Ulster Rugby vs Leinster

TODAY’S OPPOSITION As Leinster Rugby face into Round 21 of the GUINNESS PRO12 they sit in top spot with only two games of the regular season remaining. As a result, this weekend’s trip to fourth-place Ulster in Kingspan Stadium will have a major bearing on who finishes in the top two and in the Play-Off spots as well. Over the course of the 20 PRO12 games to date, Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has had to navigate a number of challenges in his first season in the Leinster hot seat. In the first seven rounds of the PRO12, with the Rugby World Cup in full swing, a relatively young squad managed to win five games from seven with a losing bonus point to show from the other two. Academy players Ross Byrne and Garry Ringrose, in addition to Tadhg Beirne, Tony Ryan, Hayden Triggs and Royce Burke- Flynn all made their debuts. Other players like Cathal Marsh, Cian Kelleher, Peter Dooley, Josh van der Flier, Dan Leavy, Bryan Byrne and Ross Molony added more caps and experience to their playing CVs as the Irish province finished off the first block of PRO12 games in the top four. Since then the number of players used by Cullen this season has increased to 56 in total, with further debuts for summer signing Mick Kearney – signed from Connacht last summer but out of action until February due to a toe injury – and Academy players Nick McCarthy, Peadar Timmins, Jeremy Loughman and Joey Carbery. Now as they face into the final stretch of PRO12 games they find themselves in the Play-Off places with the best defensive record in the league. However good form in the PRO12 has been somewhat diluted by a poor run of results in Europe where a loss in each of the opening four rounds left them out of Europe before Christmas despite some very encouraging performances and indeed two losing bonus points in the away loss to Bath and the home loss to three time reigning champions Toulon. The encouraging performances finally resulted in a win in Round 5 when they accounted for a Bath Rugby side with it all still to play for in Europe. The game was also used to blood some European newcomers and some of the debutants mentioned above plus a few others were thrown in at the deep end and no fewer than six players made their European starting debuts against Bath, including Man of the Match, Ross Molony. Their focus is now fully on the PRO12 with a trip to Belfast this weekend, however a quick glance at last year’s game will provide ample evidence of the size of the task in store as Ulster restricted the men in blue to just 10 points and no points at all in the second half, with Ulster winning the contest 26-10 due to tries from Craig Gilroy and Iain Henderson. Two proud provinces fighting for PRO12 Play-Off spots and home semi-finals - something has to give!

OPPOSITION

CLUB STATS //Location Dublin, Ireland //Founded 1879 //Ground Royal Dublin Society Arena //Capacity 18,000 //Last Game Edinburgh Rugby (H) 30 - 23 (W) Fri 15th Aprol 2016 at 19:35 //Next Game Benetton Treviso (H) Sat 7th May 2016 at 15:00 //Recent Form W L L W W

STAFF // Coach Leo Cullen // Captain Jamie Heaslip

CONTACT Newstead Building A, UCD, Belfield Dublin 4

T +353 1 269 3224 F +353 1 269 3142 E information@leinsterrugby.ie

TICKET OFFICE T +353 1 223 5103

www.leinsterrugby.ie

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