Leinster vs Edinburgh

ISSUE 8 | LEINSTER RUGBY OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

LEINSTER 

VS 

edinburgh 

FRI 11 th FEB 

RDS ARENA 

KO 6PM

Newstead Building A, 

UCD, 

Belfield, 

Dublin 4 

#LEIVEDI 

The Line up 

Telephone: 

012693224 

Fax: 

012693142 

E-mail: 

information@leinsterrugby.ie 

www.leinsterrugby.ie 

6 

24 

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT 

President: John Walsh 

Chief Executive: Michael Dawson 

Honorary Secretary: Stuart Bayley 

Honorary Treasurer: Michael McGrail 

RUGBY MANAGEMENT 

Head Coach: Leo Cullen 

Senior Coach: Stuart Lancaster 

Head of Rugby Operations: 

Guy Easterby 

Assistant Coach: Robin McBryde 

Backs Coach: Felipe Contepomi 

Kicking Coach: Emmet Farrell 

Contact Skills Coach: Denis Leamy 

14 

PROGRAMME CREDITS 

Editorial Team: Marcus Ó Buachalla, 

Ryan Corry & Paul Cahill 

Advertising: Gary Nolan 

Design: Julian Tredinnick, 

Ignition Sports Media 

Photography: Sportsfile 

Chief Steward: Sword Security 

Ambulance: St. John’s Ambulance 

Medilink 

Event Control & Safety Services: 

Eamonn O’Boyle & Associates 

43 

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CONNECTED 

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www.leinsterrugby.ie | 3

john walsh welcome 

PRESIDENT, LEINSTER RUGBY 2020/22 

We extend a warm welcome to our 

fans and guests from Edinburgh 

(the city of rugby in my eyes) for 

this evening’s rescheduled Round 

8 fixture in the United Rugby 

Championship. 

Edinburgh’s last visit to the RDS was in 

November 2020 and while the result did 

not go in their favour, the great thing about 

our challenging sport is that we can’t dwell 

on the past and every game is a new 

chapter waiting to be told. Edinburgh arrive 

in the RDS with a total of 34 league points 

from nine fixtures played while Leinster 

trail them with 30 league points from eight 

fixtures so this game has a significant 

importance for both clubs. 

Edinburgh are a club with a proud rugby 

tradition and are celebrating their 150th 

anniversary year in 2022 having been 

founded in 1872, seven years prior to the 

establishment of Leinster. We wish the club 

well for their celebrations and indeed for 

their future as ambassadors for the game in 

Scotland. 

Edinburgh is a passionate rugby region 

with the city and districts the home to over 

32 rugby clubs, 20 of which are based in 

the city. Little wonder then that Edinburgh 

is undoubtedly one of the most popular 

and welcoming destinations for Six Nations 

rugby fans. In addition international touring 

sides such as New Zealand, Australia, 

Japan, Canada, Romania, Fiji, Tonga and 

Western Samoa are among the teams that 

the Edinburgh club have hosted during their 

distinguished history. 

All Leinster Rugby fans have always enjoyed 

the hospitality and atmosphere of a visit to 

Edinburgh especially as Scottish supporters 

are so knowledgeable and passionate 

about the game. There was no better venue 

than Edinburgh for Leinster fans to celebrate 

our first European Cup victory when we 

conquered Leicester in front of 66,000 in 

Murrayfield in 2009. 

Following the advent of professional rugby 

in 1995 Edinburgh Rugby was established 

in 1996 by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) 

as one of the two professional teams in 

Scotland along with Glasgow Warriors. 

Both sides have reached finals in the 

domestic league and indeed in the 

Challenge Cup when Edinburgh lost to 

Gloucester 19-13 in the 2015 Final. 

In the United Rugby Championship and it’s 

preceding formats Edinburgh were runners 

up to Munster in the then Magners League 

in 2008/09 while their rivals Glasgow 

claimed a notable Guinness PRO12 title 

over Munster in the 2014/15 season 

winning the Grand Final by 31-13. 

We welcome Edinburgh Chairperson John 

Davidson, CEO Douglas Struth, head coach 

Mike Blair (capped 85 times for Scotland 

and also a British and Irish Lion), team 

captain Stuart McInally (40 Scotland caps) 

both stalwarts of the Edinburgh clubs and 

their squad. 

As mentioned, Edinburgh have had an 

excellent season to date in what has been 

a disrupted United Rugby Championship. 

With nine rounds played they have won six, 

drawn one and lost two and in the process 

scored 224 points and conceded 147 

points. 

As reigning champions we have to defend 

our crown and will be fully aware that we 

will face stern challenges both on and off 

the field this season and that teams will 

be highly motivated to bring our current 

winning titles sequence of four to an end. 

That said, Leinster’s season to date in both 

the United Rugby Championship and 

European Rugby Champions Cup has 

reflected the determination of the Leinster 

squad and team management has to pursue 

excellence and success. 

Our Champions Cup campaign has resulted 

in three wins from four fixtures and in the 

process scoring 198 points (30 tries) and 

conceding 34 points to qualify for mouthwatering 

home and away fixtures with our 

local rivals Connacht. 

Leinster’s United Rugby Championship 

campaign has resulted in six wins and two 

defeats (to Ulster in the RDS and away 

to Cardiff on our latest United Rugby 

Championship start) from eight fixtures and 

scoring 246 points (31 tries) and conceding 

114 points. This fixture marks the 41st 

occasion that we have played Edinburgh 

and our record is good with 25 wins, one 

draw and 14 defeats. 

Leinster Rugby recently lost one of it’s most 

respected and popular members of our 

community with the passing of Kevin Flynn. 

A former President and captain of 

Wanderers he proudly represented 

Ireland on 22 occasions in a distinguished 

international career. He also made a total 

of 36 appearances for Leinster as well as 

eight appearances for the famed Barbarian 

club, for whom he did sterling work as a 

committee member. 

Kevin’s contribution to Leinster Rugby 

was acknowledged with his induction to 

Leinster’s Hall of Fame. We extend our 

condolences to his family and he will 

be much missed by all his friends and 

colleagues throughout our nationwide rugby 

community. 

Congratulations to all in Wanderers for their 

sterling support for the Together Academy 

project and indeed for the club’s progressive 

local community engagement policy. The 

club which celebrated its 150th year in 

2021 has also fielded its first girls team 

this season which will no doubt add to the 

strength of their women’s team in seasons 

to come. 

On the Leinster club scene the draws for 

the Bank of Ireland Provincial Towns Cup 

and the Bank of Ireland Metropolitan Cup 

took place recently and we look forward 

to completing these prestigious Leinster 

competitions that generate cup rugby 

passion between clubs and their fans. This 

year will mark the 100th edition of the 

Metropolitan Cup so this will be a special 

occasion for all those clubs involved. 

I hope you all enjoy the game and thank 

you for your support which contributes so 

much to our success as a club. 

On behalf of Leinster Rugby I wish all 

involved a happy, healthy and enjoyable 

rugby season. 

‘Keep The Faith’ as the future belongs to 

those who believe in their dreams (Eleanor 

Roosevelt) 

John Walsh 

President Leinster Rugby 2020-2022 


Leo Cullen 

head Coach Welcome 

Good evening and welcome to the RDS Arena! 

A warm welcome also to Mike 

Blair and his Edinburgh team, 

who have been in flying form 

this season and currently sit 

ahead of us in the United Rugby 

Championship table – we know 

we’re in for a tough challenge this 

evening. 

It’s good to be back in action after the 

disappointment of losing away in Cardiff 

with the last kick of the game. 

It’s always a tough way to lose a game 

and serves as a harsh reminder to keep 

playing to the final whistle. The defeat 

gave us plenty to think about and shows 

just how tight this season’s URC is going 

to be. There are a number of teams that 

can all beat one another on any given 

day so we’re in for a very interesting 

second half of the season. 

A big congratulations to Joe McCarthy, 

who made his Leinster debut in Cardiff. 

Joe is still only 21 but has really 

impressed the group, both in training and 

while playing for Dublin University in the 

Energia AIL. We all hope that he goes 

on to have a long and successful career 

with Leinster. 

Joe is the latest in a long 

line of players that 

have come through 

our Academy to play 

for the senior team, 

which is a credit to 

everyone involved in 

maintaining that vital 

pathway. 

6 | www.leinsterrugby.ie 

It seems a while ago now but many 

thanks to everyone who turned out for 

our last home fixture against Montpellier 

in the Champions Cup. 

It was a good day all round and the 

5,000 of you who won the lottery and 

were allowed in certainly made enough 

noise to fill the empty spaces! 

A big thank you also to everyone who 

followed us over to Bath. There was a 

fantastic atmosphere at the Rec, and even 

the walk to the ground with members of 

the OLSC Committee organising flags 

along the route! Brilliant to see. 

That victory meant we now face a home/ 

away knock-out game against Connacht 

in the Round of 16. The home leg takes 

place on 15 April and we hope to run out 

in front of a packed Aviva Stadium as we 

chase down that elusive fifth star on the 

jersey. Hopefully see you for that one! 

Speaking of full houses, it was so uplifting 

to see crowds back in situ for the opening 

round of the Six Nations. 

Ireland’s comprehensive victory over 

Wales was impressive to watch and 

we were really pleased to see so many 

Leinster players contributing to the 

win. We’re all hoping for another big 

performance and hopefully a win against 

France in Paris tomorrow evening. 

The Six Nations window is always a 

challenging but really exciting time for us. 

With so many of our players away on 

national duty, it’s an opportunity for 

others to step forward and show what 

they can do. Today’s game is the first 

of three consecutive home fixtures for 

us, so it’s also an opportunity for those 

players to perform in front of their own 

supporters. 

I hope we’ll see as many of you as 

possible here in the next few weeks as 

we push for a good quarter-final 

seeding. 

A big thanks to all our sponsors, 

especially Bank of Ireland, for their 

continued backing. Now that normality 

has all but returned, we look forward 

to seeing more of you and hopefully 

sharing some big occasions in the coming 

months. 

This time of year is also the start of the 

Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools 

Cups and I want to wish everyone 

involved the best of luck. Schools rugby 

represents everything that’s good about 

our game and this season will again see 

players, coaches, families, volunteers 

and others enjoying the best of underage 

rugby and making memories that last a 

lifetime. 

Of course our clubs have been up and 

running the last few months and we are 

hearing great reports about the talent 

on display in the Shane Horgan Cup 

and of course, the newly named, Sarah 

Robinson Cup. 

In March, both the Bank of Ireland 

Provincial Towns Cup and the 

Metropolitan Cup kick-off and it will be 

great to see those competitions back 

especially with the Provincial Towns Cup 

lying dormant since 2019 because of 

Covid-19. 

Spring is finally here, games are 

back across our 12 counties and 

there’s an optimism in the air 

that makes everything feel 

brighter. 

Thanks for all your 

support, always, and 

sticking with us through 

thick and thin. 

Leo. 

Enjoy the game,

With so many of our players 

away on national duty, it’s an 

opportunity for others to step 

forward and show what they can do. 


8 | www.leinsterrugby.ie

carla 

delaney 

DIRECTOR, BANK OF IRELAND AREA EAST 

Welcome back 

to the RDS 

Arena for 

this evening’s 

clash against 

Edinburgh Rugby, 

where for the 

first time in a 

long time we can 

finally welcome 

fans to a full 

stadium! What a 

sight it will be 

for the Leinster 

Rugby players 

to run out at a 

packed RDS and 

to hear that 

famous roar 

once again. 

It is hard to believe we have to go 

back two years to the last time we 

had a packed RDS with little or 

no Covid-19 restrictions. The past 

few weeks have given everyone 

in society a massive boost as 

restrictions were eased and a 

sense of normality returned to our 

lives. 

It is also great to be starting a three-week 

block of home games with a visit from 

one of the form teams in the United Rugby 

Championship, Edinburgh Rugby, who lie 

in second place. Leo Cullen and his men 

will be keenly aware of the danger that 

the Scottish side pose, and there have 

been some exciting battles between these 

teams over the last few years. 

No doubt the players’ minds will be 

focussed on bouncing back from the 

disappointment of the loss away to 

Cardiff Rugby in the last URC round. 

Despite that defeat we had yet another 

example of the Leinster Rugby player 

pathway delivering with the debut of Joe 

McCarthy. Congratulations, Joe! 

Away from the Leinster Senior squad, it 

has been great to see action returning in 

the Shane Horgan Cup and the Sarah 

Robinson Cup. These are two competitions 

that Bank of Ireland is proud to support, 

championing the boys and girls in our 

clubs and giving them their first taste of 

competitive and representative action. 

We were also delighted that the draw 

for the Bank of Ireland Metropolitan 

Cup and Provincial Towns Cup took 

place recently and to see all the clubs 

excited to get back out there competing 

for two prestigious trophies – especially 

the Provincial Towns Cup which has 

been missing off the rugby calendar 

since 2019. It is great to have it back 

in 2022 and will be interesting to see if 

Enniscorthy can retain their title after the 

two-year hiatus. 

At half-time in this evening’s match you’ll 

also get to enjoy and cheer on the 

budding rugby stars of the future as minis 

rugby takes centre stage. This is another 

area that Bank of Ireland is delighted to 

be back supporting and I want to wish 

all four teams taking part the very best 

of luck. 

One by one, all the elements that make 

up the full match-day experience are 

returning and it is great to be a part of it 

all again. 

Enjoy the game, 

Carla Delaney. 


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Did you 

know? 

• Leinster Rugby have lost two 

of their last three United Rugby 

Championship encounters, at home 

to Ulster and away at Cardiff. The 

defeat to Ulster was Leinster’s 

only home loss since Munster beat 

them at the RDS Arena in last 

season’s Rainbow Cup. 

• The Leinstermen have lost just 

one of their last nine encounters 

with Scottish opponents: 12-15 

to Glasgow at Scotstoun in the 

Rainbow Cup in June. 

• Edinburgh Rugby lost their most 

recent match 19-23 at Ospreys 

on 29 January to end a six-game 

unbeaten run in the United Rugby 

Championship. 

• Edinburgh have won twice away 

from home in the United Rugby 

Championship this season, 

beating Zebre in Round 5 and 

Dragons in Round 6. 

• The Scotsmen have won only 

one of their last eight fixtures 

against Irish provinces: 15-14 

against Connacht in Galway last 

March. 

• Leinster have lost only two 

of their last nine encounters 

with Edinburgh, at Myerside 

in February 2018 and at BT 

Murrayfield in March 2019. 

• Edinburgh have lost on their 

last eighteen visits to Dublin 

to face Leinster in Dublin in 

all tournaments since their 

27-13 victory at Donnybrook in 

November 2005. 

COMPARISON 

Overall URC head-to-head record: 

Played 34, Leinster won 22, Edinburgh won 12. 

Last 3 URC results: 

27 Nov - Ulster (H) L 10-20 3 Dec - Benetton (H) W 24-10 

3 Dec - Connacht (H) W 47-19 8 Jan - Cardiff Rugby (H) W 34-10 

29 Jan - Cardiff Rugby (A) L 27-29 29 Jan - Ospreys (A) L 19-23 

URC 2021/22 

4th - W6 D0 L2 - 30PTS 

WWWLWL (21pts) 

URC form 

2nd - W6 D1 L2 - 34PTS 

WWWWWL (25pts) 

Top try scorer 

4 - Adam Byrne, 4 - Darcy Graham, 

Dan Sheehan 

Boan Venter, Ben Vellacott 

Top points scorer 

45 - Ross Byrne 37 - Blair Kinghorn 

Date Venue L E Leinster scorers Edinburgh scorers 

Fri 29 Sep 17 RDS Arena 21 13 Ross Byrne(C) Jordi Murphy(T) Joey 

Carbery(T) Jamison Gibson-Park(T) Johnny 

Sexton(2C) 

Fri 9 Feb 18 Myreside 24 29 Ross Byrne(2C) Max Deegan(T) Barry 

Daly(2T) Scott Fardy(T) 

Sat 22 Sep 18 RDS Arena 31 7 James Lowe(T) Garry Ringrose(T) Jordan 

Larmour(T) Fergus McFadden(T) Johnny 

Sexton(T/3C) 

Jason Tovey(T/C/2P) 

Nathan Fowles(T) Duhan van der Merwe(T) 

Jaco van der Walt(C) Mark Bennett(T) Sam 

Hidalgo-Clyne(C) Murray McCallum(T) Luke 

Crosbie(T) 

Jaco van der Walt(C) Magnus Bradbury(T) 

Fri 22 Mar 19 BT Murrayfield 11 28 Ciaran Frawley(2P) Sean Cronin(T) Jaco van der Walt(2C) Viliame Mata(T) 

Willem Nel(T) Ross Ford(T) Simon Hickey(C) 

Penalty Try(T) 

Fri 11 Oct 19 RDS Arena 40 14 Michael Bent(T) Ross Byrne(4C) Harry 

Byrne(C) Rowan Osborne(T) Scott Penny(T) 

Jamison Gibson-Park(T) Caelan Doris(T) 

Michael Milne(T) 

Mon 16 Nov 

20 

RDS Arena 50 10 Ciaran Frawley(5C) Peter Dooley(T) Dave 

Kearney(T) Cian Kelleher(3T) Dan Leavy(T) 

Luke McGrath(2T) 

Jaco van der Walt(C) Jamie Farndale(T) 

Simon Hickey(C) Charlie Shiel(T) 

Nathan Chamberlain(C/P) Nic Groom(T) 



max 

deegan 

the big interview 

BY RYAN CORRY 

Running 

out against 

Harlequins 

at Aviva 

Stadium in a 

pre-season 

friendly in 

September 

marked the 

biggest step 

in a long 

journey for 

Max Deegan. 


It was the back rower’s first 

appearance since suffering an 

horrific ACL injury in October the 

previous year when, to many, he 

appeared to be at the peak of his 

powers. 

Prior to the shutdown of sport in early 

2020, his stunning form for Leinster 

Rugby had carried him into Andy Farrell’s 

Ireland squad and seen him get his first 

international cap in the Guinness Six 

Nations. 

While the most unforeseen of 

circumstances would halt that, the knee 

injury would extend Deegan’s lay-off 

while the game continued without him. 

“Last year was really tough, getting 

injured early and not getting back until 

the start of this year. It’s such a long-term 

injury and every week you just want 

to be out there playing with the lads. 

It’s just great to be back. There was 

a bit of a slow start to the year with 

how my knee was reacting to being 

back training but it’s feeling really 

good now and I’ve been feeling 

really good on the pitch too,” he 

explains. 

“It was such an odd one. I was playing 

and really happy with how it was going 

and then the pandemic kicks in. We get 

back then and I play two games and do 

my ACL. It’s not the best luck but that’s 

the way sport is, isn’t it? 

“And the way times were with Covid, 

I’m just really happy to be back playing. 

We’ve a really good team this year and 

I’m happy to be involved in it so now 

I’m looking forward to pushing on and 

hopefully winning a few trophies at the 

end of the year.” 

On the night Deegan’s injury occurred, 

Dragons were the opposition, a team 

that has accidentally been linked with the 

former St Michael’s College man as long 

as he has been around the professional 

game. 

December 3, 2016, as a 20-year-old, 

Deegan came off the bench to make 

his Leinster Rugby debut in a home win 

against the Welsh side. 

He’d also make his first start for the 

province at Rodney Parade in September 

the following year before, in the reverse 

fixture, scoring his first try in Leinster 

colours. 

His luck with Dragons took a turn on 

that night in October 2020 but now 

the hope is that the latest marker is 

the start of a reverse in fortune again 

– his first competitive start since that 

night came at Rodney Parade earlier 

this season. 

However, he acknowledges that there 

was and is some work still left to done. 

“That’s a weird one. My mates always 

allude to it about anytime we’re playing 

Dragons that I’ll be playing. It’s a funny 


one when you say it like that, it’s mad. It 

seems that a lot of good things and bad 

things come from playing against them,” 

Deegan laughs. 

“I had a lot of confidence in the work 

that myself and the physios had done, 

the knee felt really strong but it took a 

while just to get back into the swing of 

things. Like even the first few games, 

a little protection of it, I felt good but 

subconsciously you have that bit of doubt 

in your head. 

“Once I got that match fitness back, 

which is the most important thing, I 

started to feel really good and I think I’m 

in the best position I’ve been since the 

injury at the moment. 

“I’ve just had the one start this year, the 

knee wasn’t too good so I don’t think I 

was able to put out on the pitch what 

I really wanted to and there’s such an 

insane amount of competition in the back 

row right now, the likes of Jack (Conan) 

and Caelan (Doris) are going so well 

at the moment, and then there’s Rhys 

(Ruddock), Josh (van der Flier), (Scott) 

Penny, Will (Connors), (Dan) Leavy, it’s 

ridiculous. 

It’s such a long-term injury 

and every week you just want to 

be out there playing with the 

lads. It’s just great to be back. 

“Everyone’s playing well too, nobody 

is playing poorly at the moment in that 

position so now that the lads are off 

in camp, it’s great that we can get the 

opportunity to play and we’ll have to take 

these chances. Anyone can get injured at 

any time and there’s big games coming 

up that you want to be involved in.” 

That element of doubt around his return 

to action becomes clearer when you look 

at some of those around him who haven’t 

been so fortunate in their comebacks from 

long-term injury. Two of the back rows he 

named along with Conor O’Brien and 

Brian Deeny have been through similar 

periods of rehab with more misfortune 

greeting them down the line. 

“I’ve been lucky enough considering the 

ACL is such a big injury. You see Will last 

week, Dan had such a long injury and 

then comes back, he’s in great condition, 

he looks great at the moment but then he 

injures his wrist, how bad can your luck 

get?,” Deegan says. 

“Same with Will, his knee, his hamstring 

and then he gets a random knee injury 

in the last game. It’s shocking for them, 

I really feel for them. In that sense, I feel 

very lucky with how my body is at the 

moment because it could be so much 

worse. 

“I can’t state enough how lucky I was to 

have COB and Brian working with me 

because they’re two great guys. Both 

were very unlucky to be in the same 

position that I was but having them with 

me was great, being by yourself can be 

tough but having them made it easier and 

more enjoyable. 

“It can appear very dark at times but 

having them there to have the craic in 

the gym made the rehab phase so much 

easier. They’re two amazing players but 


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also two great mates of mine. They’ve 

picked up one or two little injuries as well 

on the back of it which is terrible to see, 

and you feel for them so I’m keen to see 

them bounce back and really get going.” 

So, with that phase of his career in the 

rearview mirror, it’s back to the present 

for Deegan and how he can once again 

hit the heights of 2019/20 that saw him 

included in that Ireland squad. 

Coming off the back of that loss to Cardiff 

where he replaced Connors after half an 

hour, he has a chance to start his second 

game of the campaign and is quietly 

appreciative of having some rescheduled 

games added to this window allowing 

him to stake his claim for further inclusion. 

“The Cardiff loss was unbelievably 

disappointing. I thought there were parts 

of the game that we did well in but at the 

end of the day we just coughed up too 

many penalties. There were some things 

that we got wrong,” he reflects. 

“It’s a tough place to go. There was a 

big crowd and it’s the first time they’ve 

had fans back so it was very loud and 

passionate from their fans. Some of 

our decisions and accuracy around the 

breakdown just wasn’t good enough. That 

leads to points and then they start getting 

on top of us and score some nice tries 

when we missed a few chances. We have 

to take those chances when we get them 

while not giving them the opportunities to 

score like we did late in the game. 

“It’s a game we easily could have won 

too so it’s frustrating. You could see it in 

the changing room after, everyone was 

bitterly disappointed with how the result 

went but there are still positives to take 

away from it. Positives that we’ll bring 

into this next game and of course a few 

fix-ups.” 

That loss gives added impetus to the 

visit of Edinburgh to the RDS Arena this 

evening. 

The Scottish capital side sit ahead of 

Leinster in the table but both sides have 

fallen spots in the last fortnight having 

suffered defeats in Wales – Edinburgh 

going down to Ospreys in Swansea. 

For every bit of motivation losing to 

Cardiff can add to Leinster’s mindset 

this evening, it’ll be matched by their 


opponents while, as Deegan highlights, 

both sides will also feature squad players 

pushing for further inclusion in the 

absence of internationals. 

“There was supposed to be no games 

on in this block for us which would have 

been so annoying so you’re almost 

thankful that those games had to be 

rescheduled. We’re all chomping at the 

bit here. There’s good strength in depth 

and we can’t wait to show the coaches 

what we’ve got,” he says. 

“There’s so many of us vying for positions 

in the team, a lot of the lads are going 

well and we just want to make it in 

because we’ve a good block of games 

now and we can’t wait to rip into them. 

“Edinburgh have been going really well. 

The new coaching set-up has brought 

a new attacking style to the team. 

They’re playing very well, a much more 

expansive game but we can’t wait to play 

them, especially back at home. 

“Away to Cardiff was so tough to take 

and we want to put that right in front of 

our home crowd. Edinburgh are a really 

good side though and they’re playing 

some of their best rugby for a while so I 

can’t wait to get at them.” 

Of course, with so many changes now to 

squads with those internationals away, 

there will be rotation to much of the 

personnel on both sides which could add 

some difficulty from a ‘team analysis’ 

point of view. 

However, under Mike Blair, Edinburgh 

have set out a new style of play and 

Deegan expects them to be aiming 

to replicate that regardless of who is 

in-sit from 1-23. 

“There’s a small bit of the 

unknown but at the end of the 

day, they’ll play the same 

brand of rugby and try to 

play the same way. It’s 

not a different set-up, the 

personnel will be different 

but they’ll try to attack the same 


We’re all 

chomping at the 

bit here. There’s 

good strength in 

depth and we can’t 

wait to show the 

coaches what 

we’ve got.” 

way and set up to defend the same way,” 

he adds. 

“But then with that bit of unknown, it 

forces us to focus on ourselves and we 

always believe that if we perform to the 

best of our ability, we’re going to go 

really well. It puts the focus on us and the 

importance of our attack, our defence, 

our set-piece, making sure we get that 

right before we start to worry about what 

they’re doing. 

“Mike Blair has brought in a great sense 

of width to their game. That’s what we’ve 

seen this season and there might be some 

changes but that’s what we are going 

to expect from them. That means we’ve 

got to get our defence right, be more 

disciplined, avoid giving them chances or 

entries into our 22. Nail our defence first 

and then show them what we’ve got.” 

Deegan admits he hasn’t given much 

thought to what comes beyond tonight, 

forcing himself to stay in the current week, 

focusing on the current game, but has still 

set reachable goals. 

From the highs of becoming an Ireland 

international to the low of the ACL injury, 

he knows all too well that you don’t want 

to look too far ahead of yourself in rugby. 

“I haven’t really thought that far down 

the line. I want to be in the team when 

it comes to these big games. I want to 

be on the pitch, I want to be involved. If 

we’re trying to win trophies, I want to be 

helping the team push for them. The thing 

at the moment though is I just want to get 

back on the pitch, get good minutes, play 

good rugby. That’s what it’s all about. 

“I want to be involved but that starts with 

training well, playing well, making an 

impact on the pitch, getting the ball in my 

hand as much as possible, and trying to 

make things happen which I’m focused 

on at the moment and then hopefully 

those other things will come down the 

line.” 

Based on the heights he has reached in 

the past, you would think that it’s only a 

matter of time. 


Action 

replay 29 27 

CARDIFF RUGBY 

Hallam Amos; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, 

Ben Thomas (Max Llewellyn 66), 

Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans, 

Lloyd Williams; Corey Domachowski 

(Rhys Carre 50), Kirby Myhill 

(Efan Daniel 66), Dimitri Arhip 

(Dillon Lewis 50); Josh Turnbull, 

Rory Thornton (Teddy Williams 57); 

Shane Lewis-Hughes, Will Boyde 

(Sam Moore h-t), James Botham. 

SCORERS 

Tries: Owen Lane, Hallam Amos. 

Cons: Jarrod Evans (2). 

Pens: Jarrod Evans (4), Ben Thomas. 

SATURDAY, 11 DECEMBER 

AVIVA STADIUM 

ATTENDANCE: 25,403 

HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP 

LEINSTER RUGBY 

Jimmy O’Brien; Adam Byrne 

(Tommy O’Brien 53), Jamie Osborne 

(Harry Byrne 63), Ciarán Frawley, 

Rory O’Loughlin; Ross Byrne, 

Luke McGrath; Ed Byrne (Peter Dooley 

53), Seán Cronin (James Tracy 47), 

Michael Alaalatoa; Devin Toner 

(Ross Molony 53), Joe McCarthy; 

Rhys Ruddock, Will Connors 

(Max Deegan 30), Scott Penny. 

SCORERS 

Tries: Adam Byrne, James Tracy, Scott 

Penny. 

Cons: Ross Byrne (3). 

Pens: Ross Byrne (2). 


I’m fairly gutted for a lot of the 

guys who have been waiting a while 

for this opportunity. There was 

plenty of good stuff for us to take 

from the game. 

Head coach Leo Cullen 

I’m really 

delighted to 

get this chance 

to make my 

debut and with 

my family here 

but would have 

preferred the 

win. 

Joe McCarthy 


Lindsay Peat Announces 

International Retirement 

Lindsay Peat has 

announced her 

retirement from 

international rugby, 

bringing the curtain 

down on a stellar 

and inspirational 

career in green. Peat 

made her Ireland 

debut in 2015 and 

went on to win 38 

Test caps, her final 

appearance coming in 

the autumn Test win 

over the USA at the 

RDS last November. 

Peat was a driving force both 

on and off the pitch during her 

six-year international career, 

inspiring a new generation of 

players through her performances 

and passion for the sport and 

green jersey. Although she 

has now called time on her 

international rugby career, Peat 

is not hanging up her boots 

completely and will continue 

to play in the Energia Women’s 

All-Ireland League with Railway 

Union. 

Commenting on her retirement, Peat said: 

“To write a statement or to not has been 

a question on my mind but today it feels 

right to simply say thank you. 

“I always dreamed of becoming a 

professional athlete, a sportsperson, 

and I have on the greatest level possible 

fulfilled that dream. I still feel the need to 

pinch myself to believe it. 

“The last six years have given me the 

chance to sing my beloved ‘Amhrán na 

bhFiann’, to sing ‘Ireland’s Call’, to meet 

the President of Ireland, to play in a home 

World Cup. 


“In 38 appearances I have scored tries 

for my country and given away a few 

too! I have laughed. I have cried. I really 

did go out and ‘break a leg’! 

“I want to take this opportunity to give a 

special thank you to everyone who has 

played an integral part in my journey 

over the last six years. 

“To the IRFU and all the staff at No 

10/12, to the HPC, coaching and 

management teams, medical staff, S&C 

coaches, nutritionists, game officials, 

sponsors and Rugby Players Ireland. To 

my opponents, my team-mates, my club 

Railway Union – thank you. 

“To the supporters, especially family and 

friends, who have supported me and us 

as a team. You have all been immense 

in helping us to build a world for female 

sports, in helping it thrive and continuing 

to push it to where it needs to be. You see 

the potential – thank you. 

“A special mention to the aspiring young 

girls who come and support us: you are 

our motivation and inspiration to be better 

and to keep going, even when times are 

tough – thank you. 

“Finally, to the foundations and the 

people who have loved me, supported 

me, believed in me, gave me so many 

tools of pride, passion, hard work, 

humility and never-say-die attitude – my 

family and extended family. I owe you 

the biggest thank you of all because 

I couldn’t have gone on this journey 

without you. Your support has been 

relentless and tireless, and I am eternally 

grateful. Each of you have motivated me 

to be the very best version of myself on 

and off the pitch – thank you! 

“I am filled with many emotions as I 

confirm my retirement from international 

rugby. I am both hugely proud and sad 

and in equal measure, but ultimately I 

have an overriding sense of excitement 

for what the future holds.”

TikTok Women’s 

Six Nations 

The Ireland Women’s team, under 

new head coach Greg McWilliams 

and newly appointed assistant 

coach Niamh Briggs, will get 

their 2022 campaign underway 

against Wales on Saturday, 26 

March, (KO 4.45pm) at the RDS in 

Dublin, where almost 3,000 fans 

supported the team during their 

recent win over Japan. 

Ireland will then travel to France for 

round two on Saturday, 2 April, before 

their second home game, against Italy, 

is played at Musgrave Park on Sunday, 

10 April (KO 5pm). The Cork venue has 

been successfully hosting the Ireland 

U-20s since 2019. 

The penultimate weekend sees the 

Ireland women travel to play England 

on Sunday, 24 April (KO 12pm), before 

the final home match of the 2022 Six 

Nations, against Scotland, is staged at 

Kingspan Stadium on Saturday, 30 April 

(KO 8pm). This will be the first senior 

international to be played at the Belfast 

venue since the 2017 Women’s Rugby 

World Cup final. 

For the first time in its history, the 

Women’s Six Nations will have a title 

partner, with the championship set to 

be known as the TikTok Women’s Six 

Nations. 

As a platform designed to bring fans 

even closer to the action, TikTok will offer 

new and existing rugby fans a window 

into the women’s game, one of the 

fastest growing areas of the sport. The 

investment from TikTok will be felt by each 

Union. 

Whilst not limited to the women’s 

game, this partnership will help each 

Union continue to develop this area 

of the game. In doing so, exposure 

for the women’s game, engagement, 

participation and major growth are all 

ambitions of this partnership. 

The 2022 championship will see all 15 

matches broadcast on BBC in the UK, 

RTÉ and Virgin Media in Ireland and Sky 

Italia in Italy. 

Six Nations CEO Ben Morel commented: 

“Increased visibility is key for the growth 

of the women’s game. We are delighted 

to have enhanced broadcast partnerships 

in place along with a continuation of the 

dedicated window from which we saw 

such success last year. 

“These two key developments along with 

continued investment in many other areas 

including performance, commercial and 

marketing will enhance the Women’s Six 

Nations for fans and players alike.” 

Ticket information for Ireland’s three 

home games in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast 

will be available on IrishRugby.ie. 

If you are 

interested in 

taking up rugby 

or you would like 

to follow our 

updates, check out 

our social media 

channels: 

Leinster Women’s Rugby 

LeinsterWomensRugby 

@LeinsterWomen 

womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie 


HERE’S TO BEING SHOULDER 

TO SHOULDER AGAIN

SHOP THE 2021/22 LEINSTER RUGBY RANGE NOW, 

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leo 

the lion’s 

kids 

corner 

IN A BLUR! 

Can you name this 

leinster player? 

spot the difference! 

Can you find all six? 

ANAGRAMS 

Can you un-jumble the names of these players? 

EELY 

TORPEDO 

CONTENT 

SPY 

how did you do? 

IN A BLUR? 

MICHAEL ALA’ALATOA 

ANAGRAMS 

PETER DOOLE 

SCOTT PENNY 

ZOOMED IN! 

NICK MCCARTHY 

zoomed in! 

WHo is this leinster 

player having an 

extreme close-up? 


AJ Products provides unique 

solutions for office, 

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environment 

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AZTO 

with 

Jamie Osborne 

A – Action: If you could be a superhero, 

which would you be? 

Thor 

B – Boyhood: Who was your favourite 

sporting idol growing up? 

Brian O’Driscoll 

C – Childhood: What is your favourite 

childhood memory? 

Playing rugby in the garden with my 

brothers! 

D – Dish: What’s your go-to pre-match 

meal? 

Chicken stir fry with rice 

E – Education: What was your favourite 

subject in school? 

History 

F – Film buff: What’s your favourite film? 

The Hangover 

G – Groove: Who is the best dancer in 

the squad? 

Thomas Clarkson 

H – Holiday: What’s your favourite 

holiday destination? 

Spain 

I – Inside: Who is the worst to sit beside 

in the dressing room? 

Niall Comerford 

J – Joker: Who is the funniest in the 

squad? 

Joe McCarthy 

K – Kick-off: What’s your favourite time 

of the day to play a match? 

5pm 

L – Languages: How many languages 

can you speak? 

One 

M – Music: Your favourite artist and 

song right now? 

Two Door Cinema Club - What You 

Know 

N – Number: Do you have a lucky 

number? 

I don’t have a lucky number yet! 


O – Others: What’s your favourite 

sport outside of rugby? 

Gaelic football to play, football 

to follow 

P – Pal: Who is your best mate in 

the squad? 

Alex Soroka 

Q – Quirky: Who has the most 

interesting fashion sense? 

Martin Moloney 

R – Red Carpet: Who is the most 

famous contact in your phone? 

Max O’Reilly 

S – Superstitions: Do you have any 

matchday routines? 

No 

T – Trim: What’s the worst haircut 

you’ve ever had? 

I shaved my head during the first 

lockdown! 

U: Under pressure: Who in the 

squad would be the best in a bad 

situation? 

Temi Lasisi 

V – Verified: How often do you use 

social media? 

Rarely post on it but use it a lot… 

W – Worst fear: What are 

you most scared of? 

Spiders 

X – X-ray: Have you ever 

broken any bones? 

Not yet anyway 

Y – Youth: Where did you 

grow up? 

Naas, Co Kildare 

Z – Zoo: What’s your 

favourite animal? 

Dogs 


THE SPIRIT OF 

UNITED RUGBY 

CHAMPIONSHIP. 

Enjoy responsibly 

DISCOVER THE SPIRIT WITHIN | 

#SAVOURTHEMOMENT

Men’s Energia All-Ireland 

League update 

With 12 of 18 rounds in the men’s 

Energia All-Ireland League now 

complete, Leinster clubs are 

currently enjoying a short break 

in the competition before facing 

into the season defining last six 

matches in the campaign which 

recommences on 19 February. 

There are 18 Leinster clubs competing 

across the five divisions of 10 teams 

which make up this season’s league. 

Each of those clubs will now firmly have 

their sights on what is required to either 

achieve a top-four finish to get into playoffs, 

or to escape a dreaded relegation 

play-off by avoiding finishing in the 

bottom two. 

The leading four clubs in each division 

will play-off to decide who is the overall 

winner with the clubs finishing first and 

second having home advantage in a 

semi-final against the third and fourth 

clubs respectfully leading into a final for 

the title. In Division 1A, the final winner 

will be crowned the Energia All-Ireland 

League champions, while the winners in 

each of the other four division play-offs 

will win promotion to the league above. 

At the other end of the scale the bottom 

two clubs in each division will playoff 

where the team finishing second last will 

have home advantage in a game that 

will define who is relegated to the league 

below. 

DIVISION 1A 

Of the five Leinster clubs competing, 

three currently fill the top three places. 

Clontarf pave the way having only lost 

one game to date, they hold a five-point 

advantage at the top over second-placed 

Lansdowne, who in turn are six points 

clear of Terenure College who have won 

their last six games in a row. 

Dublin University in sixth place are nicely 

placed to contend and are only four 

points adrift of a play-off spot. UCD in 

eighth place are 12 points clear of the 

bottom two clubs and should retain their 

1A status. 

DIVISION 1B 

Again, there are five Leinster clubs 

competing and it is Old Wesley who sit 

on top and are another club to only taste 

defeat once this season. They hold a 

six-point lead and are 10 points clear of 

third-placed St Mary’s, who in turn are 

three points clear of fourth-placed Naas. 

Old Belvedere are in seventh place and 

can still surmount a challenge if their 

fortunes change. Navan, although in 

10th position, have shown better form of 

late as they strive to get out of having to 

face a relegation play-off. 

DIVISION 2A 

MU Barnhall are the sole Leinster 

representative in this division and sit 

comfortably in fifth place, seventh points 

adrift of a play-off place. A strong finish 

to the remainder of the campaign could 

see them make a challenge. 

DIVISION 2B 

It is Greystones who hold a commanding 

lead at the top again having only been 

beaten once so far in this season’s 

campaign. The battle for the other three 

play-off places is tightly fought between 

a number of clubs. Blackrock lie in joint 

second place a full 13 points behind the 

Wicklow men. Wanderers are in joint 

fourth place a further three points behind. 

With Greystones looking more and more 

likely to finish top, for and against points 

along with bonus points could yet decide 

who joins them in the play-offs. Malahide 

will require another couple of victories 

to lift themselves out of having to face a 

relegation play-off. 

DIVISION 2C 

Again, it is the Leinster clubs to the fore 

with the three clubs competing in this 

league from the province sitting in the 

top three positions. Enniscorthy are the 

fourth Leinster club across the divisions to 

have only been beaten once this season. 

The Wexford team hold a nine-point 

advantage over second-placed Skerries, 

who in turn have a nine-point lead over 

Tullamore in third place. 

So, all in all, the bulk of the province’s 

clubs face into the final stages of this 

season’s Energia Men’s All-Ireland 

league with plenty at stake so an exciting 

end to the campaign with plenty of great 

rugby action is anticipated before playoffs 

take place. Good luck to all. 

Check out the IRFU website along with 

participating club websites and social 

media outlets for upcoming fixtures. 


leinster 

squad 

2021/22 season 

Vakh Abdaladze #1263 

PROP 

DOB: 06/02/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 121kg 

Michael Ala’alatoa #1301 

prop 

DOB: 28/08/1991 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 127kg 

7 

CAPS 

Ryan Baird #1278 

LOCK 

DOB: 26/07/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.98m 

WEIGHT: 113kg 

7 

CAPS 

Adam Byrne #1213 

WING / FULL BACK 

DOB: 10/04/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 98.18kg 

1 

CAP 

Ed Byrne #1222 

6 

CAPS 

Harry Byrne #1280 

2 

CAPS 

Ross Byrne #1236 

13 

CAPS 

Thomas Clarkson 

PROP 

DOB: 09/09/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 


FLY HALF 

DOB: 22/04/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 

WEIGHT: 95kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 08/04/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 

WEIGHT: 92kg 

PROP 

DOB: 22/02/2000 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 118kg 


Jack Conan #1223 

23 

CAPS 

7 

CAPS 

Will Connors #1264 

9 

CAPS 

Sean Cronin #1202 

72 

CAPS 

Max Deegan #1256 

1 

CAP 

NO. 8 

DOB: 29/07/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 


BACK ROW 

DOB: 04/04/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.96m 

WEIGHT: 100kg 

HOOKER 

DOB: 06/05/1986 

HEIGHT: 1.78m 


NO. 8 

DOB: 01/10/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 

WEIGHT: 110kg 

Peter Dooley #1230 

Caelan Doris #1268 

13 

CAPS 

Jack Dunne #1276 

Ciaran Frawley #1265 

PROP 

DOB: 04/08/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 117kg 

BACK ROW 

DOB: 02/04/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.93m 

WEIGHT: 107kg 

LOCK 

DOB: 21/11/1998 

HEIGHT: 2.03m 

WEIGHT: 120kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 04/12/1997 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 98kg 

Tadhg Furlong #1220 

PROP 

DOB: 14/11/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 125kg 

53 

CAPS 

13 

CAPS 

Jamison Gibson-Park #1247 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 23/02/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.75m 

WEIGHT: 80kg 

13 

CAPS 

David Hawkshaw #1290 

FLY HALF / Centre 

DOB: 03/07/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.75m ) 


Cian Healy #1142 

PROP 

DOB: 07/10/1987 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 


113 

CAPS 

2 

CAPS 

Robbie Henshaw #1251 

53 

CAPS 

9 

CAPS 

Dave Kearney #1158 

19 

CAPS 

Hugo Keenan #1253 

17 

CAPS 

Ronan Kelleher #1277 

17 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 12/06/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.9m 



DOB: 19/06/1989 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

FULL BACK 

DOB: 18/06/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 


HOOKER 

DOB: 24/01/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 105kg 


Jordan Larmour #1258 

30 

CAPS 

Dan Leavy #1231 

11 

CAPS 

WING 

DOB: 10/06/1997 

HEIGHT: 1.78m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

FLANKER 

DOB: 23/05/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


for full squad profiles 

please click here 

James Lowe #1262 

9 

CAPS 

Nick McCarthy #1241 

Luke McGrath #1206 

19 

CAPS 

Michael Milne #1279 


DOB: 08/07/1992 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 105kg 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 25/03/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.8m 


SCRUM HALF 

DOB: 03/02/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.75m 


PROP 

DOB: 05/02/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 115kg 

Jimmy O’Brien #1272 

Conor O’Brien #1260 

Josh Murphy #1261 

Ross Molony #1233 

LOCK 

DOB: 11/05/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.96m 

WEIGHT: 113kg 

FLANKER 

DOB: 17/02/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.98m 

WEIGHT: 110kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 06/02/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 

WEIGHT: 100kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 27/11/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 88kg 

Tommy O’Brien #1283 

Rory O’Loughlin #1248 

1 

CAP 

Scott Penny #1271 

Andrew Porter #1246 

41 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 28/05/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 95kg 

CENTRE 

DOB: 21/01/1994 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 


FLANKER 

DOB: 22/09/1999 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 104kg 

PROP 

DOB: 16/01/1996 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 



Garry Ringrose #1237 

38 

CAPS 

Rhys Ruddock #1167 

27 

CAPS 

James Ryan #1259 

41 

CAPS 

Johnny Sexton #1127 

102 

CAPS 

14 

CAPS 

CENTRE 

DOB: 26/01/1995 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 96kg 

BACK ROW 

DOB: 13/11/1990 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


LOCK 

DOB: 24/07/1996 

HEIGHT: 2.03m 

WEIGHT: 115kg 

FLY HALF 

DOB: 11/07/1985 

HEIGHT: 1.88m 

WEIGHT: 90kg 

Dan Sheehan #1286 

HOOKER 

DOB: 17/09/1998 

HEIGHT: 1.91m 


3 

CAPS 

Devin Toner #1128 

LOCK 

DOB: 29/06/1986 

HEIGHT: 2.11m 

WEIGHT: 127kg 

70 

CAPS 

James Tracy #1211 

HOOKER 

DOB: 02/04/1991 

HEIGHT: 1.83m 

WEIGHT: 106kg 

6 

CAPS 

Josh van der Flier #1228 

FLANKER 

DOB: 25/04/1993 

HEIGHT: 1.85m 

WEIGHT: 103kg 

36 

CAPS 

Coaching 

Staff 

2021/22 season 

LEO CULLEN 

HEAD COACH 

STUART LANCASTER 

SENIOR COACH 

ROBIN MCBRYDE 

ASSISTANT COACH 

FELIPE CONTEPOMI 

BACKS COACH 

EMMET FARRELL 

KICKING COACH AND 

LEAD PERFORMANCE ANALYST 

GUY EASTERBY 

HEAD OF RUGBY OPERATIONS 

DENIS LEAMY 

CONTACT SKILLS COACH 


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and Wellbeing 

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Surprise visitor to 

Seapoint RC inspires 

next generation 

A cold Wednesday evening 

training session for the U-13 

squad in south Dublin’s Seapoint 

RC took a sunny turn as New 

Zealand rugby legend Sonny 

Bill Williams showed up to offer 

some coaching advice and share 

his expertise with the lads last 

month. 

The two-time Rugby World Cup winner 

turned boxer, currently in Ireland, where 

he is in training, decided to drop down to 

the club to meet the young players and 

their coaches. 

Commenting on the appearance of 

the All Blacks legend, Club President 

Mick O’Toole says: “We were so 

honoured that Sonny Bill dropped in to 

see us here in Seapoint. I don’t think 

he could believe the reception he got 

with everyone looking for photos and a 

handshake but Sonny Bill couldn’t have 

been more gracious and was hugely 

generous with his time, staying for the 

entire session with our U-13s squad.” 

The club took to social media to share the 

news, and photographs from Williams’ 

appearance, garnering huge interest and 

support from far and wide. 

U-13 coach, Graham Byrne, added, 

“The lads were absolutely thrilled to 

meet a rugby legend of the calibre of 

Sonny Bill Williams. He’s such a fantastic 

role model for them, offering them some 

super advice namely that having fun and 

enjoying the game is the most important 

thing. We wholeheartedly agree here in 

Seapoint as our motto is ‘Fun, Fitness and 

Friendship’.” 

Many of the parents, who were having a 

coffee in the clubhouse on the evening, 

said they were delighted for the players 

and were sure it would be a January 

evening they will never forget in their 

beloved club. 

The annual Seapoint RC Blitz, the largest 

event of its kind in Ireland, takes place 

on Sunday, April 24, in Kilbogget 

Park, Cabinteely, Co Dublin where it is 

expected that over 30 clubs, 100 teams 

and over 1,600 players at U-10, U-11 

and U-12 level will take part in over 400 

matches for a day of rucking, passing 

and tackling. 

For more information go to: 

www.seapointrugby.com 

Images: Damien Corcoran 

Seapoint RC are always seeking new 

players, girls and boys at all levels, 

whether you are starting off your rugby 

adventure or coming back to play. 


Ratoath RFC 

Building A Stake 

In The Community 

Ratoath RFC 

is a young, 

vibrant 

club serving 

the areas 

of Ratoath, 

Dunshaughlin, 

Dunboyne and 

surrounding 

areas. 

Since founding in 2004, over 

1000 young people from the local 

community have played in the 

club, and there are more than 

200 current players and dozens 

of coaches and volunteers. The 

club has strong links to the local 

community and schools, and is 

proud of the work which has 

led to on-field success including 

victories in the North East Area 

McGee Cup and Leinster Dunne 

Cup for its senior team. 

The youth’s section has regularly won in 

cups and shields in the North East and 

Leinster divisions, and the club is well 

represented in the Leinster development 

squads competing in the Shane Horgan 

Cup. Upwards of 70 minis boys and girls 

under the age of 12 train and play each 

weekend, and there is a real sense of 

community and fun on Saturday mornings 

when they train! 

Ratoath RFC is very much a community 

club. The club works with local community 

activists and organisations, volunteering 

to improve the life of its hinterland. It is 

not uncommon to see minis and their 

families organised into crews of litterpickers 

along the Ratoath riverwalk or in 

the village. 


After COVID restrictions eased, the club 

was delighted to be invited to play an 

exhibition game for older residents in 

the Silver Stream Nursing Home. As a 

family club, regular trips to the RDS and 

Aviva Stadium for parents and players 

are organised throughout the season to 

watch their heroes and socialise together. 

The club’s challenge now is to provide 

its young people with the facilities they 

deserve. The club has embarked on 

an ambitious project over recent years, 

acquiring land and constructing a fine 

new pitch. Now, the focus is on building 

a clubhouse to replace dilapidated 

portacabins which have been vandalised 

and are no longer fit-for-purpose. 

“It’s been a long road to here. We had 

several fundraisers interrupted because of 

COVID, as indeed were our construction 

plans,” says club chairman Conor Kiely. 

“Our new pitch was a real step forward, 

and the focus now is to complete our 

clubhouse build. We finally turned the 

sod and laid foundations in the summer 

of 2021 and we have been actively 

fundraising, selling sponsorship, running 

raffles, golf outings and the like. 

“People have been extraordinarily 

generous. Our local community 

businesses have really gotten behind us, 

some very generous supporters in the 

construction sector have helped turn the 

dream of a new clubhouse into a reality, 

and the club network of parents and 

friends worked hard to sell 1,000 tickets 

for our recent Car Draw. 

“We hope our new facilities will develop 

into a real focal point for our club and 

our community in the years to come.” 

The club is powering towards a bright 

future and hopes to eventually have a 

player or two on the Leinster squad who 

will have fond memories of their time in 

Ratoath Rugby Club, where it all started 

for them! 


compiled by stuart farmer 

media services limited 

Leinster Player 

Statistics 

SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 

2021/22 SEASON FOR LEINSTER LEINSTER CAREER 

ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

VAKH ABDALADZE 1263 2 DEC 17 0+3 - - 0+2 - - 0+1 - - 0+15 1 5 0+14 1 5 0+1 - - 14 - 

MICHAEL ALA'ALATOA 1301 25 SEP 21 6+4 1 5 5+2 - - 1+2 1 5 6+4 1 5 5+2 - - 1+2 1 5 3 WS 7 

RYAN BAIRD 1278 27 APR 19 4+4 1 5 3+3 1 5 1+1 - - 16+19 7 35 14+14 7 35 2+5 - - 3 IR 7 

ADAM BYRNE 1213 29 DEC 12 4 4 20 4 4 20 - - - 53+8 24 120 43+8 18 90 10 6 30 1 IR 1 

ED BYRNE 1222 9 FEB 14 3+3 1 5 3+3 1 5 - - - 22+54 11 55 22+43 10 50 0+11 1 5 4 IR 6 

HARRY BYRNE 1280 28 SEP 19 2+2 - 10 2+2 - 10 - - - 16+12 6 164 16+11 6 159 0+1 - 5 7 IR 2 

ROSS BYRNE 1236 4 SEP 15 6+4 2 78 4+3 1 45 2+1 1 33 76+38 8 728 62+21 3 516 14+17 5 212 3 IR 13 

THOMAS CLARK- 

1285 29 AUG 20 - - - - - - - - - 2+8 - - 2+8 - - - - - - - 

SON 

JACK CONAN 1223 20 FEB 14 4 2 10 2 - - 2 2 10 84+25 25 125 61+15 16 80 23+10 9 45 2 IR 23 

WILL CONNORS 1264 9 FEB 18 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 18+7 2 10 17+7 2 10 1 - - 12 IR 9 

TIM CORKERY 1298 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

SEAN CRONIN 1202 28 OCT 11 2+1 1 5 2+1 1 5 - - - 122+76 43 215 78+55 26 130 43+19 16 80 3 IR 72 

MAX DEEGAN 1256 3 DEC 16 1+8 2 10 1+5 2 10 0+3 - - 36+38 20 100 33+27 18 90 3+11 2 10 5 IR 1 

PETER DOOLEY 1230 31 OCT 14 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - 40+56 5 25 38+50 5 25 2+6 - - 11 - 

CAELAN DORIS 1268 28 APR 18 7 2 10 4 2 10 3 - - 39+8 7 35 30+6 5 25 9+2 2 10 4 IR 13 

JACK DUNNE 1276 16 FEB 19 - - - - - - - - - 2+13 - - 2+13 - - - - - - - 

CORMAC FOLEY 1299 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 1265 17 FEB 18 8+2 1 7 6+1 - 2 2+1 1 5 25+20 5 150 22+15 3 134 3+5 2 16 2 - 

TADHG FURLONG 1220 1 NOV 13 5 1 5 3 - - 2 1 5 78+41 9 45 45+33 3 15 33+8 6 30 2 IR 53 

JAMISON GIBSON-PARK 1247 2 SEP 16 4+3 3 15 2+2 - - 2+1 3 15 53+55 20 100 46+30 14 70 7+25 6 30 2 IR 13 

MARCUS HANAN 1295 19 FEB 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+3 - - 0+3 - - - - - - - 

DAVID HAWKSHAW 1290 2 NOV 20 - - - - - - - - - 0+8 1 14 0+8 1 14 - - - 4 - 

CIAN HEALY 1142 5 MAY 07 2+7 1 5 2+4 1 5 0+3 - - 158+82 28 140 92+52 14 70 64+29 13 65 6 IR 113 

ROBBIE HENSHAW 1251 8 OCT 16 3 1 5 2 1 5 1 - - 59+1 12 60 27 6 30 32+1 6 30 3 IR 53 

DAVE KEARNEY 1158 16 MAY 09 - - - - - - - - - 147+22 51 255 121+15 44 220 25+6 7 35 7 IR 19 

HUGO KEENAN 1253 5 NOV 16 8 3 15 5 1 5 3 2 10 35+3 7 35 27+3 5 25 8 2 10 1 IR 17 

RONAN KELLEHER 1277 22 FEB 19 5+2 4 20 2+2 3 15 3 1 5 25+7 13 65 16+5 11 55 9+2 2 10 3 IR 17 

JORDAN LARMOUR 1258 2 SEP 17 7 4 20 4 2 10 3 2 10 59+10 23 115 35+7 16 80 24+3 7 35 1 IR 30 

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 


SQUAD 

CAP 

NO 

DEBUT 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR 

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

SINCE LAST TRY 

CAPS 

JAMES LOWE 1262 2 DEC 17 5+1 2 10 4 - - 1+1 2 10 57+1 36 180 38 25 125 19+1 11 55 1 IR 9 

JOE MCCARTHY 1303 29 JAN 22 1 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - 

NICK MCCARTHY 1241 19 DEC 15 0+4 - - 0+4 - - - - - 6+34 4 20 6+28 4 20 0+6 - - 9 - 

LUKE MCGRATH 1206 5 MAY 12 7+3 - - 6+1 - - 1+2 - - 109+52 39 195 75+44 31 155 34+8 8 40 12 IR 19 

MICHAEL MILNE 1279 28 SEP 19 - - - - - - - - - 1+15 2 10 1+15 2 10 - - - 14 - 

MARTIN MOLONEY 1300 24 APR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+1 - - 0+1 - - - - - - - 

ROSS MOLONY 1233 20 FEB 15 8+2 1 5 5+2 - - 3 1 5 72+54 5 25 67+39 4 20 5+15 1 5 3 - 

JOSH MURPHY 1261 3 NOV 17 2+1 - - 0+1 - - 2 - - 44+8 5 25 41+7 4 20 3+1 1 5 12 - 

JAMIE OSBORNE 1294 30 JAN 21 2+2 - - 2+2 - - - - - 4+6 1 5 4+6 1 5 - - - 5 - 

CONOR O'BRIEN 1260 3 NOV 17 1 - - 1 - - - - - 17+7 6 30 17+6 6 30 0+1 - - 10 - 

JIMMY O'BRIEN 1272 23 NOV 18 5+1 5 25 3 - - 2+1 5 25 31+10 12 62 27+9 6 32 4+1 6 30 2 - 

SEAN O'BRIEN 1297 12 MAR 21 - - - - - - - - - 0+2 - - 0+2 - - - - - - - 

TOMMY O'BRIEN 1283 20 DEC 19 0+5 - - 0+4 - - 0+1 - - 4+10 3 15 4+9 3 15 0+1 - - 10 - 

RORY O'LOUGHLIN 1248 2 SEP 16 3 - - 3 - - - - - 67+23 21 105 60+15 18 90 7+8 3 15 33 IR 1 

MAX O'REILLY 1291 2 JAN 21 - - - - - - - - - 6+1 1 5 6+1 1 5 - - - 6 - 

SCOTT PENNY 1271 23 NOV 18 3 2 10 3 2 10 - - - 26+6 18 90 26+6 18 90 - - - 1 - 

ANDREW PORTER 1246 2 SEP 16 6+1 3 15 3+1 2 10 3 1 5 34+50 14 70 26+31 10 50 8+19 4 20 1 IR 41 

GARRY RINGROSE 1237 12 SEP 15 8 1 5 5 1 5 3 - - 92+2 28 148 57+1 17 93 35+1 11 55 4 IR 38 

RHYS RUDDOCK 1167 6 DEC 09 7+3 1 5 6+2 1 5 1+1 - - 150+48 12 60 112+33 10 50 37+13 2 10 4 IR 27 

ROB RUSSELL 1302 3 OCT 21 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - 1+1 - - 1+1 - - - - - - - 

JAMES RYAN 1259 2 SEP 17 3 - - 3 - - - - - 47+6 3 15 25+1 1 5 22+5 2 10 13 IR 41 

JOHNNY SEXTON 1127 27 JAN 06 3+2 - 42 2+1 - 22 1+1 - 20 151+27 26 1549 89+20 13 855 60+7 12 663 18 IR 102 

DAN SHEEHAN 1286 23 OCT 20 3+5 7 35 3+2 4 20 0+3 3 15 6+15 13 65 6+12 10 50 0+3 3 15 1 IR 3 

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

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

DEVIN TONER 1128 27 JAN 06 4+2 - - 4+1 - - 0+1 - - 210+62 4 20 144+43 4 20 63+19 - - 55 IR 70 

JAMES TRACY 1211 4 NOV 12 1+3 2 10 1+3 2 10 - - - 58+75 16 80 51+47 15 75 7+28 1 5 1 IR 6 

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

JOSH VAN DER FLIER 1228 11 OCT 14 7+1 5 25 4+1 1 5 3 4 20 82+24 16 80 49+18 8 40 33+6 8 40 1 IR 36 


ALL GAMES URC EPCR ALL GAMES PRO14/URC EPCR OVERALL 

KICKING 

SUCCESS 

RATE 

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

% 

- - - HARRY BYRNE 62.50% 5 - - 5 - - - - - 58 6 57 5 1 1 82 78.05% 

ROSS BYRNE 88.89% 28 4 - 14 4 - 14 - - 224 79 1 168 54 1 56 25 - 390 77.69% 

CIARAN FRAWLEY 100.00% 1 - - 1 - - - - - 52 7 - 49 7 - 3 - - 73 80.82% 

DAVID HAWKSHAW - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 - 3 1 - - - - 6 66.67% 

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

GARRY RINGROSE - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 4 - - - - - 6 66.67% 

JOHNNY SEXTON 80.00% 18 2 - 8 2 - 10 - - 252 294 11 128 171 7 117 119 4 685 79.71% 


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ig picture 

29 January 2022 

Joe McCarthy of Leinster runs out 

for his debut before the United 

Rugby Championship match 

between Cardiff and Leinster 

at Cardiff Arms Park in Cardiff, 

Wales. 


Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile 


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offical leinster 

supporters club 

Friday Night Lights is back! 

Nothing unusual about that we 

hear you say, except that this is 

the first time in a long time that 

regularly scheduled domestic 

fixtures are intertwined with 

International action. 

Given a number of postponements of 

games before Christmas, this Friday sees 

us welcome Edinburgh Rugby for a fixture 

that had been pencilled in for May, but 

now brought forward. This game is the 

first in a series of four for us over the 

next month where we have three games 

at home, before a trip to Treviso the first 

weekend in March, all in all a busy time 

for Leo and Co. 

Given that the last game here in the 

RDS against the Montpellier took place 

under crowd restrictions, we’re delighted 

these have now been lifted and that the 

full contingent of the Leinster faithful can 

attend for what is sure to be a crunch 

fixture for both sides. 

Two weeks ago we suffered a last minute 

defeat away to Cardiff, while the same 

weekend, our visitors for this evening 

Edinburgh, also suffered defeat away to 

Ospreys. 

Given the interprovincial fixture last 

weekend between Ulster and Connacht, 

the result of that game means it a case of 

2nd vs 4th for this evening. 

Both sides will desperately want to get 

their seasons back on track as if we’re 

honest, neither would have expected to 

lose away in Wales two weeks ago. 

A stern, tough contest would’ve been 

expected don’t get us wrong, but you 

would’ve expected to taste success as 

opposed defeat after the 80 minutes and 

so Leo, Stuart and all involved will no 

doubt want to show themselves, and the 

fans, that this was a blip and that business 

as usual is expected. 

Our last outing against Edinburgh was 

the November 2020 meeting in the 

RDS, where in front of no fans, we came 

away victors on a score of 50 – 10. The 

Player of the Match that evening was 

Dan Leavy who notched up an impressive 

performance and set of stats on the field: 

Points 5 

Metres Gained 68 

Carries 16 

Tackles Made 3 

It’s obviously bitterly disappointing that 

Dan is not in action either domestically or 

internationally at this time and we, as do 

all the fans wish him a speedy recovery 

and can’t wait for him to be back soon. 

Switching to the focus for this week’s 

game and as noted above this is simply 

a game neither side will want to lose as 

both desperately look to get their seasons 

back on track. 

Edinburgh currently sit in second whilst for 

ourselves, it’s fourth. A number of teams 

have played 10 games while it’s nine for 

Edinburgh and eight for Leinster so the 

win here would give either side a much 

needed boost given we both also have 

players away on international duty for the 

foreseeable future. 

LEINSTER 

Played 8 Won 6 Drawn 0 Lost 2 

For 246 Against 114 

Bonus 5 Points 30 

EDINBURGH 

Played 9 Won 6 Drawn 1 Lost 2 

For 224 Against 147 

Bonus 6 Points 34 

As always we’re thankful for the support 

we as a committee get from Leinster 

Rugby, as well as you the supporters, and 

we encourage you to continue to show 

your support for the team through our 

social media channels. 

Yours in rugby, 

The OLSC Committee 


OFFICIAL 

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#seaofblue P D E Q

Join our FRIENDS 

programme 

and help support 

seriously injured 

rugby players 

For more details, 

click here 

www.irfucharitabletrust.com

As Official Clean Air Partner to Leinster 

Rugby we are delighted to support the 

team in their pursuit of excellence by 

adding Novaerus Air Disinfection to their 

winning formula. 

Irish-designed and patented Novaerus 

NanoStrike technology strives to give 

Leinster the physical and competitive edge 

by disinfecting the squad and 

management team’s indoor 

air safely, 24/7.

Draws made for the 

2022 Provincial Towns 

Cup and Metro Cup 

The draws for the 2022 Bank 

of Ireland Metropolitan Cup 

and Provincial Towns Cup were 

broadcast recently on the Leinster 

Rugby and Bank of Ireland 

Facebook and YouTube pages. 

The draw for the Provincial Towns Cup 

seconds competition was also revealed. 

The Provincial Towns Cup is set to 

kick off on Sunday, 6 March, with 

the Metropolitan Cup kicking off the 

following weekend. 

Twenty-eight teams will take part in this 

year’s Provincial Towns Cup competition, 

while four teams have been awarded 

byes through to the second round. 

These four teams are playing in Division 

1A of the Leinster League: Ashbourne 

RFC, Dundalk RFC, Kilkenny RFC and 

Gorey RFC. 

BANK OF IRELAND PROVINCIAL 

TOWNS CUP FIRST ROUND DRAW: 

County Carlow FC v 

Longford RFC 

Wexford Wanderers RFC v 

Boyne RFC 

Edenderry RFC v 

Cill Dara RFC 

Enniscorthy RFC v 

Mullingar RFC 

Clondalkin RFC v 

Portlaoise RFC 

Wicklow RFC v 

Naas RFC 

New Ross RFC v 

Tullow RFC 

Arklow RFC v 

Tullamore RFC 

Navan RFC v 

Roscrea RFC 

North Kildare v 

Skerries RFC 

Balbriggan RFC v 

Athy RFC 

Newbridge RFC v 

Midland Warriors RFC 

BANK OF IRELAND PROVINCIAL 

TOWNS CUP – SECONDS CUP 

DRAW: 

Longford RFC v 

Boyne RFC 

North Meath/Athboy v 

Clane RFC 

Wicklow RFC v 

Rathdrum RFC 

Tullow RFC v 

North Kildare RFC 

Ashbourne RFC v 

Portlaoise RFC 

Mullingar RFC v 

Edenderry RFC 

New Ross RFC v 

Wexford Wanderers RFC 

Gorey RFC v 

Ardee RFC 

County Carlow FC v 

Birr RFC 

Portarlington RFC v 

Athy RFC 

BYES: 

Naas RFC • Newbridge RFC 

Cill Dara RFC • Kilkenny RFC 

Dundalk RFC • Clondalkin RFC 

BANK OF IRELAND 

METROPOLITAN CUP 

FIRST ROUND DRAW: 

Terenure College RFC v 

Old Wesley RFC 

Lansdowne FC v 

Greystones RFC 

Old Belvedere RFC v 

Bective Rangers RFC 

Dublin University FC v 

Monkstown FC 

Suttonians RFC v 

Seapoint RC 

Blackrock College RFC v 

MU Barnhall RFC 

Wanderers FC v 

Clontarf FC 

St Mary's College RFC v 

UCD RFC 

Watch the full 2022 Metro Cup and 

Towns Cup draw here. 


Virtual Mascot 

David 

Nixon 

Age: 8 

School: St Fintan’s NS Sutton 

Class: Second Class 

Hobbies: He plays rugby, GAA and soccer. 

He absolutely loves sport, and has his eye on 

Johnny Sexton’s position! 

Favourite Player: Johnny Sexton 


WHERE ARE 

THEY NOW? 

AIDAN KEARNEY 

THEN: Aidan 

Kearney 

made 26 

appearances 

for Leinster 

across the 

2002/03 and 

2003/04 

seasons. 

NOW: He is 

currently 

looking for 

a new job in 

rugby, living 

in Bayside, 

married to 

Jenna with 

three children 

Ryan (8), Max 

(6), and Lola 

(1 1 / 2 ). 


Aidan Kearney was something 

of a physical phenom back in the 

late 1990s. 

He moved from St Paul’s College in 

Raheny to St Michael’s College for the 

final two years of school which coincided 

with a change in the age limit, enabling 

Aidan to play both years of the Senior 

Cup 

In 1998, he shifted gears to UCD on 

a two-year scholarship and was also 

involved in the IRFU Academy where 

Aidan joined the likes of Paul O’Connell, 

Donncha O’Callaghan, Brian O’Driscoll, 

Kieran Campbell, Adrian Flavin, Jerry 

Flannery and Paddy Wallace. 

The 6’ 7”, 18 stone, and more, second 

row was a man before his time in the 

sense that he represented the Ireland 

sevens. 

“I suppose I was quite athletic and quite 

fast. Denis McBride and Kurt McQuilkin 

were running the sevens programme. 

They were in and out to the IRFU 

Academy sessions,” says Aidan. 

It was there they would have noticed a 

specimen, whose measurables screamed 

international second row forward, with 

the God-given gifts to roam the sevens 

circuit. 

“It was funny. We were training up in 

UCD in our wet gear in around two or 

three degrees of cold weather. We went 

from there to 30 degrees heat in Dubai,” 

he recalls. 

“Willie Anderson was a coach at 

the Academy. He asked me to join 

Dungannon which I thought was strange 

at the time. In hindsight, why would it be 

strange when one of your coaches wants 

you to play for his club? 

“It was an opportunity to be coached by 

Willie and play with Paddy Johns, who 

had come back from Saracens at that 

point. 

“I was also moving from an Academy 

contract to an Ulster Development 

contract, the next step-up. That was a nobrainer 

for me because, believe it or not, 

Paddy was my Ireland hero growing up. 

“I ended up there for three years and, 

in the year of foot and mouth, won the 

All-Ireland League, beating Cork Con in 

the final in 2001. 

With the 1998 U-19 World Cup and All- 

Ireland League medals draped around 

his neck, Aidan had all the appearance 

of a sure bet to have a long and shining 

professional career. 

However, Aidan never made it beyond 

the bench in his two years at Ulster, 


triggering a return to Leinster in 2002. 

This was made more attractive by the 

departure of Bob Casey to London Irish 

and Trevor Brennan to Toulouse that 

summer and the offer of a two-year senior 

contract. 

“There was a gap that needed filling and, 

I guess, it was natural for me to move 

home where Willie had become Leinster 

assistant to Matt Williams. 

“For my first year, I played for Leinster 

and for Dungannon because of how they 

had looked after me for two seasons.” 

Interestingly, Aidan’s memory of many 

marquee moments are sketchy at best: “I 

don’t know why that is,” he remarks. 

“Maybe the Donnybrook matches are 

rolled into one. They all seemed similar. 

Don’t forget, this was back at a time 

when the crowds were 5,000-6,000 

whereas the away matches were all 

about new experiences. 

For example, the debut in blue against 

Glasgow Warriors on September 6, 

2002, does not resonate at all. He made 

three successive appearances in the 


second row for his first three caps, adding 

Cardiff and Border Reivers to his resume. 

None stands out in his recall. 

“When you are in the company of 

Malcolm O’Kelly and Leo Cullen, 

they were straight in when they were 

available. I would have been competing 

against Ben Gissing for the other slot,” 

he states. 

“When you felt like you were making 

ground on these guys, the Heineken Cup 

came around and the intensity went up 

another level at training in those weeks. 

“I struggled with that early on as a young 

player, getting used to it. That said, I 

thoroughly enjoyed my two years at 

Leinster.” 

Nonetheless, Aidan accumulated four 

starts from nine caps in 2002/03 and 

a further nine starts from 17 caps in his 

second season, including a run of three 

tries in three matches. 

On the face of it, this was clear progress. 

It wasn’t convincing enough for Declan 

Kidney to want to see more of Aidan 

when the Corkman took over in the 

summer of 2004. 

The rise of the versatile Ciaran Potts 

meant there was no place on the roster 

for Aidan, forcing a career-defining 

personal decision, leading to the end of 

his time in the paid ranks. 

“There were no spots in the other 

provinces available. I sat down with my 

auld lad (Frank) to consider trawling 

through the UK with a Championship 

club. Did I want to do that? Did I want to 

bounce around? Not really,” he admits. 

“If I was to look back, it was probably a 

regret that I didn’t have an agent at the 

time, someone to reach out and test the 

waters.” 

There is a reason professional contracts 

are sometimes handed out on a ‘position 

of need’ basis. It could just be that Aidan 

came along at a time when Irish rugby 

was stocked with international locks. 

O’Connell and O’Callaghan at Munster. 

O’Kelly and Cullen at Leinster. 

He moved closer to home to play for 

Clontarf in the All-Ireland League for 

one season and then back to where it all 

started at Suttonians to reconnect with 

childhood teammates Karl Cowman, 

Noel Hehir, Darragh Dowling and Dave 

Walsh. 

“I decided to move into the family 

business, selling industrial supplies, for 

about 12 years,” he says. 

“Five years ago, when dad decided to 

sell up, I looked on it as an opportunity 

to get back into rugby. I started part-time 

as a Club Community Rugby Officer for 

Leinster and Rugby Development Officer 

for Dublin City University. 

“From there, I was working as an 

operations officer with the participation 

team in the IRFU for three years until 

about six months ago when I became a 

victim of the consequences of Covid,” he 

declares. 

The man who left Leinster after two years 

in professional rugby feels compelled to 

stick with the game he loves. 

“I know I want to be involved in rugby in 

some shape or form. I am just looking for 

the right opportunity.” 


Referees 

Corner 

BY DAN WALLACE 

National Panel 

The start of the new year saw 

some changes to the IRFU 

National Referees Panel. 

Congratulations to Robbie Jenkinson 

who was promoted to Level 3 following 

some excellent domestic performances. 

Robbie joins Michael Forrestal and 

Paul O’Connor. Colm Roche, John 

Flynn and Sam Holt were moved to 

the Level 2 panel where they join longserving 

referee John Carvill and Glenn 

Sheridan. 

Padraic Reidy moves into Level 1. 

Padraic recently refereed the All-Ireland 

Junior Cup Final. He joins Dermot 

Blake, Andrew Cole, Nigel Correll, Paul 

Haycock, and Cillian Hogan. This brings 

a total of 14 Leinster Rugby Referee on 

the IRFU National Referee Panel. 

We wish them all well for the remainder 

of the season. 

Seminar Update 

We had over 200 referees 

at our first referees seminar 

of the season in January. 

The topic of the seminar was 

‘Game Management’ and 

the session was enabled by 

Sean Gallagher from the IRFU 

alongside Jim McCourt from 

the Leinster Disciplinary panel 

and International TMO Brian 

MacNeice. 

The presentation went through a number 

of topics including Positive Referee 

Behaviors and some guidelines on 

working with coaches before, during 

and after games, developing positive 

relationships with captains and players 

alike and also how to work and deal 

with external factors. 

Want to get 

involved? 

Feel free to make contact with the Leinster Rugby Referees 

at hayley.whyte@leinsterrugby.ie If you are interested 

in becoming a referee get in contact with us through our 

Facebook, our website www.leinsterrugbyreferees.ie or 

through twitter @leinsterreferee. 


Brian MacNeice spoke through various 

scenarios that a referee may encounter 

and how to work through those 

scenarios. 

Preparation is obviously key and running 

through the scenarios in your head is 

important preparation. 

We had an excellent Q&A session 

after, discussing various scenarios that 

referees have encountered. The meeting 

was held online, but we look forward to 

getting back to in-person meetings in the 

near future. 

Law 

Clarifications 

World Rugby often publishes 

law clarifications during the 

season. If a union in membership 

is unable to clarify an aspect of 

law it may submit a request for 

a clarification in law to the World 

Rugby designated members. 

The World Rugby website https:// 

www.world.rugby/the-game/ 

laws/clarifications contains all such 

requests for clarifications as far back 

as 2002 and gives the associated 

response from the designated members. 

On occasions, clarifications in law will 

result in a law amendment. There have 

already been two in 2022. 

The main one is that England Rugby 

have asked for clarity relating to when a 

ball is deemed to be leaving/emerging 

from a ruck and when such a ball can 

be dived on to claim control of the ball. 

Law 15 describes how a ruck ends, and 

says a player cannot fall onto the ball, 

but we seek clarity on when a player is 

legally entitled to dive onto the ball? 

World Rugby responded with relevant 

law wordings. (There is an excellent 

video to accompany this explanation on 

the website) 

Law 15.16: “Players must not: d) Fall 

over the ball as it is coming out of a 

ruck.” 

Law 15.18: “A ruck ends and play 

continues when the ball leaves the ruck 

or when the ball in the ruck is on or over 

the goal line.” 

Definitions: Near = within one metre. 

The ball is leaving/emerging from the 

ruck when it is in motion away from 

the ruck, or when the ball is sitting 

just beyond the hindmost player. This 

becomes relevant when determining if 

a player can fall onto the ball so that 

player can comply with law 15.16. 

In being consistent with other areas 

of Law (scrum law 19.38a, tackle law 

14.8d), we determine that the player 

can only dive onto such a ball if it is 

more than one metre away from the ruck 

it has emerged from. ‘Near’ is defined 

in law as being “within one metre”. If 

the ball has left the ruck, then the ruck 

is over, and the ball is out. Providing a 

player comes from an onside position 

and does not dive onto the ball if it is 

within one metre of the ruck, they may 

play the ball. 

Will this answer the much-asked 

question - Is the ball out ref? 


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South-East Area Update 

BY DEBORAH CARTY 

Paddy Mosse commented afterwards that 

the team played as a unit and that the 

overall performance was excellent. 

ARKLOW 

Arklow Amazons 13 Greystones 7 

The Arklow Amazons took to the pitch at 

home on 28 January against Greystones 

in their first match in the Women’s League 

Division 3 since mid-December. A try from 

Greystones after just five minutes was to 

be their only score of the night. 

Solid defence by Arklow then denied 

Greystones time and again, this was 

typified by Rebecca New who seemed 

to be everywhere the action was all 

night. An excellent result and a great 

springboard for the second half of the 

season. 

The Arklow U-14 girls are delighted to 

announce that they will be sponsored by 

The Broken Chair Cafe. The entire team 

were on hand this morning to meet owner 

Cliona Ennis-Byrne at the official hand 

over of their new set of jerseys. 

The Byrne family are great supporters 

of Arklow Rugby as both players and 

sponsors and look forward to great times 

ahead. 

CARLOW 

Co Carlow’s little buzzy ‘Bees’ inclusive 

team is always growing. They love seeing 

new faces and new players are ALWAYS 

welcome. Please contact the club if you 

have any questions about joining! 

ENNISCORTHY 

Pictured - Ivan Poole in Enniscorthy in 

2018 after winning the Provincial Towns 

Cup with young supporters Mark Byrne 

and Ben Kidd who now, just a few 

short years later, got the chance to play 

alongside Ivan in an AIL match v Clonmel 

two weeks ago. 

The newly formed South-East Lions, an 

amalgamated team of Enniscorthy and 

Wexford Wanderers U-18.5 girls, are up 

and running and playing very well in the 

leagues 

GOREY 

A great morning of minis rugby was 

held recently in Gorey RFC with big 

numbers travelling from Co Carlow FC, 

Enniscorthy RFC and Rathdrum RFC. The 

club extended a massive thanks to all for 

their time in organising. 

KILKENNY 

Well done to Donal Kealy, Sean Dunne 

and Ruaidhri Galwey, who were part of 

the South-East U-17 squad who drew 27- 

27 with the North Midlands recently. The 

future is bright. 

Kilkenny 32 DLSP 3 

The Kilkenny women’s team secured 

an impressive win recently. There were 

scores from Tina Wright, Lieke Hoban, 

Lucy Harte, Eimear Kelly and a brace for 

Ciara Coone, while there was a standout 

performance from Jenny Kirwan. Coach 

TULLOW 

Tullow U-18.5s played the first round 

of the Tom D’Arcy Cup last weekend, 

beating Portarlington 24-17 in a wellfought, 

nail-biting match. Well done to all 

involved and good luck in the next round. 

RATHDRUM 

Thanks to Noel McMullen for traveling to 

the senior men's away game on Sunday, 

16 January, to snap some super shots as 

always. Rathdrum faced Stillorgan and 

while the result didn't go Rathdrum’s way, 

they put in a commendable showing with 

tries from Ciaran Phelan (2), Danny Tuke 

and Conor Parsons. 

WICKLOW 

There was a first ever away win for 

Wicklow in the Energia Women’s AIL, 

beating Malone RFC 13-12. Emma 

Curran bagged a try, which she 

converted herself, while Beth Roberts 

slotted two penalties. After a tough start 

to the first AIL campaign, the team are 

growing into the competition. 

WEXFORD 

WANDERERS 

Wexford Wanderers had a unique type 

of training this week with a visit from the 

Rescue Helicopter 117, the helicopter 

landing on the floodlit front pitch as part 

of their own training. The club is always 

happy to accommodate Rescue 117. 

Minis rugby at Wexford Wanderers is 

free to join now for the rest of the season 

and the club are busy recruiting boys and 

girls of all ages, with particular focus on 

adding to the U-7 age group. Contact 

the club’s social media pages if you are 

interested in joining. 


North Midlands Area minis 

girls blitz a huge success 

It all started with a conversation 

between Cill Dara Minis Coordinator 

Barry Kilgallen and his 

North Kildare counterpart Jerry 

Bradley. 

Both clubs were struggling to get regular 

games for their minis girls teams and 

Barry suggested that a blitz involving 

all teams from the North Midlands Area 

might be a good idea. 

The Minis Co-ordinators in the area enjoy 

a really good working relationship and 

regularly share ideas and experiences, 

not just when they meet in person and 

blitzes but also on their WhatsApp group 

which CRO Joe Carbery set up some 

time ago. 

As soon as Barry mentioned his idea 

in the group it was greeted with huge 

enthusiasm and when the Minis Coordinators 

went back to the coaches of 

their girls teams, that enthusiasm was 

echoed and amplified. “Just tell us when 

and where” was the response that came 

from coaches and parents. 

Barry volunteered to host the blitz in Cill 

Dara RFC and it was agreed to run it 

under lights on a Friday night to avoid 

a clash with regular minis activities. The 

invitation was also extended to Tullow 

RFC as Barry was aware that they were 

also struggling to get games for their 

girls and the invitation was gratefully 

accepted. 

On Friday night last, excited U-10 and 

U-12 girls from Athy, Blessington, Cill 

Dara, Clane, Naas, Newbridge, North 

Kildare, Portarlington, Portlaoise and 

Tullow arrived in huge numbers and 

were greeted by members of the current 

Leinster U-18 Girls squad who were all 


eally impressed with the numbers in 

attendance. 

Alana Fitzpatrick, Éadaoin Murtagh and 

Hannah Wilson took time to speak to the 

girls and have their photos taken with 

them before the blitz started. 

Almost 200 girls played a series of short 

games and the standard of play was 

really outstanding and a testament to 

the great work being done in the North 

Midlands clubs to develop the skill 

levels and the levels of participation. As 

everyone was leaving Cill Dara the only 

question being asked was: “When will 

the next one be?” 

No doubt the North Midlands Minis 

Co-ordinators won’t be long in scheduling 

the next one. 


ank of ireland 

MATCHDAY MINIS 

Tullow RFC 

Coaches: George Campbell, Fionnuala Cloney, Joe Dolan, 

Kieran Doyle, Michael Hennessy, Tonu Talanoa, 

Oscar Traynor. 

Team: Josh Barry Doyle, Noah Byrne, Tadhg Campbell, 

Sean Cloney, Paddy Corcoran, Alfie Donohue, 

Daniel Dolan, Harry Doyle, Podge Finn, Rhys Hennessy, 

Thomas Hopkins, Sean Kehoe, Cillian Kelly, William Myers, 

Olan McNab, Luke O Connor, JP O Dwyer, Mike Sheehan, 

Tana Talanoa, Noah Traynor. 

Birr RFC 

Front row L to R: Thomas Burke, Ben Swanepoel, 

Ronan Keogh, Harry Larkin, Lee Mannion, 

Lochlann Fletcher, Iarla Sheehan, Conail Fay, Shane Milne, 

Fionn Whelehan, Declan O’Meara, Alice Murray, 

Siofra Ginty, Cronan Murphy. 

Back row L to R: Alun Owens (Coach), Denis Tierney 

(Coach), Colm Boylan, Tom Enright , Gwilym Tooher, 

Donnacha O’Meara, Mossy Dooley, Oisin Molloy Berry, 

Donagh Tierney, Lorcan Maloney, Jake Dunican, 

Lorcan Owens, Ruairdhri Ginty, MJ Bene, Mike Murphy 

(Coach) Patrick Burke, Mike Sheahan (Coach) 

Missing from photo: Hugh Plunkett and Michael Clery. 

Naas RFC 

Coaches: Brian Cogan, Joe Mullins. 

Players: Daniel Britton Milner, Fionn Brownen, 

Alex Burgin, Ryan Clarke, Owen Cogan, Luca Cowan, 

Fred Dick, John Fielding, Mark Forde, Eoghan Gilbert, 

Harry Greene, Oisin Lynch, Jonah Maguire, 

Charlie Mangan, Christian Morrissey, Adam Mullins, 

Jack Preston, Tom Troy, Noah Tyrell, Finbar Ward. 

Portarlington RFC 

Squad: Callum Walsh, Hugh Melaniphy, Ben Petriw, Ian 

Wardrop, Tristan Gallagher, Brochan Carey, 

Reuben McElwee, Darragh Doris, Jack Donoher, 

Lucas Gutierrez, Evan Brett, Ryan Murphy, Aidan O’Reilly, 

Jack Bennett, Jake Moore, Kyle O’Brien, Sean Malone, 

Daire O’Connell, Peadar Murphy, Tommy Fullam. 


RNLI AND LEINSTER 

RUGBY ANNOUNCE 

CHARITY PARTNERSHIP 


has announced 

the maritime 

search and 

rescue charity 

RNLI - the 

Royal National 

Lifeboat 

Institution - 

as its latest 

charity 

partner of 

the 2021/22 

season as part 

of the Charity 

Affiliate 

Programme 

which was 

first launched 

in November 

2020. 

For more information, visit: 

www.rnli.org 


Like last season, Leinster Rugby 

will once again work with a new 

charity each month in the hope of 

raising the profile of that charity 

and the RNLI has been chosen 

for the month of February after 

being nominated by Energia, 

one of Leinster Rugby’s premium 

partners. 

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at 

sea and on inland waters. 

Established in 1824, the RNLI works to 

save lives and prevent drowning off the 

coast and on a number of loughs and 

rivers throughout Ireland and the UK. 

In Ireland, this is done through their 

lifeboat service, operated largely by 

volunteers, living, and working in their 

local communities and who remain on 

call 24/7 to help those in need on the 

water. 

Every year in Ireland, RNLI volunteer 

lifeboat crews help rescue hundreds of 

people and the charity has saved over 

143,000 lives since its foundation. 

The service depends on voluntary 

donations to fund its lifesaving work. 

On the island of Ireland there are 46 

lifeboat stations, 11 of which are based 

in Leinster. These are Clogherhead in 

County Louth, Skerries, Howth and Dún 

Laoghaire in Dublin, Arklow, Wicklow, 

Wexford, Courtown, Rosslare Harbour, 

Fethard-on-Sea and Kilmore Quay. 

Welcoming the news, Mary Creedon, 

Fundraising and Partnership Lead in the 

RNLI in Ireland said, “We are delighted 

that the RNLI have been chosen as 

Leinster Rugby’s charity partner for the 

month of February, as part of the Charity 

Affiliate Programme and we are grateful 

to Energia for their kind nomination. 

“It’s been a challenging couple of years 

for charities in Ireland, but the RNLI’s 

volunteer lifeboat crews have continued 

to operate a 24/7 search and rescue 

service and launch at a moment’s notice 

to save lives in their communities. 

“This partnership allows the charity 

to reach more people with lifesaving 

messages and water safety advice. 

Sharing these with the supporters of 

Leinster Rugby brings an awareness of 

the potential dangers of using the water 

for all types of activity and provides 

advice on what to do if you see someone 

in trouble on the water.

“It will bring the work of the RNLI and 

their volunteer lifeboat crews in their 

communities, to a huge audience of 

committed and passionate supporters.” 

Since 2017, RNLI volunteer lifeboat 

crews based at the 11 lifeboat stations 

in Leinster have rescued 1,702 people 

during callouts. 

In attendance at the launch in Leinster 

Rugby head office in UCD were Leinster 

Rugby players Emma Murphy, Ella 

Roberts, Vakh Abdaladze and Scott 

Penny, as were representatives from the 

RNLI and Energia. 

“We’re thrilled that our partnership with 

Leinster Rugby has allowed us to shine 

a light on the RNLI, a charity which was 

selected by our staff for Leinster Rugby’s 

February charity partner. 

“The RNLI do so much for the country 

and we hope to lend some positive 

energy to the work they’re doing saving 

lives at sea,’’ said Amy O’Shaughnessy, 

Head of Brand for Energia Group. 

For the month of February, Leinster Rugby 

will lend its digital support to the RNLI 

and its considerable efforts to keep us all 

safe in Irish waters. 

Leinster Rugby also confirmed that Bank 

of Ireland would continue to support 

the charity partner scheme again this 

season and that its Player of the Month 

Award donation will now be made to the 

monthly charity affiliate, rather than the 

player in question, a move that is also 

supported by the Leinster Rugby players. 

Eamon de Búrca, Sponsorship Manager 

with Leinster Rugby, commented, “The 

RNLI is a new partner for us here at 

Leinster Rugby and we are very grateful 

to the team in Energia for bringing such a 

worthwhile charity to our door. 

“February is a busy month with a lot 

of on-field activity so hopefully that will 

allow us to elevate the exposure for the 

RNLI across all of our digital platforms.” 

Like all the charities selected, the RNLI 

was selected by Leinster Rugby after 

a consultation process involving the 

leadership group of the men, women’s 

and Academy teams and consultation 

with the premium sponsors and partners 

and the Official Leinster Supporters Club. 

The charities 

supported by 


as part of 

this charity 

partner 

initiative, 

include; 

2020/21 Season: 

Women’s Aid (November), 

Debra Ireland (December), 

numerous local causes supported 

by Bank of Ireland (January), 

ALONE (February), Pieta (March), 

AsIAm (April), LauraLynn (May), 

the Gavin Glynn Foundation (June), 

Irish Heart Foundation (August) and 

CRY (September) 

2021/22 Season: 

Alzheimer Society of 

Ireland (November), Peter 

McVerry Trust (December), 

numerous local causes supported 

by Bank of Ireland such as 

Outcomers, Citywise Means 

Business, New Horizon and 

Purple House (January), the RNLI 

(February) 

The selection process for all the 

charities includes the Leinster Rugby 

players, Leinster Rugby sponsors 

and partners and also the Official 

Leinster Supporters Club (OLSC). 


TO MAXIMISE YOUR SPORTS AND EXERCISE 

PERFORMANCE THROUGH NUTRITION 

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

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

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

Protein Rich. 

Protein provides your muscles with 

the building blocks to repair & grow. 

Carb-Up. 

Carbohydrate foods are king as they 

power high intensity play. 

Fuel-Up. 

Consume the majority of your 

carbohydrates around training to 

support fuelling and recovery. 

Recover. 

Quality rest & nutrition between 

training sessions is the key to 

recovery. Remember to: 

Repair with protein, 

Refuel with carbohydrate, 

Rehydrate with fluid. 

Hydrate. 

Dehydration can lead to a drop in 

exercise intensity & can impact your 

decision making. Drink 2-3 litres of 

fluid each day to ensure hydration. 

Game Day. 

To fuel performance on the field, 

consume a large carbohydrate rich 

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

chicken & pasta, turkey bolognaise 

wraps. 

Get 20% off all Optimum Nutrition products 

using code Leinster20 on optimumnutrition.ie

KNOWING WHAT ADVICE TO TAKE 

IS ESSENTIAL IN THIS GAME. 

beauchamps.ie 

OFFICIAL LEGAL ADVISOR 

Beauchamps LLP | Riverside Two | Sir John Rogerson’s Quay | Dublin 2 | D02 KV60

COUNTRY 

SCOTLAND 

HOME GROUND 

DAM HEALTH STADIUM 

FOUNDED 

1872 

edinburgh 

last time out 

Ospreys 23 

Edinburgh Rugby 19 

Saturday, 29 January | swansea.com Stadium | URC | words: edinburghrugby.org 

Edinburgh Rugby fell to a tough defeat in South Wales, 

with the Ospreys claiming a 23-19 win - despite a 

hat-trick from Edinburgh prop Boan Venter. 

The visitors led 14-3 at half time, 

thanks to a quickfire brace from 

loosehead prop Venter, however 

the boot of Stephen Myler 

and tries from Matt Protheroe 

and Sam Parry saw the home 

side climb into a lead. Venter 

completed his hat-trick on the 

hour mark, but it was Myler who 

had the final word, nudging two 

late penalties to hand Edinburgh 

their first URC defeat since 

October. 

Edinburgh arrived in south Wales 

having failed to win in Swansea 

since 2009, however they looked to 

be heading to victory after taking a 

commanding lead in the first half. The 

early exchanges were cagey, with 

multiple kicking exchanges and set 

piece battles, but it was Edinburgh who 

were able to take the game by the 

scruff of the neck. 

With an Ospreys player in the sin-bin 

the capital club cashed in, Boan Venter 

crashing over from close range twice in 

four minutes. The first was after a series 

of picking and going from the forwards, 

the second finishing off a flowing move 

set up by a thunderous break from 

Cammy Hutchison. 

Edinburgh missed a chance to score a 

third; Henry Pyrgos chipped over the 

defence to Darcy Graham, who was 

able to regather and put Glen Young 

into space near the line. The Ospreys 

defence scrambled and turned over 


the ball – a pivotal turning point in the 

match. Myler nudged a penalty over, 

however it was the hosts who were 

firmly in charge at the interval. 

Ospreys came out of the blocks firing 

in the second half, and quickly hit back 

through a Matt Protheroe score – the 

fullback finishing after a period of 

pressure, with the ball going wide as 

the hosts held a penalty advantage. 

The hosts then hit the front through Sam 

Parry, who crashed over after a nicely 

worked lineout move to give the Welsh 

side the lead for the first time. 

Venter completed his hat-trick in 

response, burrowing his way over from 

close range. Venter became the 13th 

player to score a hat-trick of tries for 

Edinburgh in the professional era, and 

the first prop to do so - the only other 

front-rower being Stuart McInally, 

against Timisoara Saracens in 2016. 

Indiscipline would prove costly though, 

with Myler holding his nerve to add two 

penalties to condemn Edinburgh to a 

tough defeat in Swansea. 

OSPREYS – Matt Protheroe; Keelan 

Giles (Gareth Anscombe 51), Michael 

Giles, Kieran Williams (Tiaan Thomas- 

Wheeler 75), Luke Morgan; Stephen 

Myler, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith (Rhodri 

Jones 63), Sam Parry (Elvis Taione 

63), Tom Botha (Rhys Henry 63); Rhys 

Davies, Lloyd Ashley (Huw Owen-Sutton 

78); William Griffiths, Harri Deaves 

(Morgan Morris 51), Ethan Roots. 

EDINBURGH – Henry Immelman; Darcy 

Graham, Matt Currie (Mark Bennett 61), 

Cameron Hutchison, Emiliano Boffelli; 

Jaco van der Walt, Henry Pyrgos (Ben 

Vellacott 61); Boan Venter (Harrison 

Courtney 73), David Cherry (Adam 

McBurney 45), Angus Williams (Jamie 

Hodgson 45); Marshall Sykes, Glen 

Young (Lee-Roy Atalifo 45-79); Magnus 

Bradbury, Connor Boyle, Mesulame 

Kunavula (Ben Muncaster 63). 


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Head coach 

Mike Blair 

Former Scotland international 

scrum-half Mike Blair took the 

reins as Edinburgh head coach in 

2021. 

During his playing days, he amassed 85 

caps for his country as well as almost 

250 club appearances for Edinburgh, 

Brive, Newcastle and Glasgow over 14 

years, 169 of those with his current club. 

Having already gained coaching 

experience with Ponteland RFC, he joined 

Glasgow as an Assistant coach when 

hanging up the boots before joining the 

Scotland set-up for five years prior to 

returning to the capital. 

Co-Captains 

Stuart McInally 

and Grant 

Gilchrist 

Captaincy duties for Edinburgh 

are shared between two local 

players in Stuart McInally and 

Grant Gilchrist who have gone on 

to be club centurions. 

McInally, who also captained Scotland 

during the 2019 Six Nations, is a 

hooker by trade now after making his 

breakthrough in the back row. He’s been 

capped 37 times by Scotland. 

Gilchrist has been a stalwart for 

Edinburgh since his debut in 2011 

against Cardiff and, now capped 42 

times internationally, has recently signed 

a contract to extend his stay with his 

home club. 

edinburgh squad 

FORWARDS 

LEE-ROY ATALIFO 

PROP 

CONNOR BOYLE 

FLANKER 

MAGNUS BRADBURY 

FLANKER 

DAVE CHERRY 

HOOKER 

HARRISON COURTNEY 

PROP 

LUKE CROSBIE 

FLANKER 

LUAN DE BRUIN 

PROP 

GRANT GILCHRIST 

LOCK 

NICK HAINING 

FLANKER 

PATRICK HARRISON 

HOOKER 

JAMIE HODGSON 

LOCK 

MESULAME KUNAVULA KUNALOLO 

FLANKER 

VILIAME MATA 

NO. 8 

ADAM MCBURNEY 

HOOKER 

STUART MCINALLY 

HOOKER 

BEN MUNCASTER 

NO. 8 

WILLEM NEL 

PROP 

PIERCE PHILLIPS 

LOCK 

JAMIE RITCHIE 

FLANKER 

PIERRE SCHOEMAN 

PROP 

MARSHALL SYKES 

LOCK 

BOAN VENTER 

PROP 

HAMISH WATSON 

FLANKER 

ANGUS WILLIAMS 

PROP 

GLEN YOUNG 

LOCK 

BACKS 

MARK BENNETT 

CENTRE 

JACK BLAIN 

WING 

EMILIANO BOFFELLI 

FULLBACK 

MATT CURRIE 

CENTRE 

CHRIS DEAN 

CENTRE 

DARCY GRAHAM 

WING 

DAMIEN HOYLAND 

WING 

CAMMY HUTCHISON 

CENTRE 

HENRY IMMELMAN 

FULLBACK 

JAMES JOHNSTONE 

CENTRE 

BLAIR KINGHORN 

FULLBACK 

JAMES LANG 

CENTRE 

RAMIRO MOYANO JOYA 

WING 

FREDDIE OWSLEY 

WING 

HENRY PYRGOS 

SCRUM-HALF 

CHARLIE SAVALA 

FLY-HALF 

CHARLIE SHIEL 

SCRUM-HALF 

JACO VAN DER WALT 

FLY-HALF 

BEN VELLACOTT 

SCRUM-HALF 


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12 Counties, One Club 

in 

Focus 

Founded: 1873 

Ground: Oak Park. Carlow 

Web: www.carlowrugby.ie 

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @carlowrugby 

County 

Carlow 

Football 

Club is one 

of the oldest 

clubs in 

Ireland, set 

to celebrate 

its 150th 

anniversary 

in 2023. 

County 

Carlow 

It has a long and proud 

tradition underpinned by many 

achievements in Junior and Senior 

rugby. 

The early-to-mid 1990s was a golden 

age in the history of the club, winning five 

Provincial Towns Cups from 1992-1997. 

They were promoted into the AIL in 1997 

and joined the chase for greater glory 

around the rugby fields on the island. 

This halcyon period produced five 

consecutive seasons in Divisions 4 to 

Division 1 from 1998 to 2003 and backto-back 

Leinster Senior Cups in 2003 and 

2004. 

That was then. This is now. Currently, 

County Carlow is fighting the good fight 

in Division 1B of the Leinster League. 

“Overall, our goal is to get back to 

winning Towns Cups again on our way 

into All-Ireland League rugby,” says 

committee member Melvin Elmes. 

“We are a long way from that at the 

moment. These are different times. We 

will have to make it back to the AIL with 

players that come up through our Minis 

and Youth system. 

“In those years, the same as every other 

club in the country, we made no bones 

about it, we had to bring in outside 

players to maintain our momentum.” 

That top-down strategy of bringing in 

players to lift the standards of those 

already there worked for many years. 

But, it came with unsustainable costs. 

County Carlow started to drop through 

Co Carlow From Left Aurlene 

Browne & Muireann Brennan 

Co Carlow Club 

President Tom Crotty 

& Edel Gibbons 


Co Carlow From Left Justin Hannon, Melvin 

Elmes, Michael Carbery, Ian Dwyer 

the Divisions, returning to the Leinster 

League where they have been toiling 

away. 

“At the moment, we are allowed to bring 

in one overseas player. But, we are not 

doing that anymore. The onus is on us to 

produce the players,” he states. 

In an overall context, it is a competitive 

world out there where multiple sports 

clubs are vying for the attention of 

children. 

It is not enough to simply exist and trade 

on a stellar reputation. There has to be a 

campaign to grow the numbers streaming 

into the club and to keep them coming in. 

In that regard, County Carlow has 

committed to being agile in how it 

welcomes in the new and existing 

members and how it reaches out to make 

new connections in the community. 

There is a five-year strategic plan which 

includes short and long-term goals to be 

achieved on and off the pitch. 

It is subdivided into the development 

of five areas: rugby, grounds, facilities, 

governance and structure. 

The club is becoming a victim of its 

success in that pressure on space is driven 

by the increase in numbers, splitting the 

minis into two groups, six to nine-yearolds 

practicing from 9.30-10.30 and the 

remainder from 10.30-11.30. 

In minis rugby, there are in the region 

of 200 kids at the club on a Saturday 

morning for sessions, co-ordinated by 

Robert Keady. At youths rugby, there are 

100 boys and girls, spread across six 

teams, currently managed by Brendan 

Carbery 

County Carlow also has an all-inclusive 

‘Bees Squad’ managed by Aurlene 

Browne and Muireann Brennan. The 

attitude of volunteering back to the club 

is there in the involvement of past-players, 

parents and members. 

“It is a family club. There are 

approximately 165 families attached 

to the club. There are 71 families 

directly involved in the running of the 

club whether as coaches or committee 

members,” says Elmes. 

“There are 100 volunteers that willingly 

give up their free time to make County 

Carlow what it is to all of us. We are not 

saying we are any different from, or any 

better than, any other club.” 

This enables a commitment to a minimum 

three-person coaching team for all levels 

of youth and mini rugby in line with a mini 

youth and senior player retention plan. 

Director of Rugby Derek Cope oversees 

the strength in playing depth from the 66 

male players. The seconds are setting the 


pace in 1B of the seconds league and the 

J3s focus on the Anderson Cup. 

The long-term targets revolve around 

winning the Towns Cup, reaching out 

to promote rugby in all the schools in 

Carlow through Club Community Rugby 

Officer Gavin Whitney. 

There is a strong desire to increase the 

number of girls at minis, youth and adult 

levels by at least 10 per cent every year. 

They already have ‘The Rhinos’ girls 

teams which evolved from a very 

successful working group with neighbours 

Tullow RFC. 

Further, there is a drive to actively attract 

the community into the club. 

“We intend to put in a walking track 

around the pitches for the parents and 

locals to use during training or at other 

times of the day,” says Elmes. 

The club wants to launch and establish 

an annual community volunteer event 

to grow the number of volunteers and 

celebrate those already involved in the 

club. 

The process to have floodlights on all 

three pitches began, starting with the top 

training pitch. 

At the moment, the club is planning for 

Phase 2 of their training lights due to 

commence in April and is set to take eight 

weeks. 

Everything is in place to complete 

the process thanks to funding by a 

Department of Transport and Tourism 

Sports Capital Grant, club fundraising 

and membership 

“We have continually worked on the 

grounds where monies are available to 

us,” says Justin Hannon, the chairman of 

development. 

This is micro-managed by Ian Dwyer, 

chairman of finance, his committee and 

honorary treasurer Terry Cassidy. 

“We are very reluctant to go down the 

road to an all-weather, artificial pitch. We 

hold the opinion that it is not sustainable 

for Junior clubs due to extra costs, such 

as the maintenance fees etc,” declares 

Hannon. 

“We would prefer a state-of-the-art grass 

pitch. At the moment, our surface is not 

bad. But, we have applied for grant aid 

to help us level it and reseed it. 

“We have all the other infrastructure. We 

have the stand. We have the lights. We 

just need to upgrade the pitches.” 

The bathrooms are up for redevelopment 

and there is an eagerness to turn the 

famous ‘triangle’ area into a mini rugby/ 

training pitch and an outdoor gymnasium 

by the end of this year. 

Further, there are plans to resurface 

the car park and for the gym, hall and 

kitchen to contribute financially to the 

club as a rentable space for functions, 

fitness classes, as a training venue or a 

performance/exhibition space. 

“The purchase of a pitch maintenance 

vehicle and complementary equipment 

has been approved along with an 

application for green flag status which 

encompasses a pollinator plan, a waste 

policy and litter plan,” notes Donald 

Daly, chairman of house and grounds. 


There is a will to increase cooperation 

with other community organisations in 

the local area and to engage with other 

clubs and groups with at least one new 

formal collaboration each year. 

This is part of the wish to bring the 

community into the club, as exemplified 

by the relationship with Dolmen Athletics 

Club. 

In 2014, a 10-person management 

committee was formed, meeting twice-aweek, 

to make hard financial decisions, 

reporting back to the executive monthly. 

The result of which was running two Gala 

dinners with Joe Schmidt and Johnny 

Sexton appearing as headline speakers, 

plus two very enjoyable outdoor summer 

concerts. 

The governance and structure element is 

there to ensure high standards in running 

the club and continually working around 

any transition for those coming into new 

positions. 

“This ensures the tasks and roles being 

carried out within the club are being 

guided and monitored,” says Hannon. 

“It includes every role from small to big 

so that each person is clear about what is 

expected of them.” 

The club acknowledges the continued 

support of the members, the IRFU, Leinster 

Branch, sponsors and various public 

schemes all of which keep its progress 

on track. 

“We are indebted to our membership 

database, in particular the support 

given to subscriptions secretary Michael 

Carbery over the last two years in 

concern to the Covid pandemic,” says 

chairperson Edel Gibbons. 

It sounds like County Carlow club is on 

its way. 



mark 

hernan 

THE ACADEMY 

INTERVIEW 

BY PAUL CAHILL 

Like all 

aspiring 

rugby players 

his age, Mark 

Hernan’s 

ascendency 

through the 

rugby ranks 

came to a 

shuttering 

halt in 

2020 due to 

Covid-19. 

Mark was a member of the 

2020 Ireland U-20 side that had 

already beaten Scotland, Wales 

and England in the U-20 Six 

Nations before the tournament 

was abandoned. 

But, unlike most players his age, Mark 

Hernan had the foresight to recognize 

the opportunity he had with the 

unplanned extended break. After a 

series of injuries during his school days, 

Hernan seized the opportunity to hit the 

gym, and build the size required for the 

senior game. 

“The first four months of lockdown I 

enjoyed. It was a new experience,” says 

the Leinster Academy back-rower. 

“I was doing two good gym sessions a 

day and eating a lot because I didn’t 

have anything else to do. It came at a 

good time for me. That transition period 

after the U-20s, there is no intermediate 

section, you’re straight into the AIL so it 

was good to help me catch up and put 

on that bit of weight I really needed.” 

We have heard of Academy players 

taking over back gardens and sheds 

as they prepared their makeshift home 

gyms, but the Hernan family were 

particularly accommodating. 

“Dave Fagan gave me a load of gym 

gear which I set up in the kitchen. My 

mum wasn’t too happy about it, but we 

all got on with it!” 

The Hernan family have a history 

of accommodating Mark’s sporting 

prowess, as parents Ray and Suzanne 

drove him from venue to venue. 

As a kid, he lined up for St Mary’s 

RFC, Lansdowne FC, played golf in 

Elm Park, soccer with St James’, cricket 


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in Pembroke and Gaelic football with 

Clanna Gael Fontenoy. 

That’s a lot of mileage. 

As is usually the case, it was a trip down 

to a local rugby club that sparked an 

obsession with the game. 

“I was four or five when I joined St 

Mary’s. My dad was involved there and 

my older brother was already playing 

there so it was fairly natural to go down 

and join them.” 

While Mark may have been a little 

bit skeptical at first, the strong rugby 

tradition in his family meant he was 

going to give rugby as many visits as was 

needed. 

“My dad captained Mary’s when he 

was younger. 

“He also played with Connacht and Old 

Belvedere. His brothers played interpro 

rugby too. There was a big family 

influence to play rugby. I wasn’t much 

of a fan as a kid. I still played it but I 

was playing lots of things. But something 

switched in me and then I was in it. It was 

probably my dad and brother throwing 

me a rugby ball all of the time!” 

Households all over the country see the 

younger sibling attempting to copy the 

older one, and the Hernans were no 

different, as Mark looked to emulate his 

older brother, Peter. 

“My brother definitely played a big part 

in getting me into rugby. He was more 

into rugby than me when I was small and 

he would bring me with him down to St 

Mary’s. 

“He kind of got me into it. He played in 

school too. He’s been great for me and 

he helps me a lot. He supports me big 

time.” 

While Mark’s dad played a key role in 

bringing him down to St Mary’s, it was 

the other way around just a few years 

later. 

“A lot of my friends were playing in 

Lansdowne, so I moved over there when 

I was about nine or 10. I got my dad 

involved when we moved and he started 

doing a lot of underage coaching with 

us. I played there until first year in St 

Michael’s when that became the big 

priority. But it was great to get back to 

the club after I finished school.” 

Rugby certainly became the priority 

once Hernan stepped through the gates 

of St Michael’s College. And it was 

some current Leinster senior players who 

helped sway him away from the dozen 

or so other sports occupying the young 

athlete. 

“It was easy to look up to the lads 

who had just left the school and were 

breaking into the Leinster team. 

“When I was in first year, Josh Murphy, 

Ross Molony, Ross Byrne and Denis 

Coulson all came back to the school to 

coach us. They were only in first year 

of college. They were all playing Irish 

U-20s so it was cool to see those lads as 

a 13-year-old.” 

It was to be a fruitful time for Hernan, 

as he would go on to captain the St 

Michael’s 2019 Senior Cup team to 

glory alongside fellow Academy players 

Jack Boyle, Lee Barron and Chris 

Cosgrave. 

Despite leading the team to success, 

Leinster representation didn’t immediately 

follow. 

“I didn’t really play much Leinster 

underage compared to the other lads. I 

didn’t play Leinster U-18 or U-19. 

“It was when I left school I got a call to 

go to the Ireland U-19 trip to France and 

I stayed in the camp right through the 

U-20s. It wasn’t like I was on every team 

coming through. 

“It meant I didn’t really know what to 

expect, and I don’t think people really 

knew what to expect from me. Lots of 

people probably didn’t know who I 

was,”says Mark with a smile on his face. 

Hernan was stepping into the unknown 

somewhat ahead of his first U-20 Six 

Nations game. 


With little international experience to 

draw on, it was the advice of senior 

teammates that got him in the right frame 

of mind. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect 

going down to Musgrave Park. I wasn’t 

sure what it would be like. I actually 

spoke to Scott Penny and he said it’s 

unbelievable and explained how massive 

it is, so I knew it was a big deal. 

“You kind of get a grasp of it once you 

get down there. When you run onto the 

pitch, it’s a pretty cool experience. It was 

definitely a level up and you could feel 

that physically. The way the coaches 

prepared us was similar to here at 

Leinster. The training meant we were able 

to deal with that.” 

But, after impressive wins over Scotland, 

Wales and England, including two tries 

for Hernan in the game against the 

Welsh, the flanker was left in limbo. 

“It was quite annoying. The coaches kept 

reminding us to keep working towards 

the World Cup in the summer, and we 

thought we’d play the last two games in 

a few weeks. We didn’t know the severity 

of Covid and what it was going to do. 

About two or three months before the 

World Cup, we could see it wasn’t going 

to happen.” 

With restrictions starting to ease and the 

disappointment of the U-20 cancelations 

behind him, and now with a strong 

block of gym work in the bank, Hernan 

was back in the sub-Academy trying to 

impress. 

“I was training with Jack Boyle, Temi 

Lasisi, Chris Cosgrave and all of those 

lads. I was training with them for about 

eight months or so which was great, 

but I was itching to get up to UCD and 

experience what the senior set up was 

like.” 

Eventually, the phone call finally came. 

After injury setbacks, missing 

representative selection and a global 

pandemic, Mark Hernan would be 

joining the Leinster Academy full time. 

It’s a phone call that he will never forget. 

“It was in the middle of June, 2021, 

when I got the call. I was out playing 

golf with a few friends. I got the call out 

of nowhere to say I would be getting a 

contract in the summer. I was over the 

moon. It was nice that I had my mates 

there to share it with them. 

“Even for my family, because I know they 

feel the stress I feel, maybe even worse. 

Every time I come home if things haven’t 

gone well and I’m in a bad mood, it 

can easily rub off on everyone. It was 

a big relief for the family and they were 

delighted for me, which was great. I rang 

my brother first. I rang my best mate to let 

him know too. It was special. Something I 

won’t forget for a while.” 

Later that summer, Hernan began preseason 

in UCD as a full Academy player. 

With lots of senior players still away, 

it was an opportunity to learn from the 

best. 


We didn’t know 

the severity of 

Covid and what 

it was going to 

do. About two 

or three months 

before the World 

Cup, we could see 

it wasn’t going 

to happen. 

“The Irish and Lions lads weren’t back 

yet, so it was nice for all of the Academy 

lads to come in and show what we can 

do in front of Leo and Stuart. It’s great 

that they back the Academy lads. 

“It’s something that I think is great about 

this club that as a young lad you are 

training with some of the biggest names. 

When you are growing up it’s something 

you dream of, but when you’re here you 

have to get to grips with it pretty fast and 

get on with it.” 

Soon, Mark Hernan was training with 

the same players who coached him as a 

13-year-old. 

Was it strange standing shoulder to 

shoulder with the players you admired 

for so long? 

“It wasn’t weird for me, but it was 

probably weird for them! They might 

have felt a bit old! 

“It was cool though to start training week 

in, week out with the lads you looked up 

to. But you can’t fanboy for too long, you 

have to get on with it.” 

He is definitely getting on with it, and is 

making up for lost time with a good body 

of work under his belt. 

Having lifted the Senior Cup trophy 

as captain of St Michael’s, as well as 

scoring twice for Ireland in an U-20 Six 

Nations game, his favourite game to 

date might come as a bit of a surprise. 

“It would be Leinster ‘A’ against Cardiff 

in the Celtic Cup in Cardiff Arms Park,” 

says Hernan after taking a moment to 

think. 

“It was the first step up from school that 

I had. I had Irish U-19s but that wasn’t 

too different to schools. But with the 

Leinster ‘A’ team, I was playing with lads 

10 years older than me. We won fairly 

comfortably, but I remember it was a 

good team to be involved in and it was a 

great experience. 

“It was my first adult game in a Leinster 

jersey just a few months after I left 

school. I remember coming off at halftime 

and I was exhausted. It was about 

28 degrees in August and I was blowing. 

“I realised senior rugby is another step 

up, but it was a great experience. It was 

luck of the draw that I got to play. There 

were a few injuries and Penny had gone 

up to the senior team, so it was nice that I 

was backed to go out and play with that 

squad. It was definitely special.” 

Hernan appreciates each step he makes 

on the rugby ladder. 

Perhaps it takes a few setbacks along the 

way, but this Academy player certainly 

has an old head on young shoulders. 


Leinster Rugby Academy 

Year Three 2021/22: 


Year two 2021/22: 

Second Row 

Brian Deeny 

DOB: 02/03/2000 

HEIGHT: 1.99m WEIGHT: 121kg 

HONOURS: Ireland U20 (8 caps) 

Did You Know: Brian played youth rugby with Wexford 

Wanderers RFC. He got his first Irish cap playing for 

Ireland Under-18 Sevens. Brian played midfield for 

his school St Peter’s College in Gaelic football and 

reached the All-Ireland Colleges Final in 2017. He is 

currently studying Science in Trinity and lives in Abbey 

House B&B, Wexford...if you are looking for a room?! 

Instagram: brian_deeny 

wing 

Niall Comerford 

DOB: 06/04/2000 


HONOURS: Ireland U20 

Did You Know: Niall played both hurling and Gaelic 

football with Kilmacud Crokes for 14 years. He also 

represented Dublin in Gaelic football in the U17 

Leinster Championship. He is currently studying 

Commerce in UCD. 

Instagram: niall_c123 

Cormac Foley #1299 

DOB: 24/10/1999 



& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Marcus Hanan #1295 

DOB: 03/10/2000 

HEIGHT:1.8m WEIGHT:110.91kg 


& Leinster Rugby (3 caps) 

Scrum Half 

Did You Know: Started playing rugby with Greystones 

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

of show jumping and he is now studying Economics and 

Finance in UCD. 

Instagram: cormacfoley6 

prop 

Did You Know? Marcus is from Clane in Kildare and is the 

youngest of three. His dad went to the High School and then 

played rugby in Old Wesley before coaching back at Clane 

RFC. Marcus has Italian connections on his mother’s side with her 

father, Luigi Rea, being from Italy. Marcus is studying Business 

Management in Griffith College. Instagram: @marcus_hanan 

Back Row 

Martin Moloney #1300 

DOB: 19/10/1999 


HONOURS: Ireland U20 (5 caps) & 

Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Did You Know: Martin played hurling for Kildare and 

played GAA and basketball for his secondary school, 

Knockbeg College, and local GAA club, St Laurence’s. 

He played his youth rugby with Athy RFC. He is now 

studying Business and Law in UCD, He also enjoys 

working on the family farm. Instagram: martin_moloney 

Second Row 

Joe McCarthy #1303 

DOB: 26/03/2001 



Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Did You Know: Joe started playing rugby with Blackrock 

College RFC at the age of six before moving to 

Willow Park and then Blackrock College. He was also 

on the Blackrock swim team for five years. He’s currently 

studying Global Business in Trinity College Dublin. 

Instagram: joetmmcc 

Second Row 

Charlie Ryan 

DOB: 03/02/1999 



Did You Know: Charlie played youth rugby at Blackrock 

College RFC while also attending the school since 

Senior Infants. He captained Ireland to the U20 Grand 

Slam in 2019 and again for the U20s World Cup. His 

friends call him Chuck! He is currently studying Business 

and Legal Studies in UCD. 

Instagram: chuck_ryan5 

hooker 

John McKee 

DOB: 15/02/2000 



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

at Campbell College where he won a Senior Cup. He 

was involved with Ulster at age grade level until moving 

to Dublin after school. He also has multiple medals 

from Northern Irish Schools Judo competitions. 

Instagram: johnmckee_ 

Centre 

Liam Turner #1287 

DOB: 14/07/1999 




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

of six at Blackrock College RFC. He later joined 

Blackrock College and was part of the 2018 Senior Cup 

winning team. He was also part of the Ireland U20 team 

that went on to win the 2019 Grand Slam. Liam currently 

studys BESS in Trinity College. Instagram: liamtn123 

Centre / Full Back 

Jamie Osborne #1294 

DOB: 16/11/2001 

HEIGHT:1.93m WEIGHT:96.82kg 

HONOURS: Leinster Rugby (11 caps) 

Did you know? Jamie is studying commerce in UCD. His 

grandad, Paddy Osborne, was a horse trainer in Naas, 

while his dad played rugby all throughout his life and 

his mum played hockey. Other than rugby, Jamie loves 

all sports especially soccer, GAA and NFL. Jamie is 

currently in a house with fellow Leinster Academy players 

Brian Deeny, Martin Moloney and Max O’Reilly. 

Instagram: @jamieosborne01 


Seán O’Brien #1297 

Lee Barron 

Back Row 

DOB: 31/07/2000 




Did You Know: Seán started playing rugby at age 

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

He then played on the Junior and Senior Cup 

teams in Blackrock College. He is currently studying 

Economics and Finance in UCD 

Instagram: seanobrien456 

Hooker 

DOB: 15/02/2001 


Did You Know: Lee played golf growing up in the 

Castle Golf Club and in the end was playing off a 

handicap of eight. He has family roots in Carlow but 

went to school in Dublin and attended St Michael’s College. 

As well as rugby with his school, he also played 

GAA and even lined out in Croke Park. 

Instagram: @lleebarron 

Max O’Reilly #1291 

Chris Cosgrave 

Full Back 

DOB: 26/02/2000 



Leinster Rugby (7 caps) 

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

Business and Management in DIT. His preferred sport 

was soccer until about the age of 15, which he had 

played at centre midfield with Enniskerry FC for over 10 

years and also for Wicklow. 

Instagram: max_oreilly 

full back 

DOB: 24/07/2001 

HEIGHT:1.83m WEIGHT:85kg 

Did You Know: Chris is a member of UCD RFC, where 

he is also an Ad Astra scholar studying Agricultural 

Science. His athleticism is best highlighted by his feats 

in the field of Athletics with All-Ireland honours to his 

name in both the 4x100m relay and the Discus. Before 

the UCD and St Michael’s College days, he played at 

a young age with Old Belvedere RFC. 

Instagram: @chriscosgrave1 

Andrew Smith #1292 

Mark Hernan 

DOB: 21/07/2000 




DOB: 04/07/2000 


Back Three 

Did You Know: Andrew is currently studying Quantity 

Surveying and Construction Economics in TUD. In 

2019, he won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup with St 

Michael’s College. Andrew also played Gaelic football 

with his local club - Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA Club. 

Instagram: andrew.sm1th 

Flanker 

Did You Know: Mark was coached by Ross Molony, 

Josh Murphy, Ross Byrne and Nick McCarthy when in 

St. Michael’s College. His grandfather Fergus O’Brien 

was Lord Mayor of Dublin and his father, Ray, played 

for Connacht seniors and Ireland u25s. 

Instagram: @mark_hernani 

Alex Soroka #1296 

Temi Lasisi 

Back Row 

DOB: 19/02/2001 

HEIGHT: 1.95m WEIGHT: 104.5kg 



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

Ukraine shortly before his birth. He was born in Cork 

before moving to Dublin. 

Instagram: alex._.soroka 

prop 

DOB: 09/05/2001 

HEIGHT: 1.78m WEIGHT: 115.8kg 

Did You Know: The TUD Mechanical Engineering 

student originally picked up the oval ball in Enniscorthy 

before later moving to Lansdowne FC. Temi rose 

through the ranks in the Youths system, his first outing 

with the province came at U-18 level against Northampton. 

He also describes himself as a ‘competent 

pianist’. 

Instagram: @lasisi.temi 


Year one 2021/22: 

Scrum half 

Ben Murphy 

DOB: 23/04/2001 



& Leinster Rugby (1 cap) 

Did You Know: Ben played all different sports growing 

up including football, GAA and golf and won an 800m 

gold in the U-14 East Leinsters. He is studying economics 

in UCD. Ben’s father Richie played for Leinster 

Rugby and has coached at all levels of the game and is 

the current Ireland U-20s head coach. I 

nstagram: @ben._murphy01 

Jack Boyle 

DOB: 10/03/2002 



Rob Russell #1302 

DOB: 13/01/1999 



Prop 

Did You Know: Jack’s father, Herbie, and uncles, Colon 

and Eric, all represented Old Wesley rugby club for 

years. His cousin Stephen Boyle also represented the 

Leinster Rugby youths. Jack is currently studying for a 

Commerce Degree in UCD. 

Instagram: @jackboyle1 

Full Back / Wing 

Did You Know: Rob is currently in his final year of 

Business and Management in DIT. He started playing 

rugby at the age of five with Wanderers RFC. He also 

played football up to minor level with Kilmacud Crokes 

and it took priority over rugby until he left school. 

Instagram: @robrussell7 


Date 

25/09 

03/10 

09/10 

16/10 

22/10 

27/11 

03/12 

11/12 

1/12 

KO/ 

Result 

W 

31-3 

W 

7-6 

W 

43-7 

Opposiotion Venue 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2 

URC VODACOM 

BULLS 

URC DRAGONS 

Aviva 

Stadium 

Rodney 

Parade 

URC ZEBRE RDS Arena J O’BRIEN 

KEENAN O’LOUGHLIN RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE 

SEXTON 

3C 1P 

MCGRATH 

PORTER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

KEENAN RUSSELL RINGROSE C O’BRIEN O’LOUGHLIN R BYRNE GIBSON-PARK PORTER SHEEHAN 

A BYRNE 

2T 

OSBORNE 

FRAWLEY 

W 

50-15 URC SCARLETS RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY 

1C 

W 

31-15 

URC GLASGOW 

Scotstoun 

Stadium 

KEENAN 

1T 

A BYRNE 

1T 

L 

10-20 URC ULSTER RDS Arena J O’BRIEN A BYRNE HENSHAW 

1T 

W 

47-19 URC CONNACHT RDS Arena KEENAN LARMOUR 1T RINGROSE 

1T 

W 

45-20 HCC BATH Aviva 

Stadium 

L 

0-28 

HCC MONTPELLIER 

26/12 P-P URC MUNSTER 

01/01 P-P URC ULSTER 

1/01 

22/01 

28/29/30 

Jan 

W 

89-7 

W 

64-7 

L 

29-27 

GGL (Altrad) 

Stadium 

Thomond 

Park 

Kingspan 

Stadium 

KEENAN 

1T 

HCC MONTPELLIER RDS Arena KEENAN 

HCC BATH 

URC 

CARDIFF 

RUGBY 

Recreation 

Ground 

Cardiff Arms 

Park 

11/02 18:00 URC EDINBURGH RDS Arena 

fixtures and 

results 2021/22 

LARMOUR 

1T 

LOWE 

RINGROSE FRAWLEY LOWE 

FRAWLEY 

HENSHAW 

LARMOUR RINGROSE FRAWLEY 

LARMOUR 

LOWE 

LOWE 

1T 

H BYRNE 

SEXTON 

1C 1P 

R BYRNE 

4C 1P 

R BYRNE 

1C 1P 

H BYRNE 

5C 

R BYRNE 

5C 

MCGRATH 

GIBSON-PARK 

MCGRATH 

E BYRNE 

1T 

PORTER 

1T 

HEALY 

CRONIN 

1T 

KELLEHER 

1T 

KELLEHER 

1T 

MCGRATH E BYRNE TRACY 

MCGRATH 

GIBSON-PARK 

2T 

HEALY 

PORTER 

- - - - - - - - - 

KEENAN 

1T 

LARMOUR 

1T 

LARMOUR 

1T 

RINGROSE 

RINGROSE 

FRAWLEY 

HENSHAW 

J O’BRIEN 

1T 

J O’BRIEN 

4T 

J O’BRIEN A BYRNE 1T OSBORNE FRAWLEY O’LOUGHLIN 

R BYRNE 

1T 7C 

SEXTON 

5C 

R BYRNE 

3C 2P 

GIBSON-PARK 

1T 

MCGRATH 

PORTER 

PORTER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

KELLEHER 

1T 

KELLEHER 

KELLEHER 

MCGRATH E BYRNE CRONIN 

19/02 TBC URC OSPREYS RDS Arena 

25/02 19:35 URC SIGMA LIONS RDS Arena 

04/05/06 

Mar 

25/26/27 

Mar 

01/02/03 

Apr 

TBC 

URC BENETTON 

Stadio 

Monigo 

TBC URC CONNACHT Sportsground 

TBC URC MUNSTER RDS Arena 

08/04 20:00 HCC CONNACHT Sportsground 

15/04 17:30 HCC CONNACHT 

22/23/24 

Apr 

29/30/01 

Apr 

TBC 

TBC 

URC CELL C 

SHARKS 

URC DHL 

STORMERS 

Aviva 

Stadium 

Jonsson 

Kings Park 

Green Point 

Stagium 


3 4 5 6 7 8 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 

ALAALATOA MOLONY J RYAN RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

1T 

ALAALATOA MOLONY RYAN RUDDOCK VAN DER FLIER 

ALAALATOA BAIRD TONER LEAVY 

FURLONG MOLONY RYAN 

DORIS 

2T 

PENNY 

1T 

VAN DER FLIER 

DORIS 

DEEGAN 

1T 

RUDDOCK 

CONAN 

FURLONG MOLONY BAIRD DORIS LEAVY CONAN 

TRACY 

1T 

E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK 

R BYRNE 

1T 1C 

TRACY E BYRNE HEALY BAIRD LEAVY N MCCARTHY C FRAWLEY 

KELLEHER 

1T 

SHEEHAN 

2T 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

DOOLEY HEALY MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY 

HEALY 

1T 

ALAALATOA BAIRD RUDDOCK MCGRATH 

SEXTON 

4C 

R BYRNE 

3C 

OSBORNE 

S PENNY 

[UNUSED] 

RUSSELL 

T O’BRIEN 

E BYRNE ALAALATOA TONER RUDDOCK GIBSON-PARK OSBORNE VAN DER FLIER 

FURLONG MOLONY TONER LEAVY PENNY RUDDOCK CRONIN DOOLEY ABDALADZE DEEGAN CONNORS N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN 

ALA’ALATOA 

BAIRD 

1T 

TONER 

RUDDOCK 

1T 

VAN DER FLIER 

DORIS 

1T 

KELLEHER PORTER ABDALADZE J MURPHY 

DEEGAN 

1T 

N MCCARTHY 

R BYRNE 

1C 

T O’BRIEN 

FURLONG 

1T 

MOLONY BAIRD RUDDOCK 

VAN DER FLIER 

1T 

DORIS SHEEHAN HEALY ALAALATOA TONER DEEGAN MCGRATH J O’BRIEN T O’BRIEN 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

FURLONG 

MOLONY 

1T 

J MURPHY 

DORIS 

VAN DER FLIER 

2T 

CONAN 

2T 

SHEEHAN 

2T 

HEALY 

ALAALATOA 

1T 

RUDDOCK DEEGAN MCGRATH 

SEXTON 

5C 

LOWE 

1T 

ALAALATOA MOLONY MURPHY DORIS 

VAN DER FLIER 

1T 

CONAN 

SHEEHAN 

1T 

HEALY ABDALADZE BAIRD DEEGAN GIBSON-PARK 

R BYRNE 

2C 

FRAWLEY 

1T 

ALAALATOA TONER J MCCARTHY RUDDOCK CONNORS PENNY 1T TRACY 1T DOOLEY ABDALADZE MOLONY DEEGAN N MCCARTHY H BYRNE T O’BRIEN 


matchday 

Squads 

officials 

Jamie Osborne 

Tommy O’Brien 

Rory O’Loughlin 

Ciarán Frawley 

Dave Kearney 

Ross Byrne 

Nick McCarthy 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

FULL BACK 

RIGHT WING 

OUTSIDE CENTRE 

INSIDE CENTRE 

LEFT WING 

FLY HALF 

SCRUM HALF 

Henry Immelman 

Ramiro Moyano 

Matt Currie 

James Lang 

Emiliano Boffelli 

Charlie Savala 

Henry Pyrgos [C] 

REFEREE 

ADAM JONES (WRFU) 

(14TH LEAGUE GAME) 

ASSISTANT REFEREE 

EOGHAN CROSS (IRFU) 

ASSISTANT REFEREE 

STUART DOUGLAS (IRFU) 

TMO 

OLLY HODGES (IRFU) 

Ed Byrne 

James Tracy 

Michael Ala’alatoa 

Ross Molony 

Josh Murphy 

Rhys Ruddock [C] 

Scott Penny 

Max Deegan 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

LOOSE HEAD PROP 

HOOKER 

TIGHT HEAD PROP 

SECOND ROW 

SECOND ROW 

BLINDSIDE FLANKER 

OPENSIDE FLANKER 

NUMBER 8 

Boan Venter 

Adam McBurney 

Lee-Roy Atalifo 

Marshall Sykes 

Glen Young 

Ben Muncaster 

Connor Boyle 

Mesulame Kunavula 

Seán Cronin 

Peter Dooley 

Vakh Abdaladze 

Devin Toner 

Martin Moloney 

Luke McGrath 

Harry Byrne 

Rob Russell 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

REPLACEMENT 

Dave Cherry 

Sam Grahamslaw 

Jake Armstrong 

Pierce Phillips 

Kwagga van Niekerk 

Charlie Shiel 

Jaco van der Walt 

Cammy Hutchison

At Sword we know how important the Game is. 

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

and enjoy yourself, you're in safe hands. 

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

Dublin: 01-6688220 

info@swordsecurity.com 

www.swordsecurity.com 

Securing Sports Fans around the World.

Parting Shot 

5 February 2022 

Ryan Baird of Ireland celebrates 

winning a scrum penalty during 

the Guinness Six Nations Rugby 

Championship match between 

Ireland and Wales at the Aviva 

Stadium in Dublin. 


Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Leinster vs Edinburgh

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