to 

the Tricolour Trophy, the coveted prize 

represented by the ball from the first 

international between the All Blacks and 

France in 1961. 

In 2001, well aware of what had 

happened the previous March, John 

O’Sullivan penned in The Irish Times how 

McAllister “found himself in a similar 

position, the destiny of the final entrusted 

to his right boot”. 

“He struck the ball magnificently, the 

touch judges raised their flags and, to 

watch the player wheel away in delight, 

was to witness a great sporting moment.” 

It was a moment of salvation that has 

stayed with him, a springboard into life as 

a professional. 

“That is probably what I am most 

remembered for and I don’t mind that. 

Everyone would like to leave their mark 

on the game they love. 

“If that is mine, so be it. I will take it,” he 

adds. 

The zero-to-hero moments of those 

Schools Cup finals looked like an 

indication for where the out-half would go 

in his career. 

“At that age when you come out of 

school, you are bulletproof,” he admits. 

“I was lucky enough to come through 

Terenure College at a time when we won 

the Leinster Senior Cup.” 

Today, the summer output of schools stars 

into the Academies marks the beginning 

of the professional process in which 

players discover their path through the 

game. 

“Every 10 has to be confident in 

themselves. You have to have that selfbelief, 

bordering on arrogance to play 

that position,” says McAllister. 

“You have to think that, sometimes, you 

are better than you actually are, if that 

makes sense.” 

Back then, McAllister signed to the IRFU 

Academy in his final year at school. It 

was a time of anticipation and excitement 

at what was to come.. 

“My dream was always to play for 

Leinster. It wasn’t necessarily to play for 

Ireland,” he says. 

“As a kid, I was brought to Donnybrook 

Stadium on Friday nights to watch 

Leinster play under the floodlights and 

that’s where the dream began. 

“It just goes to show the importance of 

early influences and I will always be 

grateful to my dad for that. 

“I knew the stepping stones I had to 

take to get to where I wanted to go all 

the way through school. They had the 

summer camps where they brought you in 

to have a good look at you. 

“You got a feel for where you stood 

coming up through the system. You 

knew about the fellas you were 

competing against. For me, that 

meant Eoghan Hickey and Barry 

Lynn.” 

However, McAllister 

experienced a number of 

coaching changes in a 

short time at the start of his 

Leinster experience. 

“You have to remember I went through 

four coaches in three years and every 

coach has his opinion of you. 


“With Gary Ella, Matt Williams and 

Declan Kidney, I was actually ahead 

of Felipe (Contepomi) at 10 as the 

understudy to Dave Holwell.” 

Strangely, he grabbed all seven Leinster 

caps in the 2004-05 season, making his 

debut against Cardiff Blues and starting 

all three interprovincial derbies against 

Ulster, Munster and Connacht, the latter 

in an unfamiliar role at full back. 

“It was all going quite well until Michael 

Cheika came in and brought Christian 

Warner to out-half, moving me to 

compete at centre where I was behind 

Brian (O’Driscoll), Gordon (D’Arcy) and 

Kieran Lewis in the centre. I wasn’t ever 

going to get in ahead of them. 

“It was unfortunate as I was probably 

playing my best rugby that season at 10 

for my club Terenure College in the All- 

Ireland League. 

“Different coaches have different ideas 

and different demands for how they want 

the game to be played. 

“In a way, I feel that the timing was just 

unfortunate. Right place, wrong time.” 

The grind of training and preparing 

to play without getting the vote of 

confidence to do so was hard to take. 

“By the end, I would have given up my 

whole contract to play one more game. 

That is what people don’t realise about 

professional sport. 

“It is quite hard in that sense. It is not 

about the money or the things that come 

along with it. 

“It is about the love of the sport and you 

just want to play all the time. That is the 

hardest thing, when you are not playing.” 

In fact, McAllister’s main regret centres 

around turning down the offer to sign 

on-loan with Munster around Christmas 

2006. 

The regular man at the controls Ronan 

O’Gara was away with Ireland. Jeremy 

Manning and Paul Burke were injured. 

McAllister was playing in the AIL in Cork 

one Saturday and, afterwards, Declan 

Kidney asked him to move south for the 

winter with the promise of starting the 

next game due to the injury crisis. 

“I probably should have gone there 

because I could have had a Heineken 

Cup medal,” he recalls. 

“I should have jumped from the frying 

pan into the fire. That would be my only 

regret from the decisions I made.” 

In 2007, he moved to Italian club 

L’Aquila, an hour outside of Rome, to play 

in the domestic competition, the Super 

10. 

After his first game, against Parma, the 

national coach Pierre Berbizier called, 

encouraging the Dubliner to declare for 

the Italians. 

In his second game, against Calvisano, 

he broke his leg and dislocated his ankle 

in a tackle from old Leinster teammate 

Ben Gissing. And that was that. 

McAllister returned to his hometown to 

take up a position as one of the Leinster 

Rugby Development Officers for three 

years, even turning down an offer of a 

contract from French club Dax. 

In 2010, he decided to join his 

father working in the family business, 

McAllister’s Fishmongers, which, sadly, 

became a recent victim of the pandemic 

as the hospitality sector was destroyed. 

Happily married to Karen, he has 

returned to his roots in rugby to forge a 

new career in the game. 

“It is amazing. When one door closes, 

another opens. Every loss brings a new 

opportunity so I am now in the process of 

getting my coaching badges,” he shares. 

“I am U-20s assistant coach in 

Terenure College and head coach for 

Technological University Dublin. 

“I am really enjoying coaching and 

it makes me realize how much I was 

actually missing the game. 

“I have come to realise that coaching is 

my passion and it is the direction I want 

to go in now. Passing on my skills and 

knowledge of the game and mentoring 

new talent is so rewarding. 

“I myself have had the privilege of being 

coached by eight international coaches 

and have had the honour of playing 

rugby at the professional level. 

“I see so much enthusiasm and potential 

in young players and I feel that I work 

well with them as the feedback has been 

extremely positive. 

“In a way, it is like I have come back to 

where I started all those years ago and 

my wish is to continue on this part of my 

rugby journey. 

“Ideally, going forward, I would like 

to extend my work with young rugby 

players and come full circle back to 

schools rugby bringing all my years of 

experience with me. 

“I would love to become a schools rugby 

coach and pass my knowledge on to 

aspiring young schools players.” 

Back to where it all kicked off. 


BY DAN WALLACE 

Welcome to another issue of 

Referees Corner. It has been 

great to see some rugby on 

the television over the last few 

weeks and hopefully we are not 

too many months from getting 

back on the pitch ourselves. 

Some controversial decisions have been 

made and discussed at length in the last 

few weeks but it is clear that one area 

that is being focused on by referees is 

the breakdown and how players enter 

the breakdown. 

I am thoroughly enjoying Wayne 

Barnes’ return to Twitter but also his 

YouTube channel where he discusses 

recent decisions, click the image to visit 

the page. 

I also enjoy reading Nigel Owens’ 

columns and views in Wales Online 

which can be found by clicking the 

imgae too. 

Both are excellent referees providing 

great insights into the game. 

Sadly, every year we have 

referees who have to retire. 

Normally there is a bit of fanfare 

around these occasions but sadly 

this year some have retired 

without being able to referee 

that last game. 

Trevor McHugh recently paid tribute to 

Paddy Curran from Roscrea who hung 

up his whistle. Paddy will be familiar 

to a lot of Leinster fans as he refereed 

those great half-time minis games while 

you queue for the bar. We hope to see 

Paddy continue his great involvement 

with the ARLB. 

WORDS FROM TREVOR McHUGH 

Paddy Curran retired back in February 

as an active referee in the ARLB. Under 

normal conditions, the occasion would 

be marked with a leisurely match 

conducted at Paddy’s pace followed 

by an evening of reminiscing and tales 

from his refereeing career but this will 

probably not be possible with amateur 

rugby unlikely to return this season. 

Paddy’s playing career started in 

Roscrea, he continued to play in 

England when he worked there and 

played again on his return to Ireland. 

Two of Roscrea’s refereeing legends 

Gerry Maher and Norman Carter 

(both who went on to become ARLB 

presidents) persuaded Paddy to take 

up the whistle in 2004 when there was 

nobody available to referee a Youths 

game and he hasn’t looked back since. 

He has continued to officiate games the 

length and breadth of Leinster, as many 

as 60 games a season for the next 17 

years. He took on the role of Midlands 

Area Rep in 2008 and recruited many 

new referees into the system. He worked 

to develop and mentor these referees 

as well as forging lasting friendships in 


his own inimitable style. His pre-match 

routines and two-minute warm-ups 

will not be found in any World Rugby 

publications, but they seem to have 

worked nonetheless! 

Paddy took charge of numerous youth 

and adult finals as well as many minis 

games at the RDS during Leinster 

matches but was equally as quick to 

offer his services as touch judge to any 

referee – new or experienced. 

His interest, passion and enjoyment 

gained from all things rugby underlines 

his commitment to the game and not just 

refereeing. The ARLB recognised this 

commitment when Paddy was awarded 

the Harold Ardill Referee of the Year 

award in 2015. 

On behalf of the Midlands Area and the 

whole refereeing community in Leinster, 

we just want to take the opportunity 

to thank Paddy for his many years of 

service to rugby, refereeing, mentoring 

new referees and his work as the 

Midlands representative. 

the ARLB and help to develop 

a new crop of referees in the 

Midlands and Leinster. 

We hope his interest and involvement in 

the game continues long into the future. 

DAVID ROBB, PRESIDENT LEINSTER 

RUGBY REFEREES 

Congratulations Paddy on a great 

contribution to the Association of 

Referees Leinster Branch both on and off 

the field. Paddy continued Roscrea RFC’s 

strong tradition of providing referees and 

has given great service over the years 

as the Midlands Area Representative. 

We hope Paddy will stay involved with 

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. 


FINAL 

CLEARANCE 

w w w . b e s t m e n s w e a r . c o m 

UP TO 

60% 

S H O P N O W 

OFF

Leo Cullen and Leinster Rugby coaching team extend contracts 

LEINSTER RUGBY AND THE IRFU HAVE THIS WEEK CONFIRMED A ONE-YEAR 

CONTRACT EXTENSION FOR LEINSTER RUGBY HEAD COACH LEO CULLEN. 

The news was formally 

announced by Leinster Rugby at 

an exclusive online Q&A event 

with Cullen for Official Members. 

Cullen, who won 221 caps for Leinster 

and was captain of three Heineken 

Cup-winning squads, was appointed 

Head Coach at the start of the 2015-16 

season and will now lead the province 

for a further season until the end of the 

2021-22 season. 

Leinster Rugby CEO Mick Dawson also 

confirmed that Stuart Lancaster, Felipe 

Contepomi and Robin McBryde have 

also been retained by Leinster Rugby for 

a further two years. 

Speaking to leinsterrugby.ie Dawson 

discussed the contracting process and the 

decision itself. 

“The discussions with Leo, and indeed 

with all the coaches, have gone very 

smoothly and I would like to thank Leo 

and Stuart, Felipe and Robin for their 

patience and understanding in what is 

for everyone in society a challenging 

situation. 

“I am delighted to be able to confirm 

their new contracts here this evening with 

our Official Members who have been 

brilliantly supportive of the club over the 

last 12 months in particular. 

“Under Leo’s stewardship, the club has 

enjoyed unprecedented success reaching 

seven finals in that time including 

Saturday week’s game against Munster 

and of course there is still the small matter 

of a European season to conclude this 

year and a game with Toulon only weeks 

away. 

“More than any trophy, however, Leo has 

ensured that our ‘from the ground up’ 

ethos has not only been protected but has 

thrived under his leadership. 

“Already this season 12 players from our 

own pathway have made senior debuts 

with Leinster in the Guinness PRO14 with 

Seán O’Brien and Tim Corkery being the 

latest two at the weekend. 

“This success has been achieved in 

tandem with Stuart, Felipe and Robin and 

there was no hesitation on our part in 

offering them all extended terms and we 

very much look forward to working with 

them into the future. 

“With the roll-out of vaccines and 

Covid-19 numbers on the decrease, we 

are all hopeful of better and brighter 

days for us all and for supporters to once 

again return to our games.” 

Also speaking to leinsterrugby.ie, Cullen 

said, “I am delighted to extend my 

contract with Leinster Rugby, and I want 

to thank everyone involved, particularly 

Mick Dawson, Guy Easterby and the 

IRFU, for their faith. Our success is 

founded on a collective effort and I also 

want to thank my fellow coaches, Stuart, 

Felipe and Robin, Hugh, Emmet and all 

the backroom team for their support, 

collaboration and generosity in helping 

the team to perform to the highest level. 

“As Mick has stated, I was offered a 

two-year extension but requested a 

one-year rolling extension instead. This is 

purely down to personal circumstances 

and I would like to thank the IRFU and 

Leinster Rugby for their understanding in 

that regard. 

“In saying that, I would like to reaffirm 

my absolute commitment to Leinster. I 

think anyone who knows me will know 

that my loyalty lies here. Representing 

my province as a player and then as 

coach has been among my proudest 

achievements in rugby and it is a huge 

honour for me to have been asked 

to continue. I look forward to serving 

Leinster Rugby to the best of my ability for 

as long as I am here. 

“In the meantime, we can all look 

forward to the remainder of this season 

including the prospect of a Guinness 

PRO14 Final and Heineken Champions 

Cup game against Toulon. It has been 

a strange and uniquely challenging 

season but we will do our best to bring 

home some silverware for our wonderful 

supporters, whom we miss so much. 

“Their passionate support is the missing 

ingredient at Leinster matches and we 

look forward to having them back in the 

RDS Arena and at the Aviva as soon as 

possible.” 


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 

OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR 

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

For March, Leinster Rugby 

chose Pieta as our latest 

charity affiliate. 

WITH THE LAST 12 MONTHS TAKING A TOLL ON MANY 

PEOPLE’S HEALTH AND WELLBEING, WE FELT IT WAS 

IMPORTANT TO SHINE A LIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH 

AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THE SUPPORTS AND 

SERVICES OFFERED BY PIETA. 

It is the ultimate act of despair, 

in a mental health crisis, to take 

your own life and the purpose of 

Pieta is to support people who 

are in suicidal crisis. Pieta treats 

people in suicidal crisis with 

compassion and respect, through 

their free, life-saving counselling. 

Pieta’s clients can access their services 

directly and no GP referral is needed. 

All clients can access their services 

regardless of their financial situation – 

their services are free with no financial 

barrier. Clients have the reassurance 

of knowing that they will receive 

counselling that is warm, welcoming and 

friendly. 

Pieta helps people from all across 

Ireland and from all walks of life. They 

support people and communities in 

crisis so that a person struggling and 

in distress can lift the phone and talk to 

someone straight away and can easily 

book in and attend counselling with 

a professional therapist in their local 

community, and be treated with warmth, 

acceptance, dignity and respect. 

Pieta provides a crucial service, and 

we hope our partnership can help play 

a part in replacing stigma and shame 

around mental health with hope, love 

and acceptance. 

Since the beginning of 2020, Pieta’s 

qualified counsellors supported almost 

18000 calls to the 24-hour crisis line 

and received over 70000 texts and calls 

to the crisis text and phone lines. 

While also delivering 52000 hours 

of in-person suicide intervention and 

bereavement counselling and directly 

supporting over 600 households 

devastated by the loss of a loved one by 

suicide. Eighty per cent of Pieta’s funding 

comes from the public, support is vital to 

help continue this lifesaving work. 

The national suicide prevention charity 

operates in-person, crisis suicide 

counselling across 20 locations 

nationwide. It has helped over 58000 

people across Ireland since its inception. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 

Pieta has continued to offer in-person 

support and face-to-face appointments. 

It has operated a free 24-hour crisis 

helpline and text service throughout. 

Additionally, it has also provided free 

video counselling services for those 

unable to access in-person services 

during lockdown. 

Pieta’s Resilience Academy Programme 

is a mental health course for 13 and 

14-year-olds. This was delivered directly 

to 11000 school children across the 

country in 2019. 

While their ‘Amber Flag’ programme 

for younger school children has been 

adopted by 450 schools since the 

programme launched in 2017. Mental 

health discussions from a young age play 

a key role in Pieta’s goal of changing the 

way we talk about mental health. 

This year, Pieta’s largest fundraising 

event, Darkness Into Light, proudly 

supported by Electric Ireland, will be 

taking place on May 8 all over Ireland, 

and the world. You can take part in any 

way you like - whether that’s walking, 

running, swimming, hiking, biking or 

simply sharing your sunrise. 

Pieta wants to spread a message of 

hope to every corner of the world, and 

they are inviting you to share One Sunrise 

Together on May 8 using #DIL2021 and 

#DarknessIntoLight. 

You can sign up now at 

www.darknessintolight.ie 

And if you sign up by March 31, you 

will be automatically entered into a 

competition to win a year's free electricity 

from Electric Ireland for you and a friend. 

T&Cs apply. 

We’re delighted Life Style Sports chose 

Pieta as our charity partner. Seeing the 

work they do, and offering our platform 

to such a vital service is something we 

are proud to be part of. 

If you are anyone you know is struggling 

with suicidal thoughts, have lost a loved 

one to suicide, or are engaging in selfharm 

freephone 1800 247 247 or text 

HELP to 51444 (standard message rates 

apply). 



IN OPPOSITION 

Ospreys 

Last Time Out 

Glasgow Warriors 30 Ospreys 25 

Scotstoun Stadium | Guinness PRO14 | Ref: Sam Grove-White 

COUNTRY 

THERE WERE PLENTY OF YOUNG OSPREYS IN THE SQUAD THAT TRAVELLED 

TO SCOTSTOUN LAST FRIDAY, INCLUDING LOOSEHEAD PROP GARYN 

PHILLIPS MAKING HIS FIRST START OF THE COMPETITION, AND PROP RHYS 

HENRY WHO MADE HIS DEBUT FROM THE BENCH. 

WALES 

HOME GROUND 

LIBERTY STADIUM 

FOUNDED 

2003 

On the other end of the scale, 

tighthead prop Ma’afu Fia made his 

100th appearance for the club. 

It was a thrilling game in the pouring rain in 

Glasgow, with the Ospreys taking control of 

play early on with a try for flanker Morgan 

Morris and a penalty try out wide following a 

deliberate knock on. 

Glasgow’s out-half Ross Thompson kept the 

hosts in the game with three penalties in the first 

half, with Ospreys’ Luke Price taking his side’s 

score to 15 before half time. 

The second half started with a bang, with 

Glasgow flyer Lee Jones collecting a loose ball 

after a clean break from the Ospreys ended 

with possession being spilled forward. 

The speedster ran all the way to the posts and 

gave his side the lead for the first time in the 

game 

Ospreys and Glasgow exchanged a converted 

try each through No 8 Gareth Evans and 

winger Rufus McLean respectively, having 

barely played 10 minutes of the half. 

On the hour mark, Glasgow prop Aki Seiuli 

secured the ball from a close-range maul and 

trundled over the try line for his side’s third of 

the evening, and the conversion gave the hosts 

an eight-point lead. 

A barnstorming run from Ospreys flanker 

Morris resulted in a penalty against Glasgow, 

with replacement back row TJ Ioane shown a 

yellow card for illegally entering the ruck and 

playing the ball. 

GLASGOW 

WARRIORS: Oli Smith 

(Ian Keatley 68); 

Rufus McLean, Nick 

Grigg (Keatley 4-13), 

Robbie Fergusson, Lee 

Jones; Ross Thompson, 

Sean Kennedy (Jamie 

Dobie 48); Aki Seiuli 

(Dylan Evans 70), 

Grant Stewart (Johnny 

Matthews 48-57, 72), 

Enrique Pieretto; James 

Scott (Kiran McDonald 

54), Leone Nakarawa; 

Rob Harley, Thomas 

Gordon (TJ Ioane 60), 

Ryan Wilson (Ioane 

39-ht). 

OSPREYS: Dan Evans; 

Dewi Cross, Owen 

Watkin (Tiaan Thomas- 

Wheeler 54), Joe 

Hawkins, Keelan Giles 

(Shaun Venter 62); Luke 

Price, Reuben Morgan- 

Williams; Garyn Phillips 

(Rhys Henry 16), Ifan 

Phillips (Dewi Lake 62), 

Ma’afu Fia (Tom Botha 

44); Lloyd Ashley (Olly 

Cracknell 62), Rhys 

Davies; Will Griffiths, 

Morgan Morris, Gareth 

Evans (Sam Cross 62). 

Words: ospreysrugby.com 

Images: https://inpho.ie 

Price had no issues slotting the kick at goal, 

which brought the Ospreys back to within five 

points, and bonus point territory. 

Unfortunately, despite a late opportunity to 

turn the game, Glasgow managed to keep the 

Ospreys at bay and kicked the ball into touch 

to claim a victory at home. 



The next generation of 

Ireland’s best-selling SUV is here. 

The New Nissan Qashqai breaks cover. 

• Striking new design. 

• e-POWER electrification. 

• NissanConnect. 

Find out more on windsor.ie

Squad | Positions 2020/21 

Toby Booth | Head Coach 

Toby Booth is currently in his first 

season as head coach of Ospreys, 

having joined from Harlequins at 

the end of the previous campaign. 

He had joined Quins in November 2019 

as an assistant coach to Paul Gustard. 

FORWARDS 

LLOYD ASHLEY 

LOCK 

ADAM BEARD 

LOCK 

TOM BOTHA 

PROP 

OLLY CRACKNELL 

BACK ROW 

SAM CROSS 

NO. 8 

BRADLEY DAVIES 

LOCK 

RHYS DAVIES 

LOCK 

GARETH EVANS 

NO. 8 

SAM PARRY 

HOOKER 

IFAN PHILLIPS 

HOOKER 

GARYN PHILLIPS 

PROP 

NICKY SMITH 

PROP 

GARETH THOMAS 

PROP 

JUSTIN TIPURIC 

FLANKER 

GUIDO VOLPI 

BACK ROW 

BACKS 

CORY ALLEN 

CENTRE 

JOE HAWKINS 

CENTRE 

LUKE MORGAN 

WINGER 

HARRI MORGAN 

SCRUM HALF 

REUBEN MORGAN- 

WILLIAMS 

SCRUM HALF 

STEPHEN MYLER 

FLY HALF 

GEORGE NORTH 

WINGER 

LUKE PRICE 

FLY HALF 

MATT PROTHEROE 

FULL BACK 

He also previously led London Irish to 

the Premiership final in 2009 where they 

suffered a 10-9 defeat to Leicester Tigers. 

MA’AFU FIA 

PROP 

WILL GRIFFITHS 

LOCK 

RHODRI JONES 

PROP 

ALUN WYN JONES 

LOCK 

GARETH ANSCOMBE 

FLY HALF 

MATTHEW AUBREY 

SCRUM HALF 

BEN CAMBRIANI 

CENTRE 

CALLUM CARSON 

FULL BACK 

IWAN TEMBLETT 

SCRUM HALF 

JOSH THOMAS 

UTILITY BACK 

TIAAN THOMAS- 

WHEELER 

CENTRE 

Justin Tipuric | Captain 

DEWI LAKE 

HOOKER 

DEWI CROSS 

WINGER 

SHAUN VENTER 

SCRUM HALF 

Wales international Justin Tipuric 

is now into his third year as 

captain of the region. 

GARIN LLOYD 

HOOKER 

HANNO DIRKSEN 

CENTRE 

OWEN WATKIN 

CENTRE 

He was first handed the armband in 

2018/19, taking over from Alun Wyn 

Jones, and the 31-year-old has made 184 

appearances since making his debut in 

2009. 

He also played every minute of Wales’ 

Grand Slam-winning campaign in 2019. 

He has amassed 90 caps for his country 

scoring 10 tries. 

DAN LYDIATE 

FLANKER 

MORGAN MORRIS 

BACK ROW 

SCOTT OTTEN 

HOOKER 

CAI EVANS 

FLY HALF 

DAN EVANS 

FULL BACK 

KEELAN GILES 

WINGER 

RHYS WEBB 

SCRUM HALF 

SCOTT WILLIAMS 

CENTRE 

KIERAN WILLIAMS 

CENTRE 


Stena Line 

We’re here for the essential journeys. 

At Stena Line, we’re working hard to protect what matters most, 

the safety and wellbeing of our customers, colleagues and our communities. 

Thanks to our dedicated teams and reliable ships sailing throughout 

the largest route network in Europe, we’re ensuring that freight, vital 

goods and people get to their destinations. 

Together, we will continue to navigate these challenging times. 

When the time is right, we look forward to welcoming you back onboard. 

stenaline.ie | stenalinefreight.com

Skerries 

Skerries Rugby Club has gone 

through a rebuilding phase on 

and off the pitch since the end of 

the 2018-19 season. 

A slew of players decided it was time 

for others to pull on the club shirt at the 

All-Ireland League level with the north 

Dubliners stationed in 2C, one drop 

away from life in the Junior ranks. 

Prop Mark Nally, second-row Joe 

Glennon, wing Eddie O’Mahony and 

centre Sean Dempsey were among 

those to hang up their boots when all 

was said and done. 

Last season, the responsibility to take 

the club forward was taken with real 

gusto, scrum half Ruari Woods, out-half 

Paul O’Loghlen, back five forward 

Patrick Fay-Watt and brothers Jim, Tom 

and Joe Mulvaney leading the way. 

Skerries were locked in a promotion 

battle with Enniscorthy right up until the 

blasted spread of the coronavirus. 

Thankfully, it came too late to dampen 

the spirits from the opening of the 

club’s state of the art 3G pitch, the 

inauguration taking place last January 

12 months for the All-Ireland League 

match against Dundalk. 

“We spent €600,000 on it. The 

support locally was massive in us 

carrying little debt going forward,” says 

Nick Heeney, the Chairman of Skerries 

RFC. 

“There were about four big fundraisers 

over three years, including a ‘Strictly 

Come Dancing’ contest and two large 

draws, together with a Sports Capital 

Grant for €150,000.” 

In December, the club’s latest fundraiser 

was organised as an All Cash Draw, 

with a first prize of €8,000, to raise 

funds for the club. 

Tickets could be purchased online for 

the first time, allowing members living 

overseas to take part. They sold-out in 

fast fashion, reflecting how much the 

club means to the members. 

The wheels of progress are still moving 

with upgrades to the facilities due in the 

near future. 

“We got planning permission approved 

for floodlights just before Christmas and 

we are in the process of tendering out 

for that job,” says Heeney. 

“We have the majority of the finance 

for that project in place already with 

another Sports Capital Grant of 

€48,000. The fluid plan is to have it all 

up and on by the start of next season, 

whenever that will be.” 

When the going gets tough, the tough 

really do get going. There has been 

a consistent dedication to keeping the 

club relevant to the local community, 

even though the gates were closed for 

the first lockdown last March. 

In April, the club took part in an 

initiative to complete 10,000km to raise 

€10,000 to provide much-needed 

funds to three charities/groups. 


This meant contributing to the feeding of 

the Skerries front line heroes, providing 

dinners over a period of four weekends, 

helping Prosper Fingal, a disability 

charity for kids, and the Skerries Age 

Friendly organisation, supporting the 

ageing population. 

“What we did there was we joined up 

with a local caterer, who supplied the 

food for us, and we delivered it to the 

‘frontliners.’ 

“The fact we raised a lot more than we 

thought we would allowed us to make 

a contribution locally to Prosper Fingal 

and provide computers to 12 elderly 

people in the community so that they 

could make orders.” 

From April to June, social media activity 

included a drive to keep engagement 

and positivity alive with members. 

To this end, the club embarked on a 

series of ‘Past Player Profiles’ on social 

media, focusing on Skerries players 

who went on to play for the provinces. 

Ciarán Frawley (Leinster), Alan and 

David O’Connor (Leinster Academy 

and now Ulster), Conor Oliver 

(Connacht), Hugo Lennox (Leinster 

U-19s and now Ireland Sevens), Chris 

Keane (retired Leinster), Killian Keane 

(retired Munster/ Ireland), David 

O’Sullivan (retired Leinster), David 

Hewitt (retired Leinster and Racing 

Metro) and Billy Mulcahy (retired 

Connacht) all reflected on their careers. 

Moreover, there was nearly €8,000 

raised from a GoFundMe page 

to keep the club ticking over 

during the summer. 

“That came as a pleasant 

surprise. We would be 

under huge pressure 

without the support of 

our membership,” adds 

Heeney. 

“Our support from the 

community in the last year 

has been phenomenal. 

Our membership slipped 

only marginally. The vast 

majority of them were 

paid up in a very difficult 

time for most people.” 

In August, the ‘Give It A Try’ 

programme, aimed at encouraging 

girls to take up the sport, was started. 

The club was delighted to have Ellen 

Murphy, Linda Djougang and Larissa 

Muldoon, all Irish Internationals, join 

in as coaches for a number of these 

sessions. 

“That worked really well. We got a 

good few new girls into the club. I was 

up there a couple of the nights and the 

sessions were very well run. The kids 

loved it,” states Heeney. 

“We started from nothing. We have 

U-14 and U-16 girls teams in the last 

two years. The plan is to have U-14s, 

U-16s, and U-18s and then make the 

move to the adult women’s game. 

We just need to build up our playing 

resources and to support the girls as 

they come through the club.” 

Last October, the supporters were able 

to keep tabs on the senior team when 

the first match in the Energia Community 

Series against MU Barnhall was 

streamed live. 

This series was short-lived as it was 

suspended two weeks later when the 

Skerries 

Dream Team: 

15 

David Quirke 

1 4 

Kevin McGrath 

13 

Mark Hewitt 

12 

Garrett Early 

11 

Ed Caraher 

10 

Jimmy Dempsey 

9 

Chris Keane 

1 

John Horan 

2 

Billy Mulcahy [C] 

3 

Mark Burke 

4 

Mick Kumnig 

5 

Brian Higgins 

6 

Eamon Darcy 

7 

David O'Sullivan 

8 

Ross McAuley 

competition was suspended due to the 

lockdown. 

On New Year’s Day, the Virtual Goal 

Mile became a focal point for those 

willing to give of their time and energy. 

The U-15s took on the challenge to run/ 

walk/cycle the length of a complete 

virtual tour of the coastline of Ireland 

for the first month of the year, raising 

€2,000 in the process. 

It helped to maintain the link with youth 

players and build a sense of unity and 

purpose through a team challenge. 

Last month, the ongoing commitment to 

engaging with members continued with 

a ‘Skerries RFC Greatest Team of the 

AIL Era.’ 

A carefully selected panel of experts 

nominated players in each position as 

a prompt for social media followers to 

vote on who makes the ‘Dream Team.’ 

This generated widespread debate 

through the club about the candidates 

and helped revive memories of great 

moments, great days and great seasons. 


These clubs have chosen Macron 

Contact us for a quotation 

CORK: Unit 8, Metro Business Park, Ballycurreen, Kinsale Road Ck04095 

T: 0866640916 

john.orourke@macronstore.com

© 2020 adidas AG 

READY 

FOR 

ACTION 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

TRAINING 20/21

Leinster Rugby hosts 

Inclusivity Roadshows 

The Leinster Rugby Inclusivity 

Committee Virtual Roadshows 

took place over four nights in 

February with the theme of the 

roadshows being Inclusivity in 

Rugby a Guide to Activation and 

Governance. 

The aim of this work by the committee is 

to assist clubs in realising the full potential 

of all resources available to them in 

their communities and the benefits that 

can be reaped from increased diversity 

and inclusion in and about a club’s 

governance structures. 

Sport Ireland has identified Leadership 

and Governance as one of the four key 

strategic areas on which its Policy on 

Women in Sport is built. 

In turn, Sport Ireland has identified as its 

key objectives in the area of Leadership 

and Governance the progress towards 

greater gender balance in board 

membership of funded bodies and 

pathways for women aspiring to become 

leaders of funded bodies. 

In addition, and 

on foot of an 

independent-led 

governance 

review, World 

Rugby has recently published 

seven recommendations which 

will underpin meaningful reform in the 

area of governance. 

One of these seven recommendations is 

a target of at least 40 per cent female 

representation on committees with the 

promotion of women leaders in the sport. 

The Roadshows were presented by Moira 

Flahive and Lorna Quinn, the chair and 

honorary secretary of the Inclusivity 

Committee respectively. 

Lorna Quinn, Honorary Secretary said, 

“I think what struck me most was the 

huge interest from clubs in wanting to 

be more inclusive. The fact we saw, for 

the most part, the decision makers in 

clubs attending our roadshows, which 

to me shows true intent for change. This 

was reflected in the attendance over the 

four sessions where 61 clubs in Leinster 

registered to attend the roadshows with 

an average of 40 attendees per session. 

“The feedback was so positive; it really 

makes me excited to see what the next 

few years holds for women in rugby.” 

Moira Flahive, Chairperson added, “On 

behalf of the Inclusivity Committee of 

Leinster Rugby I was delighted to see the 

huge number of clubs and members of 

other Committees in the Branch attend 

the recent Inclusivity in Rugby a Guide to 

Activation and Governance Roadshows 

as presented by the Inclusivity Committee 

of Leinster Rugby. 

“These presentations were the result of 

true teamwork, an essential in rugby. All 

clubs are now being asked to examine 

how they might endeavour to increase 

the inclusivity and diversity in or about 

the structure and running of their 

organisation. I hope that the extensive 

content of the roadshows will prove to 

be of real and practical benefit in these 

endeavours.” 

“I thoroughly enjoyed presenting the 

recent roadshows along with Lorna. The 

attendance each evening was hugely 

rewarding to see. The work of the subcommittee 

(Sarah Bean, Ali Nolan and 

Rachael O’Brien) in putting together the 

content and the Inclusivity Committee in 

settling same at various stages along the 

way was properly acknowledged in this 

attendance and the positive feedback 

that we have received since.” 

“I am delighted to have received 

such positive feedback. As we stated 

in the course of the roadshows, we 

are finalising a toolkit with various 

templates as a resource to clubs. We 

would welcome any further feedback 

and comments which might inform the 

content of these resources. The Inclusivity 

Committee will also be finalising the 

content to be found on the Leinster Rugby 

website where the toolkit will, amongst 

other items, be available. This content 

will be evolving in tandem with the work 

of the Inclusivity Committee and with 

relevant developments in the area of 

inclusivity and diversity in the sport of 

rugby in the Province and beyond.” 

John Walsh, President of the Leinster 

Branch said, “The positive engagement 

that we got from so many clubs and 

club administrators was tremendous 

and will undoubtedly lead to the further 

development of the game for all in our 

communities.” 

Thank you to all the clubs and 

representatives who took the time to 

attend the roadshows, their insights on 

the night and input going forward are 

invaluable to the Inclusivity Committee 

and the game in our province. 

For more information on the 

inclusivity committee, click here. 

Leinster Rugby Inclusivity Committee: 

Moira Flahive – Chairperson, Lorna 

Quinn – Hon Secretary – Leinster 

Women’s Team Manager, Debbie 

Carty – Senior Vice President, 

Leinster Branch, Rachael O’Brien 

– Women’s Committee, Cathy 

Bryce – Independent, Sarah Bean 

– Independent, Grainne Carroll 

– Youths Rugby, Adam Malin – 

Schools Rugby, Ciaran O’Brien 

– Referees, Enda Finn – North 

Midlands Area, Lorcan Kirk – North 

East Area, Ali Nolan – Metro Area, 

Cora Browne – South East Area, 

Michael Lambe – Midlands Area, 

Jacinta O’ Rourke – Senior Clubs, 

Trevor Merry – Senior Clubs. 


McCarthy 

Joe 

WORDS: RYAN CORRY 


LEINSTER 

RUGBY’S JOE 

McCARTHY 

TALKS ABOUT 

HIS PATHWAY 

TO THE 

PROVINCE’S 

ACADEMY 

AND 

LEARNING 

HIS TRADE. 

It’s a common misconception that the 

athletes you see on your television or 

in the newspapers were always the 

ones destined to be on those screens 

and pages. 

Taking to their sport like it was second nature, 

as if they were born to do just that. 

However, it’s not always that straightforward, 

there can be setbacks and there can be 

disappointments. 

Leinster Rugby Academy second row Joe 

McCarthy is a perfect example of how 

perseverance and hard work are needed to go 

with the skill that is in there, somewhere. 

A former student of Blackrock College, a 

school famed for its production of rugby 

players in the past, McCarthy rarely featured 

in the school’s first choice squads until his sixth 

and final year. 

In the space of three years, he has gone from 

playing ‘socially’ to rubbing shoulders with the 

good and the great of Leinster Rugby in the 

province’s UCD headquarters. 

“I always wanted to try and play first team but 

I didn’t make too many teams on the way up 

through Blackrock,” McCarthy explains. 

“I didn’t make any JCT teams and in fifth year, I 

wasn’t involved in the SCT. But, I never stopped 

playing, even in fourth year, I would have 

played with a social team. Eventually, I made 

the Senior Cup team in sixth year and it was 

my first taste of playing with the firsts. 

“I wouldn’t even have expected to make that 

but I had been training pretty hard. I was 

shocked then to make the Leinster 19s and 

Ireland Clubs and Schools that year.” 

McCarthy also played three games of Ireland’s 

U-20 Six Nations campaign, coming off the 

replacements bench for Noel McNamara’s 

side against Scotland, Wales and England 

before the competition was sadly postponed, 

and later cancelled, due to the Covid-19 

pandemic. 

The lock is very aware of some of the key 

factors in his rapid rise from the fringes in 

Blackrock to international honours and his 

place in the province’s Academy. 

One of those is his family environment, 

McCarthy is the middle child of three brothers, 

each of them as absorbed by the game of 

rugby as the last. 

Training through lockdown was made easier, 

and harder, by having that competitive edge in 

the house and being able to work together in a 

makeshift gym and training area. 

Younger brother Paddy is following the same 

path as Joe through Blackrock College while, 


Hassle-free 

Home Delivery 

FROM 

€6 

PER 

WEEK 

2 weekend papers and 7-day digital access 

Call today on 01-7055333 

or visit www.independent.ie/subscribe

Andrew, the oldest of the three, has been 

active in a variety of sports through the Special 

Olympics. 

“Paddy played for the Leinster 18s this summer, 

he was on the SCT for Blackrock last year,” 

he adds. 

“We trained the whole time together. It was 

pretty handy having him, he’s a prop but 

he’s really into his training, as am I, so over 

lockdown we were really able to train pretty 

hard together. 

“I have an older brother, Andrew, too. He’s 

two years older than me. He has Down’s 

Syndrome so he plays a load of tag rugby with 

the Special Olympics, and he’s into all their 

training. 

“He does the Special Olympics running, table 

tennis, loves any kind of sports that are going 

and he loves Leinster. 

“He has all the Leinster gear and he loves it. 

He finds it a bit mad that I’m in training with 

some players that he watches on TV. I haven’t 

played that many games but he’d come to 

every single one I’m at.” 

Aside from the in-house competitive streak, 

McCarthy acknowledges his exposure to 

regular AIL rugby as being a huge plus in 

pushing him to the levels he has now reached. 

Departing Blackrock College, he moved to 

Trinity College where he currently is in his 

second year studying Global Business. 

He also joined up with DUFC, playing in 

the Energia All-Ireland League’s Division 1A 

where he was able to learn his trade under the 

tutelage of Tony Smeeth, Hugh Maguire and 

Ian Hirst. 

“I was in Trinity after the Leinster 19s interpros 

and in there, I improved a lot. I played every 

week with the Trinity AIL team up until about 

Christmas so I got so much better from being 

thrown into senior rugby. Being able to play 

with them every week helped me progress 

a lot. 

“Hugh Maguire is in there who is an old 

school forwards coach. I definitely 

learned a lot from him. Trinity train on 

Tuesdays, Thursdays and then a match 

Saturday. You’d usually have a long 

unit session on Tuesday with a lot of 

scrums. 

“And Tony likes to play a really fast, 

exciting brand of rugby. It was definitely great 

for my development because we moved the 

ball around and I learned a lot from Tony, 

Hugh and Hirsty.” 

Prior to this development on the pitch, 

McCarthy had set his sights on a path in the 

world of business, leading to the choice of 

course in Trinity. 

The sudden nature of his surge into the world 

of professional rugby hasn’t prevented him 

from continuing to pursue that option, instead, 

he finds, that the club have been pro-active 

in enabling players, particularly those in the 

Academy, to continue with their studies. 

“I wanted to play for Trinity and was keeping 

an eye on good business courses. I always 

knew I wanted to do something businessassociated 

and Global Business in Trinity 

focuses on the business aspect straight 

away, as opposed to some others,” he 

outlines. 

“In the Leinster Academy, there’s a big 

emphasis on developing yourself outside 

of rugby. If the extra stuff and college life 

outside of rugby is going well, then your 

rugby follows. 


“There’s definitely an emphasis on your career 

development and we often have speakers 

in to talk to us about where we can take our 

degrees and skills and translate them into the 

workplace. 

“There’s a lot of help mapping out your 

personal and professional development.” 

And the 19-year-old doesn’t have to look too 

far for examples on how that nurturing of 

academic ability can be a solid foundation on 

which to end a sporting career. 

Upon announcing his retirement last year, 

winger Barry Daly also revealed that he would 

be doing a Master’s in Business at Boston 

College while another former Leinster player, 

Peadar Timmins, currently finds himself in Notre 

Dame’s Esteem Graduate Programme. 

However, attention for now stays with matters 

on the pitch and McCarthy is using his first year 

in the Academy to the best of his ability. 

For obvious reasons, matches have been at 

a premium for Academy players who would 


“SEE HOW 

CALM DEV IS 

WHEN HE’S 

CALLING A 

LINEOUT! 

EVERY DAY, 

YOU’RE TRYING 

TO PICK UP THE 

LITTLE THINGS 

THEY DO AND 

THE SMALL 

BITS LIKE JUMP 

TECH.” 

usually be cutting their teeth in the Celtic Cup 

or pre-season friendlies but it’s just another 

challenge that McCarthy and co have had to 

take in their stride. 

“There’s less games so it’s been interesting 

trying to find different ways to get better when 

you’re not playing every week. 

“It’s a big step up when you get to go training 

with the seniors for the first couple of times. I 

definitely found that you have to prepare for 

those Tuesday sessions like it’s a gameday, 

that’s your focus if you’re not involved on 

matchday. 

“We prepare the team by mimicking what 

the opposition lineout is doing. You need to 

make sure you do a lot of work on what the 

opposition do, then you’re watching the lads 

and learning the reasons behind calls.” 

One of those up against the young uncapped 

lock in training each week is the 70-times 

international Devin Toner, who is also set to 

equal Gordon D’Arcy’s record of 261 games 

for the province tonight. 

There are few second rows in the business 

in terms of longevity, cool-headedness and 

experience that an Academy player might 

look to emulate. 

Scott Fardy is another on that list and 

McCarthy is grateful to be able to learn from 

them at close quarters regularly. 

“You’re always asking them about small little 

things and watching them in training. See how 

calm Dev is when he’s calling a lineout! Every 

day, you’re trying to pick up the little things 

they do and the small bits like jump tech. 

“When you’re doing lineouts against them, 

and competing with them, your detail in 

the lineout has to replicate the opposition 

perfectly. I’ve learned so much from all of the 

experienced guys there, especially Dev and 

Fardy, I’m soaking up as much as I can. 

“Being a second row, you need to be really 

accurate with your lineout calling. You’re 

looking at small things. I’ve definitely got 

better at reviewing video of opposition. 

“Even the sequence of calls, learning why 

each individual call is called at a certain 

stage.” 

Turning 20 next week, there’s a long way 

to go for McCarthy in his career but he’s 

certainly moving in the right direction. 


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 (7 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 





THOMAS CLARKSON #1285 

Did You Know: Thomas 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 


& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

ANDREW SMITH #1292 

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 


& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

SEÁN O’BRIEN #1297 

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 #1296 

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 




MAX O’REILLY #1291 

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 

Roan Corcoran 

Age: 8 

School: Number 1 School, 

Blessington 

Hobbies: Roan loves rugby, and he 

is a member of Blessington RFC. He 

also loves Mineecraft on the Switch. 

Roan also loves animals and owns 

two cats, three dogs and a horse! 

Favourite player: Johnny Sexton 

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) 


MOLONY (TONER 62) 

BAIRD 

MURPHY (PENNY 52 2T) 

LEAVY (DUNNE 70) 

RUDDOCK 

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) 


Ciann Kenny 

Age: 10 

School: Star of the Sea 

Hobbies: Rugby (fanatic) 

Favourite player: Hugo Keenan 

virtual match mascot 

Sat 19 Dec 13:00 

Champions Cup 

W 35-19 

Sat 2 Jan 19:35 


L 24-35 

Fri 8 Jan 19:35 


W 24-12 

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 


O'REILLY 

SMITH 

J O'BRIEN 1C (O'SULLIVAN 62) 

O'LOUGHLIN (HAWKSHAW 56 1C) 

KEARNEY 

SEXTON (TURNER 23) 

L MCGRATH 1T 

DOOLEY (E BYRNE 51 1T) 

TRACY (CRONIN 51) 

BENT (G MCGRATH 69) 

MOLONY 

TONER (CONAN 51 (CONNORS 57)) 

BAIRD 1T 

PENNY 1T 

LEAVY (CONAN 61) 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR 

R BYRNE 1C 

R HENSHAW 1T 

KEARNEY 1T (J O'BRIEN 80) 

SEXTON 1C 

GIBSON-PARK (L MCGRATH 60) 

HEALY (E BYRNE 56) 

CRONIN 1T (TRACY 56 1T) 

PORTER (BENT 66) 

FARDY (MOLONY 66) 

J RYAN 

RUDDOCK (CONAN 62) 

VAN DER FLIER 

DORIS 

Northampton 

Saints v 


Friday 

January 15 

Franklin's Gardens 

postponed 

Sat 23 Jan 19:35 


W 10-13 

Sat 30 Jan 19:35 


W 25-52 

Fri 19 Feb 19:35 


W 29-35 


v Montpellier 

Friday 

January22 

RDS Arena 

postponed 

KEENAN 

LARMOUR 1T 

RINGROSE 

HENSHAW 

J O'BRIEN (GIBSON-PARK 58) 

SEXTON 2P (R BYRNE 53 1C) 

L MCGRATH 

HEALY (E BYRNE 50) 

CRONIN (R KELLEHER 50) 

PORTER 


J RYAN 

RUDDOCK (CONAN 68) 

CONNORS (VAN DER FLIER 59) 

DORIS 

O'REILLY 1T 

C KELLEHER 1T 

TURNER (J OSBORNE 46) 

FRAWLEY (HAWKSHAW 71 1T) 

KEARNEY 

H BYRNE (6C 1P) 

L MCGRATH 1T (H O'SULLIVAN 67) 

DOOLEY (E BYRNE 54) 

TRACY 1T (CRONIN 54) 

FURLONG (CLARKSON H-T) 

MOLONY 

BAIRD 

MURPHY 

LEAVY 1T (FARDY 77) 

CONAN (DUNNE 60) 

O'REILLY 

C KELLEHER 

O'LOUGHLIN 

R BYRNE 4C (HAWKSHAW 77) 

KEARNEY 

H BYRNE (J OSBORNE 63) 

L MCGRATH (R OSBORNE 67) 

DOOLEY 1T (HANAN 65) 

TRACY (SHEEHAN 57 1T) 

CLARKSON (G MCGRATH 65) 

MOLONY (TONER 57) 

BAIRD 

MURPHY 1T (FARDY 67) 

PENNY 1T 

CONAN 


Fixtures & 

results 

2020/21 

Sun 28 Feb 17:30 


W 40-21 

J O'BRIEN 

C KELLEHER 1T (O'REILLY) 

J OSBORNE 

O'LOUGHLIN 

KEARNEY 

H BYRNE 1T 2C (HAWKSHAW 33 2C) 

L MCGRATH 1T (R OSBORNE 75) 

DOOLEY (G MCGRATH 74) 

CRONIN (SHEEHAN 59 1T) 


TONER 

FARDY 

MURPHY (SOROKA 57) 

VAN DER FLIER 

PENNY 2T (DUNNE 74) 

Sat 6 Mar 19:35 


W 19-38 

O'REILLY 

C KELLEHER 

J O'BRIEN (J OSBORNE 73) 

O'LOUGHLIN 

KEARNEY 

R BYRNE 5C 1P 

L MCGRATH (R OSBORNE 76) 

E BYRNE 1T (DOOLEY 57) 

TRACY (SHEEHAN 57 1T) 

BENT 1T (CLARKSON 57) 

TONER (DUNNE 73) 


RUDDOCK 1T 

VAN DER FLIER 1T 

PENNY 

Fri 12 Mar 17:45 


W 31-48 

O'REILLY 

C KELLEHER 1T 

J O'BRIEN (J OSBORNE 52) 

O'LOUGHLIN 

KEARNEY 3T 

H BYRNE 4C 1P (CORKERY 65) 

L MCGRATH 1T (H O'SULLIVAN HT 1C) 

DOOLEY 

SHEEHAN 2T (TRACY 55) 

CLARKSON (BENT 55) 

MOLONY 

DUNNE 

MURPHY 

PENNY (TONER 65) 

SOROKA (S O'BRIEN 48) 

ROUND 

16 


v ospreys 

friday 

march 19 

RDS Arena 

KO 8.15pm 

final 


v munster 

round of 16 


v RC Toulon 

saturday 

march 27 

RDS Arena 

KO 5PM 

friday 

2 april 

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 

Rory O’Loughlin 

Jamie Osborne 

Ciarán Frawley 

Dave Kearney 

Harry Byrne 

Rowan Osborne 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

Dan Evans [C] 

Dewi Cross 

Owen Watkin 

Keiran Williams 

Cai Evans 

Luke Price 

Reuben Morgan-Williams 

Peter Dooley 

Seán Cronin 

Michael Bent 

Ross Molony 

Devin Toner 

Scott Fardy [C] 

Scott Penny 

Josh Murphy 

Dan Sheehan 

Marcus Hanan 

Thomas Clarkson 

Jack Dunne 

Seán O’Brien 

Hugh O’Sullivan 

Tim Corkery 

Andrew Smith 

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 

Rhys Henry 

Sam Parry 

Ma’afu Fia 

Lloyd Ashley 

Rhys Davies 

Will Griffiths 

Morgan Morris 

Gareth Evans 

Dewi Lake 

Garyn Phillips 

Tom Botha 

Olly Cracknell 

Sam Cross 

Shaun Venter 

Josh Thomas 

Joe Hawkins 

Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU, 7th competition game) 

Assistant Referee: Seán Gallagher (IRFU) 

Assistant Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (IRFU) 

TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU) 


FULL MATCH REPLAYS 

NOW AVAILABLE 

WITH XTRA 

MEMBERSHIP. 

SIGN UP FOR FREE AT 

PRO14.RUGBY

MAKE IT A GAME 

YOU’LL REMEMBER. 

MODERATE YOUR DRINKING. 

MAKE YOUR NEXT PINT TAP WATER. 

SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE 

#GUINNESSCLEAR

Leinster Rugby v Ospreys

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?