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Deegan To Lead Leinster In Newport, With Ericson Set For Debut

Max Deegan, who has played 140 times for his native province, will captain Leinster when they resume their BKT United Rugby Championship campaign ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made eight changes to the team for Friday’s BKT United Rugby Championship match against the Dragons at Rodney Parade (kick-off 7.45pm).

Front rowers Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarkson return from their involvement in Ireland’s Quilter Nations Series campaign, along with Jack Boyle who was part of the wider squad for the November Tests.

They will make up the starting front row in Newport, supported by Brian Deeny and Diarmuid Mangan who continue their lock partnership from last month’s 50-26 bonus point win at home to Zebre Parma.

Max Deegan, who got game-time with Lansdowne in the Energia All-Ireland League a fortnight ago, will captain the province from number 8. Alex Soroka and Scott Penny fill the flanker berths.

Harry Byrne and Fintan Gunne form the half-back partnership, with Byrne impressing in both blue and green recently. He scored 15 points during the victory over Zebre, and landed eight conversions for the Ireland XV against Spain.

Following his run-out off the bench for Ireland against Japan, Jimmy O’Brien slots back in at full-back. Ciarán Frawley comes in to partner Hugh Cooney in the centre, and the starting wingers are Jordan Larmour and Josh Kenny, the scorer of two tries against Zebre.

Young back rower Josh Ericson (pictured below), who was recently added to the Leinster Academy along with Kenny, is in line to make his senior debut for Leinster as one of the replacements.

RG Snyman is on bench duty just a week after making his 50th international appearance for South Africa. Rabah Slimani joins Jerry Cahir and John McKee, a recent try scorer for Terenure College, as the front row replacements.

Luke McGrath provides the cover at scrum half, with Charlie Tector and Ruben Moloney completing the matchday 23. Tector tallied up 33 points in his last two outings for Lansdowne.

With Leinster, who sit seventh in the table, aiming to kick off this next block with momentum, Cullen said: “The Zebre game was an amazing game with six new caps during the course of the game.

“Off the back of that, then November has sort of given us a chance to work with a lot of young players, which has been great. Some of the guys went away to that Ireland XV game against Spain and some guys got game-time there.

“A lot of guys have played with clubs as well, and making sure that connection is as strong as we can make it. That’s trying to get that right blend and obviously we leaned very heavily on the clubs the last day.

“If you think the likes of Jerry Cahir, who is with us now, and Max Deegan played too, which was great. We have to lean on the club, so Lansdowne, in this case, were very helpful.

“We’ve got some of the international crew returning and listening in and interacting with training. We are just trying to get them back into this in the way we want to do things.”

He added: “A lot of them (the internationals) are raring to go for the next block of games, especially the ones that didn’t play last week, and there are loads of young lads itching to play on the flip side that haven’t played for the last number of weeks.

“That’s what we want, guys that are hungry and wanting to play for Leinster and making sure they want to give everything of themselves every opportunity they get to put on a Leinster jersey, because it has to mean something, it has to be special.

“That’s the beauty of that last game against Zebre, and you can see how cool it was for the group, because the wider group wants to make it special for all those players making their debut.

“I’d love to be picking guys making a debut every week, you know, because you can see how everyone rallies around that.”

LEINSTER (v Dragons): Jimmy O’Brien; Josh Kenny, Hugh Cooney, Ciarán Frawley, Jordan Larmour; Harry Byrne, Fintan Gunne; Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson, Brian Deeny, Diarmuid Mangan, Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, Max Deegan (capt).

Replacements: John McKee, Jerry Cahir, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Josh Ericson, Luke McGrath, Charlie Tector, Ruben Moloney.