LAST UPDATE | 13 Sep 2022
AFTER BEING DETHRONED in the URC and coming up just short in Europe last season, a fascinating campaign lies ahead for Leinster. There will be no shortage of motivation for Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster’s side.
As ever, there are challenges in having their array of riches. Their large crop of Ireland international players seems likely to be managed more carefully than ever this season before the 2023 World Cup.
The upcoming Emerging Ireland tour could involve more than 10 Leinster players, meaning they will miss several rounds of the URC, so Cullen and Lancaster will have plenty of balancing to do.
That said, their squad is littered with quality and the production line of homegrown talent isn’t slowing down.
Having examined Munster’s squad in the first of this four-part series, this article outlines Leinster’s options across their senior group and their academy.
Included in brackets after each player’s name is their age and number of Leinster caps in the format [age, caps]. Players have been listed in the order of their number of caps.
Loosehead prop
- Cian Healy [34, 249]
- Andrew Porter [26, 91]
- Ed Byrne [28, 85]
- Michael Milne [23, 17]
Leinster now have four senior looseheads following the departure of Peter Dooley to Connacht as he searches for more game time.
Andrew Porter, who moved across to the loosehead side last year, remains Leinster’s first-choice in the position and has plenty of further potential after settling into this position at Test level too.
Cian Healy, who turns 35 next month, is still important to the province and signed a new contract earlier this year.
Ed Byrne has generally been next in line behind Healy and also has six Ireland caps to his name, but Leinster will expect to see 23-year-old Michael Milne push on after he made just one appearance last season as he was slowed up by injury.
Academy loosehead Marcus Hanan has already made three senior appearances, while the uncapped 20-year-old Jack Boyle is an exciting prospect.
Hooker
- James Tracy [31, 141]
- Rónan Kelleher [24, 36]
- Dan Sheehan [23, 29]
Similarly to loosehead, Leinster are down one senior player in this department after Sean Cronin’s retirement at the end of last season.
The dynamic duo of Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan have made this position their own over the last two seasons. Their battle for starting honours with province and country will be epic for years to come, though Leinster clearly won’t have access to them at all times.
Ireland-capped James Tracy is an experienced, consistent performer but he will miss four months of the season after neck surgery, meaning it’s certain that Cullen and Lancaster will be dipping into the academy at hooker.
John McKee and Lee Barron both got experience at senior level last season and will be sensing a big opportunity in the months ahead.
Tighthead prop
- Tadhg Furlong [29, 127]
- Vakh Abdaladze [26, 17]
- Michael Ala’alatoa [31, 25]
- Thomas Clarkson [22, 18]
Ireland frontline man Tadhg Furlong is still the leading figure on the tighthead side for province and country.
As ever, the challenge for Leinster is compensating for his potential unavailability. The experienced Michael Ala’alatoa is Samoa’s captain so has November Tests commitments of his own but obviously doesn’t have Six Nations or other training camp demands.
He will look to build on a solid first season with the province, while 26-year-old Vakh Abdaladze and 22-year-old Thomas Clarkson aim to shift up a level in terms of their importance to Leinster. Both have clear further potential and should get plenty of minutes this season.
Second row
- Ross Molony [28, 139]
- James Ryan [26, 58]
- Ryan Baird [23, 38]
- Joe McCarthy [21, 11]
- Brian Deeny [22, 2]
- Jason Jenkins [26, 0]
- Charlie Ryan [23, 0]
Devin Toner’s retirement means Leinster are shorn of the most familiar face in their second row, while 23-year-old Jack Dunne has left for Exeter and started their opening Premiership game last weekend.
South Africa-capped Jason Jenkins has joined Leinster from Munster after an injury-ravaged season. The power and sheer bulk of his 6ft 8ins and 124kg frame is something the eastern province felt they were lacking, so they will hope he can stay fit.
Last season’s revelation, Joe McCarthy, is another big unit at 6ft 6ins and 119kg. The 21-year-old is expected to go up another gear after impressing in his 11 appearances last season, which helped to earn him involvement with Andy Farrell’s Ireland.
The dynamic Brian Deeny and lineout specialist Charlie Ryan have also been promoted from the academy onto senior deals. The latter is currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury, but Deeny will be battling for game time.
James Ryan is a leading Ireland international, of course, while Ross Molony has developed into an important player for Leinster, often running their lineout as well as delivering consistent physicality and leadership.
At 23, Leinster will be pushing Ryan Baird to become a more dominant figure. He has unique athletic ability but has had a couple of injury setbacks and has also had to learn about the nitty-gritty demands of senior rugby. This could be the season where everything clicks for him.
Former Connacht and Ireland U20 lock Cormac Daly has also been training with Leinster during pre-season.
Back row
- Rhys Ruddock [31, 210]
- Jack Conan [30, 117]
- Josh van der Flier [29, 114]
- Max Deegan [25, 84]
- Caelan Doris [24, 55]
- Scott Penny [22, 41]
- Will Connors [26, 25]
- Martin Moloney [22, 7]
Leinster have reduced the number of players on senior deals in this area too, with Dan Leavy having retired and the consistent Josh Murphy having joined Connacht over the summer.
The exuberant Martin Moloney has been promoted from the academy and offers simmering aggression, as well as good skills at the breakdown and elsewhere.
The rest of the Leinster back row cohort are well established and, as ever, there are many possible combinations that other teams would dearly love to have.
Josh van der Flier is one of the form players in the sport, Caelan Doris has been doing it on the Test stage, and Jack Conan is another Ireland regular. But they will continue to be pushed by the grizzled Rhys Ruddock, multi-skilled Max Deegan, prolific Scott Penny, and returning Will Connors.
Connors only played twice last season due to knee injuries so he comes back with a big point to prove, having become an Ireland player before those setbacks.
Academy players Alex Soroka – who also covers the second row – and Seán O’Brien both gained exposure last season and will be chasing the senior back rows hard again.
Scrum-half
- Luke McGrath [29, 175]
- Jamison Gibson-Park [30, 116]
- Nick McCarthy [27, 46]
- Cormac Foley [22, 5]
Scrum-half is one area where Leinster have added another senior player, with the promising Cormac Foley promoted from the academy with five caps to his name already.
Jamison Gibson-Park became first-choice for Ireland really before doing so for Leinster, but his creative skill set, searing pace, and improved nuts-and-bolts mean he is now hard to overlook for either number nine shirt.
Luke McGrath remains an important Leinster player, however, offering leadership and one of the best defensive games of any scrum-half around. He is set to continue to team up with Gibson-Park in the province’s matchday squads for the biggest games.
Nick McCarthy made 10 appearances last season after his return from Munster and will fight to break into that frontline scrum-half pairing.
Out-half
- Johnny Sexton [37, 184]
- Ross Byrne [27, 128]
- Harry Byrne [23, 36]
Whether to include Ciarán Frawley in the out-half or centre section of this piece was an interesting dilemma. He’s in the latter because that’s where Leinster have used him.
The Skerries man has only started once in the number 10 shirt for Leinster over the past two seasons. He almost certainly would have been used at 12 by Ireland in their midweek games in New Zealand but for injury to Leinster team-mate Harry Byrne.
And yet, there is a sense that his future lies at out-half. Frawley has all the skills to be a success there, while he has a confident edge, and good physical size. All those things make him a good 12 too, of course.
The reality is that Leinster have backed Ross Byrne as next in line after Johnny Sexton for a long period now and he has delivered for the province many times. It’s hard being compared to Sexton – very few in rugby are at his level – but Byrne is an excellent organiser, superb kicker, and has strong resilience.
Younger brother Harry has been the coming man for a few years now and the Irish coaching staff also rate his potential, but injury has been a constant thorn in his side. The 23-year-old must hope he can stay fit and show that he is ready to take on a more prominent role. Byrne played at inside centre three times last season.
Sexton will be very finely managed by the IRFU this year, perhaps playing even fewer games for Leinster, but he’s still the province’s captain and key man on the biggest occasions. It may be his final season in blue – or maybe not – but he undoubtedly remains pivotal if they want to get back to winning trophies this season.
Centre
- Garry Ringrose [27, 102]
- Robbie Henshaw [29, 68]
- Ciarán Frawley [24, 36]
- Jamie Osborne [20, 19]
- Liam Turner [23, 6]
- Charlie Ngatai [32, 0]
One could very easily list Frawley among the out-half options and he may well end up playing more at 10 this season, but he has been a superb performer at inside centre for the province in recent seasons.
Leinster have lost the unlucky Conor O’Brien to injury-enforced retirement, Rory O’Loughlin has moved to Exeter, while David Hawkshaw – another 10/12 – joined Connacht over the summer.
The new face is experienced former Chiefs and Lyon man Charlie Ngatai, a clever, complete midfielder who offers strong running, kicking, and passing skills. He has predominantly played in the 12 shirt but can also play at 13 and even 15.
The highly-regarded Jamie Osborne has been promoted from the academy and will look to very much make the 13 shirt his own when Ireland frontliner Garry Ringrose is away, while Liam Turner also steps up from the academy eager to add to his six caps.
Robbie Henshaw and Ringrose clearly remain the first-choice centre pairing when they are around, with their partnership such a key strength for Cullen and Lancaster’s side.
Back three
- Dave Kearney [33, 173]
- Jordan Larmour [25, 74]
- James Lowe [30, 65]
- Jimmy O’Brien [25, 53]
- Hugo Keenan [26, 44]
- Tommy O’Brien [24, 21]
Similarly to last season, Leinster look light in terms of back three players in their senior squad but have lots of options in their academy, several of whom already have experience in the URC.
Adam Byrne has left for Connacht, but there is experience provided by 33-year-old Dave Kearney and Ireland internationals James Lowe and Jordan Larmour.
Hugo Keenan, Lowe, and Tommy O’Brien are carrying injuries into the start of the season and Leinster could be further stretched if the versatile Jimmy O’Brien and others are announced in the Emerging Ireland squad tomorrow.
Tommy O’Brien grew as a force on the wing last season but tore his ACL back in May, so it’s clear that academy players such as Max O’Reilly, Rob Russell, and Chris Cosgrave will be called on again.
Andrew Smith will hope for a Keenan-esque rise having impressed with the Ireland 7s, while the imposing Aitzol Arenzana-King has joined the academy after shining for the Ireland U20s.
Academy
As discussed above, there is likely to be lots of senior involvement for the Leinster academy once again this season. The sheer number of Ireland internationals in the squad means academy players are always highly integrated.
Seven new players have joined after helping the Ireland U20s to a Grand Slam-winning season. We may have highlighted the enviable range of out-half options for Leinster earlier but there is more talent coming down the line.
Charlie Tector steered the Ireland U20s to their Grand Slam, while there is lots of excitement about the potential of Sam Prendergast – younger brother of Connacht back row Cian – who came into the same U20 team so impressively during the summer despite still being an U19 player at that stage.
Year 1:
- Charlie Tector [out-half]
- Sam Prendergast [out-half]
- Ben Brownlee [centre]
- James Culhane [back row]
- Aitzol Arenzana-King [wing]
- Diarmuid Mangan [lock/back row]
- Rory McGuire [tighthead]
Year 2:
- Lee Barron [hooker]
- Jack Boyle [loosehead]
- Chris Cosgrave [back three/centre]
- Temi Lasisi [tighthead]
- Ben Murphy [scrum-half]
- Rob Russell [back three]
Year 3:
- John McKee [hooker]
- Seán O’Brien [back row]
- Max O’Reilly [back three]
- Andrew Smith [back three]
- Alex Soroka [back row]
- Marcus Hanan [loosehead]
- This article was updated at 7.58pm to correct an earlier error stating that Andrew Porter was still playing on the tighthead side of the front row. He moved across to the loosehead side last year.
