Cullen Confirms Senior Contracts As Leinster Continue To Build For Future
While the central contracts for Tadhg Furlong and Rob Kearney have already been announced, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen confirmed that an additional 19 contracts have been signed as the province continue to build for the future.
“This is another significant announcement and a huge endorsement of the work being done at grassroots level by the domestic rugby team, the CROs and the CCROs on a daily basis across the 12 counties,” admitted Leo Cullen, who last Saturday became the first man to win the Champions Cup as both player and coach.
“Of the 21 contracts announced today, 18 came through the Leinster Rugby system and played in clubs and schools around the province. It is also great to see four players promoted from the Academy in the last few months and they will all start next season in the Senior squad.
“Jordan Larmour has grabbed a lot of the headlines given his involvement with Ireland during the Six Nations and starting last weekend in Bilbao, but Vakh Abdaladze, Josh Murphy and Caelan Doris have all made telling contributions for both Leinster ‘A’ and the senior side in the PRO14 during the course of the season. I am delighted for them and indeed their families and congratulate them.”
The list of 21 senior-contracted players boasts 12 Ireland internationals with 280 Test caps between them, including 2018 Grand Slam winners Larmour, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier.
Meanwhile, young prop Oisin Heffernan, who is coming to the end of his third year in the Leinster Academy, will join English Championship club Nottingham next season.
The Galway-born forward and former Ireland Under-20 international made his Leinster senior debut in November 2016, coming off the bench in a PRO12 match away to the Scarlets, and has been a regular feature for the province’s ‘A’ team in the British & Irish Cup.
LEINSTER NEW SENIOR CONTRACTS – 2018/19:
1. Vakh Abdaladze, 2 Leinster Caps (LC), 1 Leinster Try (T)
2. Michael Bent, 4 Ireland Caps (IC), 106 LC, 1 T
3. Ed Byrne, 23 LC, 2 T
4. Sean Cronin, 61 IC, 151 LC, 26 T
5. Barry Daly, 26 LC, 17 T
6. Tom Daly, 10 LC, 2 T
7. Peter Dooley, 47 LC, 2 T
8. Caelan Doris, 1 LC
9. Tadhg Furlong, 6 British & Irish Lions Caps (BILC), 23 IC, 82 LC, 4 T
10. Dave Kearney, 17 IC, 122 LC, 23 T
11. Rob Kearney, 8 BILC, 83 IC, 196 LC, 39 T
12. Jordan Larmour, 3 IC, 20 LC, 7 T
13. Nick McCarthy, 26 LC, 3 T
14. Fergus McFadden, 34 IC, 169 LC, 23 T
15. Ross Molony, 64 LC, 3 T
16. Josh Murphy, 9 LC, 1 T
17. Andrew Porter, 7 IC, 28 LC, 1 T
18. Garry Ringrose, 13 IC, 48 LC, 12 T
19. Rhys Ruddock, 19 IC, 140 LC, 7 T
20. James Tracy, 6 IC, 64 LC, 4 T
21. Josh van der Flier, 10 IC, 60 LC, 7 T
* Statistics correct as of May 12