Much like the structure in Welsh rugby there is a two tier structure in Irish rugby, with the Irish club sides feeding players into the provincial powerhouses. Unlike Wales, however, this has been in operation for some time with the first interprovincial matches played by provinces Leinster, Ulster and Munster in 1875, (Connacht joining in 1885). At this time, the matches were actually played with 20 players a side. Before the days of professional rugby union the provincial sides were purely representative sides and games were far less frequent than now. The emphasis has changed over the years with initially the smaller clubs being the focus whereas today it is the ‘big four’ that take the spotlight representing Ireland in what’s now known as the RaboDirect Pro 12.
The Leinster Club Branch was formed in 1879. The function of the Branch was to organise rugby in the province. Every year five representatives would be selected to join the IRFU Committee. They would be known was the "Leinster Five" and would pick the Leinster representative teams. The early 1920s led to the creation of the Provincial Towns Cup and the Metropolitan Cup, which are still in the Leinster calendar. Priority may have changed over the years, but the original concept of the Leinster Club Rugby acting as a feeder for the Leinster Interprovincial side, still stands true.
Leinster drew ten all with the first major touring side to visit their shores. A team from the New Zealand Army – in 1946 – whilst it was not an official touring side, produced a game of such quality it is still remembered to this day. The first official overseas touring side that came to play Leinster was from Australia in 1957, since then Leinster has played against every major international touring side. When rugby union was declared 'open' in 1995, the four provinces became the four professional teams run by the Irish Rugby Football Union.
The newly formed Celtic League gave Leinster early success in the professional era as they were crowned the inaugural champions, beating rivals Munster in the 2001-02 final. The following season they became only the third team in the history of the Heineken Cup to win all their group games, reaching the semi-finals (for the first time since 1995-96), before losing to French side Perpignan at home.
A ‘blip’ in league form followed before Leinster began to creep back up the table. The 2004-05 season they finished in third place, just three points from the top spot. Leinster again won all of their pool games in that year's Heineken Cup, and was again among the favorites for the title. However, they went out at the quarter final stage to Leicester Tigers. The next two seasons of the Celtic League (2005-06 and 2006-07) were to end in heartbreak for Leinster fans as the both the titles were lost on the final day of the season. In the Heineken Cup, Leinster progressed to the semi-final but was eliminated by Irish rivals Munster in 2005-06 and in the following year they reached the quarter final where they were beaten by London Wasps.
Leinster’s popularity was becoming more evident as bigger home crowds led them to move from the Donnybrook Stadium to the redeveloped RDS Arena where in 2007-08, despite failing to qualify from their Heineken Cup pool, Leinster ended the season as Celtic League champions.
In the 2008-09 season, Leinster topped their Heineken Cup pool. Victory over Harlequins in the quarter finals followed, despite becoming embroiled in on of the most controversial incidents in rugby’s recent history, the ‘Bloodgate’ Scandal. Leinster overcame rivals Munster 25-6 in a semi final in Dublin's Croke Park that broke the world record attendance for a club match with a crowd of over 82,200. Finally winning the Heineken Cup Final in Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, beating Leicester Tigers 19-16 to claim their first European crown.
In 2009-10 was an anti climax as Leinster was eliminated from
the Heineken Cup at the semi final and they lost the first ever Play-Off Final
17-12 on their home ground to the Ospreys. The following season they regained
their title as champions of Europe in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final, at the Millennium
Stadium in Cardiff. Despite trailing at half time, Leinster scored 27
unanswered points in the second half to win 33-22 against Northampton and claim
their second European crown with the biggest comeback in Heineken Cup final
history. They missed out on a Cup double, losing to Irish rivals Munster in the
Magners League final.
Last season Leinster became only the second side to retain the European Cup. Having emerged unbeaten in their group they comfortably dispatched the Cardiff Blues in the quarter finals, followed by a narrow semi final victory over Clermont Auvergne. They defeated Ulster in the first all-Irish final 42-14. A dominant display recording the most points scored and the most tries scored in a Heineken Cup final. Once again, the double eluded them, falling at the final hurdle, conceding a final minute try to slump to a one point defeat in the Magners final. Currently ranked number one in Europe having won the Heineken Cup three times in four years the Irish giants are perhaps the toughest side from the Celtic league Jersey could have faced.
The current Leinster first team reads like a ‘who’s who’ of
Irish rugby, and with the relative failings of the other Home Nations, many are
a sure bet to make next summer’s Lions tour to Australia. They include; Gordon
D’Arcy, Cian Healy, current Irish captain Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Eoin
Reddan, Sean O’Brian (brother of recently retired Jersey stalwart, Steve).
Jonathan Sexton, closing in on a thousand points looks favourite to take the
Lions number 10 shirt. But perhaps the most famous player still
wearing a Leinster shirt is former Lions Captain and star player Brian O’Driscoll.
O’Driscoll started his Leinster
career in a team playing running rugby that whilst won rave reviews, couldn’t
quite see them over the line in terms of trophy success. He became a mainstay
of the revolution that saw the province rise to the top of European rugby where
they now sit. ‘B.O.D.’ won his first international cap in the summer of 1999
against Australia, before playing all three matches with the Lions in 2001
against the same opposition. He was installed as captain for the following tour
to New Zealand, only to pick up a severe shoulder injury that ended his tour in
the first test. He again toured in 2009 where the Lions were unfortunate to
lose out to the Springboks. The former Irish captain, who made his 100th
appearance for Ireland against Wales in the 2010 RBS Six Nations, has led
Ireland to four Triple Crowns in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009 (voted player of the
tournament in ’06, ’07 and ’09) as well as a Six Nations Championship and a
first Irish Grand Slam for over 60 years.
Brian is Ireland's record try scorer and in 2011 he broke Ian Smith’s 78 year old
Championship record crossing the whitewash for his 25th Six Nations try. He finished his Irish career with a superb 44 tries in 120 international appearances (not including six for the Lions) and has 56 club tries in 161 matches to date. He was recently named as Rugby World magazine’s World Player of the decade.
Leinster ‘A’ is the team that represents Leinster in the British
and Irish Cup and in the All Ireland Inter-provincial Championship. The team is
composed of senior Leinster squad players requiring match practice/fitness,
Academy players and A.I.L. players called up from their clubs. So as to who
will face Jersey is anyone’s guess but many players will be chomping at the bit
to impress and force their way into the first team.
The British and Irish Cup is still in its infancy, as this
is just the fourth season the tournament has been staged. In its inaugural
season, Leinster ‘A’ finished second in their group by only by one point, to
the eventual winners Cornish Pirates. The first seasons competition was much
maligned, with six teams in each group but playing each other only once, it was
a bit of a lottery as to whether you played your toughest opponents home or
away. With only the group winners going through, unlike the expanded tournament
we have this season, a missed bonus point left Leinster empty handed despite
actually beating the Pirates in their pool match.
The second season saw them exact revenge on the Pirates,
pushing them into third at the group stage despite a humbling defeat at the
Mennaye field, but even finishing second again, they still progressed to the
quarter finals where they met a Bedford side clearly on top of their game, conceding
50 points in an embarrassing exit.
Last season in another strange twist to the league stages, the teams played four matches against sides from a different group, but with three wins and a draw Leinster still qualified comfortably. Drawn against Pontypridd in the knockout stage they set about dismantling the Welsh side in an emphatic 32-0 win, before losing in the semi final to great rivals Ulster but only after extra time in a thrilling encounter.
This season is more akin to the Heineken cup where each side
in the four team group plays each other home and away. All of Leinster Heineken
cup substitutes were all reported to have been involved in this season’s
opener, dispatching Leeds Carnegie by a thoroughly convincing 46-18 scoring an
impressive seven tries to two. In their second match they went down in a
surprising defeat at Pontypridd 25-23. Ponty gaining some semblance of revenge
from last seasons quarter final beating. Currently joint top of the pool with
Ponty and Jersey on six points, (after the opening day draw with Ponty and a
stunning away win in Leeds), a win for the home side will put Jersey in a position
surely no one believed possible a few short weeks ago.
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