Leinster vs Bath
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 06 Leinster vs Bath | EPCR Heineken Champions Cup Friday 3rd December, 2021 | KO 3:15 | Aviva Stadium
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 06
Leinster vs Bath | EPCR Heineken Champions Cup
Friday 3rd December, 2021 | KO 3:15 | Aviva Stadium
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ISSUE 6 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME<br />
LEINSTER<br />
VS<br />
bath<br />
SAT 11 th DEC<br />
AVIVA STADIUM<br />
KO 3.15PM<br />
FRONT PAGE
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The Line up<br />
Telephone:<br />
012693224<br />
Fax:<br />
012693142<br />
E-mail:<br />
information@leinsterrugby.ie<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
10<br />
24<br />
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT<br />
President: John Walsh<br />
Chief Executive: Michael Dawson<br />
Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley<br />
Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail<br />
RUGBY MANAGEMENT<br />
Head Coach: Leo Cullen<br />
Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster<br />
Head of Rugby Operations:<br />
Guy Easterby<br />
Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde<br />
Backs Coach: Felipe Contepomi<br />
Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell<br />
Contact Skills Coach: Denis Leamy<br />
14<br />
PROGRAMME CREDITS<br />
Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla,<br />
Ryan Corry & Paul Cahill<br />
Advertising: Gary Nolan<br />
Design: Julian Tredinnick,<br />
Ignition Sports Media<br />
Photography: Sportsfile<br />
Chief Steward: Sword Security<br />
Ambulance: St. John’s Ambulance<br />
Medilink<br />
Event Control & Safety Services:<br />
Eamonn O’Boyle & Associates<br />
60<br />
92<br />
STAY<br />
CONNECTED<br />
& KEEP<br />
UP-TO-DATE<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3
EPCR WELCOME<br />
MESSAGE<br />
A warm welcome to this<br />
match in the 2021/22 Heineken<br />
Champions Cup season as we<br />
look forward once again to<br />
elite clubs and top players<br />
producing the brilliance and<br />
drama which have for long<br />
been the trademarks of our<br />
truly world-class tournament.<br />
Following the new EPCR<br />
agreement which was concluded<br />
last April, we are now entering<br />
an exciting era for Heineken<br />
Champions Cup rugby and with<br />
stadiums across Europe opening<br />
up to fans once again, we will<br />
see a return to the traditional<br />
passion and colour which have<br />
characterised the competition<br />
since its inception in 1995.<br />
The 24-club format with two pools of 12<br />
has been retained, and following two<br />
rounds of matches this month, and two in<br />
January, the eight highest-ranked clubs<br />
in each pool will qualify for the knockout<br />
stage.<br />
An innovative Round of 16 with home<br />
and away legs, and then traditional<br />
quarter-finals and semi-finals, will<br />
guarantee a further series of compelling<br />
fixtures culminating in the 2022 final at<br />
the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille on<br />
Saturday, 28 May. In addition, three<br />
clubs from each pool will qualify for the<br />
Round of 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup.<br />
A special mention must go to Stade<br />
Toulousain who made history last season<br />
when they lifted the trophy in such fine<br />
style for a record fifth time, and to the<br />
supremely-talented Antoine Dupont who<br />
became the first French player to be<br />
awarded the Anthony Foley Memorial<br />
Trophy as EPCR European Player of the<br />
Year.<br />
We are delighted to be joined on the<br />
journey to the Marseille finals by our<br />
long-standing title partner, Heineken, and<br />
we also extend the hand of welcome to<br />
our newest official partner, DHL, who will<br />
provide customised logistics solutions for<br />
both the Heineken Champions Cup and<br />
the EPCR Challenge Cup. We would also<br />
like to thank Tissot, the Financial Times,<br />
Gilbert and Kappa for their continuing<br />
support.<br />
We recognise the superb coverage<br />
provided by our TV partners BT Sport,<br />
beIN SPORTS, France Télévisions,<br />
Channel 4 and Virgin Media whose<br />
output is complemented by the wide<br />
range of linear and OTT platforms which<br />
broadcast the Heineken Champions Cup<br />
globally.<br />
The elite clubs in this season’s tournament<br />
have a total of 38 European titles<br />
between them so we are certain of topquality<br />
entertainment from the kick-off to<br />
the final whistle.<br />
On behalf of everyone at EPCR, enjoy<br />
the match and best wishes to you, the<br />
fans, as well as to your club’s players<br />
and staff for what promises to be another<br />
memorable Heineken Champions Cup<br />
season.<br />
Yours in rugby,<br />
Dominic McKay<br />
EPCR Chairman (interim)
Every great match<br />
starts with 0.0
Welcome to Round 1 of the<br />
Heineken® Champions Cup<br />
2021/2022.<br />
The start of a new season of<br />
Heineken® Champions Cup rugby<br />
always brings great excitement<br />
and anticipation for what awaits<br />
between now and the end of<br />
May. All teams start out with<br />
hopes and dreams of making<br />
the final in Marseilles and what<br />
promises to be a fantastic festival<br />
of rugby. We at HEINEKEN Ireland<br />
are immensely proud to be title<br />
sponsor of Europe’s leading club<br />
rugby competition, a tournament<br />
that conjures up so many truly<br />
memorable sporting occasions,<br />
forever etched in the folklore of<br />
Irish sport and I have no doubt,<br />
more memories will be made in<br />
this new season.<br />
What makes this season even more<br />
special is that it truly marks the return of<br />
the big match day occasion that we have<br />
all missed so much over the past couple<br />
of seasons. It was testament to the<br />
great work of EPCR and the players and<br />
officials of all the participating teams,<br />
that the past two Heineken® Champions<br />
Cup seasons were completed, albeit in<br />
a truncated manner. However, what<br />
was abundantly clear is that matchday<br />
is nothing without fans in stadia. It really<br />
is fantastic that all fans will again get to<br />
enjoy rugby around Europe this season;<br />
be it live in stadia or in their local bar<br />
over a refreshing Heineken® with friends.<br />
The pandemic has impacted us all in<br />
so many ways, but sport has been a<br />
real beacon of hope, a source of great<br />
enjoyment and comfort to so many. Long<br />
may it continue to be.<br />
I wish all teams participating in this<br />
season’s competition good luck and<br />
success. It goes without saying that<br />
we in HEINEKEN Ireland will keep a<br />
particularly close eye on the results of<br />
Connacht, <strong>Leinster</strong>, Munster and Ulster.<br />
I wish them all well in Round 1 & 2 as<br />
they take on quality English and French<br />
opposition.<br />
Enjoy the games and as always please<br />
do socialise responsibly.<br />
Maarten Schuurman<br />
Managing Director, HEINEKEN Ireland.
PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2020/22<br />
john walsh welcome<br />
At this time of the rugby playing<br />
season the thoughts of rugby fans<br />
across Europe turn to the stars but<br />
not skywards.<br />
It’s the desire that your cherished club<br />
will have their jersey emblazoned by<br />
a golden star signifying that they have<br />
won a Heineken Champions Cup in the<br />
2021/22 season.<br />
The competition which commenced in<br />
1995/96 (won by Toulouse) has brought<br />
excitement and drama to European club<br />
rugby and attracted sports fans from<br />
all over the rugby world (128 affiliated<br />
countries to World Rugby) to follow<br />
the tournament and the fortunes of the<br />
international players and their clubs as<br />
the competition progresses.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> are the proud winners of four<br />
titles, just one behind Toulouse who went<br />
ahead of them by winning last season’s<br />
final. To date just 12 of Europe’s leading<br />
clubs have won the European Cup. Three<br />
from Ireland with seven wins, three from<br />
France with nine wins and six clubs from<br />
England with 10 wins between them.<br />
After seven rounds of the United Rugby<br />
Championship, <strong>Leinster</strong> top the league<br />
table narrowly with 29 points closely<br />
pursued by Edinburgh on 28 points and<br />
followed by Ulster in third position on 25<br />
points.<br />
In the process of achieving this position<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> have won six of their seven<br />
fixtures in the league and have scored<br />
219 points (the highest number in the<br />
16-team league) and conceded 85 points<br />
(the lowest of all the sides who have<br />
played their seven league fixtures).<br />
So we head into our European campaign<br />
in solid form with the ambition and desire<br />
to add a fifth star to our club shirt that<br />
has currently four stars on it signifying<br />
our hard earned victories in 2008/09<br />
(beating Leicester), 2010/11 (beating<br />
Northampton), 2011/12 (beating Ulster)<br />
and in 2017/18 (beating Racing).<br />
We are however mindful that these stars<br />
are not easily captured having lost the<br />
2018/19 final to Saracens, losing out<br />
again to Saracens in the quarter-final in<br />
2019/20 and exiting at the semi-final last<br />
season to La Rochelle.<br />
The 24 elite European clubs taking part<br />
in this season’s tournament all have the<br />
ambition and desire to make the final in<br />
Stade de Velodrome in Marseille next<br />
May.<br />
This season <strong>Leinster</strong>’s Pool stage<br />
opposition consists of <strong>Bath</strong> (Heineken<br />
Cup winners in 1997/98, beating Brive<br />
and European Challenge Cup winners<br />
in 2007/08 beating Worcester) and<br />
Montpellier (winners of the European<br />
Challenge Cup in 2021 beating Leicester<br />
18-17 and in 2016 beating Harlequins,<br />
and also winners of the European Shield<br />
in 2004, beating Viadana).<br />
<strong>Bath</strong>’s season to date has been one of<br />
ill-fortune and their Gallagher Premiership<br />
campaign sees them rooted to the<br />
dreaded number 13 position at the<br />
bottom of the league with no wins to<br />
date.<br />
The pendulum of good fortune that all<br />
teams need for success has gone in the<br />
wrong direction for what undoubtedly<br />
has been one of England’s most<br />
successful clubs.<br />
However their European campaign last<br />
season was good and they reached the<br />
semi-final of the European Challenge<br />
Cup losing narrowly to the eventual<br />
winners Montpellier. They know that this<br />
competition offers them a great chance to<br />
focus on something else and rejuvenate<br />
their season.<br />
In the professional era, <strong>Leinster</strong> have<br />
played <strong>Bath</strong> on 11 occasions for nine<br />
victories and two defeats and while<br />
these stats may impress I can assure you<br />
that they were all very hard and closely<br />
fought wins.<br />
The Rec is one of the most historic playing<br />
fields in the history of the game and has<br />
been home to <strong>Bath</strong> since 1894. It can be<br />
a hot cauldron for visiting teams and the<br />
atmosphere of the fans creates a unique<br />
theatre for rugby. Just like the mighty<br />
River Avon that flows beside the grounds,<br />
visiting sides can become embroiled in<br />
turbulent times at The Rec.<br />
Next weekend it’s a trip to France for<br />
Leo Cullen’s men but that can wait for<br />
next week. For now all eyes are on Stuart<br />
Hooper’s <strong>Bath</strong> and the challenge they<br />
pose.<br />
Regrettably the dark clouds of the<br />
Covid-19 pandemic are still with us and<br />
some of the positive role that fans play<br />
for both sides in European fixtures may<br />
well be reduced due to travel regulations.<br />
However, on behalf of all involved in<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby I extend a warm welcome<br />
to all the fans who join us for our<br />
European fixtures at home and abroad<br />
and I wish a safe trip to any <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
supporters heading to France next<br />
weekend.<br />
Enjoy the games and stay safe.<br />
JOHN WALSH<br />
President <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby 2020/22<br />
8 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
10 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Leo Cullen<br />
head Coach Welcome<br />
A very warm welcome to you all, and in particular to<br />
Stuart Hooper and his <strong>Bath</strong> team for the much-anticipated<br />
start of this year’s Heineken Champions Cup. Both clubs<br />
have a rich history in the competition, and we have gone<br />
head-to-head on no less than 11 previous occasions. I’m<br />
sure today will be another keenly contested affair.<br />
It’s hard to believe this is our last<br />
home game of 2021. What a year<br />
it has been!<br />
It’s really great to be signing off with our<br />
largest attendance of the year and we<br />
are all so grateful to you for turning out<br />
and giving us your backing. We hope<br />
today is another positive step on the way<br />
to <strong>Leinster</strong> playing in front of a full Aviva<br />
Stadium.<br />
We also hope you get to spend some<br />
quality time with loved ones over the<br />
Christmas period as we look forward to<br />
brighter days ahead.<br />
For the team, the festivities will be short<br />
as we are on the road for three straight<br />
weeks: Montpellier away next week,<br />
followed by Munster on St Stephen’s Day<br />
and then Ulster on New Year’s Day. It all<br />
adds up to a big and exciting challenge<br />
for the group.<br />
Our sympathies are very much with all<br />
the players and staff who were caught<br />
up in South Africa over the last couple of<br />
weeks. It was really bad luck and could<br />
have happened to any of us, so we wish<br />
those who were unlucky enough to fall ill<br />
a speedy recovery.<br />
I am also thinking of Ifan Phillips, the<br />
Ospreys hooker, who was involved in<br />
a very serious road traffic accident last<br />
week. Ifan, his family, friends and all of<br />
his colleagues at the Ospreys are in our<br />
thoughts at a very difficult time for them<br />
all.<br />
To all the team’s sponsors, we would<br />
normally enjoy a Christmas get-together<br />
of some description, but with recent<br />
guidelines this has not been possible.<br />
As a group, we are very appreciative<br />
of all that you do for the team, and we<br />
hope those of you who have made it<br />
here today have an excellent day out. A<br />
special shout out to Best Menswear for<br />
kitting us out in our smart new suits! And<br />
also to Beauchamps who have recently<br />
renewed their sponsorship.<br />
We have some special guests<br />
with us today. I hope you all<br />
give Fergus McFadden a warm<br />
welcome back as I believe he<br />
will be introduced before the<br />
game to the crowd at Aviva<br />
Stadium. Ferg was a great<br />
competitor for <strong>Leinster</strong> over many years<br />
and unfortunately had to finish in an<br />
empty stadium so we are delighted that<br />
he can join us today along with his wife<br />
Rebecca and other members of his family.<br />
We also have the team of 2001 here to<br />
celebrate <strong>Leinster</strong>’s Celtic League win<br />
which (hard to believe I know) was 20<br />
years ago!<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> were very early in the journey<br />
of professional rugby at the time but it<br />
was an important first step in delivering<br />
silverware. The team also had to dig-in to<br />
pull out an against-the-odds performance<br />
after going down to 14 men early in the<br />
game.<br />
December gives us the opportunity to<br />
work with the Peter McVerry Trust as our<br />
latest charity partner and we would like<br />
to thank Life Style Sports and adidas for<br />
donating cold weather kit at a time when<br />
it is most needed.<br />
Finally, to our wonderful supporters,<br />
it was really special to have had you<br />
back at the RDS Arena for the two<br />
interprovincial derbies. Everyone<br />
involved was hugely disappointed with<br />
our performance against Ulster where<br />
we felt we let you down, but last week’s<br />
effort against Connacht was much more<br />
like it from us. We hope we can build on<br />
that over the coming weeks, and we’re<br />
counting on your support as always.<br />
Wishing you all a very happy, healthy<br />
Christmas and here’s to 2022!<br />
Enjoy the game,<br />
Leo.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 11
Joann<br />
Hosey<br />
PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR<br />
BANK OF IRELAND DUBLIN<br />
Welcome to the<br />
Aviva Stadium<br />
for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby’s first<br />
Heineken<br />
Champions Cup<br />
tie of the season<br />
against <strong>Bath</strong>.<br />
This match comes hot on the heels<br />
of two recent Interpro matches<br />
against Ulster and Connacht,<br />
which provided some stern<br />
challenges for Leo Cullen and his<br />
squad. No doubt they are looking<br />
forward to facing the different<br />
kind of challenge <strong>Bath</strong> will pose<br />
today.<br />
Before going any further I must<br />
mention Munster Rugby as they battle<br />
to overcome their own recent Covid<br />
challenges. We hope that the players<br />
and staff who remained behind in South<br />
Africa all the best upon returning home –<br />
and that they enjoy a speedy recovery.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby has a long history of<br />
playing <strong>Bath</strong> both in the pool and the<br />
knockout stages of European rugby.<br />
There is huge respect between both clubs<br />
and we are all looking forward to what<br />
I’m sure will be two keenly contested<br />
clashes, both this weekend in Dublin and<br />
again in January 2022 when <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
visit the Rec.<br />
Bank of Ireland was delighted to host<br />
a presentation night at the RDS for the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Women’s team on Friday,<br />
3 December. Special congratulations<br />
should go to all the players presented<br />
with their <strong>Leinster</strong> debut caps - and<br />
indeed to all the players given their<br />
representative jerseys on the night. It<br />
was a special occasion to celebrate<br />
their journey to that point and we were<br />
delighted to host this event.<br />
Elsewhere in this match day programme,<br />
Mick Dawson, <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby CEO, is<br />
being celebrated for over 20 years at<br />
the helm.<br />
Bank of Ireland would like to extend<br />
its thanks and good wishes to Mick,<br />
someone we have enjoyed an excellent<br />
relationship with over many years. We<br />
congratulate him on reaching this major<br />
milestone and wish him many more years<br />
of success leading the organisation.<br />
A massive amount has been achieved<br />
under his watch over the past two<br />
decades, and I’m sure that he’ll only add<br />
further to his legacy in the years to come<br />
from his UCD base.<br />
Finally, it was wonderful to see the Bank<br />
of Ireland half-time minis return over the<br />
last two weekends, and we look forward<br />
to witnessing more mini action today at<br />
the Aviva Stadium.<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> rugby clubs are the foundation<br />
stones of the ‘From The Ground Up’<br />
model, and it is great to be able to<br />
support this wonderful initiative once<br />
again.<br />
JH<br />
Enjoy the game,<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 13
14 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
andrew<br />
porter<br />
the big interview<br />
BY RYAN CORRY<br />
It was hard not to feel<br />
sympathetic towards<br />
how Andrew Porter’s<br />
2020/21 campaign<br />
finished.<br />
From the highest of<br />
highs with his British<br />
and Irish Lions callup<br />
to a crushing low<br />
when he obtained a foot<br />
injury in the Guinness<br />
PRO14 Rainbow Cup<br />
clash with Glasgow<br />
that would rule him<br />
out of the summer<br />
tour to South Africa.<br />
It was professional<br />
sport at its cruellest.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 15
So, while the tour went ahead<br />
despite various difficulties and<br />
obstacles that it endured in<br />
getting played, Porter turned<br />
back to the drawing board<br />
and set to work under the<br />
watchful eye of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
rehabilitation physiotherapist,<br />
Fearghal Kerin.<br />
“Ah yeah, it was a proud moment for<br />
me getting named in the squad, for my<br />
family, for my girlfriend and myself, it was<br />
incredible just being named in the squad.<br />
Then you had the disappointment, the<br />
bad timing of the injury with my foot. It<br />
was a summer of ups and downs.<br />
“I think I watched maybe the last half of<br />
the last game and that was it. I switched<br />
off from rugby a small bit so that I could<br />
focus on myself over the summer,” Porter<br />
says of the Lions tour.<br />
“I just wanted to get the best out<br />
of my training and my rehab. I<br />
distanced myself from rugby a<br />
bit over the time off and I think<br />
that kind of refreshed my mind<br />
and helped me to get over that<br />
disappointment.<br />
16 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
“The amount of work put in, in particular<br />
from the physios, I was working with<br />
Fearghal, he was great with me in terms<br />
of getting my body right over the summer<br />
and getting my training into me. It helped<br />
me prepare really well for the season.”<br />
And prepare well he has, Porter has<br />
started the new campaign in the same<br />
vein that led to his initial call to join<br />
Warren Gatland and Co but with the<br />
blue and green jerseys on his mind.<br />
The former St Andrew’s College man has<br />
played four games for <strong>Leinster</strong> with two<br />
tries under his belt, on top of his three<br />
starts for Ireland in the November series<br />
which also featured his name on the<br />
score sheet against Argentina.<br />
Could it be that the anti-climactic end<br />
to the previous season is driving on the<br />
prop now?<br />
In a word: Maybe.<br />
He confesses that the driving factor is<br />
and always has been the desire to do<br />
his best for his teammates, his family and<br />
the supporters every time he pulls on that<br />
jersey but maybe, just maybe, it’s in the<br />
back of his mind.<br />
There’s so much different<br />
opposition in terms of the<br />
European Cup and there’ll be big<br />
challenges ahead but it’s been<br />
very enjoyable for the most<br />
part of it.<br />
“Even if it wasn’t at the forefront of my<br />
mind, I’d say subconsciously I was like<br />
‘Ok, I didn’t get what I wanted out of the<br />
summer so I’m just going to make the best<br />
of what I have got’”, he admits.<br />
“I did a lot of training in my time over the<br />
summer, especially while I was injured to<br />
give myself the best possible chance for<br />
pre-season.”<br />
Part of ‘making the best of it’ has seen<br />
the once loosehead turned tighthead,<br />
return back across the scrum to where he<br />
initially made a name for himself coming<br />
from school into the Ireland U-20 side<br />
and then, finally, with <strong>Leinster</strong>.<br />
It was a move that many in Irish rugby<br />
circles had been angling for in the media,<br />
an end to the timeshare of the tighthead<br />
slot between himself and Tadhg Furlong,<br />
a way to get both of them into the same<br />
pack.<br />
That wish has been granted and so far,<br />
it’s returned on its promise with both club<br />
and country enjoying good runs of form.<br />
In reverse, we’ve seen Cian Healy this<br />
season turn in performances on the side<br />
of the scrum he has been less familiar<br />
with throughout his career, something<br />
Porter jokes took him years to come<br />
around to.<br />
“It’s been great. It’s where I’ve started out<br />
in terms of school and Irish U-20s, and<br />
where I started out with <strong>Leinster</strong> as well.<br />
It’s been a lot smoother than I thought it<br />
would be but there’s still a lot of learning<br />
there for me.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 17
“There’s so much different opposition in<br />
terms of the European Cup and there’ll be<br />
big challenges ahead but it’s been very<br />
enjoyable for the most part of it.<br />
“He (Healy) made the switch look a lot<br />
easier than I made it look. It took me a<br />
few years to get the hang of it, it took him<br />
maybe two games,” he laughs.<br />
“It just shows what an incredible player<br />
he is and continues to be for <strong>Leinster</strong> and<br />
for Ireland as well. It’s a testament to the<br />
amount of work he puts in off the pitch as<br />
well as on it.<br />
“He’s a bit of a freak athlete, one of those<br />
you come across. An incredible player and<br />
an incredible bloke.”<br />
The <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby scrum sessions are<br />
not a place for the faint-hearted. On top<br />
of the experience of Porter and Healy,<br />
you have Samoan international Michael<br />
Ala’alatoa now in the mix, as well as Vakh<br />
Abdaladze, Ed Byrne, Michael Milne, Peter<br />
Dooley, Thomas Clarkson, four international<br />
hookers, thanks to Dan Sheehan’s recent<br />
capping, and the newly-crowned best<br />
tighthead in the world, Furlong.<br />
The latter being named in this week’s World<br />
Rugby Men’s Dream Team of the Year in<br />
that number three slot, according to Porter,<br />
is not a surprise to anyone.<br />
“There’s no doubt about that. He’s worked<br />
hard to have that title really so it just shows<br />
how much he puts in and how he performs<br />
on a weekly basis.”<br />
But, he still fancies himself against anyone<br />
when it comes to the training pitch.<br />
“Ah, we’ll call it 50-50 most of the time.<br />
He’s got a lot of experience and he’s a very<br />
smart player in terms of the scrum so we’ll<br />
say 50-50 for the most part,” Porter says of<br />
the battles with Furlong.<br />
“He has me on some days and it’s one of<br />
the best ways to learn. Like I said, with the<br />
players we have, you’re learning from some<br />
of the best players in the world and it’s a<br />
privilege to be a part of.”<br />
That kind of experience will be needed<br />
today as <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby open their<br />
Heineken Champions Cup campaign<br />
against Gallagher Premiership side, <strong>Bath</strong>.<br />
This season hasn’t gone to plan for Stuart<br />
Hooper’s squad so far as they sit rooted to<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 19
the bottom of the table without a win in<br />
their nine games to date.<br />
However, the calibre of player at their<br />
disposal as well as the raucous and<br />
intimidating nature of their home ground,<br />
The Rec, means that there is no certainty<br />
that their league form will impede their<br />
European ambitions this year.<br />
“They might not have had the best start<br />
in the Premiership but we won’t be taking<br />
them for granted. They could be using the<br />
Champions Cup as a clean slate and be<br />
looking to put in a huge performance.<br />
“So, we’re expecting a big game this<br />
weekend and when we go away to them<br />
in January. We certainly won’t be taking<br />
them lightly, we’ll be bringing our best<br />
performance to the Aviva.”<br />
However, Porter and <strong>Leinster</strong> will have<br />
ambitions of their own in the Heineken<br />
Champions Cup this year following<br />
a disappointing semi-final loss to La<br />
Rochelle in France earlier in 2021.<br />
When your goal coming into a<br />
competition is to bring home silverware,<br />
each year that passes without doing that<br />
is viewed as a failure.<br />
The goal once more this year is to reach<br />
that decider in Marseille, but that journey<br />
starts today in Ballsbridge at Aviva<br />
Stadium.<br />
“There’s a lot of lads in <strong>Leinster</strong> that have<br />
had the chance of getting their hands<br />
on a European Cup winners medal<br />
and the trophy. It’s an incredible<br />
feeling, it’s so hard to describe<br />
the pride and the amazing<br />
feeling of being able<br />
to call yourselves the<br />
Champions of Europe.<br />
“That’s what we want,<br />
we want that feeling<br />
again, and we want that for everyone<br />
in <strong>Leinster</strong> supporting us too. That starts<br />
by going out there and giving our best<br />
performances to get that silverware.<br />
20 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
“It’s about making our fans excited,<br />
especially after not having them for so<br />
long. We want to give them special days,<br />
days to remember, and that comes by<br />
putting out performances that we can be<br />
proud of, playing for them. It’s about that,<br />
especially at home and we have another<br />
job to do this week in the Aviva.”<br />
Being in the Aviva also means that crowd<br />
will be larger than your typical home<br />
match week, and with Christmas just<br />
around the corner, the festive mood has<br />
already started to creep in around the<br />
country, and particularly among rugby<br />
fans who can look forward to the start of<br />
the European campaigns as well as the<br />
action-packed interprovincial calendar.<br />
With clashes against Ulster and<br />
Connacht at the RDS already played in<br />
the past two weeks, this represents the<br />
last opportunity for supporters to come<br />
out and support the lads at home in<br />
2021, something Porter remembers doing<br />
from his own childhood.<br />
That’s what<br />
we want, we<br />
want that<br />
feeling again,<br />
and we want<br />
that for<br />
everyone<br />
in <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
supporting<br />
us too. That<br />
starts<br />
by going<br />
out there<br />
and giving<br />
our best<br />
performances<br />
to get that<br />
silverware.<br />
“I remember when I was younger having<br />
so much fun at the Christmas games in<br />
particular. I think Santa dropped in at<br />
half-time at one of the games, I can’t<br />
remember which one, but I remember I<br />
loved it.<br />
“And even playing in our second home<br />
at the Aviva, it’s a class venue to be in to<br />
kick off the European campaign.<br />
“Being out there in front of your home<br />
fans and hearing the noise they create,<br />
it’s something that we’ve really missed<br />
over the last two years with everything<br />
that’s been going on. The difference in<br />
terms of the atmosphere, it’s like playing<br />
in front of a crowd for the first time again.<br />
It’s really special. It’s hard to describe but<br />
it’s bloody incredible.”<br />
As well as his playing career, there’s a<br />
lot going on off the field, studying for<br />
his final year of an Economics degree<br />
and working alongside the Irish Cancer<br />
Society as an ambassador.<br />
One of his recent collaborations with the<br />
charity saw him design a facemask which<br />
is a regular feature in the stands at the<br />
RDS Arena and Aviva Stadium where<br />
face coverings are still required at games.<br />
“I’m not involved in anything personally<br />
with them at the moment but the Irish<br />
Cancer Society always have great<br />
campaigns.<br />
“This year they have this great Christmas<br />
ornament so it’s a good campaign in the<br />
run-up to Christmas and it’s also a lovely<br />
gift for a great cause as well.”<br />
Two weeks of European rugby starts<br />
today at Aviva Stadium before a trip to<br />
Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day.<br />
In between, there’ll be a quiet Christmas<br />
spent with some family and his girlfriend,<br />
Elaine, a time of year he always enjoys<br />
both at home and at work.<br />
“In normal circumstances, it’s great being<br />
able to see a lot of people, family and<br />
everything, then have the day off for<br />
Christmas Day,” he says.<br />
“It’s a nice time of the year. It’s also a<br />
good time to be playing rugby.”<br />
Once that’s out of the way, we’ll be into<br />
a new year and the hunt for silverware<br />
heats up once again.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 21
Action<br />
replay 47 19<br />
LEINSTER:<br />
Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry<br />
Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw (Tommy<br />
O’Brien 54), James Lowe; Harry Byrne<br />
(Ross Byrne 61), Luke McGrath (Nick<br />
McCarthy 61); Cian Healy (Andrew<br />
Porter 41), Dan Sheehan (Rónan<br />
Kelleher 49), Michael Ala’alatoa (Vakh<br />
Abdaladze 65); Ryan Baird, Devin Toner<br />
(Josh Murphy 58); Rhys Ruddock, Josh<br />
van der Flier, Caelan Doris<br />
(Max Deegan 56).<br />
SCORERS:<br />
Tries: Rhys Ruddock, Garry Ringrose, Dan<br />
Sheehan, Jordan Larmour, Caelan Doris,<br />
Ryan Baird, Max Deegan.<br />
Cons: Harry Byrne (5), Ross Byrne.<br />
SATURDAY, 3 DECEMBER<br />
RDS ARENA<br />
ATTENDANCE: 14,127<br />
UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP<br />
CONNACHT:<br />
Oran McNulty; Alex Wootton, Sammy<br />
Arnold (Tom Farrell 54), Peter Robb,<br />
Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (Conor<br />
Fitzgerald 70), Kieran Marmion (Caolin<br />
Blade 58); Matthew Burke (Jordan<br />
Duggan 58), Heffernan (Shane Delahunt<br />
49), Finlay Bealham (Jack Auniger<br />
45); Leva Fifita, Ultan Dillane (Cian<br />
Prendergast 49); Eoghan Masterson,<br />
Conor Oliver (Sean Masterson 68),<br />
Jarrad Butler.<br />
SCORERS:<br />
Tries: Mack Hansen, Sammy Arnold,<br />
Conor Oliver.<br />
Cons: Jack Carty (2).<br />
22 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
We looked a bit<br />
scrappy, lacking<br />
some cohesion<br />
at the start.<br />
Connacht a good<br />
attacking team.<br />
We got better<br />
control as the<br />
first half went<br />
on. The tries<br />
either side of<br />
half-time were<br />
important for<br />
us.<br />
Leo Cullen<br />
Connacht are<br />
a brilliant<br />
side but we<br />
weren’t happy<br />
with last<br />
week so this<br />
week was<br />
about getting<br />
the basics<br />
right and<br />
putting in a<br />
performance.<br />
Josh van der Flier<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 23
<strong>Leinster</strong> Senior<br />
Women’s Squad<br />
Honoured at Bank<br />
of Ireland Event<br />
Prior to kick-off in the <strong>Leinster</strong> v<br />
Connacht game on December 3 the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Senior Women’s squad<br />
were presented with jerseys at an<br />
event in the RDS Library.<br />
MC for the evening, Sene Naoupu<br />
welcomed the players and their family<br />
members. Thirty-four players from eight<br />
clubs formed the squad captained by<br />
Christy Haney which defeated Connacht<br />
in The Sportsgrounds, Ulster in the RDS<br />
and lost to Munster in Energia Park in a<br />
thrilling series decider.<br />
Also on the night, five players from four<br />
clubs were presented with their first cap<br />
by <strong>Leinster</strong> Branch president John Walsh.<br />
Emily McKeown (Naas RFC) Mary Healy<br />
(Naas RFC), Emma Murphy (Railway<br />
Union RFC), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC),<br />
Alice O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC).<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Branch President, John Walsh,<br />
congratulated those receiving jerseys and<br />
their first caps.<br />
In speaking about girls and women’s<br />
rugby in the province, John said,<br />
“We currently have 70 Girls teams<br />
competing in 15 <strong>Leinster</strong> competitions<br />
and further supported by additional Area<br />
competitions.<br />
“There are significant benefits and<br />
opportunities for our clubs to develop this<br />
sector of the sport. We currently have 32<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Clubs fielding women’s teams<br />
that compete in nine <strong>Leinster</strong> women’s<br />
competitions.”<br />
John acknowledged the hard work<br />
and dedication of the coaching and<br />
management team.<br />
Phil De Barra (Head Coach)<br />
Tom McKeown (Forwards Coach)<br />
Stephen Maher (Backs Coach)<br />
Maz Reilly (Lineout Coach)<br />
Charl Malherb (Defence Coach)<br />
Ben Watson (Skills and Kicking Coach)<br />
Aaron O’Connor (Strength and<br />
Conditioning Coach)<br />
Martin Quinn (Video Analyst)<br />
Lorna Quinn (Manager)<br />
Shane Martens (Assistant Manager)<br />
Paula Murphy, Head of Strategic<br />
Sponsorship and Corporate and<br />
Social Responsibility at Bank of Ireland<br />
presented jerseys to the squad.<br />
Aine Donnelly<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Ali Coleman<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
Alice O'Dowd *<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Chloe Blackmore<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Christy Haney<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
Clodagh Dunne<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Caoimhe Molloy<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
Elaine Anthony<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Elise O'Byrne-White<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Ella Roberts *<br />
Wicklow RFC<br />
Emily Mckeown *<br />
Naas RFC<br />
Emma Murphy *<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Grace Miller<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Jennie Finlay<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Jenny Murphy<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Lauren Farrell McCabe<br />
Suttonians RFC<br />
Lisa Callan<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Mairead Holohan<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
Meabh O'Brien<br />
Suttonians RFC<br />
Michelle Claffey<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
24 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Molly Scuffil McCabe<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Niamh Byrne<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Nikki Caughey<br />
Railway Union RFC<br />
Rachel Horan<br />
CYM RFC<br />
Vic O Mahony<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Mary Healy*<br />
Naas RFC<br />
Judy Bobbett<br />
Blackrock RFC<br />
Ailbhe Dowling<br />
Old Belvedere RFC<br />
Ciara Faulkner<br />
MU Barnhall RFC<br />
Grace Tutty<br />
CYM RFC<br />
Holly Leach<br />
MU Barnhall RFC<br />
Katelynn Doran<br />
MU Barnhall RFC<br />
*Denotes first cap<br />
Old Belvedere RFC’s Jenny Murphy was<br />
presented with the <strong>Leinster</strong> Women’s<br />
Committee Player of the Series award by<br />
Women’s Chairperson, Eugene Noble.<br />
Speaking about the event Eugene said,<br />
“The <strong>Leinster</strong> Cap and Jersey Presentation<br />
event held in the beautiful surroundings<br />
of the RDS Library on December 3 was a<br />
great celebration of all that is good with<br />
rugby in <strong>Leinster</strong> - celebrating the players<br />
and the journey that they have taken to<br />
play interprovincial rugby for <strong>Leinster</strong>.<br />
“It is also an important milestone on the<br />
journey that lies ahead of them. Each of<br />
the players bring honour to themselves,<br />
their families and their clubs but perhaps<br />
more importantly they are the role models<br />
for those young players that look to play<br />
as they play, they see them and they want<br />
to be them, so that some will fill those<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby jerseys in years to come.”<br />
Thanks to Bank of Ireland for their<br />
continued support of women’s rugby.<br />
A full gallery of photos from the event can<br />
be found now on leinsterrugby.ie<br />
CONNACHT 12 LEINSTER 17<br />
The Sportsgrounds<br />
Saturday, 28 August, 2021<br />
LEINSTER 57 ULSTER 12<br />
Energia Park<br />
Saturday, 4 September, 2021<br />
LEINSTER 7 MUNSTER 19<br />
Energia Park<br />
Saturday, 11 September, 2021<br />
If you are<br />
interested in<br />
taking up rugby<br />
or you would like<br />
to follow our<br />
updates, check out<br />
our social media<br />
channels:<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Women’s Rugby<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>WomensRugby<br />
@<strong>Leinster</strong>Women<br />
womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 25
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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 27
leo<br />
the lion’s<br />
kids<br />
corner<br />
IN A BLUR!<br />
Can you name this<br />
leinster player?<br />
spot the difference!<br />
Can you find all six?<br />
ANAGRAMS<br />
Can you un-jumble the names of these players?<br />
NEVER AD<br />
A KEY<br />
AD A HEN<br />
HENS<br />
how did you do?<br />
IN A BLUR?<br />
ANDREW PORTER<br />
ANAGRAMS<br />
DAVE KEARNEY<br />
DAN SHEEHAN<br />
ZOOMED IN!<br />
JAMES RYAN<br />
zoomed in!<br />
WHo is this leinster<br />
player having an<br />
extreme close-up?<br />
28 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
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AZTO<br />
with<br />
Jordan Larmour<br />
A – Action: If you could be a<br />
superhero, which would you be?<br />
Flash - because he’s fast!<br />
B – Boyhood: Who was your favourite<br />
sporting idol growing up?<br />
Brian O’Driscoll<br />
C – Childhood: What is your favourite<br />
childhood memory?<br />
Family holidays<br />
D – Dish: What’s your go-to pre-match<br />
meal?<br />
Overnight oats<br />
E – Education: What was your<br />
favourite subject in school?<br />
Business<br />
F – Film buff: What’s your favourite<br />
film?<br />
The Big Short<br />
G – Groove: Who is the best dancer in<br />
the squad?<br />
Ed Byrne<br />
H – Holiday: What’s your favourite<br />
holiday destination?<br />
Portugal<br />
I – Inside: Who is the worst to sit<br />
beside in the dressing room?<br />
Ciarán Frawley<br />
J – Joker: Who is the funniest in the<br />
squad?<br />
Dan Leavy<br />
K – Kick-off: What’s your favourite<br />
time of the day to play a match?<br />
Three o’clock<br />
L – Languages: How many languages<br />
can you speak?<br />
One<br />
M – Music: Your favourite artist and<br />
song right now?<br />
Dermot Kennedy - Better Days<br />
N – Number: Do you have a lucky<br />
number?<br />
No lucky number!<br />
30 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
O – Others: What’s your favourite<br />
sport outside of rugby?<br />
Golf<br />
P – Pal: Who is your best mate in<br />
the squad?<br />
Everyone<br />
Q – Quirky: Who has the most<br />
interesting fashion sense?<br />
Jack Dunne<br />
R – Red Carpet: Who is the most<br />
famous contact in your phone?<br />
Johnny Sexton<br />
S – Superstitions: Do you have any<br />
matchday routines?<br />
Nope<br />
T – Trim: What’s the worst haircut<br />
you’ve ever had?<br />
Dying my hair blonde and it<br />
turning orange!<br />
U: Under pressure: Who in the<br />
squad would be the best in a bad<br />
situation?<br />
Garry Ringrose<br />
V – Verified: How often do you use<br />
social media?<br />
Every day<br />
W – Worst fear: What are<br />
you most scared of?<br />
Rats<br />
X – X-ray: Have you ever<br />
broken any bones?<br />
No - touch wood!<br />
Y – Youth: Where did you<br />
grow up?<br />
Dublin<br />
Z – Zoo: What’s your<br />
favourite animal?<br />
Dogs<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 31
Did you<br />
know?<br />
• <strong>Leinster</strong> and <strong>Bath</strong> have<br />
met 11 times previously<br />
in the Heineken Champions<br />
Cup, the Irish province<br />
winning nine of those<br />
encounters (L2).<br />
• At home <strong>Leinster</strong> have<br />
won five of their six<br />
Heineken Champions Cup<br />
games against <strong>Bath</strong>, the<br />
Premiership side’s sole<br />
victory coming in<br />
October 2005, a narrow<br />
22-19 win at the RDS.<br />
• <strong>Bath</strong>’s next defeat in the<br />
Heineken Champions Cup<br />
will be their 50th, the<br />
4th Premiership club to<br />
notch up as many defeats<br />
in the competition<br />
(Leicester, Northampton,<br />
Harlequins).<br />
COMPARISON<br />
head-to-head record:<br />
Played 11, <strong>Leinster</strong> won 9, bath won 2, no draws.<br />
LEINSTER RUGBY LAST 3 MEETINGS BATH RUGBY<br />
42 15/12/2018 LEINSTER RUGBY VS BATH RUGBY 15<br />
17 08/12/2018 BATH RUGBY VS LEINSTER RUGBY 10<br />
25 16/01/2016 LEINSTER RUGBY VS BATH RUGBY 11<br />
PLAYED<br />
179<br />
(93 home, 86 away)<br />
PLAYED<br />
105<br />
(52 home, 53 away)<br />
• Josh van der Flier was<br />
the top tackler in the<br />
Heineken Champions Cup<br />
last season, making 65<br />
tackles across his four<br />
appearances, with only<br />
three players winning<br />
more turnovers than the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>man (4).<br />
• Johnny Sexton (<strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby) needs one more<br />
point to become the<br />
fourth player to score<br />
700 points in the<br />
history of the Heineken<br />
Champions Cup (Ronan<br />
O’Gara, Stephen Jones,<br />
Owen Farrell).<br />
WINS<br />
122<br />
(75 home, 47 away)<br />
LOSSES<br />
52<br />
(17 home, 35 away)<br />
DRAWS<br />
5<br />
(1 home, 4 away)<br />
AVERAGE POINTS<br />
26<br />
BIGGEST WIN<br />
92 - 17<br />
HEAVIEST DEFEAT<br />
10 - 51<br />
WINS<br />
54<br />
(32 home, 22 away)<br />
LOSSES<br />
49<br />
(19 home, 30 away)<br />
DRAWS<br />
2<br />
(1 home, 1 away)<br />
AVERAGE POINTS<br />
22<br />
BIGGEST WIN<br />
56 - 15<br />
HEAVIEST DEFEAT<br />
0 - 28<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 35
leinster<br />
squad<br />
2021/22 season<br />
Vakh Abdaladze #1263<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 06/02/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 121kg<br />
Michael Ala’alatoa #1301<br />
prop<br />
DOB: 28/08/1991<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 127kg<br />
7<br />
CAPS<br />
Ryan Baird #1278<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 26/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.98m<br />
WEIGHT: 103.18kg<br />
6<br />
CAPS<br />
Adam Byrne #1213<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 10/04/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 98.18kg<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
Ed Byrne #1222<br />
6<br />
CAPS<br />
Harry Byrne #1280<br />
2<br />
CAPS<br />
Ross Byrne #1236<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
Thomas Clarkson<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 09/09/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 22/04/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 95kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 08/04/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 92kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 22/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 118kg<br />
36 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Jack Conan #1223<br />
22<br />
CAPS<br />
7<br />
CAPS<br />
Will Connors #1264<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Sean Cronin #1202<br />
72<br />
CAPS<br />
Max Deegan #1256<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
NO. 8<br />
DOB: 29/07/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 04/04/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.96m<br />
WEIGHT: 100kg<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 06/05/1986<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m<br />
WEIGHT: 103.18kg<br />
NO. 8<br />
DOB: 01/10/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 110kg<br />
Peter Dooley #1230<br />
Caelan Doris #1268<br />
12<br />
CAPS<br />
Jack Dunne #1276<br />
Ciaran Frawley #1265<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 04/08/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 117kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 02/04/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.93m<br />
WEIGHT: 107kg<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 21/11/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 2.03m<br />
WEIGHT: 120kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 04/12/1997<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 98kg<br />
Tadhg Furlong #1220<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 14/11/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 125kg<br />
52<br />
CAPS<br />
13<br />
CAPS<br />
Jamison Gibson-Park #1247<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 23/02/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m<br />
WEIGHT: 80kg<br />
12<br />
CAPS<br />
David Hawkshaw #1290<br />
FLY HALF / Centre<br />
DOB: 03/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m )<br />
WEIGHT: 85.91kg<br />
Cian Healy #1142<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 07/10/1987<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 116.82kg<br />
112<br />
CAPS<br />
2<br />
CAPS<br />
Robbie Henshaw #1251<br />
53<br />
CAPS<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Dave Kearney #1158<br />
19<br />
CAPS<br />
Hugo Keenan #1253<br />
16<br />
CAPS<br />
Ronan Kelleher #1277<br />
16<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 12/06/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.9m<br />
WEIGHT: 99.09kg<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 19/06/1989<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 18/06/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 91.82kg<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 24/01/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 37
Jordan Larmour #1258<br />
30<br />
CAPS<br />
Dan Leavy #1231<br />
11<br />
CAPS<br />
WING<br />
DOB: 10/06/1997<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 23/05/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 105.91kg<br />
for full squad profiles<br />
please click here<br />
James Lowe #1262<br />
9<br />
CAPS<br />
Nick McCarthy #1241<br />
Luke McGrath #1206<br />
19<br />
CAPS<br />
Michael Milne #1279<br />
WING / FULL BACK<br />
DOB: 08/07/1992<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 25/03/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.8m<br />
WEIGHT: 84.09kg<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DOB: 03/02/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m<br />
WEIGHT: 84.09kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 05/02/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
Jimmy O’Brien #1272<br />
Conor O’Brien #1260<br />
Josh Murphy #1261<br />
Ross Molony #1233<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 11/05/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.96m<br />
WEIGHT: 113kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 17/02/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.98m<br />
WEIGHT: 110kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 06/02/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 100kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 27/11/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 88kg<br />
Tommy O’Brien #1283<br />
Rory O’Loughlin #1248<br />
1<br />
CAP<br />
Scott Penny #1271<br />
Andrew Porter #1246<br />
40<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 28/05/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 95kg<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 21/01/1994<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 94.09kg<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 22/09/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 104kg<br />
PROP<br />
DOB: 16/01/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 114.09kg<br />
38 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Garry Ringrose #1237<br />
37<br />
CAPS<br />
Rhys Ruddock #1167<br />
27<br />
CAPS<br />
James Ryan #1259<br />
40<br />
CAPS<br />
Johnny Sexton #1127<br />
101<br />
CAPS<br />
14<br />
CAPS<br />
CENTRE<br />
DOB: 26/01/1995<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 96kg<br />
BACK ROW<br />
DOB: 13/11/1990<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 113.18kg<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 24/07/1996<br />
HEIGHT: 2.03m<br />
WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
FLY HALF<br />
DOB: 11/07/1985<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m<br />
WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
Dan Sheehan #1286<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 17/09/1998<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m<br />
WEIGHT: 110.91kg<br />
2<br />
CAPS<br />
Devin Toner #1128<br />
LOCK<br />
DOB: 29/06/1986<br />
HEIGHT: 2.11m<br />
WEIGHT: 127kg<br />
70<br />
CAPS<br />
James Tracy #1211<br />
HOOKER<br />
DOB: 02/04/1991<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m<br />
WEIGHT: 106kg<br />
6<br />
CAPS<br />
Josh van der Flier #1228<br />
FLANKER<br />
DOB: 25/04/1993<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m<br />
WEIGHT: 103kg<br />
35<br />
CAPS<br />
Coaching<br />
Staff<br />
2021/22 season<br />
LEO CULLEN<br />
HEAD COACH<br />
STUART LANCASTER<br />
SENIOR COACH<br />
ROBIN MCBRYDE<br />
ASSISTANT COACH<br />
FELIPE CONTEPOMI<br />
BACKS COACH<br />
EMMET FARRELL<br />
KICKING COACH AND<br />
LEAD PERFORMANCE ANALYST<br />
GUY EASTERBY<br />
HEAD OF RUGBY OPERATIONS<br />
DENIS LEAMY<br />
CONTACT SKILLS COACH<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 39
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and Wellbeing<br />
Partner to<br />
Leinser Rugby<br />
Always a beat ahead<br />
layahealthcare.ie
Your best support every season<br />
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Girls rugby numbers thriving at<br />
St Mary’s<br />
College RFC<br />
St Mary’s<br />
College, over<br />
the past<br />
number of<br />
years, have<br />
focused on the<br />
redevelopment<br />
and growth<br />
of the female<br />
rugby-playing<br />
community in<br />
the club. This<br />
is a key focus<br />
for the club<br />
as they aim to<br />
ensure female<br />
involvement<br />
at all levels<br />
throughout<br />
the club.<br />
In the past eight months St Mary’s<br />
started a recruitment process<br />
for the Give it a Try Programme,<br />
noticing a huge uptake for girls<br />
rugby in the area.<br />
Over the summer months of the<br />
programme, they were able to teach<br />
the fundamental skills of rugby, all while<br />
watching numbers grow session by<br />
session.<br />
Within a few months, the club have been<br />
able to field teams at U-8, U-10 and<br />
U-12.<br />
The girls marked their first match of the<br />
season at home to Seapoint RFC in<br />
October.<br />
This was the first match ever for almost<br />
all of the girls and all in attendance<br />
were very impressed by the skills and<br />
capabilities shown by both teams.<br />
In early November, they travelled to<br />
Greystones RFC for another great game<br />
where the girls continued to develop and<br />
grow a deep love for the sport.<br />
The club have found a key part of the<br />
recruitment process is to consistently add<br />
elements of ‘fun’ to the training while still<br />
gaining key skills.<br />
As well as fun on the training pitch, it’s<br />
important that they are having fun off<br />
the pitch too. So far this year, they have<br />
already had a team day out to Energia<br />
Park to watch the women’s interprovincial<br />
matches, as well as supporting the Irish<br />
women in the RDS in their fantastic<br />
Autumn Series performances.<br />
The support and encouragement that<br />
the girls have received so far has been<br />
incredible and has only motivated the<br />
team and coaches even further.<br />
St Mary’s have been incredibly lucky<br />
with amazing volunteers coming from explayers<br />
at senior and youths levels as well<br />
as locals and parents – all turning out on<br />
a weekly basis to help guide this growing<br />
bunch of players.<br />
The goal as a club is to continue to build<br />
each team from here - welcoming female<br />
players from seven years of age right<br />
through to 18 and over as they hope to<br />
build a senior women’s team in 2022.<br />
As it stands, in 2021 alone, they have<br />
increased the female playing population<br />
by over 200 per cent and have no<br />
plans to stop there as they welcome new<br />
players on a weekly basis.<br />
They see the growth being reflective<br />
of the positive campaign around the<br />
participation of girls and women in sport<br />
generally as well as the trojan work<br />
being done on the ground by the players,<br />
parents, coaches and media volunteers.<br />
More information about training is<br />
available by emailing girlsrugby@<br />
smcrfc.com or contacting the club<br />
through any of the social media pages.<br />
42 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
THE GREATEST WEEKEND IN RUGBY<br />
27-28 MAY, STADE VÉLODROME
Mother and daughter duo make<br />
history for Tallaght Women<br />
Tallaght Rugby Club was set up<br />
in 2002 as part of the ‘Tallaght<br />
Project’, an IRFU initiative<br />
designed to introduce rugby in<br />
non-traditional areas. The teams<br />
at the time were a mixture of boy<br />
and girl youth teams and a male<br />
senior team.<br />
Not to be left out of the action, Tallaght<br />
women’s rugby team started out as a<br />
development social team in 2011. A team<br />
of women culminating of friends, family,<br />
even wives and girlfriends of senior men<br />
players, the level of competitiveness and<br />
passion saw the team grow from a social<br />
league to Division 5 of the <strong>Leinster</strong> Metro<br />
League.<br />
Long time player and Women’s<br />
Development Officer/Captain Martina<br />
Fitzpatrick has been part of the women’s<br />
setup for the last 10 years. Player, coach,<br />
mammy and head of women’s recruitment<br />
for the team, it was no surprise to see her<br />
love and passion for the game rub off on<br />
her eldest daughter Abbie Keeley.<br />
A keen out-half, Abbie grew from<br />
the Tallaght RFC youth division and<br />
flourished to play U-18 with the Bistos<br />
(a team combined with Tallaght RFC,<br />
Old Belvedere and St Mary’s College<br />
RFC). Martina and Abbie both adore the<br />
sport for it is a fantastic way to keep fit,<br />
make friends, gain new skills and for its<br />
inclusivity.<br />
Something which is very important to<br />
Abbie: “I have been playing rugby for<br />
the last 10 years so it is a big part of<br />
my life. I’ve always felt at home with my<br />
rugby team, always felt welcome on the<br />
pitch. Everyone has always been so kind<br />
so welcoming and supportive of me, it’s<br />
just really uplifting. Rugby really helped<br />
me with my confidence, with my diversity,<br />
and my identity as well, there really is no<br />
sport like it for me”<br />
On October 10, 2021, in the first league<br />
game of the season, club history was<br />
made. For the first time ever, Tallaght<br />
RFC proudly welcomed their first parent<br />
and child pairing on field in mother and<br />
daughter duo, Martina and Abbie.<br />
In an incredibly emotional and inspiring<br />
performance Tallaght RFC Women<br />
secured their first win of the season at<br />
home and the icing on the cake? Abbie<br />
playing full-back, scored her first try as a<br />
senior women’s player for the club on the<br />
pitch with her mam watching on.<br />
Skipper Martina is a firm believer that<br />
rugby is for everyone and welcomes<br />
anyone thinking of taking up the sport to<br />
go for it as soon as they feel the interest.<br />
“As a woman and mother of two girls,<br />
taking part in sport has always been<br />
important to me. I firmly believe that no<br />
matter what body type or experience that<br />
you have, there is a place for you on the<br />
pitch. I had watched rugby for years but<br />
never thought of taking it up but a chance<br />
meeting led to me starting rugby in my<br />
mid-30s and I have loved every minute<br />
of it since. My only regret is not starting<br />
sooner. I’m so glad that I did and to say<br />
that I’ve played rugby with my daughter<br />
by my side is just incredible”<br />
Tallaght RFC Women are so grateful to<br />
their wonderful sponsors in PeachyLean<br />
and Inivo Medical. Their support on and<br />
off the field is massively important to the<br />
ladies as looking and feeling part of a<br />
team means everything to them.<br />
Tallaght Senior Women always welcome<br />
players to their team. If you are new and<br />
eager to take up the sport, or simply<br />
looking to pull your boots back on, look<br />
no further come and join the team today<br />
by contacting Martina on 086 842<br />
5657. Check them out on social media<br />
and follow their journey.<br />
F<br />
I<br />
T<br />
Facebook:<br />
Tallaght RFC<br />
Instagram:<br />
Tallaght_Rugby<br />
Twitter:<br />
@TallaghtRFC<br />
44 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Cheslin Kolbe last season, Juan Imhoff in 2019/20<br />
and Maxime Médard in 2018/19. Consider the<br />
star quality of the last three overall winners of<br />
the Champions Try of the Round and you know<br />
that the competition to find the best try of this<br />
Heineken Champions Cup season will feature<br />
some of the biggest names in the world game.<br />
Kolbe’s was awarded the accolade in 2020/21<br />
for a breathtaking score against Ulster Rugby in<br />
Round 1. Taking a pass from Thomas Ramos, the<br />
former Stade Toulousain wing beat two Ulster<br />
defenders, kicked over another and collected<br />
after two bounces to slide over the whitewash in<br />
remarkable fashion.<br />
Fans were given the opportunity to vote for<br />
the best tries selected from Rounds 1 and 2,<br />
the Round of 16, the quarter-finals, as well as<br />
Juan Cruz Mallia’s score during the final at<br />
Twickenham, before Kolbe emerged as the<br />
overall winner.<br />
Last season, the Champions Try of the Round<br />
competition was largely dominated by players<br />
from TOP 14 clubs. What will happen this<br />
season? Which outstanding players will make<br />
the difference? Which tries will get the fans’ vote<br />
along with the verdict of a panel of renowned<br />
rugby experts.<br />
Each Monday following match weekends, a<br />
shortlist of five tries will be selected by EPCR<br />
and opened to public vote with fans having the<br />
chance to win some great prizes.<br />
This will be the perfect opportunity to watch the<br />
best Heineken Champions Cup tries over and<br />
over again and to vote for The One to Win.<br />
CHAMPIONS TRY OF THE ROUND<br />
WINNERS 2020/21<br />
Round 1/Champions Try of the Season:<br />
Cheslin Kolbe<br />
Stade Toulousain v Ulster Rugby<br />
Round 2: Alivereti Raka<br />
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Munster Rugby<br />
Round of 16: Antoine Dupont<br />
Stade Toulousain v Munster Rugby<br />
Quarter-Final: Grégory Alldritt<br />
Stade Rochelais v Sale Sharks<br />
EPCRUGBY.COM/TOTR
compiled by stuart farmer<br />
media services limited<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Player<br />
Statistics<br />
SQUAD<br />
CAP<br />
NO<br />
DEBUT<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR<br />
App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts<br />
SINCE LAST TRY<br />
CAPS<br />
VAKH ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 0+14 1 5 0+14 1 5 - - - 13 -<br />
MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA 1301 25 SEP 21 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - - WS 7<br />
RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 3+3 1 5 3+3 1 5 - - - 15+18 7 35 14+14 7 35 1+4 - - 1 IR 6<br />
ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 3 3 15 3 3 15 - - - 52+8 23 115 42+8 17 85 10 6 30 2 IR 1<br />
ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 2+3 1 5 2+3 1 5 - - - 21+54 11 55 21+43 10 50 0+11 1 5 3 IR 6<br />
HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 2+1 - 10 2+1 - 10 - - - 16+11 6 164 16+10 6 159 0+1 - 5 6 IR 2<br />
ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 3+3 1 33 3+3 1 33 - - - 73+37 7 683 61+21 3 504 12+16 4 179 6 IR 13<br />
THOMAS CLARK-<br />
1285 29 AUG 20 - - - - - - - - - 2+8 - - 2+8 - - - - - - -<br />
SON<br />
JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 2 - - 2 - - - - - 82+25 23 115 61+15 16 80 21+10 7 35 3 IR 22<br />
WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 17+7 2 10 16+7 2 10 1 - - 11 IR 9<br />
TIM CORKERY 1298 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - -<br />
SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 1+1 1 5 1+1 1 5 - - - 121+76 43 215 77+55 26 130 43+19 16 80 2 IR 72<br />
MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 1+4 2 10 1+4 2 10 - - - 36+34 20 100 33+26 18 90 3+8 2 10 1 IR 1<br />
PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - 40+55 5 25 38+49 5 25 2+6 - - 10 -<br />
CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 4 2 10 4 2 10 - - - 36+8 7 35 30+6 5 25 6+2 2 10 1 IR 12<br />
JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 - - - - - - - - - 2+13 - - 2+13 - - - - - - -<br />
CORMAC FOLEY 1299 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - -<br />
CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 5+1 - 2 5+1 - 2 - - - 22+19 4 145 21+15 3 134 1+4 1 11 11 -<br />
TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 3 - - 3 - - - - - 76+41 8 40 45+33 3 15 31+8 5 25 6 IR 52<br />
JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 2+2 - - 2+2 - - - - - 51+54 17 85 46+30 14 70 5+24 3 15 9 IR 12<br />
MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - -<br />
DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 - - - - - - - - - 0+8 1 14 0+8 1 14 - - - 4 -<br />
CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 2+4 1 5 2+4 1 5 - - - 158+79 28 140 92+52 14 70 64+26 13 65 3 IR 112<br />
ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 58+1 12 60 27 6 30 31+1 6 30 2 IR 53<br />
DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 - - - - - - - - - 147+22 51 255 121+15 44 220 25+6 7 35 7 IR 19<br />
HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 5 1 5 5 1 5 - - - 32+3 5 25 27+3 5 25 5 - - 2 IR 16<br />
RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 2+2 3 15 2+2 3 15 - - - 22+7 12 60 16+5 11 55 6+2 1 5 2 IR 16<br />
JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 4 2 10 4 2 10 - - - 56+10 21 105 35+7 16 80 21+3 5 25 1 IR 30<br />
DAN LEAVY 1231 31 OCT 14 3+1 - - 3+1 - - - - - 46+30 17 85 38+20 13 65 8+10 4 20 5 IR 11<br />
46 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
SQUAD<br />
CAP<br />
NO<br />
DEBUT<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR<br />
App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts App Try Pts<br />
SINCE LAST TRY<br />
CAPS<br />
JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 4 - - 4 - - - - - 56 34 170 38 25 125 18 9 45 7 IR 9<br />
NICK MCCARTHY 1241 19 DEC 15 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - 6+34 4 20 6+28 4 20 0+6 - - 9 -<br />
LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 5+1 - - 5+1 - - - - - 107+50 39 195 74+44 31 155 33+6 8 40 8 IR 19<br />
MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 - - - - - - - - - 1+15 2 10 1+15 2 10 - - - 14 -<br />
MARTIN MOLONEY 1300 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - -<br />
ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 5+1 - - 5+1 - - - - - 69+53 4 20 67+38 4 20 2+15 - - 8 -<br />
JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - 42+8 5 25 41+7 4 20 1+1 1 5 10 -<br />
JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 1+2 - - 1+2 - - - - - 3+6 1 5 3+6 1 5 - - - 4 -<br />
CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 1 - - 1 - - - - - 17+7 6 30 17+6 6 30 0+1 - - 10 -<br />
JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 2 - - 2 - - - - - 28+9 7 37 26+9 6 32 2 1 5 3 -<br />
SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - -<br />
TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 4+8 3 15 4+8 3 15 - - - 8 -<br />
RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 2 - - 2 - - - - - 66+23 21 105 59+15 18 90 7+8 3 15 32 IR 1<br />
MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 6+1 1 5 6+1 1 5 - - - 6 -<br />
SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 2 1 5 2 1 5 - - - 25+6 17 85 25+6 17 85 - - - 2 -<br />
ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 3+1 2 10 3+1 2 10 - - - 31+50 13 65 26+31 10 50 5+19 3 15 2 IR 40<br />
GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 5 1 5 5 1 5 - - - 89+2 28 148 57+1 17 93 32+1 11 55 1 IR 37<br />
RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 5+2 1 5 5+2 1 5 - - - 148+47 12 60 111+33 10 50 36+12 2 10 1 IR 27<br />
ROB RUSSELL 1302 3 OCT 21 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3 - - 3 - - - - - 47+6 3 15 25+1 1 5 22+5 2 10 13 IR 40<br />
JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 2+1 - 22 2+1 - 22 - - - 150+26 26 1529 89+20 13 855 59+6 12 643 16 IR 101<br />
DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 3+2 4 20 3+2 4 20 - - - 6+12 10 50 6+12 10 50 - - - 1 IR 2<br />
ANDREW SMITH 1292 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
ALEX SOROKA 1296 28 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - -<br />
DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 3+1 - - 3+1 - - - - - 209+61 4 20 143+43 4 20 63+18 - - 53 IR 70<br />
JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 1+2 1 5 1+2 1 5 - - - 58+74 15 75 51+46 14 70 7+28 1 5 3 IR 6<br />
LIAM TURNER 1287 23 OCT 20 - - - - - - - - - 4+2 - - 4+2 - - - - - - -<br />
JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 4+1 1 5 4+1 1 5 - - - 79+24 12 60 49+18 8 40 30+6 4 20 5 IR 35<br />
2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER<br />
ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR OVERALL<br />
KICKING<br />
SUCCESS<br />
RATE<br />
C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG C PG DG ATT Career<br />
%<br />
- - - HARRY BYRNE 62.50% 5 - - 5 - - - - - 58 6 57 5 1 1 82 78.05%<br />
ROSS BYRNE 100.00% 11 2 - 11 2 - - - - 207 77 1 165 52 1 42 25 - 367 77.38%<br />
CIARAN FRAWLEY 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 52 7 - 49 7 - 3 - - 73 80.82%<br />
DAVID HAWKSHAW - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 - 3 1 - - - - 6 66.67%<br />
JIMMY O'BRIEN - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - 3 33.33%<br />
GARRY RINGROSE - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 4 - - - - - 6 66.67%<br />
JOHNNY SEXTON 83.33% 8 2 - 8 2 - - - - 242 294 11 128 171 7 107 119 4 672 79.76%<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 47
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3 December 2021<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby President John Walsh, far right, and Paula Murphy, Head of<br />
Strategic Sponsorship and Corporate & Social Responsibility at Bank of Ireland,<br />
second from right, with <strong>Leinster</strong> players and coaching staff after the players were<br />
presented with their jerseys during the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Womens Cap and Jersey<br />
Presentation at the RDS Library in Dublin.<br />
50 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 51
ENERGIA AIL<br />
A 30 YEAR RUGBY LEGACY<br />
Watch now at<br />
energia.ie/energia-ail-30
Progressive Suttonians<br />
keen to kick on<br />
This season, Suttonians RFC<br />
Women’s squad has taken on a<br />
new coaching team with Stephen<br />
Costelloe coming in as the new<br />
head coach and being joined by<br />
Christy O’Shea and Rob Ingham.<br />
The team has been developing a new<br />
way of playing and the season to date<br />
has been progressive. The squad have<br />
adapted well and are embracing the<br />
opportunity to play an expansive brand<br />
of rugby and putting their core skills to<br />
the test.<br />
Five Suttonians player were involved in<br />
interprovincial action and a further four<br />
have joined via the dual-status route<br />
including one who went onto to represent<br />
Ireland in the international sevens squad.<br />
The aim is to get more women involved<br />
in the provinces and hopefully progress<br />
to the next step of full representative<br />
honours with Ireland.<br />
The club has done exceptional work in<br />
building a new gym which is state of the<br />
art along with getting their S&C coach to<br />
design specific programs for each of the<br />
women, this facility has been a fantastic<br />
addition.<br />
The club organize food for the squads<br />
on a Thursday night after training and<br />
this has reinforced the bond between the<br />
squads. All these things have provided<br />
Suttonians with a great platform on which<br />
to build from and gives the club a great<br />
opportunity to develop and create top<br />
class women’s players for the Energia AIL<br />
league, <strong>Leinster</strong> Women’s rugby and the<br />
provinces.<br />
Coach Stephen Costelloe said: “The<br />
squad is a very talented group who are<br />
keen to learn and work hard. Whilst<br />
the results have been mixed so far this<br />
season, they are not far away from<br />
everything clicking. The aim was to be as<br />
competitive as possible up to Christmas<br />
and then really attack the second half of<br />
the season.<br />
“I expect great things from this team and<br />
am encouraged by their commitment<br />
and work rate. We have worked hard on<br />
recruitment this season. Suttonians are<br />
always open to new players joining us,<br />
whether they are experienced or not, the<br />
group is a welcoming group who want to<br />
get the best out of each other.<br />
“We have built great connections with<br />
Naas RFC and Tullamore RFC, which<br />
has resulted in getting some fantastic<br />
dual-status players. It is important to<br />
acknowledge these clubs who have got<br />
the players to the level they are currently<br />
at, and we look forward to facilitating<br />
other players in Dublin for college or<br />
work reasons. They will always find a<br />
warm welcome into the Suttonians rugby<br />
family.”<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 53
offical leinster<br />
supporters club<br />
Round 1 of the 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup is finally<br />
upon and follows what has been a bumper last few weeks and<br />
months of action both provincially and internationally.<br />
Saturday rugby is always a fun<br />
occasion and you can be sure<br />
that the first round of any new<br />
competition is no exception as<br />
we welcome <strong>Bath</strong> Rugby to the<br />
Aviva Stadium for this afternoon’s<br />
fixture (KO 3.15pm).<br />
Last season as we know saw us fall at<br />
the second last hurdle, defeated 32-23<br />
in the semi-final by La Rochelle after<br />
finishing top of Pool A initially after our<br />
two fixtures, whilst our visitors for today<br />
finished outside the initial top eight of<br />
the same pool after losing both of their<br />
fixtures.<br />
Previous form though should never be<br />
taken for granted as you simply never<br />
know who is going to turn up on the day<br />
and given how up and down everything<br />
has been of late, nothing is a given when<br />
it comes to sport and especially rugby.<br />
A greasy surface, an awkward bounce of<br />
a ball, a missed clearance and suddenly<br />
a comfortable foothold you had on a<br />
game could come back to haunt you and<br />
leave your supporters with sweaty palms<br />
and nervous glances at the clock! Sure<br />
what else would you rather be doing I<br />
hear you ask!!<br />
We hope there will be another raucous<br />
crowd in the Aviva who will be looking<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong><br />
<strong>Bath</strong><br />
9 wins Head-to-Head 2 wins<br />
179 (93 home, 86 away) Played 105 (52 home, 53 away)<br />
122 (75 home, 47 away) Wins 54 (32 home, 22 away)<br />
52 (17 home, 35 away) Losses 49 (19 home, 30 away)<br />
5 (1 home, 4 away) Draws 2 (1 home, 1 away)<br />
26 Average Points 22<br />
92-17 Biggest Win 56-15<br />
10-51 Heaviest defeat 0-28<br />
forward to seeing these two go head-tohead<br />
once again for what is sure to be a<br />
highly entertaining fixture of rugby.<br />
We’re all well aware there is another<br />
fixture next weekend also and whilst it is<br />
away in France, we must not and cannot<br />
let the focus shift to what is next week<br />
before the final whistle has blown on this<br />
fixture. We know too many times, teams<br />
can easily shift their focus but we have<br />
also seen what this can do to a team and<br />
so we can rest assured that Leo, Stuart<br />
and the rest of the <strong>Leinster</strong> contingent will<br />
be working to ensure the focus is 100 per<br />
cent on <strong>Bath</strong> this afternoon and the task<br />
in hand there. Then and only then can we<br />
look to next week.<br />
A reminder also to all fans to please<br />
continue to ensure you follow all<br />
directions of Aviva staff and let’s keep<br />
each other safe. For now though, here’s<br />
to a fantastic afternoon of rugby and<br />
don’t forget that when the boys do take to<br />
the field this afternoon, that you welcome<br />
them back with that familiar <strong>Leinster</strong> roar.<br />
After all, it’s the Heineken Champions<br />
Cup and it starts now, our Drive for Five!<br />
For those of you who will be travelling<br />
over to France next weekend, do keep an<br />
eye out for our next ‘Supporters Guide<br />
To…’ which we’ll hopefully get issued<br />
during the week for you to take with you<br />
in a handy PDF format on your mobile<br />
device.<br />
Be loud, Be proud, Be blue!<br />
Your OLSC Committee<br />
54 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
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SOCIAL<br />
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56 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Virtual Mascot<br />
Tristan<br />
Moynagh<br />
Age: 6<br />
School: St Mary’s and St Gerard’s National<br />
School, Enniskerry<br />
Class: Senior Infants<br />
Hobbies: Loves Lego!<br />
Favourite Player: Johnny Sexton!<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 59
WHERE ARE<br />
THEY NOW?<br />
DES DILLON<br />
THEN: Des<br />
Dillon earned<br />
56 caps over<br />
four seasons<br />
from 2002/03<br />
to 2005/06.<br />
NOW: He is<br />
married to<br />
Stephanie<br />
with three<br />
children James<br />
(7), Henry<br />
(5) and Holly<br />
(3), living in<br />
Monkstown,<br />
working as a<br />
Director of ‘Le<br />
Cheile’, a Life<br />
and Pensions<br />
company.<br />
60 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
When I<br />
look back on<br />
it, I could<br />
have easily<br />
gone away,<br />
played with<br />
another club<br />
and returned<br />
home a few<br />
years later.<br />
I just always<br />
wanted to<br />
play for<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>. It<br />
was my club.<br />
In March of 2003, Des Dillon had<br />
to feel good about himself when<br />
looking around the dressing room<br />
at Donnybrook, now known as<br />
Energia Park.<br />
The 22-year-old had just been part of<br />
an Ireland ‘A’ side that had thwarted<br />
England with a 50-metre penalty from<br />
Mark McHugh deep into injury time.<br />
So many of the exhausted, smiling faces<br />
in the room would go on to represent<br />
their country at the highest level,<br />
stalwarts like Simon Easterby, Donncha<br />
O’Callaghan and Tyrone Howe. In fact,<br />
just two of the 15, Barry Everitt and Dillon<br />
would end their playing days without a<br />
full senior cap.<br />
Out-half Everitt chose a different path in a<br />
fine career that involved Munster, <strong>Leinster</strong>,<br />
London Irish and Northampton Saints.<br />
Three years later, Dillon, the very<br />
promising No 8, was out of favour and<br />
out of the game due to a combination of<br />
injury and post-playing considerations.<br />
“When I got selected to play in my first<br />
Ireland ‘A’ international, I could see the<br />
road ahead to an Ireland cap. It became<br />
more of a reality to me,” he says.<br />
“I did my knee in that match which,<br />
subsequently, prevented me from playing<br />
in the next two matches.”<br />
It is a familiar theme to Dillon’s career,<br />
injury intervening when the next step<br />
looked within reach in a professional<br />
career that was relatively short and not<br />
always sweet.<br />
Coming out of Clongowes Wood<br />
College, coached by the late, great Vinny<br />
Murray, the 6’ 6” back-five forward held<br />
a huge reputation as a natural leader<br />
from lifting the 1998 <strong>Leinster</strong> Senior<br />
Schools Cup as the captain.<br />
The story of the schoolboy hero has been<br />
told many times over. Usually, it goes one<br />
of two ways.<br />
The practical reality is that Des was still a<br />
teenager when he came into contact with<br />
mature, grizzled veterans of the game<br />
that had seen it all.<br />
“I didn’t see myself as someone with a<br />
big reputation,” he says.<br />
“At the time, professional rugby was just<br />
taking off. I was looking at Victor Costello<br />
and Eric Miller ahead of me in the back<br />
row. Really, they were the ones with the<br />
big reputations.<br />
“When I came out of school, I was<br />
involved in the first <strong>Leinster</strong> Academy.<br />
There were five or six that came out every<br />
year. I was one of those.<br />
“Around then, you are talking about the<br />
likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Andy Dunne,<br />
Shane Moore, Shane Horgan and Dave<br />
Blaney.”<br />
Sitting above them, his Clongowes<br />
classmate Gordon D’Arcy went straight<br />
into the senior squad.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 61
It took three years from leaving school for<br />
Dillon to make his <strong>Leinster</strong> breakthrough,<br />
after a loan arrangement to Connacht<br />
in 2001.<br />
“I had a great year at Connacht. I played<br />
No 8 for the entire season. Steph Nel<br />
was the coach; Eric Elwood the captain,”<br />
he recalls.<br />
“It was my first experience of training fulltime,<br />
being in the gym full-time, playing<br />
full-time. The seasons were shorter back<br />
then. From there, I returned to play for<br />
UCD for the rest of the season.<br />
“In fact, I played for UCD for three or<br />
four great years, moving from Division 3<br />
up to Division 1 in the All-Ireland League.<br />
It was a good starting point for me, in<br />
terms of training and getting used to<br />
senior rugby.”<br />
Connacht followed up with a tempting<br />
contract offer which, ultimately, he turned<br />
down when <strong>Leinster</strong> coach Matt Williams<br />
made his pitch.<br />
“I was coming into a set-up where Trevor<br />
Brennan had just left. It seemed like the<br />
right move at the time. Looking back on<br />
it, it probably wasn’t because I ended up<br />
sitting on the bench behind Victor and<br />
Eric for the next couple of seasons.<br />
“It is well-documented how we had a<br />
new coach every year. Matt Williams<br />
left. Gary Ella came in. I played well<br />
that season, starting at No 8 the whole<br />
season.”<br />
When Declan Kidney was the Ireland<br />
U-19 coach in 1999, Des was his<br />
captain. A strong connection had been<br />
made before Kidney became <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
coach in 2004.<br />
It was the basis for a four-year contract<br />
that spoke to Kidney’s opinion on Dillon<br />
and the importance of the versatile<br />
forward to <strong>Leinster</strong>’s future.<br />
“A four-year deal was very rare back<br />
then. In hindsight, that was part of my<br />
downfall,” he shares.<br />
62 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
“By year two, Michael Cheika had come<br />
in and I wasn’t getting selected. I wasn’t<br />
part of his plans. It was pretty frustrating<br />
to know you had two years left on your<br />
contract and you weren’t playing.”<br />
Costello kept signing one-year contracts<br />
which kept Dillon attached to the idea<br />
that ‘next year could be my year’. He had<br />
his sights set on moving Costello out of<br />
the jersey. It just never happened.<br />
All along, there were offers coming in<br />
from Harlequins and London Irish in<br />
England and Perpignan in France. But,<br />
there was enough reason to believe his<br />
chance was just around the corner.<br />
In his last season, Cheika came<br />
in, installed a rigorous pre-season<br />
programme to have the <strong>Leinster</strong> players in<br />
great shape. However, in the first match<br />
of 2005/06, a back injury effectively<br />
accounted for six months out of the game.<br />
In the meantime, along came Jamie<br />
Heaslip. And that was it. Mr Indestructible<br />
went on to win almost every honour<br />
in the game, while Dillon was out of<br />
professional rugby by the end of the<br />
season.<br />
“When I look back on it, I could have<br />
easily gone away, played with another<br />
club and returned home a few years later.<br />
I just always wanted to play for <strong>Leinster</strong>. It<br />
was my club.”<br />
He could never let go of the dream of<br />
becoming a centrepiece of <strong>Leinster</strong>’s<br />
future and fell between two stools as a<br />
multi-position player, a jack of all trades.<br />
“The frustration was in not starting for<br />
Cheika. You can’t make a case if you’re<br />
not playing. When I was on the bench,<br />
I was covering a number of positions<br />
and, maybe, caught in between being a<br />
second row and back row.”<br />
In December 2005, he chose to move to<br />
Ospreys because Ryan Jones had been<br />
hampered by injury, playing well enough<br />
to be offered a multi-year contract by the<br />
Welsh club. He decided not to take it.<br />
“My back was always at me. I was never<br />
able to train fully, to take on the workload<br />
I needed to be at my peak physically,”<br />
he says.<br />
At one point, he sat down with <strong>Leinster</strong>’s<br />
doctors Arthur Tanner and Jim McShane<br />
to be told how it was not a good idea to<br />
play on. The scans suggested arthritis in<br />
the lower spine which could have been<br />
remedied by a spinal fusion.<br />
The support of his parents, Leo, a County<br />
Carlow club man, and Mary, at his<br />
games and for their advice eased the<br />
burden of decision-making.<br />
“I didn’t want to go ahead with the<br />
operation because of the long-term life<br />
implications,” he admits.<br />
Thankfully, he had embraced education,<br />
starting with a BA in Sports Management<br />
at UCD, following up with an Information<br />
Technology course, a stockbroking<br />
course, and a property management<br />
course at Dublin Business School. He<br />
is a Qualified Financial Advisor and<br />
Specialist in Alternative Investments now.<br />
“I was frustrated. I wasn’t getting<br />
selected. I was offered a job at Davy<br />
Stockbrokers. And I took it,” he adds.<br />
“Looking back, I am glad I made that<br />
choice. I have been working away for<br />
more than 15 years since I retired.”<br />
He took a lot from what he had learned<br />
in rugby and used it as the basis for<br />
moving into a new area.<br />
“Rugby definitely helped in my transition.<br />
You bring a team mentality, a lot of<br />
confidence and discipline.<br />
“I am in the Life and Pensions industry as<br />
a Director of ‘Le Cheile’ Group Financial<br />
Services. It is going really well. I am out<br />
and about meeting people, working on<br />
business development, bringing clients to<br />
matches, using sport as an ice-breaker to<br />
discuss business.<br />
“I made lifelong friends in my time<br />
playing, in particular guys like Niall<br />
Treston, Brian O’Riordan, Gavin Hickie,<br />
Dave Blaney and Darce (Gordon<br />
D’Arcy). We still meet up regularly at<br />
different events, like those organised by<br />
the Rugby Players of Ireland Past Players<br />
Union.<br />
The benefit of time has enabled Dillon to<br />
recount his experience at <strong>Leinster</strong> as a<br />
positive part of his life.<br />
“I look back at it with great fondness.<br />
Sure, there was frustration. But, I took a<br />
lot from all the teams I played for and I<br />
still use those tools today.”<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 63
Referees<br />
Corner<br />
BY DAN WALLACE<br />
Welcome to the first Heineken Champions<br />
Cup Referees Corner of the season.<br />
A warm welcome to the man<br />
in the middle, Pierre Brousset.<br />
Pierre was the man in the middle<br />
when we took on Northampton<br />
Saints last season.<br />
The Top 14 referee was promoted to the<br />
World Rugby panel for the rugby sevens<br />
season in 2017 and was chosen by the<br />
World Rugby match officials selection<br />
panel to represent France during the<br />
2016/17 season of the seven-a-side<br />
world circuit.<br />
In 2019, he was promoted to the<br />
French National Panel. After Romain<br />
Poite, Jérôme Garcès, Pascal Gaüzère,<br />
Mathieu Raynal and Alexandre Ruiz, the<br />
FFR now has six referees at the highest<br />
level with Brousset. Best of luck to him<br />
today.<br />
ANNUAL AWARDS<br />
Every year during our annual<br />
dinner we hand out our annual<br />
awards. Sadly, this event has not<br />
taken place in recent times.<br />
There are five main awards, one for<br />
lifetime achievement – the Ham Lambert<br />
Award (2018/19 Pierce Fitzpatrick),<br />
one for referee of the year – the<br />
Harold Ardill Award (2018/19 Robbie<br />
O’Flynn), one for Referee Performance<br />
of the Year – the Alain Rolland<br />
Award which was introduced in 2015<br />
(2018/19 Colm Roche ) - one for club<br />
of the year – the Terry Doyle Memorial<br />
Award (2018/19 Old Wesley RFC)<br />
and the Denis Collins Perpetual Award<br />
for Progressive Referee which has been<br />
recently added.<br />
Want to get<br />
involved?<br />
Feel free to make contact with the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees<br />
at hayley.whyte@leinsterrugby.ie If you are interested<br />
in becoming a referee get in contact with us through our<br />
Facebook, our website www.leinsterrugbyreferees.ie or<br />
through twitter @leinsterreferee.<br />
64 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
The club of the year award is voted by<br />
the active referees of the association.<br />
Due to Covid restrictions a small<br />
ceremony took place before the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
v Ulster game and we are delighted to<br />
announce and congratulate this year’s<br />
winners:<br />
Terry Doyle Memorial Award for Club<br />
of the Year: Greystones RFC. A super<br />
club and a clear winner in the voting<br />
process from the active referees.<br />
Ham Lambert Lifetime Achievement<br />
Award: Bryan O’Neill (Lansdowne<br />
FC) Bryan is a long time member of<br />
the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees and former<br />
president who has given great service to<br />
the association.<br />
Harry Ardil Referee of the Year: Simon<br />
‘Nigel’ Owens (Old Wesley RFC) Simon<br />
has held multiple roles in the association<br />
and has given a huge amount of free<br />
time to refereeing at all levels.<br />
Alain Rolland Award for Refereeing<br />
Performance of the Year: Andrew Cole<br />
(Old Wesley RFC) Andrew is one of<br />
Ireland’s up and coming referees. He<br />
had a superb season in 2019/20 and<br />
continues to improve.<br />
Denis Collins Perpetual Award for<br />
Progressive Referee: Katie Byrne<br />
(Tullamore RFC) Katie has shown huge<br />
potential since becoming a referee and<br />
continues to shine and rise through the<br />
ranks.<br />
Well done to all the deserving winners.<br />
NEW RECRUITS<br />
The <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees<br />
have been working hard over<br />
the opening months of this<br />
season to recruit, educate and<br />
develop new match officials. To<br />
date this season, 17 new match<br />
officials have graduated through<br />
the trainee referee process to<br />
become full members of the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees.<br />
The <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees held<br />
their latest New Referees Course on<br />
Saturday, 30 October, in St Michael’s<br />
College in Dublin. It was great to have<br />
25 new trainee referees in attendance,<br />
representing schools and clubs from<br />
every corner of the province.<br />
Seán Gallagher (Referee Development<br />
Manager) facilitated the course, where<br />
the trainee referees learned about the<br />
basic principles of refereeing. There<br />
were several guest speakers too –<br />
Hayley Whyte (Referee Administrator)<br />
presented on planning and preparation<br />
for referees, Sam Holt (National Panel<br />
Referee) presented on working as part<br />
of a match official team and Michael<br />
Kirk (<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referee) shared his<br />
experience of becoming a referee over<br />
the past year.<br />
The New Referees Course is just the<br />
first step for these new trainee referees.<br />
Over the coming weekends they will<br />
be appointed to referee and touch<br />
judge age-grade matches in their area.<br />
A group of experienced mentors will<br />
attend these matches to support them as<br />
they take to the pitch for the first time.<br />
The trainee referees will also attend<br />
follow up workshops as they learn about<br />
the more technical areas of the game.<br />
In November they will learn about<br />
scrum and lineout, in January the topic<br />
will be refereeing the breakdown and<br />
in February they will explore game<br />
management.<br />
Once these new match officials have<br />
completed the trainee referee process,<br />
they will become full members of the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Referees and begin their<br />
journey on the IRFU Referee Pathway.<br />
Seán Gallagher (Referee Development<br />
Manager) said, “It is very important<br />
that we consistently recruit, educate<br />
and develop new match officials each<br />
season. Our aim is to ensure that we<br />
have enough referees to cover all the<br />
age-grade and adult games each week<br />
and to develop quality match officials<br />
who will progress through the IRFU<br />
Referee Pathway.”<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 65
<strong>Leinster</strong> Men’s Metro<br />
Leagues<br />
Round-up<br />
Along with other domestic<br />
league competitions run by the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Branch, the 10 divisions<br />
in the Metro League provides<br />
competitive rugby for 75 teams<br />
from a cross section of clubs<br />
spread across the province.<br />
Depending on the strength and playing<br />
numbers within a club the current system<br />
allows clubs the opportunity to play<br />
against teams of a similar standard but<br />
who could be from a bigger club who<br />
field more teams. With promotion and<br />
relegation at stake the leagues allow for<br />
all teams competing to find a level to suit<br />
their standard.<br />
In Metro League Division 1, the nine<br />
teams competing are the J1 sides of clubs<br />
competing in the Energia All-Ireland<br />
League. As we approach the mid-season<br />
break Terenure are top having only<br />
tasted defeat once this season, they are<br />
eight points ahead of second-placed Old<br />
Wesley. Dublin University and UCD fill<br />
third and fourth positions respectively.<br />
Division 2 is comprised of a mix between<br />
All-Ireland League clubs J1 and J2 two<br />
sides. MU Barnhall have opened up a<br />
nine-point lead over Old Wesley and<br />
Naas although the Donnybrook men<br />
have a game in hand. Greystones lie in<br />
fourth place, a point behind, but have<br />
two games in hand over the leaders, so<br />
still plenty to play for at the top of this<br />
division.<br />
Division 3 - Skerries lead the way and<br />
they hold a three-point lead at the top<br />
over second-placed Navan. The two<br />
clubs played against each other last time<br />
out with Skerries winning what was a try<br />
scoring fest by 41-38. Enniscorthy lie five<br />
points behind in third position.<br />
Division 4 - Naas remain unbeaten<br />
having won all six matches played to<br />
date and have a two-point lead and a<br />
game in hand over second-placed Old<br />
Wesley. The students of UCD sit in third<br />
place. This division sees the first of the<br />
Metro and Area clubs involved with both<br />
Rathdrum and Stillorgan/Rathfarnham<br />
competing.<br />
In Division 5, Terenure are the club very<br />
much in command as the Lakelands<br />
team remain unbeaten with six from<br />
six successes to date. Lansdowne sit in<br />
second place followed by Coolmine in<br />
third position.<br />
Old Wesley who sit top in Division 6<br />
having only lost one game so far in<br />
the campaign and that was against<br />
Clontarf who are in second place, two<br />
points behind. Dublin University are in<br />
third position ahead of Terenure and<br />
Clondalkin who both have a game in<br />
hand.<br />
Division 7 - Old Belvedere are the<br />
leaders as they also have only lost one<br />
game to date, they hold a four-point lead<br />
with a game in hand over second-placed<br />
Blackrock. Stillorgan/Rathfarnham lie in<br />
third place ahead of BGF Ravens who<br />
are followed by Swords and the Emerald<br />
Warriors in mid-division.<br />
Division 8 is topped by Greystones, four<br />
points clear of Railway Union. Bective<br />
Rangers and De La Salle Palmerston are<br />
on the same points in third and fourth<br />
place respectively but the ‘Rangers’ have<br />
a game in hand over the other sides.<br />
Division 9 is tight at the top of the table<br />
where St Mary’s hold a one-point lead<br />
over second-placed Malahide who are<br />
on the same points as Clondalkin who<br />
have played one game more. Dogos/<br />
AIB, Newbridge and Tallaght also<br />
compete in this division.<br />
In Division 10, Portarlington are in<br />
first place by virtue of a better points<br />
difference than Midland Warriors, each<br />
team having won six of their eight games<br />
played to date. Coolmine are four points<br />
behind in third place but with a game in<br />
hand. Athy lie in fourth position, unbeaten<br />
having only played four games so far in<br />
the campaign after being placed in this<br />
division late. So, again all to play for at<br />
the top of the table.<br />
As we head into the Christmas break and<br />
all involved in the 10 divisions that make<br />
up our Metro Leagues get an opportunity<br />
to recharge the batteries over the festive<br />
season, there is plenty of great domestic<br />
rugby to look forward to when matches<br />
resume in the New Year.<br />
All our Metro League clubs across the<br />
province, their players, coaches and<br />
volunteers are to be commended for their<br />
dedication and commitment in getting<br />
matches played especially during these<br />
difficult times.<br />
66 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
YOUR ACCESS TO THE HEART OF EUROPEAN<br />
RUGBY HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER<br />
HEINEKENCHAMPIONSCUP.COM<br />
#HeinekenChampionsCup
ank of ireland<br />
MATCHDAY MINIS<br />
MU Barnhall RFC<br />
Squad: Isaac Gunn, Elwood McGreal, Arán Uhlemann,<br />
Max Ellerker, Max Kinsella, Conor Horan, Joe Cribben,<br />
Conor Nealon, Ryan Fenton, Charlie Kinsella Phillips,<br />
Michéal Walsh, Simon Hearns, Matthew Tyrrell, Lucia Mc<br />
Cracken, Luke Carthy, Tadhg Friscic, Eoin Roche, Rhys<br />
Henry, Cillian Burke, Leo Nolan<br />
Coaches: Jonathan Fenton, Gavin Carthy<br />
Portlaoise RFC<br />
Back Row (Left to Right): John Lynch (coach), Harry<br />
Redmond, David Peters, Simon Shirley, Charlie Peavoy,<br />
Joseph Kelly, Ben Heffernan, Daragh Hooban, Billy Lawless,<br />
Jack Downey, Alan O’Connell (coach).<br />
Front Row (Left to Right): Owen Harding, Dylan Clear,<br />
Freddie Walshe, Jerry O’Connell, Harry Shore, Luke<br />
Delaney, Jake Murray, Oscar O’Connell, Alex O’Brien<br />
McCormack, Tadhg Lowry, Matthew Lynch<br />
Tullamore RFC<br />
Squad: Tom Brennan, Daniel Bourke, Timothy Cunningham,<br />
Cillian Daly, Oisín Dolan, Harry Dumpleton, Callum<br />
Grehan, Ríain Guinan, Tomás McFadden, Fionn McGrath,<br />
Eoin Minnock, Liam O’Connor, Harry O’Meara, Keith<br />
O’Rourke, Sean Ryan, Conor Sullivan, Mattia Toselli, Oisín<br />
Whelan<br />
Navan RFC<br />
Squad: Ryan Escobar, Sam Friel, Sean Duffy, Ted Duffy,<br />
Killian Welsh, Keelan Power, Chris Barry, Sean Masterson,<br />
Simon Hobbs, Erik Hannukka, Peter Higgins, Tom Moran,<br />
Adam Kohistani, Evin Spillane, Danny Farrell, Asanka<br />
Varney, Killian Faggan, Jimmy Shorten, James Mallon, Ryan<br />
Carter<br />
Coaches: Cyril Escobar, John Duffy<br />
Coaching Team: Michael Whelan, Seán O’Rourke<br />
68 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
20 years as CEO for<br />
Mick Dawson<br />
70 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
On a cold<br />
November morning<br />
in 2001, Mick<br />
Dawson packed<br />
his bag, left<br />
home, got into his<br />
car and drove the<br />
short distance<br />
to the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby head office<br />
for his first day<br />
as CEO.<br />
We call it a head office but it was<br />
really just a portacabin where the<br />
Ken Wall Centre of Excellence now<br />
sits in Energia Park.<br />
A lot has changed since then for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby but one thing that has remained<br />
constant is the man at the helm.<br />
Twenty years later, Mick Dawson is still in<br />
charge and has overseen huge change<br />
both on and off the field.<br />
The <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby professional team<br />
have been changed from also-rans to<br />
four-time Champions Cup winners and<br />
record-winners in the URC.<br />
There is now a women’s rugby<br />
programme with dedicated staff that<br />
have grown numbers in the province from<br />
seven girls teams in 2009 to over 70 girls<br />
teams at the last count.<br />
The <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby player pathway now<br />
develops and nurtures homegrown talent<br />
from the clubs and the schools through<br />
the Shane Horgan Cup, the Sarah<br />
Robinson Cup, the schools competitions<br />
into the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby blue jersey that<br />
run out at Energia Park or the RDS Arena.<br />
Those portacabins in Donnybrook,<br />
were soon changed into an office over<br />
what is now the O’Brien’s off-license<br />
in Donnybrook, then to another facility<br />
above MAO restaurant again in<br />
Donnybrook, and then finally, thanks to<br />
David and Cathy Shubotham, to UCD,<br />
where the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby head office has<br />
been since 2012.<br />
But the change wasn’t confined to the<br />
head office as Donnybrook, now Energia<br />
Park of course, also took on many<br />
facelifts and in that time a new stand<br />
was built, two state-of-the-art artificial<br />
pitches installed and of course the Ken<br />
Wall Centre of Excellence was opened in<br />
September 2019.<br />
Nor is Energia Park the only home of<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby anymore, with the RDS<br />
Arena and the Aviva Stadium now also<br />
sharing the considerable load of catering<br />
for the <strong>Leinster</strong> men’s and women’s teams.<br />
Dawson would be the first to deflect<br />
attention away from his own impact so<br />
better to seek opinion from those that<br />
have seen him at close quarters in that<br />
time.<br />
Former <strong>Leinster</strong> and Ireland player<br />
Philip Lawlor, was working with <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby when Dawson first arrived and is<br />
still there today as Head of the Rugby<br />
Department, overseeing every aspect of<br />
the game below professional level.<br />
“In his time at the helm of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby,<br />
Mick has always understood the role<br />
clubs and schools play in <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby’s<br />
success.<br />
“His encouragement and support for<br />
the innovation and drive that exists in<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong>’s clubs and schools along with<br />
its rugby department staff and committee<br />
structures has ensured we stay at the<br />
forefront of player, coach, volunteer and<br />
referee development across the men’s<br />
and the women’s game in Ireland.<br />
“From a personnel point of view Mick is<br />
a man of huge integrity, who has always<br />
had my back, a good and insightful<br />
counsel whose encouragement and<br />
support in pushing boundaries and<br />
driving development has ensured that<br />
being part of <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby has always<br />
been interesting, rewarding and very<br />
enjoyable.”<br />
Dawson has had to work with many head<br />
coaches during those 20 years from Matt<br />
Williams right the way through to Leo<br />
Cullen.<br />
He did of course know Cullen very well,<br />
Cullen having skippered <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
to an unprecedented three Heineken Cup<br />
trophies and a European Challenge Cup<br />
as a player.<br />
And his appointment in the summer<br />
of 2015 has turned into another huge<br />
success.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 71
As newly announced Official Clean Air Partner of<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby, we are delighted to support the<br />
team in their pursuit of excellence, by adding<br />
Novaerus air disinfection technology to their<br />
winning formula.<br />
Irish-designed and patented Novaerus NanoStrike <br />
technology strives to give <strong>Leinster</strong> the physical and<br />
competitive edge by disinfecting the squad and<br />
management team’s indoor air safely, 24/7.<br />
Clean air is as important to a world-class winning<br />
team as clean water, superb nutrition, and a healthy<br />
lifestyle, all improving cognitive and physical<br />
performance on and off the pitch. Wishing our<br />
new partners <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby all the best <strong>vs</strong> <strong>Bath</strong><br />
Rugby today.
“Mick is synonymous with all that is great<br />
about <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby,” says Cullen.<br />
“It’s not just about winning it’s about<br />
building relationships that will survive<br />
the test of time. Personally, Mick has<br />
always been a great support to me<br />
both as a player and more recently as a<br />
coach. And whenever I have brought him<br />
problems, he is always keen to provide<br />
solutions.<br />
“<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby owes Mick a great deal<br />
for his leadership and the work he has<br />
put in over the course of the last 20<br />
years.”<br />
Finally, who better than the man charged<br />
with steering the ship on the pitch in the<br />
Heineken Champions Cup and the URC<br />
over the coming weeks, Johnny Sexton,<br />
for his thoughts on the Dawson years.<br />
“Everything starts with the leader of any<br />
organisation and he is very much the<br />
one that has driven things from the top.<br />
I’m sure he’s had battles over the years<br />
internally or with the IRFU but I think<br />
he has always been pro-active in his<br />
approach and has found that balance<br />
between professionalism and the integrity<br />
of the game.<br />
“I think he’s done a fantastic job with the<br />
success that we have had but leaving<br />
that to one side you look at some of the<br />
decisions he has made and in particular<br />
some of the moves he has made.<br />
“The move to the RDS from Donnybrook<br />
is the one that stands out for me but also<br />
in terms of the facilities that we now<br />
have in UCD and down in Energia Park<br />
and now a vision for four other Centres<br />
of Excellence around the province to<br />
further tap into the talent that is out there<br />
amongst the boys and girls in our clubs<br />
and schools.<br />
“Success can’t happen unless it is driven<br />
from the top down and he has certainly<br />
done that but he has also been a great<br />
personality around the place. He’s a<br />
good character, you can have a laugh<br />
with him, and even though he is obviously<br />
the CEO of the organisation you can go<br />
to him, call into him, chat to him and get<br />
along with him.”<br />
When mentioning decisions Dawson<br />
has made in his time at <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby,<br />
the hiring of head coaches is one that<br />
gathers most headlines.<br />
It is hard to ignore the impact that<br />
Michael Cheika had on <strong>Leinster</strong>, but<br />
beyond that the impact that Joe Schmidt<br />
then had on <strong>Leinster</strong> and Irish rugby.<br />
Of course Schmidt turned down the initial<br />
approach from Dawson but not content<br />
with ‘no’ for an answer, Dawson went<br />
after Schmidt a second time but had an<br />
ace or two up his sleeve. Namely, Cullen<br />
and Sexton, his captain and the young<br />
out-half that Schmidt could build a team<br />
around at club level, and in time, at<br />
international level.<br />
“Cheika coming in changed the culture<br />
of the organisation and then Joe came in<br />
and made it even better again. Two great<br />
appointments,” Sexton adds.<br />
“But Mick was very clever in that he<br />
knew who he was dealing with and<br />
what would work and when it didn’t go<br />
right the first time in his chats with Joe,<br />
he arranged a second meeting and I<br />
remember it like it was yesterday. It feels<br />
like yesterday! It was myself and Leo and<br />
Jono Gibbes who met with him and had<br />
good chats.<br />
“The funny thing is I came away from<br />
that meeting thinking Joe was far too<br />
nice to be a head coach! But Mick saw<br />
something in him, had done his research<br />
and that appointment brought us to<br />
another level and we’ve never looked<br />
back.”<br />
He’s not gone or going anywhere but 20<br />
years at the helm is worth acknowledging<br />
and celebrating.<br />
Congratulations Mick!<br />
As they say in Irish, fiche bliain ag fás,<br />
fiche bliain faoi bhláth.<br />
Twenty years growing, twenty years<br />
blossoming.<br />
Here’s to many more.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 73
TO MAXIMISE YOUR SPORTS AND EXERCISE<br />
PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION<br />
Optimum Nutrition and <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby have partnered to help share good nutrition tips throughout<br />
the season to help you achieve your performance goals. Here are some simple tips and things to<br />
remember to help maximise your performance and help you recover quickly to come back stronger.<br />
Protein Rich.<br />
Protein provides your muscles with<br />
the building blocks to repair & grow.<br />
Carb-Up.<br />
Carbohydrate foods are king as they<br />
power high intensity play.<br />
Fuel-Up.<br />
Consume the majority of your<br />
carbohydrates around training to<br />
support fuelling and recovery.<br />
Recover.<br />
Quality rest & nutrition between<br />
training sessions is the key to<br />
recovery. Remember to:<br />
Repair with protein,<br />
Refuel with carbohydrate,<br />
Rehydrate with fluid.<br />
Hydrate.<br />
Dehydration can lead to a drop in<br />
exercise intensity & can impact your<br />
decision making. Drink 2-3 litres of<br />
fluid each day to ensure hydration.<br />
Game Day.<br />
To fuel performance on the field,<br />
consume a large carbohydrate rich<br />
meal 2-3 hours before kick-off, i.e.<br />
chicken & pasta, turkey bolognaise<br />
wraps.<br />
Get 20% off all Optimum Nutrition products<br />
using code <strong>Leinster</strong>20 on optimumnutrition.ie
KNOWING WHAT ADVICE TO TAKE<br />
IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS GAME.<br />
beauchamps.ie<br />
OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR<br />
Beauchamps LLP | Riverside Two | Sir John Rogerson’s Quay | Dublin 2 | D02 KV60
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Charity Affiliate<br />
Peter McVerry Trust<br />
There is no doubt that the<br />
Covid-19 pandemic has been a<br />
challenge to everyone. But for the<br />
most vulnerable in our society –<br />
those without a place to call home<br />
– it was particularly daunting.<br />
Over the past 20 months Peter<br />
McVerry Trust has, in partnership with<br />
State agencies and other voluntary<br />
organisations in the sector, kept the<br />
vulnerable safe and continued to help<br />
those in need.<br />
Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust<br />
writes:<br />
At the onset of the pandemic Peter<br />
McVerry Trust responded rapidly to<br />
meet the needs of people living in<br />
homelessness, especially those accessing<br />
our emergency accommodation services.<br />
RESPONDING TO A<br />
GLOBAL CRISIS<br />
We provided an immediate and urgent<br />
response to Covid-19 and supported over<br />
7,000 people to self-isolate.<br />
Our isolation services cater to four<br />
separate groups; people living in<br />
homelessness, patients leaving HSE<br />
services without a home to go to, children<br />
in Tusla services and asylum seekers<br />
entering the country for the first time<br />
through the International Protection<br />
Accommodation Services.<br />
Within each isolation unit, we provide<br />
rapid access to essential supports<br />
including addiction, mental health and<br />
translation services.<br />
PROTECTING<br />
PARTICIPANTS AND<br />
STAFF<br />
Throughout our response to Covid-19 we<br />
have sought to ensure that we offer the<br />
best possible protection and supports<br />
to people in homelessness and our<br />
own team members. Covid-19 testing is<br />
carried out on-site in our isolation services<br />
by nursing and social care workers and,<br />
once available, the vaccine was offered<br />
to all Peter McVerry Trust participants<br />
and staff members. To date, over 1,500<br />
participants have received the Covid-19<br />
vaccination. We’re now working to<br />
ensure our frontline team and participants<br />
receive their booster shots.<br />
DAY TO DAY WORK<br />
All of this work is in addition to working<br />
with all those with whom we normally<br />
support in our day to day work as a<br />
charity.<br />
We provide low-threshold entry services,<br />
primarily to younger people and<br />
vulnerable adults with complex needs,<br />
and offers pathways out of homelessness<br />
based on the principles of the Housing<br />
First model. Our mission is to target those<br />
most marginalised in society and offer<br />
them a safe, challenging and supportive<br />
environment through our service<br />
provision.<br />
Our aim is to treat participants with<br />
warmth and respect and actively<br />
encourage them to be involved in all<br />
aspects of their own support plan. We<br />
aim to assist each person to re-establish<br />
himself or herself in the community and<br />
move towards greater independence.<br />
LIVE SIMPLY, SHARE<br />
GENEROUSLY<br />
This year we will work with over 10,000<br />
people, a 20 per cent increase on last<br />
year. Unfortunately, the fundraising<br />
environment has been incredibly<br />
challenging since the onset of Covid-19<br />
in Ireland.<br />
At the start of November, Stephen Kenny,<br />
the manager of the Irish men’s football<br />
team, launched our Christmas Fundraising<br />
Appeal at our latest social housing<br />
scheme in Dublin, where we created 18<br />
social housing apartments by refurbishing<br />
two vacant buildings. Tenants will now<br />
be moving into these homes in time for<br />
Christmas.<br />
Our Christmas fundraising appeal is<br />
using the theme ‘Live Simply, Share<br />
Generously’, a quote from our founder<br />
Fr Peter McVerry’s interview with Tommy<br />
Tiernan on RTÉ earlier in the year.<br />
We know, and have seen first-hand over<br />
the years, the generosity of the Irish<br />
public and we hope that people who are<br />
in a position to donate and support this<br />
year’s Christmas appeal do so, whether<br />
it’s on an individual level, as a business,<br />
a group of employees or through<br />
community groups.<br />
We hope people will reflect on the<br />
simple message to ‘live simply and share<br />
generously’, as we need all the support<br />
we can get in the run up to Christmas.<br />
2020 IN BRIEF<br />
Worked with 7,800 people<br />
Active in 28 out of 31 local<br />
authorities across Ireland<br />
1,300 people supported into housing<br />
Opened our Mid-East Regional Office<br />
in Naas, Co. Kildare<br />
76 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Live simply,<br />
share<br />
generously
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Wicklow U-12s in RDS<br />
Wicklow RFC U-12<br />
boys squad were<br />
delighted to be<br />
invited to the<br />
Bank of Ireland<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
half-time mini<br />
games at the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> v Ulster<br />
game on Saturday,<br />
27 November.<br />
The exhibition matches are the<br />
highlight of <strong>Leinster</strong> minis rugby<br />
and had been postponed for the<br />
last few seasons due to Covid<br />
restrictions.<br />
Wicklow U-12s’ day started at Ashtown<br />
Lane where they travelled by bus to the<br />
game in Dublin. Before they left Wicklow,<br />
they were given a lively send off by Club<br />
President Brian Clarke who, on behalf<br />
of the club, wished the kids well and<br />
reminded them to enjoy the experience.<br />
Wicklow RFC arrived full of enthusiasm<br />
at the RDS and were given VIP treatment,<br />
escorted to their reserved seating in the<br />
South Stand. They had plenty of time<br />
to watch the <strong>Leinster</strong> and Ulster players<br />
warming up.<br />
As half-time approached the Wicklow<br />
players got their game faces on to<br />
prepare for the highlight of their young<br />
rugby lives. As the half-time whistle blew<br />
on the main game the kids ran onto the<br />
main pitch in front of a crowd of 15,000<br />
spectators<br />
Their match kicked off against Ashbourne<br />
RFC and from the start they played like<br />
warriors to score two brilliant team tries.<br />
The match was over in a flash and they<br />
finished the game with a lap of honour<br />
around the pitch to the applause of an<br />
appreciative crowd.<br />
The kids then resumed their seats for<br />
the second half of the adult game.<br />
Ulster were the deserved winners in the<br />
interprovincial fixture but that was soon<br />
forgotten on the bus journey home where<br />
the kids recounted their memories of a<br />
truly unforgettable experience.<br />
This day will be long remembered by this<br />
group of talented players.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 79
Founded:<br />
1865<br />
Ground:<br />
THE RECREATION GROUND<br />
Capacity:<br />
14,500<br />
bath rugby<br />
last time out<br />
Northampton Saints 40<br />
<strong>Bath</strong> Rugby 19<br />
Losing Josh McNally in the warmup,<br />
the Blue, Black and Whites fell<br />
behind within a minute as Rory<br />
Hutchinson ran in for Saints.<br />
Tommy Freeman scored soon after before<br />
Sam Underhill replied for the visitors.<br />
<strong>Bath</strong> then lost half-back pairing Ben<br />
Spencer and Danny Cipriani to injuries<br />
and Northampton crossed twice through<br />
Juarno Augustus.<br />
Lewis Boyce nudged his way over for a<br />
score just before the break and fellow<br />
prop Will Stuart added to <strong>Bath</strong>’s tally.<br />
But Northampton sealed their victory via<br />
a double from wing Courtnall Skosan.<br />
Saints went on the front foot from the<br />
off and crossed in the first minute. The<br />
hosts made use of an overlap to the right<br />
and Hutchinson scampered across the<br />
whitewash.<br />
In response. Tom de Glanville evaded a<br />
number of challenges before releasing<br />
Franklin’s Gardens | 4 December 2021 | Word and pictures: bathrugby.com<br />
A heavily disrupted <strong>Bath</strong> Rugby were beaten by<br />
Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens on<br />
their last day out.<br />
Spencer. In turn, he went out the<br />
backdoor to Josh Bayliss after making 15<br />
or so metres but the ball couldn’t quite<br />
stick.<br />
Tom Dunn and Underhill carried well to<br />
make metres and the forwards had great<br />
early success at the line-out but not before<br />
Freeman went over from an inside ball.<br />
Three penalties moved <strong>Bath</strong> to the five<br />
and a strong maul allowed Underhill to<br />
leg drive his way to the line.<br />
Soon after, with Spencer on the floor<br />
receiving treatment, Saints made the<br />
most of their advantage with their third<br />
try. Fraser Dingwall raced away and<br />
was superbly hauled down by Butt but<br />
managed to pop for No 8 Augustus to<br />
dot down.<br />
The back-rower managed to grab his<br />
second moments later on a short line with<br />
<strong>Bath</strong> forced into a makeshift backline<br />
and down to 14 due to a Mike Williams<br />
sin bin.<br />
Further changes were needed early in<br />
the second half as Williams received a<br />
blow to the head but <strong>Bath</strong> continued to<br />
have joy at the line-out and succession<br />
of penalties resulted in Matavesi being<br />
yellow carded.<br />
The resultant penalty saw Stuart tap and<br />
power over to make it 28-19, however<br />
80 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Northampton rallied and replied<br />
immediately through Skosan.<br />
Attacking intent remained with <strong>Bath</strong><br />
as Underhill and de Glanville asked<br />
questions of the home defence.<br />
Though when Saints did eventually<br />
retrieve possession, they managed to<br />
make it count. Will Muir and de Glanville<br />
put their bodies on the line to stop Ollie<br />
Sleightholme from finishing a cross-kick<br />
but the ball was quickly recycled and<br />
punt to the other corner where Skosan<br />
was on hand to score his second.<br />
Until the very end, <strong>Bath</strong> tried their best<br />
to get a try-bonus. Max Ojomoh – who<br />
stepped in at out-half – sent a looping<br />
ball to Muir on the wing and de Glanville<br />
dancing footwork made hard ground.<br />
Ojomoh again flicked a ball out to<br />
Bayliss and his strength forced his way<br />
to the five.<br />
Saints were patient in their defensive<br />
system and earned a turnover on their<br />
own goalline to thwart <strong>Bath</strong> and see out<br />
the game.<br />
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS – George<br />
Furbank; Tommy Freeman, Fraser<br />
Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Courtnall<br />
Skosan; Dan Biggar, Alex Mitchell; Alex<br />
Waller, Sam Matavesi, Ehren Painter;<br />
David Ribbans, Alex Moon; Karl Wilkins,<br />
Lewis Ludlam, Juarno Augustus.<br />
Replacements: James Fish, Nick Auterac,<br />
Paul Hill, Api Ratuniyarawa, Alex<br />
Coles, Tom James, Tom Litchfield, Ollie<br />
Sleightholme.<br />
BATH RUGBY – Tom de Glanville;<br />
Semesa Rokoduguni, Will Butt, Max<br />
Ojomah, Will Muir; Danny Cipriani, Ben<br />
Spencer; Lewis Boyce, Tom Dunn, Will<br />
Stuart; Mike Williams, Charlie Ewels; Tom<br />
Ellis, Sam Underhill, Josh Bayliss.<br />
Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Will<br />
Vaughan, D’Arcy Rae, Nahum Merigan,<br />
Richard de Carpentier, Ewan Richards,<br />
Ollie Fox, Gabriel Hamer-Webb.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 81
ath squad<br />
Director of Rugby<br />
Stuart Hooper<br />
Stuart Hooper joined <strong>Bath</strong> Rugby<br />
from Leeds at the start of the<br />
2008/09 season. In 2011, Hooper<br />
was named the new <strong>Bath</strong> Rugby<br />
club captain for the 2011/12<br />
season.<br />
Hooper retired with immediate effect<br />
from all rugby in 2016 under medical<br />
advice as the result of a back injury and it<br />
was soon announced that he would take<br />
on the role of Performance and Player<br />
Development Director at <strong>Bath</strong>.<br />
In 2019, it was announced that Hooper<br />
would take on the role of Director of<br />
Rugby for <strong>Bath</strong> Rugby at the start of<br />
the 2019/20 season, following the<br />
departure of Todd Blackadder.<br />
Captain<br />
charlie ewels<br />
Homegrown second row Charlie<br />
Ewels was named club captain<br />
ahead of the 2019/20 season.<br />
The 26-year-old made his debut for<br />
the club in November 2014 against<br />
Glasgow Warriors in the Heineken<br />
Champions Cup and has since amassed<br />
over a century of appearances.<br />
He has also represented England on 23<br />
occasions, scoring two tries, following a<br />
debut against Fiji in 2016.<br />
82 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
DARREN ATKINS<br />
FULL BACK/WING<br />
ORLANDO BAILEY<br />
OUTSIDE HALF<br />
JOSH BAYLISS<br />
BACK ROW<br />
LEWIS BOYCE<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
WILL BUTT<br />
CENTRE<br />
TOM CARR-SMITH<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
DANNY CIPRIANI<br />
OUTSIDE HALF<br />
MAX CLARK<br />
CENTRE<br />
JACO COETZEE<br />
BACK ROW<br />
JOE COKANASIGA<br />
WING<br />
ARTHUR CORDWELL<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
TOM COWAN<br />
BACK ROW<br />
RICHARD DE CARPENTIER<br />
BACK ROW<br />
TOM DE GLANVILLE<br />
OUTSIDE HALF<br />
JOSH DINGLEY<br />
BACK ROW/LOCK<br />
CIARAN DONOGHUE<br />
OUTSIDE HALF<br />
TOM DOUGHTY<br />
HOOKER<br />
JACQUES DU TOIT<br />
HOOKER<br />
TOM DUNN<br />
HOOKER<br />
TOM ELLIS<br />
LOCK<br />
CHARLIE EWELS<br />
LOCK<br />
TAULUPE FALETAU<br />
BACK ROW<br />
OLLIE FOX<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
GABE GOSS<br />
WING<br />
MACKENZIE GRAHAM<br />
BACK ROW<br />
MAX GREEN<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
ARCHIE GRIFFIN<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
GABE HAMER-WEBB<br />
WING<br />
JOHANNES JONKER<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
JONATHAN JOSEPH<br />
CENTRE<br />
ARCHIE MAGGS<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
RUARIDH MCCONNOCHIE<br />
FULL BACK<br />
JOSH MCNALLY<br />
LOCK<br />
NAHUM MERIGAN<br />
NO 8<br />
WILL MUIR<br />
WING<br />
BENO OBANO<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
MAX OJOMOH<br />
CENTRE<br />
D’ARCY RAE<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
FRANKIE READ<br />
BACK ROW<br />
CAMERON REDPATH<br />
CENTRE<br />
MILES REID<br />
FLANKER<br />
EWAN RICHARDS<br />
BACK ROW/LOCK<br />
SEMESA ROKODUGUNI<br />
WING<br />
JUAN SCHOEMAN<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
TIAN SCHOEMAN<br />
OUTSIDE HALF<br />
JOE SIMPSON<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
JASPER SPANDLER<br />
HOOKER<br />
BEN SPENCER<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
WILL SPENCER<br />
LOCK<br />
ETHAN STADDON<br />
BACK ROW/LOCK<br />
ARCHIE STANLEY<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
JOHN STEWART<br />
HOOKER<br />
WILL STUART<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
SAM UNDERHILL<br />
BACK ROW<br />
WILL VAUGHAN<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
KIERAN VERDEN<br />
LOOSE HEAD PROP<br />
ANTHONY WATSON<br />
FULL BACK<br />
MIKE WILLIAMS<br />
BACK ROW/LOCK<br />
GEORGE WORBOYS<br />
FULL BACK
Club in Focus<br />
LIBERTY SAINTS<br />
Tom<br />
Magee has<br />
known the<br />
despair a<br />
hopeless<br />
future<br />
can hold.<br />
At 26, it led Tom to start playing a<br />
sport he had never even seen. He<br />
went on to represent Wanderers<br />
in the All-Ireland League for 10<br />
years.<br />
The President at Liberty Saints Rugby<br />
Club in Dublin 8 is forever optimistic that<br />
young people’s lives can be saved long<br />
before they are lost to the cruel realities<br />
of life in the inner city.<br />
What rugby can be to those who<br />
embrace the discipline, commitment<br />
and identity of team is a way out of the<br />
drudgery of the everyday challenge it<br />
can be to simply get out of bed and stay<br />
out of trouble.<br />
“When you put guys on a rugby pitch,<br />
where there is nowhere to hide, it’s<br />
pi**ing rain, someone comes running at<br />
you, that is when you see who they are.<br />
“You realise how vulnerable they are,<br />
despite the hoods on their heads,” says<br />
Tom.<br />
“When you are on a team with someone,<br />
you get to know a lot about them, you<br />
see pieces of their personality they might<br />
never want you to see.<br />
“You automatically know, that guy is<br />
dishonest, that guy is lazy, that guy is a<br />
coward, that guy is brave, that guy can<br />
be trusted. Behaviours come out when the<br />
rules are laid out.<br />
“People around you suffer when<br />
you don’t follow the rules, keep your<br />
discipline and play as part of the team.<br />
“This is where the seeds for personal<br />
growth and development can grow<br />
from as boys and girls learn how to take<br />
instructions and be accountable.<br />
“Without rugby, without sport, in Dublin<br />
8, nothing happens. Trouble, gangs,<br />
drugs, jail becomes the natural cycle.”<br />
Tom is in the business of using rugby to<br />
bring change to the community and make<br />
lives better.<br />
Of course, for every good story, there<br />
are many to keep feet firmly rooted to the<br />
ground.<br />
Andy Ciobanu showed a lot of promise<br />
as a rugby player for Liberty Saints. He<br />
won a scholarship to Terenure College,<br />
made the Senior Cup team in 2019 and<br />
went on to college.<br />
Tom Magee with members of the girls<br />
team ahead of their first game<br />
He is currently in the second year of an<br />
Computer Science degree in UCD.<br />
“Andy is very positive, very grateful<br />
for the opportunity he earned and an<br />
example to everyone else of what can<br />
be achieved with the right discipline,”<br />
says Tom.<br />
Aaron Crowe is another player who has<br />
gone on to third level education, studying<br />
Sports Management in Technological<br />
University Dublin. He now gives back to<br />
the club every Sunday morning coaching<br />
the next generation of ‘Saints’.<br />
Adam Malone played on the same team<br />
as Andy and Aaron at Liberty Saints.<br />
When he outgrew the club as an 18-yearold,<br />
Adam went down to Wanderers and<br />
played several games at scrum-half.<br />
He struggled with the transition from a<br />
teenager with the purpose rugby gave<br />
him to the adult world in which life’s<br />
challenges became overwhelming.<br />
In August, at just 20 years of age, he<br />
tragically died, two weeks after the birth<br />
of his daughter Vada Rae.<br />
In 2018, two Liberty players Craig<br />
86 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Aaron Crowe<br />
Since 2014, we have been<br />
campaigning in the area for a pitch<br />
for all these children who have<br />
never run anywhere unless they are<br />
getting chased by the Gardai.<br />
Andy Ciobanu makes tackle with<br />
Conor Fitzgerald in support<br />
Hanlon-McKeon and Conor Fitzgerald,<br />
idle one afternoon, walked along the<br />
roof of a derelict building near St James’<br />
Hospital just for the craic.<br />
At one point, Conor heard a crack,<br />
looked back and saw a hole in the<br />
roof. He looked six meters below to see<br />
Craig’s still body on concrete. Another<br />
one gone.<br />
For every good news story, there are<br />
many heartbreaking ones that make you<br />
realise how fragile life can be.<br />
“Sport, in this case rugby, is about the<br />
values young people can learn and the<br />
needs that are met for players, even how<br />
they feel when coming off a pitch with a<br />
black eye after being beaten. They feel<br />
alive because they are testing themselves<br />
against their peers in a positive way,”<br />
says Tom.<br />
“That is what keeps me involved. I am<br />
passionate about what we are doing. I<br />
look at rugby as a way of fulfilling needs<br />
for young people, the fun, the freedom,<br />
the belonging, the power of team.<br />
Andy Ciobanu with J McG<br />
“We are not interested in trying to<br />
find the next Brian O’Driscoll. We are<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 87
interested in finding out who the next<br />
Andy Ciobanu and Adam Malone can<br />
be.”<br />
The club has had a rethink in recent years,<br />
moving to intervene earlier in the lives of<br />
the local children.<br />
“Part of the reason we started this was<br />
to attract teenagers, at the stage where<br />
they were moving from sixth class into<br />
secondary school.<br />
“They are meeting new peers, meeting a<br />
lot of distractions. They end up portraying<br />
a personality they have to live up to on<br />
the streets,” adds Tom.<br />
“We decided we had to introduce<br />
ourselves to these kids earlier at nine, 10,<br />
11, not 13, 14 15, so that we can gain<br />
their confidence as people they already<br />
know, not as strangers when they hit those<br />
teenage years.”<br />
There has been a determination to spread<br />
the gospel, finding support from St James’<br />
primary school where Liberty Saints reach<br />
out to children.<br />
“We thought it would only be boys that<br />
would find rugby attractive. What we<br />
found was the girls were just as interested.<br />
“Where we are, the nearest landmark<br />
to us is Fatima Luas stop, where Fatima<br />
Mansions was situated. There are no team<br />
sports in the area. None.”<br />
On the morning of the Ireland v Argentina<br />
November international, for the first time,<br />
Liberty Saints took 16 girls from age 9-11,<br />
to play against Terenure in another step<br />
forward for the club.<br />
“Since 2014, we have been campaigning<br />
in the area for a pitch for all these<br />
children who have never run anywhere<br />
unless they are getting chased by the<br />
Gardai.<br />
“They play in the flats, kick a ball against<br />
a wall, but never pull on a pair of football<br />
boots. They never know what it is to be<br />
part of a team.<br />
“The only ‘team’ these kids know is the<br />
four or five teenagers hanging around in<br />
a gang on the street corners.<br />
“Kids want to be a part of something<br />
bigger than themselves. That is the only<br />
grouping they know.”<br />
The coaches at Liberty Saints give these<br />
children a new gang to be part of, one<br />
that won’t eat into their humanity, one that<br />
gives them hope in the present, at least.<br />
“We now have 40-50 children for<br />
training on a Sunday morning with Barry<br />
(Barry Holmes, head coach). We are the<br />
only ones in that part of Dublin 8 within<br />
a three-mile radius from a population of<br />
60,000 that are engaged in team sport.<br />
That is incredibly sad.”<br />
Now living in Artane, Tom is still<br />
committed to the Liberties as a strong<br />
supporter of the move to ‘Reclaim the<br />
Iveagh Markets’ and as a member of<br />
‘Sporting Liberties’, a campaign to secure<br />
sports facilities in the area.<br />
Tom Magee<br />
“Although I don’t physically go to bed<br />
there every night, my heart is there,” he<br />
states.<br />
“I just want to see those kids get a fair<br />
chance at a good life and get the same<br />
opportunities to be involved in sport that<br />
all the kids from the rest of Dublin have. It<br />
doesn’t seem like a big ask.”<br />
In November, a patch of land on<br />
Marrowbone Lane, about the size of<br />
a GAA pitch, was rezoned from Z4,<br />
which is commercial, to Z9, which is<br />
recreational.<br />
Hope has been revived that, at last, their<br />
‘Field of Dreams’ can come true.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 89
Southeast<br />
Area Update<br />
BY DEBORAH CARTY<br />
Arklow<br />
Arklow’s U-14, 16 and 18 Girls got<br />
together recently and headed to the<br />
RDS to support the Irish Women’s team<br />
against Japan, the U-12 girls were busy<br />
winning three out of three games at a<br />
blitz in Gorey.<br />
U-18.5s Challenge v Gorey<br />
Arklow 31 v Gorey 7<br />
A very well attended match under<br />
lights despite the cold weather saw<br />
Arklow blow off the cobwebs with a<br />
comprehensive win over neighbours<br />
Gorey, with a number of Arklow players<br />
lining out for the first time since the<br />
pandemic, it was great to see the team on<br />
the pitch again. A great result for Arklow<br />
but more importantly great to see this<br />
group of lads back out playing again.<br />
Carlow<br />
Co Carlow are currently engaging in an<br />
exciting project to collect and preserve<br />
the history of Co Carlow Football Club<br />
from its foundation in October 1873 to<br />
mark its 150th year.<br />
The aim is to have a documented<br />
history and archive in time for the 150th<br />
Anniversary of the club in 2023, we<br />
would ask that anyone who has any old<br />
photographs, brochures, memorabilia,<br />
stories or memories you are willing<br />
to share from any era to contact<br />
carlowrugby@gmail.com.<br />
Enniscorthy<br />
Eighteen-year-old James Doyle came<br />
off the bench in his first game for<br />
Enniscorthy’s AIL team recently, scoring<br />
a try helping to secure a win against<br />
Sunday’s Well, this was followed by<br />
another great win against Bangor where<br />
Doyle and his teacher and club captain<br />
Tomás Stamp, both of CBS Enniscorthy,<br />
celebrated another win, one as a student<br />
and one as a teacher.<br />
Gorey<br />
Congratulations to Gorey’s Kate Farrell<br />
McCabe who represented the Irish<br />
Sevens squad in Dubai. Best of luck Kate<br />
from everyone in Gorey RFC.<br />
Kilkenny<br />
Well done to our Women’s First team<br />
who have returned to their winning ways,<br />
defeating Swords recently, the concession<br />
of an early try appeared to galvanise the<br />
team and they had a very strong win.<br />
The side are now three wins from four<br />
games in the <strong>Leinster</strong> League and deserve<br />
kudos for the continuous hard work and<br />
willingness to learn.<br />
Kilkenny RFC U-13, U-14 and U-16<br />
have all qualified for their respective<br />
Southeast finals. Well done to all players,<br />
coaches, volunteers and other support<br />
for their hard work in getting three out<br />
of four youth sides to the area final. A<br />
clear indication that the club’s youth<br />
development strategy is on track.<br />
Tullow<br />
Tullow’s first and second teams played<br />
last weekend with this being the seconds’<br />
first match of the season in a local derby<br />
away to Co Carlow where old rivalries<br />
and friendships were renewed.<br />
Tullow RFC minis enjoyed their own<br />
‘Autumn Series’ of blitzes around the<br />
Southeast. The U-10 girls ‘Tullow Tigers’<br />
are enjoying their first season together<br />
this year.<br />
Rathdrum<br />
Give Rugby a Try in Rathdrum! Are you<br />
new to the area or looking for a team,<br />
sport and club to join? Rathdrum Rugby<br />
Club is now recruiting for all ages, adults<br />
and youths. For more information get in<br />
touch with the club through their Social<br />
Media pages.<br />
Wicklow<br />
With the minis back playing in the RDS<br />
at half-time, Wicklow’s U-12s were one<br />
of the first teams back on the pitch, a<br />
brilliant night had by all soaking up the<br />
atmosphere in the RDS.<br />
Wexford<br />
Wanderers<br />
Wexford U-10 and U-12 girls recently<br />
travelled to Gorey for their first game of<br />
the season with many of them making<br />
their rugby debut showcasing their<br />
fantastic rugby skills on a cold but<br />
bright Sunday morning. The future of the<br />
Women’s game is bright in Wexford.<br />
Wexford recently held their Annual<br />
Memorial night in the Clubhouse, this is<br />
held on the third Friday of November<br />
every year to remember those they have<br />
lost from the club, their families and the<br />
wider community.<br />
A call went out recently looking for<br />
historical photos of Wexford over the<br />
years, with some great pictures coming<br />
in, the club are looking forward to seeing<br />
many more old faces on the website.<br />
90 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
92 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Temi<br />
Lasisi<br />
THE ACADEMY<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
BY MARCUS Ó BUACHALLA<br />
“It’s all a bit mad<br />
really.”<br />
The words of Temi Lasisi,<br />
the Enniscorthy prop<br />
as he looks back on the<br />
journey to this point,<br />
to the <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby<br />
Academy and sharing<br />
the same training<br />
environment as Messrs.<br />
Healy, Furlong and Porter.<br />
It’s all a bit mad because it<br />
shouldn’t have been this way.<br />
Football, soccer that is, was his thing.<br />
That was his sport.<br />
His sport, that is, until the dad of one of<br />
his mates, Ryan Cahill, intervened and<br />
suggested something else.<br />
“I was never into rugby as a young<br />
fella. I was into football, loved it but I<br />
was a big kid and the local club was<br />
a bit away from my house so it was<br />
awkward to get to on a Monday and a<br />
Wednesday.<br />
“Whereas the rugby club, Enniscorthy<br />
RFC, was just on my doorstep.<br />
“I just never thought of it as an option<br />
because I wasn’t into it. Not only was I<br />
not into it, I hadn’t a clue about the rules<br />
or how to play it or whatever but then a<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 93
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mate of mine’s dad mentioned to me that<br />
I should go with him to training one night.<br />
“So I went with Colm, and with my mate<br />
Ryan, and I just loved it.<br />
“Honestly, day one, went up and loved<br />
it. As I said I was a big kid so I suppose<br />
parts of it came easily to me and I just<br />
went from there.”<br />
He was still relatively young, 11-years-old<br />
and in sixth class he reckons, so while<br />
he was a late starter, there was plenty of<br />
time to play catch up.<br />
Lasisi went to the CBS in Enniscorthy but<br />
again it would have been easier for him<br />
to drift to other sports.<br />
“The CBS was great and while we had<br />
a rugby team, we were more a GAA<br />
school so the majority of the lads on the<br />
rugby team we had were GAA players<br />
that just happened to play rugby.<br />
“It wasn’t a huge focus for the school but<br />
thankfully I was still involved and loving<br />
my rugby at the club. I played there from<br />
U-11 all the way to U-18 and I suppose<br />
in around U-16 level, I started to get<br />
selected elsewhere.”<br />
Getting selected elsewhere at that level<br />
of course means the Shane Horgan Cup<br />
where the five areas of <strong>Leinster</strong> compete<br />
to bring home the provincial honours.<br />
His area is of course the South-East and<br />
the best club players at U-16 and U-18<br />
level from that area get to pull on the<br />
jersey and start their representative road.<br />
It leads then to the <strong>Leinster</strong> Clubs team<br />
at U-18, then the <strong>Leinster</strong> U-19s and<br />
all things going well, to the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
U-20s and a spot potentially in the sub-<br />
Academy.<br />
Until a global pandemic shows up and<br />
has other ideas.<br />
“I was happy because I got into the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> U-20s but I never stepped foot<br />
inside the Centre of Excellence because<br />
of Covid-19. It all got pushed back and<br />
then cancelled. So it suddenly became<br />
much harder to make it, if that makes<br />
sense?”<br />
It certainly does.<br />
It’s a story well told on these pages over<br />
the last few weeks.<br />
Look at our chats with Marcus Hanan<br />
and Jack Boyle and the challenges<br />
they faced in their quest for Academy<br />
contracts when there were no<br />
opportunities to do their thing on an<br />
actual rugby pitch.<br />
And that has been replicated at all levels<br />
and people falling away from sport<br />
when opportunities were not available.<br />
Lasisi has seen it at his own club.<br />
“I know lads back in Enniscorthy and<br />
they have stuck with the GAA, whereas<br />
before Covid-19 they were really decent<br />
rugby players that also played GAA.<br />
“Some lads have been lost to all sports,<br />
not just rugby, and that’s a pity.”<br />
He wasn’t lost, but he could have been.<br />
“I honestly didn’t see this as an option,<br />
getting an Academy contract because<br />
there was no rugby. By now I was<br />
transferred to Lansdowne FC in Dublin<br />
while studying but no games to play.<br />
“So how do you show what you can do?<br />
“I was studying in TUD (formerly DIT)<br />
studying Mechanical Engineering, I was<br />
training away with Lansdowne and then<br />
I got an opportunity with the Ireland<br />
U-20s.<br />
“But like I said, I wasn’t in the Centre<br />
of Excellence down in Energia Park<br />
or anything. I wasn’t having those<br />
conversations. That was until I played<br />
with the Ireland U-20s and I suppose the<br />
possibility opened up again. I got my<br />
first cap there at that level, I had a good<br />
campaign and that’s when it all took off.”<br />
So what was the plan?<br />
“Continue my studies, continue the rugby<br />
with Lansdowne and just see where it all<br />
got me. I won’t lie, I really didn’t expect<br />
any of this!<br />
“It’s class! I have the contract now and<br />
I haven’t a bad word to say about my<br />
time in the Academy so far. It’s been<br />
unbelievable.”<br />
The studies are still ongoing and going<br />
well but again it wasn’t the road best<br />
travelled for a young Lasisi.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 95
“In first year in the CBS I made a massive<br />
mistake! I chose languages for my<br />
modules!<br />
“I was doing that until Junior Cert as<br />
my module but it was a big mistake<br />
and it wasn’t until I did terrible in a few<br />
exams that a teacher sat my folks down<br />
and said ‘look, we think he should<br />
look at another option, he’s not great<br />
at languages!’ That was the chat and<br />
thankfully we took that advice.<br />
“I got into fifth year and I changed to<br />
engineering and technical drawing. I<br />
love metal work, I enjoy working with<br />
my hands and that element really suited<br />
me and I chose those two subjects for<br />
the Leaving and left the languages<br />
behind me! I did well then in the Leaving<br />
and especially in engineering so it was<br />
an obvious choice choosing it for my<br />
degree.”<br />
Working with your hands and being<br />
comfortable doing same is something<br />
that all modern props, excelling at an<br />
elite level, need to be good at.<br />
“Definitely. It’s no longer good enough<br />
to lock down a scrum and be good at<br />
your set piece. You now have to bring<br />
more to your game. Be explosive in the<br />
loose, be able to run, to pass off both<br />
sides equally well and have good<br />
hands to bring others into the<br />
game and be an option.<br />
I started out as<br />
a loosehead but I’ve<br />
moved across to<br />
tighthead recently so<br />
I wouldn’t have had a<br />
clue! But Andrew Porter<br />
has been brilliant.<br />
96 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
“The role of a prop has definitely evolved<br />
and moved on. They’re more diverse in<br />
terms of what they can do and hopefully<br />
I can evolve like that too.”<br />
He had previously listed Cian Healy as<br />
his hero growing up.<br />
What’s it like now working in and around<br />
the same environment as him?<br />
“The first three weeks, I was definitely<br />
a little taken aback, a bit mad! In and<br />
around the place and training with lads<br />
that I had watched growing up. It was<br />
crazy but then you quickly realise just<br />
how sound and normal everyone is and<br />
how willing they are to help you.<br />
“I started out as a loosehead but I’ve<br />
moved across to tighthead recently so I<br />
wouldn’t have had a clue! But Andrew<br />
Porter has been brilliant. The two<br />
positions are so different but he went<br />
through the same transition as a prop so<br />
he has been excellent in and around that<br />
but also Tadhg (Furlong) and how good<br />
he has been giving me tips.<br />
“They have all been great. There is a<br />
great work ethic and ethos around the<br />
props I think and that element of helping<br />
each other has definitely been there from<br />
day one and I’ve loved it.”<br />
It is probably no bad thing to hear of that<br />
help and encouragement when you hear<br />
of the schedule the young 20-year-old<br />
has on a daily basis.<br />
“I’d be in UCD or down in Energia Park<br />
for 7am most mornings until one or two<br />
o’clock and then it’s about trying to make<br />
the lectures at three o’clock for a few<br />
hours and then most days I try to hit the<br />
library for an hour before heading home.<br />
“I also eat! I’m trying to bulk up and put<br />
on weight at the moment so I eat a fair<br />
bit during the day or going to college or<br />
whatever.<br />
“It’s a long day, home for 6.30pm or so<br />
to an apartment. I’m in in Smithfield. I<br />
won’t lie. I’m here with a few lads and it’s<br />
fairly messy!<br />
“But I’m really enjoying it all.”<br />
For a man who didn’t think this would be<br />
his path in life, what has been the biggest<br />
change?<br />
“The organisation definitely. There is a<br />
lot to fit in and a lot of scheduling. Then<br />
it’s just working with so many leaders in<br />
their field. Whether that is S&C coaches<br />
like Dave Fagan or the team up in UCD<br />
or Sophie (Conroy) on the nutrition side<br />
of things.<br />
“A lot of that was new to me in terms of it<br />
being every day. Now every area of my<br />
life is mapped out and looked after and<br />
yet they also encourage the academic<br />
side so you are encouraged to finish out<br />
college and to get your degree and they<br />
work with you to make that work.”<br />
There is maybe one area of his life that<br />
has yet to receive the attention that is<br />
deserves; and that is his competence as<br />
a piano player.<br />
Whereas once there was that ability,<br />
now?<br />
“Yeah not so much! I’d be lucky now if I<br />
could belt out Ba Ba Black Sheep on the<br />
piano! That has slipped down the priority<br />
list a fair bit as I am so out of practice!”<br />
Like the 11-year-old Temi Lasisi that<br />
rocked up to Enniscorthy RFC, time is<br />
most definitely on his side.<br />
For the piano practice and also for his<br />
rugby career to take that next significant<br />
step with a senior debut.<br />
But he wouldn’t have it any other way.<br />
Life has been mad until now, and no<br />
doubt there will be other twists and turns,<br />
but rugby is very much here to stay for<br />
the young Wexford man.<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 97
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year Three 2021/22:<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year two 2021/22:<br />
Second Row<br />
Brian Deeny<br />
DOB: 02/03/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.99m WEIGHT: 121kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (8 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Brian played youth rugby with Wexford<br />
Wanderers RFC. He got his first Irish cap playing for<br />
Ireland Under-18 Sevens. Brian played midfield for<br />
his school St Peter’s College in Gaelic football and<br />
reached the All-Ireland Colleges Final in 2017. He is<br />
currently studying Science in Trinity and lives in Abbey<br />
House B&B, Wexford...if you are looking for a room?!<br />
Instagram: brian_deeny<br />
wing<br />
Niall Comerford<br />
DOB: 06/04/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 86kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20<br />
Did You Know: Niall played both hurling and Gaelic<br />
football with Kilmacud Crokes for 14 years. He also<br />
represented Dublin in Gaelic football in the U17<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Championship. He is currently studying<br />
Commerce in UCD.<br />
Instagram: niall_c123<br />
Cormac Foley #1299<br />
DOB: 24/10/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.81m WEIGHT: 88kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (9 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Marcus Hanan #1295<br />
DOB: 03/10/2000<br />
HEIGHT:1.8m WEIGHT:110.91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (2 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (3 caps)<br />
Scrum Half<br />
Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Greystones<br />
RFC when he was nine. Growing up, Cormac did a lot<br />
of show jumping and he is now studying Economics and<br />
Finance in UCD.<br />
Instagram: cormacfoley6<br />
prop<br />
Did You Know? Marcus is from Clane in Kildare and is the<br />
youngest of three. His dad went to the High School and then<br />
played rugby in Old Wesley before coaching back at Clane<br />
RFC. Marcus has Italian connections on his mother’s side with her<br />
father, Luigi Rea, being from Italy. Marcus is studying Business<br />
Management in Griffith College. Instagram: @marcus_hanan<br />
Back Row<br />
Martin Moloney #1300<br />
DOB: 19/10/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m WEIGHT: 99kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (5 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Did You Know: Martin played hurling for Kildare and<br />
played GAA and basketball for his secondary school,<br />
Knockbeg College, and local GAA club, St Laurence’s.<br />
He played his youth rugby with Athy RFC. He is now<br />
studying Business and Law in UCD, He also enjoys<br />
working on the family farm. Instagram: martin_moloney<br />
Second Row<br />
Joe McCarthy<br />
DOB: 26/03/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 119kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Joe started playing rugby with Blackrock<br />
College RFC at the age of six before moving to<br />
Willow Park and then Blackrock College. He was also<br />
on the Blackrock swim team for five years. He’s currently<br />
studying Global Business in Trinity College Dublin.<br />
Instagram: joetmmcc<br />
Second Row<br />
Charlie Ryan<br />
DOB: 03/02/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 2.01m WEIGHT: 115kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (15 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Charlie played youth rugby at Blackrock<br />
College RFC while also attending the school since<br />
Senior Infants. He captained Ireland to the U20 Grand<br />
Slam in 2019 and again for the U20s World Cup. His<br />
friends call him Chuck! He is currently studying Business<br />
and Legal Studies in UCD.<br />
Instagram: chuck_ryan5<br />
hooker<br />
John McKee<br />
DOB: 15/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.82m WEIGHT: 105kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (12 caps)<br />
Did You Know: John grew up in Belfast going to school<br />
at Campbell College where he won a Senior Cup. He<br />
was involved with Ulster at age grade level until moving<br />
to Dublin after school. He also has multiple medals<br />
from Northern Irish Schools Judo competitions.<br />
Instagram: johnmckee_<br />
Centre<br />
Liam Turner #1287<br />
DOB: 14/07/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.73m WEIGHT: 91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (10 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (6 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Liam started to play rugby at the age<br />
of six at Blackrock College RFC. He later joined<br />
Blackrock College and was part of the 2018 Senior Cup<br />
winning team. He was also part of the Ireland U20 team<br />
that went on to win the 2019 Grand Slam. Liam currently<br />
studys BESS in Trinity College. Instagram: liamtn123<br />
Centre / Full Back<br />
Jamie Osborne #1294<br />
DOB: 16/11/2001<br />
HEIGHT:1.93m WEIGHT:96.82kg<br />
HONOURS: <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (9 caps)<br />
Did you know? Jamie is studying commerce in UCD. His<br />
grandad, Paddy Osborne, was a horse trainer in Naas,<br />
while his dad played rugby all throughout his life and<br />
his mum played hockey. Other than rugby, Jamie loves<br />
all sports especially soccer, GAA and NFL. Jamie is<br />
currently in a house with fellow <strong>Leinster</strong> Academy players<br />
Brian Deeny, Martin Moloney and Max O’Reilly.<br />
Instagram: @jamieosborne01<br />
98 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
Seán O’Brien #1297<br />
Lee Barron<br />
Back Row<br />
DOB: 31/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.90m WEIGHT: 103kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Seán started playing rugby at age<br />
six with Greystones RFC where he played up until Under-13.<br />
He then played on the Junior and Senior Cup<br />
teams in Blackrock College. He is currently studying<br />
Economics and Finance in UCD<br />
Instagram: seanobrien456<br />
Hooker<br />
DOB: 15/02/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.91m WEIGHT: 108kg<br />
Did You Know: Lee played golf growing up in the<br />
Castle Golf Club and in the end was playing off a<br />
handicap of eight. He has family roots in Carlow but<br />
went to school in Dublin and attended St Michael’s College.<br />
As well as rugby with his school, he also played<br />
GAA and even lined out in Croke Park.<br />
Instagram: @lleebarron<br />
Max O’Reilly #1291<br />
Chris Cosgrave<br />
Full Back<br />
DOB: 26/02/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m WEIGHT: 86kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (7 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Max is currently in his third year of<br />
Business and Management in DIT. His preferred sport<br />
was soccer until about the age of 15, which he had<br />
played at centre midfield with Enniskerry FC for over 10<br />
years and also for Wicklow.<br />
Instagram: max_oreilly<br />
full back<br />
DOB: 24/07/2001<br />
HEIGHT:1.83m WEIGHT:85kg<br />
Did You Know: Chris is a member of UCD RFC, where<br />
he is also an Ad Astra scholar studying Agricultural<br />
Science. His athleticism is best highlighted by his feats<br />
in the field of Athletics with All-Ireland honours to his<br />
name in both the 4x100m relay and the Discus. Before<br />
the UCD and St Michael’s College days, he played at<br />
a young age with Old Belvedere RFC.<br />
Instagram: @chriscosgrave1<br />
Andrew Smith #1292<br />
Mark Hernan<br />
DOB: 21/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 91kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps) &<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
DOB: 04/07/2000<br />
HEIGHT: 1.88m WEIGHT: 99kg<br />
Back Three<br />
Did You Know: Andrew is currently studying Quantity<br />
Surveying and Construction Economics in TUD. In<br />
2019, he won the <strong>Leinster</strong> Schools Senior Cup with St<br />
Michael’s College. Andrew also played Gaelic football<br />
with his local club - Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club.<br />
Instagram: andrew.sm1th<br />
Flanker<br />
Did You Know: Mark was coached by Ross Molony,<br />
Josh Murphy, Ross Byrne and Nick McCarthy when in<br />
St. Michael’s College. His grandfather Fergus O’Brien<br />
was Lord Mayor of Dublin and his father, Ray, played<br />
for Connacht seniors and Ireland u25s.<br />
Instagram: @mark_hernani<br />
Alex Soroka #1296<br />
Temi Lasisi<br />
Back Row<br />
DOB: 19/02/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 104.5kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (7 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Did You Know: Alex’s family moved to Ireland from<br />
Ukraine shortly before his birth. He was born in Cork<br />
before moving to Dublin.<br />
Instagram: alex._.soroka<br />
prop<br />
DOB: 09/05/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.78m WEIGHT: 115.8kg<br />
Did You Know: The TUD Mechanical Engineering<br />
student originally picked up the oval ball in Enniscorthy<br />
before later moving to Lansdowne FC. Temi rose<br />
through the ranks in the Youths system, his first outing<br />
with the province came at U-18 level against Northampton.<br />
He also describes himself as a ‘competent<br />
pianist’.<br />
Instagram: @lasisi.temi<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby Academy<br />
Year one 2021/22:<br />
Scrum half<br />
Ben Murphy<br />
DOB: 23/04/2001<br />
HEIGHT: 1.75m WEIGHT: 80kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (3 caps)<br />
& <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (1 cap)<br />
Did You Know: Ben played all different sports growing<br />
up including football, GAA and golf and won an 800m<br />
gold in the U-14 East <strong>Leinster</strong>s. He is studying economics<br />
in UCD. Ben’s father Richie played for <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby and has coached at all levels of the game and is<br />
the current Ireland U-20s head coach. I<br />
nstagram: @ben._murphy01<br />
Jack Boyle<br />
DOB: 10/03/2002<br />
HEIGHT: 1.85m WEIGHT: 106kg<br />
HONOURS: Ireland U20 (4 caps)<br />
Rob Russell #1302<br />
DOB: 13/01/1999<br />
HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 90kg<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby (2 caps)<br />
Prop<br />
Did You Know: Jack’s father, Herbie, and uncles, Colon<br />
and Eric, all represented Old Wesley rugby club for<br />
years. His cousin Stephen Boyle also represented the<br />
<strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby youths. Jack is currently studying for a<br />
Commerce Degree in UCD.<br />
Instagram: @jackboyle1<br />
Full Back / Wing<br />
Did You Know: Rob is currently in his final year of<br />
Business and Management in DIT. He started playing<br />
rugby at the age of five with Wanderers RFC. He also<br />
played football up to minor level with Kilmacud Crokes<br />
and it took priority over rugby until he left school.<br />
Instagram: @robrussell7<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 99
Date<br />
25/09<br />
03/10<br />
09/10<br />
16/10<br />
22/10<br />
27/11<br />
03/12<br />
KO/<br />
Result<br />
W<br />
31-3<br />
W<br />
7-6<br />
W<br />
43-7<br />
Opposiotion Venue 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2<br />
URC VODACOM<br />
BULLS<br />
URC DRAGONS<br />
Aviva<br />
Stadium<br />
Rodney<br />
Parade<br />
URC ZEBRE RDS Arena J O’BRIEN<br />
KEENAN O’LOUGHLIN RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE<br />
SEXTON<br />
3C 1P<br />
MCGRATH<br />
PORTER<br />
1T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
KEENAN RUSSELL RINGROSE C O’BRIEN O’LOUGHLIN R BYRNE GIBSON-PARK PORTER SHEEHAN<br />
A BYRNE<br />
2T<br />
OSBORNE<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
W<br />
50-15 URC SCARLETS RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY<br />
1C<br />
W<br />
31-15<br />
URC GLASGOW<br />
Scotstoun<br />
Stadium<br />
KEENAN<br />
1T<br />
A BYRNE<br />
1T<br />
L<br />
10-20 URC ULSTER RDS Arena J O’BRIEN A BYRNE HENSHAW<br />
1T<br />
W<br />
47-19 URC CONNACHT RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR 1T RINGROSE<br />
1T<br />
11 Dec 15:15 HCC BATH<br />
17 Dec 20:00 HCC MONTPELLIER<br />
26/12 19:35 URC MUNSTER<br />
01/01 19:35 URC ULSTER<br />
Aviva<br />
Stadium<br />
GGL (Altrad)<br />
Stadium<br />
Thomond<br />
Park<br />
Kingspan<br />
Stadium<br />
07/01 19:35 URC SIGMA LIONS RDS Arena<br />
fixtures and<br />
results 2021/22<br />
LARMOUR<br />
1T<br />
LOWE<br />
RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE<br />
FRAWLEY<br />
HENSHAW<br />
LARMOUR<br />
LOWE<br />
H BYRNE<br />
SEXTON<br />
1C 1P<br />
R BYRNE<br />
4C 1P<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1C 1P<br />
H BYRNE<br />
5C<br />
MCGRATH<br />
GIBSON-PARK<br />
MCGRATH<br />
E BYRNE<br />
1T<br />
PORTER<br />
1T<br />
HEALY<br />
CRONIN<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
MCGRATH E BYRNE TRACY<br />
MCGRATH<br />
HEALY<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
1T<br />
16 Jan 13:00 HCC MONTPELLIER RDS Arena<br />
22 Jan 13:00 HCC BATH<br />
28/29/30<br />
Jan<br />
18/19/20<br />
Feb<br />
04/05/06<br />
Mar<br />
25/26/27<br />
Mar<br />
01/02/03<br />
Apr<br />
22/23/24<br />
Apr<br />
29/30/01<br />
Apr<br />
20/21/22<br />
May<br />
TBC<br />
URC CARDIFF<br />
RUGBY<br />
Recreation<br />
Ground<br />
Cardiff Arms<br />
Park<br />
TBC URC OSPREYS RDS Arena<br />
TBC<br />
URC BENETTON<br />
tadio<br />
Monigo<br />
TBC URC CONNACHT Sportsground<br />
TBC URC MUNSTER RDS Arena<br />
TBC<br />
TBC<br />
URC CELL C<br />
SHARKS<br />
URC DHL<br />
STORMERS<br />
Jonsson<br />
Kings Park<br />
Green Point<br />
Stagium<br />
TBC URC EDINBURGH RDS Arena<br />
100 | www.leinsterrugby.ie
3 4 5 6 7 8 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23<br />
ALAALATOA MOLONY J RYAN RUDDOCK<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA MOLONY RYAN RUDDOCK VAN DER FLIER<br />
ALAALATOA BAIRD TONER LEAVY<br />
FURLONG MOLONY RYAN<br />
DORIS<br />
2T<br />
PENNY<br />
1T<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
DORIS<br />
DEEGAN<br />
1T<br />
RUDDOCK<br />
CONAN<br />
FURLONG MOLONY BAIRD DORIS LEAVY CONAN<br />
TRACY<br />
1T<br />
E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1T 1C<br />
TRACY E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD LEAVY N MCCARTHY C FRAWLEY<br />
KELLEHER<br />
1T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
2T<br />
SHEEHAN<br />
1T<br />
DOOLEY HEALY MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY<br />
HEALY<br />
1T<br />
ALAALATOA BAIRD RUDDOCK MCGRATH<br />
SEXTON<br />
4C<br />
R BYRNE<br />
3C<br />
OSBORNE<br />
S PENNY<br />
[UNUSED]<br />
RUSSELL<br />
T O’BRIEN<br />
E BYRNE ALAALATOA TONER RUDDOCK GIBSON-PARK OSBORNE VAN DER FLIER<br />
FURLONG MOLONY TONER LEAVY PENNY RUDDOCK CRONIN DOOLEY ABDALADZE DEEGAN CONNORS N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN<br />
ALA’ALATOA<br />
BAIRD<br />
1T<br />
TONER<br />
RUDDOCK<br />
1T<br />
VAN DER FLIER<br />
DORIS<br />
1T<br />
KELLEHER PORTER ABDALADZE J MURPHY<br />
DEEGAN<br />
1T<br />
N MCCARTHY<br />
R BYRNE<br />
1C<br />
T O’BRIEN<br />
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 101
Squads matchday<br />
officials<br />
REFEREE<br />
PIERRE BROUSSET (FRA)<br />
ASSISTANT REFEREE<br />
LUC RAMOS (FRA)<br />
ASSISTANT REFEREE<br />
FLAVIEN HOURQUET (FRA)<br />
TMO<br />
ERIC GAUZINS (FRA)<br />
Hugo Keenan<br />
Jordan Larmour<br />
Garry Ringrose<br />
Ciarán Frawley<br />
James Lowe<br />
Ross Byrne<br />
Jamison Gibson-Park<br />
Andrew Porter<br />
Rónan Kelleher<br />
Tadhg Furlong<br />
Ross Molony<br />
Ryan Baird<br />
Rhys Ruddock [C]<br />
Josh van der Flier<br />
Caelan Doris<br />
15<br />
14<br />
13<br />
12<br />
11<br />
10<br />
9<br />
FULL BACK<br />
RIGHT WING<br />
OUTSIDE CENTRE<br />
INSIDE CENTRE<br />
LEFT WING<br />
FLY HALF<br />
SCRUM HALF<br />
Tom de Glanville<br />
Semesa Rokoduguni<br />
Will Butt<br />
Max Ojomoh<br />
Will Muir<br />
Orlando Bailey<br />
Ben Spencer<br />
LOOSE HEAD<br />
1<br />
PROP Lewis Boyce<br />
FRONT PAGE<br />
HOOKER Jacques du Toit<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
TIGHT HEAD PROP<br />
SECOND ROW<br />
SECOND ROW<br />
BLINDSIDE FLANKER<br />
OPENSIDE FLANKER<br />
NUMBER 8<br />
Will Stuart<br />
Josh McNally<br />
Charlie Ewels [C]<br />
Tom Ellis<br />
Richard de Carpentier<br />
Josh Bayliss<br />
CITING COMMISSIONER<br />
JEFF MARK (WAL)<br />
Dan Sheehan<br />
Cian Healy<br />
Michael Ala’alatoa<br />
Devin Toner<br />
Max Deegan<br />
Luke McGrath<br />
Jimmy O’Brien<br />
Tommy O’Brien<br />
16<br />
17<br />
18<br />
19<br />
20<br />
21<br />
22<br />
23<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
REPLACEMENT<br />
Tom Dunn<br />
Arthur Cordwell<br />
D’Arcy Rae<br />
Will Spencer<br />
Ewan Richards<br />
Joe Simpson<br />
Gabriel Hamer-Webb<br />
Tom Prydie
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Parting<br />
Shots<br />
3 December 2021<br />
Emily McKeown is presented with<br />
her cap by <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby President<br />
John Walsh during the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby Womens Cap and Jersey<br />
Presentation at the RDS Library in<br />
Dublin.<br />
3 December 2021<br />
Alice O’Dowd is presented with her<br />
cap by <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby President<br />
John Walsh during the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby Womens Cap and Jersey<br />
Presentation at the RDS Library in<br />
Dublin.<br />
3 December 2021<br />
Mary Healy is presented with her<br />
cap by <strong>Leinster</strong> Rugby President<br />
John Walsh during the <strong>Leinster</strong><br />
Rugby Womens Cap and Jersey<br />
Presentation at the RDS Library in<br />
Dublin.<br />
104 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
Photos by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
RUGBY.<br />
DELIVERED.<br />
TEAMWORK. SPEED. DELIVERY. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE<br />
OFFICIAL LOGISTICS PARTNER. DHL.