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Baird's move to blindside adds even more dynamism to Leinster's backrow options
As if Leinster’s backrow options weren’t impressive enough, Leo Cullen has decided to complicate matters further by adding Ryan Baird to the mix. The 21-year-old lined out at blindside flanker for Leinster A in their defeat to Ulster A last Friday, following an appearance at No 6 in the surprise Pro14 defeat to Connacht.
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A dynamic and athletic presence on the field, the emergence of Baird as an option in the backrow leaves Cullen with an intriguing selection picture ahead of Saturday’s rescheduled Guinness Pro14 derby against Munster. As it stands, Cullen has nine players fit and available for selection in the backrow.
It’s an embarrassment of riches few teams can match, and while injury and international windows will often leave Leinster with a smaller pool of players to draw from, getting the balance right, and keeping everyone happy, will only become more difficult for Cullen given the amount of players pushing for selection.
Here, we look at the nine players Cullen can chose from when selecting his backrow to face Munster this week.
Ryan Baird (Age: 21; Leinster caps: 17)
One of the most exciting young players on Leinster’s books, Baird burst onto the scene with a stunning hat-trick against Glasgow last February, and would have made his international debut by now if it wasn’t for some unfortunately timed injuries. While he has already been touted as the future of Irish Rugby at second row, the 21-year-old is currently at a very interesting point in his early career, with Cullen trialling him at blindside in the backrow in recent weeks. The dynamic Baird is familiar with the position from underage level and has all the tools necessary to make the switch permanent, so it will be interesting to see where Cullen, and Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, feel his attributes can be best utilised going forward.
Jack Conan (Age: 28; Caps: 97)
At one point he was being talked about as the obvious successor to CJ Stander at international level but Conan’s career has hit a rocky patch in recent seasons. Broke his foot in training following Ireland’s opening game at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the coronavirus lockdowns meant he didn’t play for Leinster again until September 2020. A neck injury saw him miss all of November and December, so the powerful 28-year-old will be desperate to make up for lost time and re-establish himself in a backrow that looks as competitive as ever.
Will Connors (Age: 24; Caps: 22)
Another player who had a breakthrough season last year following a long injury lay-off, his impressive performances leading to a senior international debut in October. His chop tackling tends to get the headlines, but Connors’ defensive work rate and line speed also deserve praise.
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Caelan Doris (Age: 22; Caps: 36)
At just 22, Doris is already a leading man for both Leinster and Ireland and was one of the few players to emerge with real credit from what was a disappointing autumn international window for Ireland. Doris brings a relentless work ethic and is also capable of adding a little bit of stardust thanks to his superb footwork. Both Cullen and Farrell will see Doris as a major player of the next few years, and the No 8 jersey already looks like his to lose.
Scott Fardy (Age: 36; Caps: 68)
Yes, he’s almost exclusively used as a lock, but Leinster haven’t been shy to push him into the back-row when needed during games. That versatility may hold some sway when Cullen is looking at the bigger picture of selecting a well-balanced matchday squad and deciding who gets a spot on the bench. Has made a massive impact since arriving in 2017, but will turn 37 in July, so his days in a Leinster shirt are likely coming to a close.
Dan Leavy (Age: 26; Caps: 71)
Arguably the best backrow player in Ireland before suffering a devasting knee injury in March 2019. Made a welcome return to action in October and while he is still finding his feet there have been some impressive flashes in his play, while his versatility has seen him start at 6, 7 and 8 recently. Cullen and Farrell would love to see him return to the force of 2018, and if all goes to plan he can be a key player for club and country again.
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Josh Murphy (Age 25; Caps: 39)
Has made five starts at blindside this season, including a late call into the Champions Cup team that beat Northampton Saints when Doris pulled up injured. Continues to make steady progress but has a way to go to outmuscle some of those ahead of him for the big European games.
Rhys Ruddock (Age: 30; Caps: 183)
Having missed out on international selection in the autumn Ruddock was a rock as Leinster scorched their way through the Pro14 with a string of bonus point wins. As a result he was named the province’s Player of the Month for October, November and December, during which time he flitted between the No 6 and 8 shirts with ease. Only Ulster’s Marcell Coetzee (62) and Gavin Coombes (50) of Munster have made more successful carries Ruddock (48) in the current Pro14 campaign. At this point he might be the first name on the Leinster teamsheet, although it remains to be seen if that’s enough to get him back in the Ireland picture.
Josh van der Flier (Age: 27; Caps: 88)
On his day he’s as good as anyone on this list, and his tackle stats are evidence of a tireless worker. When he plays for Leinster it’s generally as a starter – 12 of his last 15 appearances have been in the first XV – but tends to shoot up and down the Ireland pecking order more often than he’d like.
Not available:
Scott Penny (Age: 21; Caps: 20)
Currently nursing a neck injury, Penny has been clocking up plenty of minutes in the seven shirt over the last few months, showing more game intelligence than his 21 years would suggest. A strong carrier with a keen eye for the tryline, scoring six tries in as many outings this season.
Max Deegan (Age: 24; Caps: 65)
Already capped 65 times by Leinster, Deegan had been making great strides for both club and country, making his Ireland debut last February, but isn’t expected to feature again this season as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
5 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
4 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments