A silver matter for Ross
By DAIRE WALSH
Ross Molony admits he is having mixed emotions ahead of his Leinster exit – but his departure does not mean an early Bath.
Molony, 30, has been a reliable presence in the Blues’ pack since making his debut against Zebre in February 2015.
And the lock will make his 20th appearance of the season tonight when Connacht visit the RDS.
But Molony will not have many more outings for Leo Cullen’s troops after revealing last month that he would join Bath on a three-year deal at the end of the campaign.
After missing out on the matchday squad for last weekend’ Champions Cup final loss to Toulouse, the URC is his last shot at glory with the Blues.
Molony said: “I’m not getting the ending I would have dreamed of but there is still something to play for.
“There’s a trophy to win and to be able to create a memory like that motivates me.
“We play the game for the highs but the lows come with that.”
Molony was named man of the match on his Champions Cup debut in 2016 – ironically against Bath.
He will join the English side this summer, with former Munster chief Johann van Graan at the helm of the Somerset club.
Molony added: “Johann is creating something really special.
“We went over there and played a mid-season friendly game against them. I got a taste of the club and city then.
“It’s a lovely place. There’s a lot of positives.”
Molony started the Champions Cup final defeats to La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023 but was left out of the matchday 23 against Toulouse in London.
Joe McCarthy and Jason Jenkins started with James Ryan on the bench. Lock RG Snyman also arrives from Munster in the summer, which would put Molony further down the pecking order.
But he was gutted to miss out on a third successive appearance in the European showpiece.
Molony explained: “I’m not going to lie, I was incredibly disappointed to hear.
“Once I dealt with the fact I wasn’t going to be involved, there’s an onus on me to present the 23 with pictures, from a lineout point of view, of what they were going to come up against.
“It’s not an easy thing to do but you have to think bigger picture and help the lads.”