AS THE OFFICIAL health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby, laya healthcare is passionate about the provincial game.
In this new series, Provincial Pride, we will relive each team’s finest moments and look ahead to the future.
Next up, it’s the turn of Leo Cullen’s side…
Fans cheering Leinster on against the Cell C Sharks. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
With so much young talent at their disposal, Leinster supporters always have one eye on the future.
Year on year, the province continue to introduce fresh new faces from their much-lauded Academy system into a highly competitive first-team environment.
There’s no sign of that production line letting up any time soon. In the recent URC win against the Sharks, Leinster’s Ireland internationals took most of the headlines, but you also had 23-year-old winger Rob Russell scoring a try on his first RDS start, with 22-year-old hooker John McKee then coming off the bench to dot down his first Leinster try.
Even after a rare season with no silverware, the future looks bright, although these are interesting times for the province, with some big changes coming down the line including senior coach Stuart Lancaster leaving to join Racing 92 at the end of the season.
“I’d like to think that what Leinster has is a really positive culture and the structures to back it up,” explains long-time Leinster supporter, Eugene Canavan.
“In business terms you often hear the saying, culture eats strategy for breakfast. Leinster have that culture as a constant basis, and it’s been building since 2005, 2006.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable to have an expectation of your team to win trophies every year. I’ve always looked at it like I want Leinster to be involved in the business end of both competitions, and they achieved that last year, even if you’re disappointed to walk away with nothing.
Success this year would be to do the same. I don’t have a crazy expectation that Leinster have to win silverware every year.
“My hopes would be to win the European Cup. I think we need to do it to mark the progression of the team, to show the team can still do it. Toulouse were the first team to get to five stars, fair play to them, but for Leinster that’s just someone throwing down the gauntlet. Leinster love a challenge and Leinster love their backs to the wall.”
Rob Russell scoring a try at the RDS. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“Leinster do have a good continuity plan in place,” adds fellow Leinster fan, Liz Power.
“I think Stuart Lancaster will be a huge loss. What he has brought to the team has been fantastic, and the level of success they have had since he came in has been brilliant.
“But at the same time, when Joe Schmidt left we all thought it was going to be dire for Leinster, but Leo Cullen stepped up and brought huge success.
“I think we have a solid enough base. The Academy is just churning out young lads. There is this conveyor belt of fantastic young players coming through, and I think the Academy is the source of Leinster’s success.
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“That’s the good thing about the IRFU system. When the elder statesmen have gone into Ireland camp, the young lads have got their chance to shine with Leinster.
“I remember seeing Josh van der Flier playing for Leinster during a November series, thinking who is this young lad? Now he’s European Player of the Year.
“And it probably should be detrimental to Leinster that so many of their team go into Ireland camp, but you see these young Academy lads coming through and absolutely shine.
Ciarán Frawley was probably last season’s example, the way he stepped in when Johnny Sexton and Ross Byrne were in Ireland camp.
“Then this year with all the lads who went on the Emerging Ireland tour, to see them getting those experiences is great as well.”
“Joe McCarthy looks absolutely fantastic, he looks like something very different,” adds Eugene.
“I think Cormac Foley as a scrum-half coming up looks quite interesting. Alex Soroka too. I think Frawley at 10 for Leinster would be a great successor to Johnny Sexton. Ross Byrne is very solid, we know what Ross Byrne can do, he is a great player, an underrated player. I think his younger brother Harry Byrne has yet to really show what he can bring to Leinster and he’s been a little unlucky in that with injuries.
But Frawley could really be something else.” It’s clear Leinster are investing in their youth – which keeps them a beat ahead of the competition.
Liz doesn’t need long to settle on a favourite day out watching the province, and her choice is one few Leinster supporters would argue with.
The 21 May 2011 Heineken Cup final will forever be ‘The Johnny Sexton Final’ for Leinster fans – and as those fans have seen so many times over the years, even when their backs are against the wall, Leinster’s trademark style never wavers.
With the province 22-6 down against Northampton and seemingly dead and buried, Sexton inspired a remarkable second-half comeback which saw the province claim a famous 33-22 win in Cardiff.
“That has to be the standout game. It was just incredible. We went out at half-time and some people were wondering if they would even bother going back in to watch the second half.
Then Johnny Sexton just stepped up. He commanded the game.
From the very get-go at the start of the second half, Leinster just came out with such momentum that you thought ‘God, we look unstoppable here.’ It was like a different team came out for the second half.”
Johnny Sexton after the 2011 Heineken Cup final. Colm O'Neill / INPHO
Colm O'Neill / INPHO / INPHO
Eugene finds it more difficult to settle on one game, torn between some of the memorable pre-European Cup days and some of the province’s more recent successes.
“I remember they beat Leicester Tigers at Donnybrook in 1997, that was absolutely brilliant. A very physical, aggressive Leinster performance. I remember Martin Johnson with his arms up in the air looking at the rest of his team in a defensive line saying ‘What is going on here?’ – because they were just being beaten up all around the pitch physically.
“That Leicester team were stocked with quality, and completely shocked by Leinster, so that one really stands out.
“Then of course the first Celtic League win in 2001 against Munster at the old Lansdowne Road would be a standout, and probably the start of Leinster beginning to win things. It was 2008 before we won another Celtic League, and you never would have thought there would have been that gap in between, but then from that point forward, it’s a whole different Leinster.”
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'Conveyor belt of fantastic young players are coming through': Future looks bright for Leinster
AS THE OFFICIAL health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby, laya healthcare is passionate about the provincial game.
In this new series, Provincial Pride, we will relive each team’s finest moments and look ahead to the future.
Next up, it’s the turn of Leo Cullen’s side…
With so much young talent at their disposal, Leinster supporters always have one eye on the future.
Year on year, the province continue to introduce fresh new faces from their much-lauded Academy system into a highly competitive first-team environment.
There’s no sign of that production line letting up any time soon. In the recent URC win against the Sharks, Leinster’s Ireland internationals took most of the headlines, but you also had 23-year-old winger Rob Russell scoring a try on his first RDS start, with 22-year-old hooker John McKee then coming off the bench to dot down his first Leinster try.
Even after a rare season with no silverware, the future looks bright, although these are interesting times for the province, with some big changes coming down the line including senior coach Stuart Lancaster leaving to join Racing 92 at the end of the season.
“I’d like to think that what Leinster has is a really positive culture and the structures to back it up,” explains long-time Leinster supporter, Eugene Canavan.
“In business terms you often hear the saying, culture eats strategy for breakfast. Leinster have that culture as a constant basis, and it’s been building since 2005, 2006.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable to have an expectation of your team to win trophies every year. I’ve always looked at it like I want Leinster to be involved in the business end of both competitions, and they achieved that last year, even if you’re disappointed to walk away with nothing.
“My hopes would be to win the European Cup. I think we need to do it to mark the progression of the team, to show the team can still do it. Toulouse were the first team to get to five stars, fair play to them, but for Leinster that’s just someone throwing down the gauntlet. Leinster love a challenge and Leinster love their backs to the wall.”
“Leinster do have a good continuity plan in place,” adds fellow Leinster fan, Liz Power.
“I think Stuart Lancaster will be a huge loss. What he has brought to the team has been fantastic, and the level of success they have had since he came in has been brilliant.
“But at the same time, when Joe Schmidt left we all thought it was going to be dire for Leinster, but Leo Cullen stepped up and brought huge success.
“I think we have a solid enough base. The Academy is just churning out young lads. There is this conveyor belt of fantastic young players coming through, and I think the Academy is the source of Leinster’s success.
“That’s the good thing about the IRFU system. When the elder statesmen have gone into Ireland camp, the young lads have got their chance to shine with Leinster.
“I remember seeing Josh van der Flier playing for Leinster during a November series, thinking who is this young lad? Now he’s European Player of the Year.
“And it probably should be detrimental to Leinster that so many of their team go into Ireland camp, but you see these young Academy lads coming through and absolutely shine.
“Then this year with all the lads who went on the Emerging Ireland tour, to see them getting those experiences is great as well.”
“Joe McCarthy looks absolutely fantastic, he looks like something very different,” adds Eugene.
“I think Cormac Foley as a scrum-half coming up looks quite interesting. Alex Soroka too. I think Frawley at 10 for Leinster would be a great successor to Johnny Sexton. Ross Byrne is very solid, we know what Ross Byrne can do, he is a great player, an underrated player. I think his younger brother Harry Byrne has yet to really show what he can bring to Leinster and he’s been a little unlucky in that with injuries.
But Frawley could really be something else.” It’s clear Leinster are investing in their youth – which keeps them a beat ahead of the competition.
Liz doesn’t need long to settle on a favourite day out watching the province, and her choice is one few Leinster supporters would argue with.
The 21 May 2011 Heineken Cup final will forever be ‘The Johnny Sexton Final’ for Leinster fans – and as those fans have seen so many times over the years, even when their backs are against the wall, Leinster’s trademark style never wavers.
With the province 22-6 down against Northampton and seemingly dead and buried, Sexton inspired a remarkable second-half comeback which saw the province claim a famous 33-22 win in Cardiff.
“That has to be the standout game. It was just incredible. We went out at half-time and some people were wondering if they would even bother going back in to watch the second half.
From the very get-go at the start of the second half, Leinster just came out with such momentum that you thought ‘God, we look unstoppable here.’ It was like a different team came out for the second half.”
Eugene finds it more difficult to settle on one game, torn between some of the memorable pre-European Cup days and some of the province’s more recent successes.
“I remember they beat Leicester Tigers at Donnybrook in 1997, that was absolutely brilliant. A very physical, aggressive Leinster performance. I remember Martin Johnson with his arms up in the air looking at the rest of his team in a defensive line saying ‘What is going on here?’ – because they were just being beaten up all around the pitch physically.
“That Leicester team were stocked with quality, and completely shocked by Leinster, so that one really stands out.
“Then of course the first Celtic League win in 2001 against Munster at the old Lansdowne Road would be a standout, and probably the start of Leinster beginning to win things. It was 2008 before we won another Celtic League, and you never would have thought there would have been that gap in between, but then from that point forward, it’s a whole different Leinster.”
Take our short survey about this article and be in with a chance of winning a €100 One4All voucher.
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With laya healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
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Leinster provincial pride sponsored by laya healthcare