Ulster Rugby v Leinster

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LEINSTER! Leinster played its first Inter- provincial tie in 1875, losing to Ulster, when both sides consisted of 20 players. 1 Leinster won the Heineken Cup in 2009, 2011 and again in 2012, when Ulster was defeated in the first final between Irish sides. 6

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From those who played in that first match, Ireland selected its first-ever international team for an historic game with England.

82,000 fans, a world record for a club game, filled Croke Park for Leinster’s 25-6 Heineken Cup semi-final win v Munster in 2009. Joe Schmidt, the current Ireland Coach, was in charge for Leinster’s back-to-back European Cup wins in 2011 and 2012. Gordon D’Arcy, the former Ireland and Lions centre, is Leinster’s most-capped player with 257 appearances in the famous blue shirt. The Inter-provincial Championship was formally established in 1946/47, and Leinster has won 29 titles – one less than Ulster.

LEINSTER RUGBY

The club’s home ground is now established at the RDS Arena and its planned £18m redevelopment will increase capacity from 18,500 to 25,000. Newly-branded as Leinster Lions, the Celtic League title was secured in the competition’s inaugural season of 2001/02.

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Jonathan Sexton has scored 1,538 points for his club to date.

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