RUGBY COLUMN – AUGUST 9
Leinster gearing up for new season
By Daire Walsh
NAVAN RFC will be the venue this coming Saturday, as Leinster kick-start their pre-season preparations for the 2016/17 season with an intriguing friendly encounter with Ulster.
The Blues’ home warm-up games at this time of year are usually spread across a variety of venues, and this year is no different. Following their interprovincial clash with Les Kiss’ notherners, they will also face Gloucester in the Tallaght Stadium on August 20 – before they welcome familiar foes Wasps to the RDS just six days later.
Leinster previously met Ulster in a challenge fixture in Tallaght two years ago (when Matt O’Connor was in the head coach role at the province), and on that occasion Ulster claimed a hard-earned 10-7 triumph.
Ian Humphreys featured at out-half for Ulster on that occasion, and it will be his older brother David who will be aiming to hit the ground running in the same venue on Saturday week. David Humphreys – who earned 72 caps for Ireland at senior international level during a successful playing career – is Gloucester’s current Director of Rugby, and after a couple of difficult campaigns, he will be hoping for greater fortunes over the next eight months or so.
He has a number of experience performers in his ranks, such as James Hook, Greig Laidlaw, Billy Twelvetrees and Johnny May, and in addition to former Leinster second-row Tom Denton, ex-Ulster prop Paddy McAllister is also part of their squad.
Following a brace of heavy defeats in last term’s European Rugby Champions Cup pool stages, the Blues will be aiming for a modicum of revenge when they meet Wasps on August 26. Dai Young’s men are also expected to challenge for top honours in the Aviva Premiership, and they have a number of players in their set-up who would be recognisable to Leinster supporters.
After a two-season stint in Dublin, Jimmy Gopperth joined the London outfit last summer, and in 26 appearances during his maiden campaign in the Ricoh Arena, he accumulated a total of 253 points. Former Blackrock College student Brendan Macken appeared fleetingly last season, whereas Marty Moore (previously a member of the MU Barnhall club in north Kildare) signed a deal with the club in January of this year – and is expected to make his competitive bow in the coming weeks.
As they attempt to replicate the form that helped them to secure a multitude of titles at Pro12 and European level, Leinster have made some significant alterations to their playing squad. Eoin Reddan and Luke Fitzgerald announced their retirements during the off-season, with New Zealander Jamison Gibson-Park and Leicester Tigers winger Niall Morris coming into the frame. Although he is currently on the treatment table, Robbie Henshaw is a much-anticipated arrival from Pro12 champions Connacht.
However, there has also been a high-profile (yet temporary) appointment to the backroom staff, with former All Blacks coach Graham Henry joining up with Leinster for two weeks on a consultancy basis.