Leinster Pencil In Three Pre-Season Friendlies
Leinster will play three pre-season friendlies next month against Perpignan against English clubs Gloucester and Bath. Two of the games will be at home.
The province’s first pre-season match will be played on Friday, August 11, away to Perpignan at 8pm local at Stade Aimé Giral. Leinster last faced Perpignan, who currently play in French rugby’s Pro D2, in a 2003 Heineken Cup semi-final at Lansdowne Road which Perpignan won 21-14.
The following Friday (August 18), Leo Cullen’s men will return home to face Gloucester at St. Mary’s College RFC (kick-off 7.30pm). The sides met last year at Tallaght Stadium where Leinster came out on top, 26-24. An eventful pre-season encounter in Tallaght saw Nick McCarthy cross for two tries, with Adam Byrne and recent Ireland debutant Rory O’Loughlin also getting on the scoresheet.
The province’s final pre-season friendly will take place the following Friday (August 25) at Donnybrook with Bath providing the opposition. A youthful Leinster side faced an experienced Bath outfit featuring the likes of George Ford at Donnybrook 11 months ago.
That game, which ended in a 39-19 defeat, also saw the then newly arrived Jamison Gibson-Park start in a half-back partnership with Joey Carbery. The Bath match saw a number of young players shine as they carried their positive form throughout pre-season into the final game and into the regular 2016/17 campaign.
Tickets for the Bank of Ireland pre-season friendlies against Gloucester and Bath are available from €;10 for adults and €;5 for children and are on sale now online from Ticketmaster here and here.
Please note that these games are not included as part of the 2017/18 Leinster Rugby Season Ticket, however Season Ticket holders will be contacted with information on exclusive discounts for both fixtures. For more information on the match against Perpignan, please visit www.usap.fr.
LEINSTER’S BANK OF IRELAND PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES:
Perpignan v Leinster, Stade Aimé Giral, Friday, August 11, kick-off 8pm local time/7pm Irish time
Leinster v Gloucester, Templeville Road, St. Mary’s College RFC, Friday, August 18, kick-off 7.30pm
Leinster v Bath, Donnybrook, Friday, August 25, kick-off 7.30pm