The AIB Cup kicks off on September 27 and the league gets underway a week later. The clubs have been busy in the transfer market in the off season.
Last season Keith Earls set Garryowen's challenge alight but the Munster and Ireland 'A' centre-cum-winger will be playing his club rugby in the colours of newly promoted Young Munster this season.
In Leinster Clontarf have signed Ireland Under-20 out-half Martin Dufficy from Dublin University, while Lansdowne have set out their stall to bounce back by securing the services of Aidan McCullen from London Irish and Brian O'Riordan from Bristol.
Dungannon were busy in Ulster with the signing of Ireland Under-20 winger Chris Cochrane amongst others. Andy Ward has moved back to Ballynahinch. Ulster skipper and Ireland hooker Rory Best is also back to his roots in Banbridge.
The Connacht-contracted Ian Keatley and Kieran Campbell have moved to Galwegians from Clontarf and Dungannon respectively.
Leinster Club Transfers
|
CLUB |
PLAYER |
FROM |
|
Barnhall |
Jamie Kavanagh |
Portlaoise |
|
|
William Reynolds |
North Kildare |
|
|
Hendrik Crafford |
S.A. |
|
|
Damian Moreno |
FFR |
|
|
Ludovic Rignac |
FFR |
|
|
Simon Martoia |
FFR |
|
|
|
|
|
Bective Rangers |
Andrew Barry |
Coolmine |
|
|
Brian O'Friel |
Barnhall |
|
|
Cathal Connolly |
Barnhall |
|
|
Rafal Sajar |
Terenure College |
|
|
Robert Stokes |
Q.U.B. |
|
|
Michael Summerell |
Barnhall |
|
|
Mark Behan |
Old Belvedere |
|
|
Sean Markey |
Coolmine |
|
|
Jack Ryan |
Cill Dara |
|
|
Conor Savage |
Greystones |
|
|
Daniel Whitehead |
RFU |
|
|
|
|
|
Blackrock College |
Trevor Hogan |
Shannon |
|
|
|
|
|
Clontarf |
Ben Reilly |
Suttonians |
|
|
Ben Focas |
Seapoint |
|
|
Agron Dundon |
Seapoint |
|
|
Sean O'Brien |
UCD |
|
|
Martin Dufficy |
Dublin University |
|
|
Paul Meehan |
Clontarf |
|
|
|
|
|
DLSP |
Paul Kelly |
Suttonians |
|
|
|
|
|
Greystones |
Steph Meyer |
SA |
|
|
Guillane Barreau |
FFR |
|
|
|
|
|
Lansdowne |
Trevor Conneely |
Buccaneers |
|
|
Michael Dan |
NZ |
|
|
Aidan McCullen |
London Irish |
|
|
Brian O'Riordan |
Bristol |
|
|
David Hewitt |
Esher |
|
|
Robert Quinn |
Cork Constitution |
|
|
Alan O'Connell |
Wanderers |
|
|
Andy Tallon |
Boyne |
|
|
Rohain Liberman |
FFR |
|
|
|
|
|
Naas |
Jamie Heaslip |
Clontarf |
|
|
|
|
|
Old Belvedere |
Leo Auvaa |
NZ |
|
|
Thomas Sexton |
Suttonians |
|
|
Jamie Horgan |
Greystones |
|
|
Jonathan Slattery |
UCD |
|
|
David White |
UCD |
|
|
Kieran Hurrell |
NZ |
|
|
|
|
|
Old Wesley |
Dean Viljoen |
SA |
|
|
Dan Van Zyl |
Dundalk |
|
|
Rory Gleeson |
Ashbourne |
|
|
Marc Warburton |
Lansdowne |
|
|
Declan Brady |
Waterpark |
|
|
Anthony Ronan |
Terenure |
|
|
|
|
|
St Marys College |
Stephen Grissing |
Rotherham Titans |
|
|
Shaun McCarthy |
Wicklow |
|
|
Paddy Brophy |
Wanderers |
|
|
Ruaidhri Murphy |
Lansdowne |
|
|
Conor Donohue |
Dublin University |
|
|
Conor McPhillips |
Connacht/Galwegians |
|
|
|
|
|
Suttonians |
George Flynn |
Clontarf |
|
|
|
|
|
Terenure |
James English |
RFU |
|
|
Sebastian Textoris |
FIR |
|
|
Alex Dunlop |
Rotherham Titans |
|
|
Faamau Aukuso |
Samoa |
|
|
|
|
|
Wanderers |
Peter Burke |
Blackrock |
|
|
Alex Byrne |
Lansdowne |
|
|
Bevan Duffy |
Boyne |
|
|
Niall McNamara |
Clontarf |
Munster Club Transfers
CLUB |
PLAYER |
FROM |
|
Bruff |
Gerard Collins |
ARU |
|
|
Peter Malone |
Garyowen |
|
|
|
|
|
Clonakilty |
Gerald Hegarty |
RFU |
|
|
|
|
|
Cork Constitution |
Landy Hill |
Highfield |
|
|
David Kingston |
Dolphin |
|
|
Benjamin Martin |
FFR |
|
|
Peter O'Sullivan |
UCC |
|
|
Tim Kennelly |
UCC |
|
|
John O'Donovan |
Crosshaven |
|
|
|
|
|
Dolphin |
Kieran Barry |
Midleton |
|
|
Barry O'Mahony |
Garryowen |
|
|
Alan Long |
Sunday's Well |
|
|
Paul Hurley |
Cork Constitution |
|
|
Timmy O'Callaghan |
Bandon |
|
|
John Canavan |
UCC |
|
|
Richard McCarthy |
UCC |
|
|
Jeff Power |
UCC |
|
|
Robert Allen |
UCC |
|
|
Cian Nunan |
Shannon |
|
|
Christopher Rowe |
RFU |
|
|
|
|
|
Garryowen |
Myles O'Riordan |
UL Bohemians |
|
|
Conor Murray |
Young Munster |
|
|
|
|
|
Highfield |
Anthony Barrett |
L'Aquila, Italy |
|
|
Denis O'Brien |
Galwegians |
|
|
|
|
|
Midleton |
Gary Conway |
Dolphin |
|
|
Junior Sifa |
NZ |
|
|
|
|
|
Nenagh Ormond |
Thomas Nix |
Shannon |
|
Old Crescent |
Tevita Tali Toia |
Tonga |
|
|
Keith Ellis |
Shannon |
|
|
Gary Morgan |
Shannon |
|
|
John Moroney |
Young Munster |
|
|
Donal Sheehan |
Garyowen |
|
|
Patrick Humphreys |
Garryowen |
|
|
Conor MacNamara |
Garryowen |
|
|
Ger Finucane |
Young Munster |
|
|
J.P. O'Neill |
Young Munster |
|
|
Danny Grace |
Young Munster |
|
|
Ronan Parkes |
Ul Bohemians |
|
|
Eugene McGovern |
Garryowen |
|
|
Mark Woods |
Ashbourne |
|
|
|
|
|
Shannon |
Jesse Gordon |
NZ |
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday's Well |
Karl Rothwell |
Douglas |
|
|
|
|
|
Thomond |
Warren Kelly |
St Senans |
|
|
Dean Mitchell |
UL Bohemians |
|
|
|
|
|
UL Bohemians |
Mark Doyle |
Young Munster |
|
|
Ian Cross |
Young Munster |
|
|
|
|
|
Waterpark |
Kenny O'Connor |
NZ |
|
|
Ricardo Santos |
SA |
|
|
|
|
|
Young Munster |
Clem Casey |
Lansdowne |
|
|
Michael Prendergast |
Gloucester |
|
|
Keith Earls |
Garryowen |
|
|
Brendan Guilfoyle |
Buccaneers |
|
|
Mark McHugh |
NZ |
Connacht Club Transfers
|
Club |
Player |
From |
|
Buccaneers RFC |
Niall Lear |
RFU |
|
|
James King |
La Quila, FIR |
|
|
|
|
|
Connemara RFC |
Benjamin Bester |
SARU |
|
|
|
|
|
Corinthians RFC |
Kenneth Diffenthal |
SRU |
|
|
Joe Merrigan |
Galwegians FC |
|
|
Patrick Cunningham |
Buccaneers |
|
|
Michael Kelly |
Bective Rangers FC |
|
|
Tony Hall |
Shannon RFC |
|
|
|
|
|
Galwegians RFC |
Benjamin Draper |
NZ |
|
|
Derek O'Riordan |
FIR |
|
|
Kieran Campbell |
Dungannon FC |
|
|
Chris Briegl |
Ballymena RFC |
|
|
Ian Keatley |
Clontarf RFC |
Ulster Club Transfers
|
Club |
Player |
From |
|
Ballymena RFC |
Thomas Seymour |
Ballynahinch RFC |
|
|
Stephen Ferguson |
City of Derry RFC |
|
|
Nigel Hall |
Coleraine RFC |
|
|
David Bradford |
Malone RFC |
|
|
Ian Whitten |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Ian Humphreys |
Leicester |
|
|
|
|
|
Ballynahinch RFC |
Richard Spiers |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Andy Ward |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
Ryan McBride |
Instonians RFC |
|
|
Gareth Rourke |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
Adam Craig |
Instonians RFC |
|
|
David Cantley |
Dromore |
|
|
|
|
|
Banbridge RFC |
Simon Rea |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
Chris Jordan |
Ards RFC |
|
|
Geoff Thompson |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Michael Johnston |
Queen's University RFC
|
|
|
Rory Best |
Belfast Harlequins |
|
|
|
|
|
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
Ivan Girvan |
Ophir R.F.C., |
|
|
William Stewart |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Sam McDonald |
Malone RFC |
|
|
|
|
|
Dungannon FC |
Brett McNamee |
RFU |
|
|
Alan Hall |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Neil O'Kane |
Rainey Old Boys R.F.C., |
|
|
Alastair Birch |
Armagh R.F.C. |
|
|
Cillian Willis |
Greystones RFC |
|
|
Brian Birch |
Armagh RFC |
|
|
Connor O'Neill |
Armagh RFC |
|
|
Mark Fyffe |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Timothy Smith |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
David O'Callaghan |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Christopher Cochrane |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Colm Heaney |
Rainey Old Boys RFC |
|
|
Paul Heaney |
Rainey Old Boys RFC |
|
|
David Reilly |
Omagh RFC |
|
|
|
|
|
Instonians RFC |
William Daniels |
RFU |
|
|
Jonathan Morgan |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
Michael Sergant |
Rainey Old Boys R.F.C., |
|
|
Matthew Lavery |
Ballyclare R.F.C. |
|
|
Robert Diack |
Ulster |
|
|
Rory Drysdale |
Academy R.F.C. |
|
|
Ed O'Donoghue |
A.R.U |
|
|
Rob Diack |
A.R.U. |
|
|
|
|
|
Malone RFC |
Gary Maxwell |
Dungannon FC |
|
|
Thomas Horner |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
Michael Barker |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Mark Ferguson |
Cooke |
|
|
Johnny Amos |
Ballymena RFC |
|
|
|
|
|
Portadown RFC |
Mark Adamson |
Banbridge RFC |
|
|
Jonathan Robinson |
Banbridge RFC |
|
|
Chris Cousens |
Armagh R.F.C. |
|
|
|
|
|
Queen's University RFC |
Ben Crawford |
Larne RFC |
|
|
Mark McFarland |
Dungannon FC |
|
|
Brian Howard |
Belfast Harlequins RFC |
|
|
|
|
|
Rainey Old Boys R.F.C., |
Lee Smith |
Limavady |
|
|
Andrew Gardiner |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Rhys Botha |
Ballymena RFC |
|
|
Stuart Lester |
Armagh R.F.C. |
|
|
Carl Brennan |
Queen's University RFC |
|
|
Stephen Rea |
Dungannon FC |