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Ireland trio ruled out of Leinster's Champions Cup opener

Will Connors of Leinster leaves the pitch with an injury during the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has confirmed that flanker Will Connors will miss their Investec Champions Cup opener against Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate on Sunday after picking up a hamstring injury in the United Rugby Championship win over Ulster.

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The 28-year-old will join Tadhg Furlong and Jamie Osborne on the sidelines, who have failed to recover from a hamstring injury and groin injury that plagued them during the Autumn Nations Series with Ireland.

While the absence of these three players is a blow to Cullen’s plans, the good news is that Leinster will welcome back a number of key figures to the fold.

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Jordan Larmour, Jimmy O’Brien, Lee Barron, and Jack Conan have all come through their respective injuries without issue, putting them in contention for selection against the Bears.

There’s also positive news on the injury front with Paddy McCarthy and Tommy O’Brien both having returned to full training, while Ryan Baird has completed the graduated return to play protocols and is available for selection.

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Elsewhere in the squad, both Dan Sheehan and Rob Russell remain unavailable for selection.

Sunday’s encounter promises to be one of the best fixtures of the opening round with both sides flying high currently.

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The free-scoring Bears sit in second place in the Gallagher Premiership, while Leinster are at the summit of the URC standings after an unbeaten start to their campaign.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

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