Leinster Rugby

Leinster Rugby (Irish: Rugbaí Laighean) is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Leinster Branch, one of the four provincial unions that together make up the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), but is not restricted to players from that province.

Leinster Rugby

Founded	1879; 146 years ago (1879)
Location	Dublin, Ireland
Ground(s)	RDS Arena (Capacity: 18,500) Aviva Stadium (Capacity: 51,700)
Coach(es)	Leo Cullen
Captain(s)	Caelan Doris
Most appearances	Cian Healy (289)
Top scorer	Johnny Sexton (1,646)
Most tries	Shane Horgan (69)
League(s)	United Rugby Championship
2023–24	Semi-finals 1st Irish Shield (3rd overall)
1st kit 2nd kit 3rd kit
Official website
www.leinsterrugby.ie
Current season

Leinster play their home games primarily at the 18,500-capacity RDS Arena ('the RDS') in Dublin, although larger games are played in the 51,700-capacity Aviva Stadium when the capacity of the RDS is insufficient, or during 2024 and 2025 to accommodate venue improvements at the RDS, with occasional on-off games been moved to Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association and by some distance the largest stadium in Ireland.^[1] Before moving to the RDS in 2005, Leinster's traditional home ground was Donnybrook Stadium, in Dublin 4. The province plays primarily in blue with white or yellow trim and the team crest features a harp within a rugby ball, the harp being an ancient symbol of the province found in and taken from the flag of Leinster, although the traditional colours of Leinster Rugby mean the design more resembles the flag of the president of Ireland or the coat of arms of Ireland.

Leinster turned professional along with its fellow Irish provinces in 1995 and has competed in the United Rugby Championship (formerly known as the Celtic League, Magners League and the Pro12 / Pro14) since it was founded in 2001. Before 1995, the Leinster Branch had previously competed in the annual Irish interprovincial championship.^[2]

During their professional history, Leinster have been the most successful team in Ireland or from the Celtic League and its successors. As of 2024, Leinster have won their domestic title on eight occasions, while topping the regular season table a further five times, and have won as of 2025 all four URC Irish Shields. In Europe, Leinster are second only to Toulouse with four European Champions Cups, one EPRC Challenge Cup and four runners-up placings in the Champions Cup.

Leinster enjoy historical rivalries with all three provincial unions, most notably with Munster, where some games between the teams have been watched by over 80,000 fans in Croke Park. In addition, Leinster have notable rivalries with two French club teams; erstwhile rivals Toulouse with whom they have jockeyed for the title of Europe's most decorated team, and La Rochelle, a frequent opponent in European competition who defeated Leinster in back to back European Champions Cup finals in 2022 and 2023 under the direction of long-time Munster player Ronan O'Gara.

History

Founding (1879–1899)

The Leinster Branch was inaugurated at a meeting on 31 October 1879. The meeting was held at Lawrence's premises at 63 Grafton Street and was largely attended. Although this was the formal founding of Leinster as we know it today, with the amalgamation of the Irish Football Union and the Northern Union, the Leinster provincial team had been active since 1879 – when the first interprovincial derby was played against Ulster. The Leinster and Ulster teams also made up the representative Irish team that competed against England in Ireland's first-ever international in 1875. Upon the founding of the union, Munster were also added to the fray in 1879, when their first provincial team was selected and first Munster players represented Ireland.^[3][4]

F. Kennedy (Wanderers) was elected first Hon. Secretary of the Branch and C.B. Crocker (Lansdowne) first Hon. Treasurer.

The function of the Branch was to organise the game of rugby football in the province. Every year five representatives would be selected to join the IRFU Committee. They would be known as the "Leinster Five" and would pick the Leinster representative teams.

The first Interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and Munster were held in 1875. At this time the matches were played with 20 players a side. Leinster lost to Ulster by a converted try and beat Munster by one goal to nil. Since then there has been a match between these teams annually, with Connacht joining the fold in 1885.

Leinster Schools Interprovincial matches have been taking place since 1888. Leinster Schools beat the Ulster Schools in Belfast on Saturday 7 April by a dropped goal to a try. Their first match against Munster Schools took place on 18 March 1899, when Leinster won by two tries to one.

Amateur period (1900–1990s)

The early 1920s led to the creation of the Provincial Towns Cup and the Metropolitan Cup, which are still hard-fought competitions in the Leinster Rugby calendar. Much has changed in rugby over the years, but the original idea of Leinster Club Rugby acting as a feeder for the Leinster Interprovincial side, though now professional, still stands true.

All Interprovincial matches were abandoned during the years of the Great War (1914–1918) and the War period (1939–1945), though unofficial matches were played.^[5]

The first major touring side to play Leinster was a team drawn from the New Zealand Army – the Kiwis, in 1946. Although it was not an official touring side organised by the New Zealand Rugby Union, the quality of the match, which was drawn 10 points each, is still remembered to this day.^[5]

The first official overseas touring side that came to play Leinster was an Australian touring side in 1957.^[5] Since then, Leinster has played against every major touring side from Fiji to France.^[5]

Before the days of professional rugby union, there was further emphasis on Irish club rugby as opposed to the provincial game. During these times the provincial sides were purely representative sides and games were far less frequent than now. Between 1946 and 2002 the sides would meet annually to contest the Irish Interprovincial Championship and on rare occasions would be tested against touring international sides. When rugby union was declared 'open' in 1995, these four teams became the four professional teams run by the Irish Rugby Football Union and therefore much of the history of the side has been made in the modern era.

Leinster Lions (1990s–2005)

Leo the Leinster Lion, team mascot

Leinster became a professional outfit in the mid-1990s. The "Leinster Lions" name came into existence during the 2001–02 season as the result of a joint marketing initiative between Leinster Rugby and its kit sponsors, the Canterbury Clothing Company. Before the start of the 2004–05 season, the 'Lions' was dropped from the name. It is still used for marketing and branding, in particular, the Cubs Club for Junior members of Leinster Rugby.^[6] The Leinster mascot is "Leo the Lion". It was also during this time that the song “Molly Malone” became a match fixture to be sung by the fans.^[7]

Leinster's first season in the newly formed Celtic League ended in success as the Lions were crowned the inaugural champions, beating rivals Munster Rugby in the 2001–02 final.^[8] In 2002–03, they became only the third team in the history of the European Cup to win all their games in pool play. They also went one step further in the playoffs than the previous season by reaching the semi-finals (for the first time since 1995–96), but lost at home against French side Perpignan, which was accompanied by an unsuccessful season in the Celtic League. The 2003–04 season also ended in disappointment as Leinster slumped to their worst ever league performance and failed to qualify from their European Cup group.

Title misses (2004–2007)

Leinster improved during the 2004–05 season, finishing 3rd, just three points behind the eventual winners, the Ospreys.^[9] Leinster also won all of their pool games in that year's European Cup, and were again among the favourites for the title, however they went out at the quarter final stage to Leicester Tigers.^[10]

The next two seasons of the Celtic League were to end in near misses for Leinster, as they lost out on the 2005–06 and 2006–07 league titles on the final day of the season. These seasons also saw progress in the European Cup. In 2005–06, Leinster progressed to the semi-final but were eliminated by Irish rivals Munster at Lansdowne Road and they reached the quarter-final the following year where they were beaten by eventual winners London Wasps.

European and domestic dominance (2008–2014)

Increasing attendances at Leinster games led to a move across Dublin 4 from Donnybrook Stadium to the redeveloped RDS Arena.

In 2007–08, Leinster failed to qualify from their European Cup pool, but did end the season as Celtic League champions, sealing the title with a 41–8 victory over the Newport Gwent Dragons in front of their home fans at the RDS.^[11]

In the 2008–09 season, Leinster topped their European Cup pool despite away losses to French side Castres and English side Wasps.^[12] Victory over Harlequins in the quarter-finals followed, despite the Bloodgate Scandal. Leinster overcame Munster 25–6 in a semi-final in Dublin's Croke Park that broke the world record attendance for a club rugby union game with a crowd of over 82,200.^[13] Leinster won the 2009 European Cup Final in Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, beating Leicester Tigers 19–16 to claim their first European crown.^[14]

The RDS Arena before the 2010 Celtic League Final

In 2009–10 Leinster was eliminated from the European Cup at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Toulouse. Also despite having topped the Pro12 league during the regular season, Leinster lost the first-ever Play-off Final 17–12 on their home ground to the Ospreys.^[15]

In the 2010–11 European Cup, Leinster defeated the top English teams (Leicester Tigers, Saracens & Northampton Saints), as well as top French sides, Toulouse (who were the defending European champions), Racing Metro & Clermont Auvergne, (the French Champions).^[16] to go on to regain their title as champions of Europe in the 2011 European Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Trailing at half time, Leinster scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to beat Northampton 33–22 and claim their second European crown with the biggest comeback in European Cup final history.^[17][18] Leinster were also chasing a Pro12 & European Cup double, but lost 19–9 to Irish rivals Munster in the Pro12 Final.^[19]

In 2011–12 Leinster became only the second side ever to retain the title of European Champions. Leinster emerged unbeaten in group play to top their group^[20] and went on to defeat the Cardiff Blues 34–3 in the quarterfinals,^[21] followed by a 19–15 semifinal victory over ASM Clermont Auvergne.^[22] and defeated Ulster in the first all-Irish final 42–14, recording the most points scored and the most tries scored in a European Cup final as well as becoming the first unbeaten side to win the European Cup.^[23] Once again, Leinster targeted the double, and faced a repeat of the 2010 Pro12 final against the Ospreys. Leinster's domestic title challenge fell at the final hurdle, conceding a final minute try to slump to a one-point defeat, and unable to complete the double despite topping the table in the regular season.^[24]

The 2012–13 campaign proved to be another successful season for Leinster Rugby. The club finished in second place during the regular season of the Pro12 and defeated Glasgow Warriors by a score of 17–15 in their semi-final play-off match on 11 May 2013.^[25] On 17 May, Leinster were crowned champions of the European Challenge Cup after defeating Stade Français 34–13 in the final at their home ground, the RDS Arena.^[26] Leinster successfully completed the double on 25 May, defeating Ulster 24–18 in the Pro12 final to claim their third league championship.^[27][28]

Leinster continued their success in the 2013–14 season by becoming the first team ever to defend the Pro12 title, topping the league in the regular season and defeating Glasgow Warriors 34–12 in their fifth consecutive Pro12 play-off final and also secured their seventh major title in as many years.^[29]

Blooding a new generation (2015–2017)

Following a remarkable run of seven major trophies in seven years, Leinster's title run came to an end following the 2013–14 season. The 2014–15 season saw a dip in form, with Leinster finishing in fifth place in the league and failing to make the play-offs. Fortunes in the newly formed Champions Cup were better, with the team reaching the semi-final where they were defeated in extra-time by eventual winners, Toulon. At the end of the season, head coach Matt O'Connor left the club by mutual consent with former club captain, Leo Cullen, being named as his replacement. Cullen then brought in ex-England coach Stuart Lancaster as senior coach at the start of the 2016–17 season, which saw a huge improvement from Leinster as well a big group of young players coming through. Despite playing brilliant rugby all season, Leinster failed to win any silverware, falling short in the Champions Cup semi-final to old rivals Clermont and shocked by the Scarlets in the Pro12 Semi-Final at the RDS. However, there was huge optimism amongst the players and supporters as they believed this was only the start of a new generation and perhaps another era of success.

Present Day (2018–2024)

Croke Park before the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Semi-Final victory against Northampton Saints.

Starting with the 2017–18 season, Leinster won four straight Pro14 championships.^[30] In Europe, they won the 2017-18 Heineken Cup, defeating Racing 92 by a score of 15–12 in the final in Bilbao.^[31] They were runners-ups four times in 2018-19 Heineken Cup, 2021-22 Heineken Cup, 2022-23 Heineken Cup and the 2023-24 Heineken Cup.^[32] Leinster were knocked out of the Heineken cup competition in the quarter-finals in 2019–20, and again at the semi-finals stage in 2020–21.

The format of the 2021–22 competition was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Leinster won their first round matchup with Bath. However, the day prior to Leinster's second match, an away fixture to Montpellier, the EPCR announced that the match would not go ahead, and instead awarded a 28–0 win to Montpellier.^[33] This was despite Leinster having a full squad certified to be COVID-free, named, and ready to travel. The following day, the EPCR announced that all other matches involving French and UK teams from the same second round would be postponed to a future date.^[34] Following the EPCR's decision to award Montpellier a 28–0 bonus-point win for their cancelled round two clash, Leinster beat Montpellier by 89–7, with the 82 point margin eclipsing their previous biggest win in Europe set against Bourgoin back in 2004.^[35]

Previous season summaries

	Domestic League				European Cup		Domestic / 'A' Cup
Season	Competition	Final Position (Pool)	Points	Play-offs	Competition	Performance	Competition	Performance
1995–96	No competition				Heineken Cup	Semi-final	Interprovincial Championship	Champions
1996–97	No competition				Heineken Cup	3rd in pool	Interprovincial Championship	2nd
1997–98	No competition				Heineken Cup	3rd in pool	Interprovincial Championship	Champions
1998–99	No competition				Heineken Cup	4th in pool	Interprovincial Championship	3rd
1999–00	No competition				Heineken Cup	2nd in pool	Interprovincial Championship	3rd
2000–01	No competition				Heineken Cup	2nd in pool	Interprovincial Championship	3rd
2001–02	Celtic League	1st (A)	21	Champions	Heineken Cup	Quarter-final	Interprovincial Championship	Champions
2002–03	Celtic League	5th (B)	18	Did Not qualify	Heineken Cup	Semi-final	No competition
2003–04	Celtic League	8th	47	N/A	Heineken Cup	2nd in pool	Celtic Cup	Quarter-final
2004–05	Celtic League	3rd	57	N/A	Heineken Cup	Quarter-final	Celtic Cup	Semi-final
2005–06	Celtic League	2nd	74	N/A	Heineken Cup	Semi-final	No competition
2006–07	Magners League	3rd	61	N/A	Heineken Cup	Quarter-final	No competition
2007–08	Magners League	1st	61	N/A	Heineken Cup	3rd in pool	No competition
2008–09	Magners League	3rd	52	N/A	Heineken Cup	Champions	No competition
2009–10	Magners League	1st	55	Runner-up	Heineken Cup	Semi-final	British and Irish Cup	2nd in pool
2010–11	Magners League	2nd	70	Runner-up	Heineken Cup	Champions	British and Irish Cup	Quarter-final
2011–12	RaboDirect PRO12	1st	81	Runner-up	Heineken Cup	Champions	British and Irish Cup	Semi-final
2012–13	RaboDirect PRO12	2nd	78	Champions	Challenge Cup*	Champions	British and Irish Cup	Champions
2013–14	RaboDirect PRO12	1st	82	Champions	Heineken Cup	Quarter-final	British and Irish Cup	Champions
2014–15	Guinness PRO12	5th	62	Did Not qualify	Champions Cup	Semi-final	British and Irish Cup	Semi-final
2015–16	Guinness PRO12	1st	73	Runner-up	Champions Cup	4th in pool	British and Irish Cup	Quarter-final
2016–17	Guinness PRO12	2nd	85	Semi-Final	Champions Cup	Semi-final	British and Irish Cup	2nd in pool
2017–18	Guinness PRO14	1st (B)	70	Champions	Champions Cup	Champions	British and Irish Cup	Runner-up
2018–19	Guinness PRO14	1st (B)	76	Champions	Champions Cup	Runner-up	Celtic Cup	Champions
2019–20	Guinness PRO14	1st (A)	69	Champions	Champions Cup	Quarter-final	Celtic Cup	Champions
2020–21	Guinness PRO14	1st (A)	71	Champions	Champions Cup	Semi-final	Rainbow Cup	4th in pool
2021–22	United Rugby Championship	1st	67	Semi-final	Champions Cup	Runner-up	URC Irish Shield	Champions
2022–23	United Rugby Championship	1st	79	Semi-final	Champions Cup	Runner-up	URC Irish Shield	Champions
2023–24	United Rugby Championship	3rd	65	Semi-final	Champions Cup	Runner-up	URC Irish Shield	Champions
2024–25	United Rugby Championship	tbc	tbc	-	Champions Cup	tbc	URC Irish Shield	Champions

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runner-up

* After dropping into the competition from the Champions Cup/Heineken Cup

Heineken Cup / Champions Cup

Season	Pool/Round	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Bonus	Points
1995–96	Pool C	1st	2	2	0	0	–	4
	Semi-final	Leinster 14 – 23 Cardiff
1996–97	Pool B	3rd	4	2	0	2	–	4
1997–98	Pool A	3rd	6	2	0	4	–	4
1998–99	Pool A	4th	6	2	0	4	–	4
1999–00	Pool 1	2nd	6	4	0	2	–	8
2000–01	Pool 1	2nd	6	3	1	2	–	7
2001–02	Pool 6	1st	6	5	0	1	–	10
	Quarter-final	Leicester Tigers 29 – 18 Leinster
2002–03	Pool 4	1st	6	6	0	0	–	12
	Quarter-final	Leinster 18 – 13 Biarritz Olympique
	Semi-final	Leinster 14 – 21 USA Perpignan
2003–04	Pool 3	2nd	6	4	0	2	2	18
2004–05	Pool 4	1st	6	6	0	0	2	26
	Quarter-final	Leinster 13 – 29 Leicester Tigers
2005–06	Pool 5	2nd	6	4	0	2	6	22
	Quarter-final	Toulouse 35 – 41 Leinster
	Semi-final	Leinster 6 – 30 Munster
2006–07	Pool 2	1st	6	4	0	2	5	21
	Quarter-final	Wasps 35 – 13 Leinster
2007–08	Pool 6	3rd	6	3	0	3	0	12
2008–09	Pool 2	1st	6	4	0	2	4	20
	Quarter-final	Harlequins 5 – 6 Leinster
	Semi-final	Munster 6 – 25 Leinster
	Final	Leinster 19 – 16 Leicester Tigers
2009–10	Pool 6	1st	6	4	1	1	4	22
	Quarter-final	Leinster 29 – 28 ASM Clermont Auvergne
	Semi-final	Toulouse 26 – 16 Leinster
2010–11	Pool 2	1st	6	5	0	1	4	24
	Quarter-final	Leinster 17 – 10 Leicester Tigers
	Semi-final	Leinster 32 – 23 Toulouse
	Final	Leinster 33 – 22 Northampton Saints
2011–12	Pool 3	1st	6	5	1	0	2	24
	Quarter-final	Leinster 34 – 3 Cardiff
	Semi-final	ASM Clermont Auvergne 15 – 19 Leinster
	Final	Leinster 42 – 14 Ulster
2012–13	Pool 5	2nd	6	4	0	2	4	20
2013–14	Pool 1	1st	6	5	0	1	2	22
	Quarter-final	RC Toulon 29 – 14 Leinster
2014–15	Pool 2	1st	6	4	1	1	2	20
	Quarter-final	Leinster 18 – 15 Bath
	Semi-final	RC Toulon 25 – 20 Leinster (A.E.T.)
2015–16	Pool 5	4th	6	1	0	5	2	6
2016–17	Pool 4	1st	6	4	1	1	5	23
	Quarter-final	Leinster 32 – 17 Wasps
	Semi-final	ASM Clermont Auvergne 27 – 22 Leinster
2017–18	Pool 3	1st	6	6	0	0	3	27
	Quarter-final	Leinster 30 — 19 Saracens
	Semi-final	Leinster 38 – 16 Scarlets
	Final	Leinster 15 – 12 Racing 92
2018–19	Pool 1	1st	6	5	0	1	5	25
	Quarter-final	Leinster 21 – 18 Ulster
	Semi-final	Leinster 30 – 12 Toulouse
	Final	Saracens 20 – 10 Leinster
2019–20	Pool 1	1st	6	6	0	0	4	28
	Quarter-final	Leinster 17 – 25 Saracens
2020–21[36]	Pool A	1st	2	2	0	0	2	10
	Round of 16	Leinster –Cancelled– RC Toulon[note 1]
	Quarter-final	Exeter Chiefs 22 – 34 Leinster
	Semi-final	La Rochelle 32 – 23 Leinster
2021–22	Pool A	4th	4	3	0	1	3	15
	Round of 16	Connacht 21 – 26 Leinster Leinster 56 – 20 Connacht
	Quarter-final	Leicester Tigers 14 – 23 Leinster
	Semi-final	Leinster 40 – 17 Stade Toulousain
	Final	La Rochelle 24 – 21 Leinster
2022–23	Pool A	1st	4	4	0	0	4	20
	Round of 16	Leinster 30 – 15 Ulster
	Quarter-final	Leinster 55 – 24 Leicester Tigers
	Semi-final	Leinster 41 – 22 Stade Toulousain
	Final	La Rochelle 27 – 26 Leinster
2023–24	Pool D	1st	4	4	0	0	3	19
	Round of 16	Leinster 36 – 22 Leicester Tigers
	Quarter-final	Leinster 40 – 13 La Rochelle
	Semi-final	Leinster 20 – 17 Northampton Saints
	Final	Toulouse 31 – 22 Leinster
2024–25	Pool 2	1st	4	4	0	0	2	18
	Round of 16	Leinster 62 – 0 Harlequins
	Quarter-final	Leinster 52 – 0 Glasgow Warriors
	Semi-final	Leinster vs Northampton Saints

Challenge Cup

Season	Round	Result
2012–13	Quarter-Final	Wasps 28 – 48 Leinster
	Semi-final	Leinster 44 – 16 Biarritz Olympique
	Final	Leinster 34 – 13 Stade Français

United Rugby Championship

Season	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Bonus	Points
2001–02	1st (Pool A)	7	7	0	0	0	21
	Quarter-Final	Leinster 34 – 22 Newport
	Semi-final	Leinster 35 – 13 Glasgow
	Final	Leinster 24 – 20 Munster
2002–03	5th (Pool B)	7	3	0	4	6	18
2003–04	8th	22	9	1	12	9	47
2004–05	3rd	20	12	1	7	7	57
2005–06	2nd	20	14	0	6	10	74[n 1]
2006–07	3rd	20	12	1	7	11	61
2007–08	1st	18	13	1	4	7	61
2008–09	3rd	18	11	1	6	6	52
2009–10	1st	18	13	0	5	3	55
	Semi-final	Leinster 16 – 6 Munster
	Final	Leinster 12 – 17 Ospreys
2010–11	2nd	22	15	1	6	8	70
	Semi-final	Leinster 18 – 3 Ulster
	Final	Munster 19 – 9 Leinster
2011–12	1st	22	18	1	3	7	81
	Semi-final	Leinster 19 – 15 Glasgow
	Final	Leinster 30 – 31 Ospreys
2012–13	2nd	22	17	0	5	10	78
	Semi-final	Leinster 17 – 15 Glasgow
	Final	Ulster 18 – 24 Leinster
2013–14	1st	22	17	1	4	12	82
	Semi-final	Leinster 13 – 9 Ulster
	Final	Leinster 34 – 12 Glasgow
2014–15	5th	22	11	3	8	12	62
2015–16	1st	22	16	0	6	9	73
	Semi-final	Leinster 30 – 18 Ulster
	Final	Leinster 10 – 20 Connacht
2016–17	2nd	22	18	0	4	13	85
	Semi-final	Leinster 15 – 27 Scarlets
2017-18	1st	21	14	1	6	12	70
	Semi-final	Leinster 16 – 15 Munster
	Final	Leinster 40 – 32 Scarlets
2018–19	1st	21	15	1	5	14	76
	Semi-final	Leinster 24 – 9 Munster
	Final	Leinster 18 – 15 Glasgow
2019–20	1st	15	15	0	0	9	69
	Semi-final	Leinster 13 — 3 Munster
	Final	Leinster 27 — 5 Ulster
2020–21	1st	16	14	0	2	15	71
	Final	Leinster 16 — 6 Munster
2021–22	1st	18	13	0	5	15	67
	Quarter-final	Leinster 76 — 14 Glasgow Warriors
	Semi-final	Leinster 26 — 27 Bulls
2022–23	1st	18	16	1	1	13	79
	Quarter-final	Leinster 35 — 5 Sharks
	Semi-final	Leinster 15 — 16 Munster
2023–24	3rd	18	13	0	5	13	65
	Quarter-final	Leinster 43 — 20 Ulster
	Semi-final	Bulls 25 – 20 Leinster
11 teams were involved in this season, so one team did not play each week and were awarded 4 points instead. Therefore, each team finished the season with 8 more points than the table would seem to warrant.

Current standings

United Rugby Championship

2024–25 United Rugby Championship as of 1 March 2025 : last match added Ulster vs Scarlets watch · edit · discuss
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
1	Leinster	12	12	0	0	360	166	+194	52	24	9	0	57
2	Glasgow Warriors	12	8	0	4	354	225	+125	53	29	8	4	44
3	Bulls	12	8	0	4	316	249	+67	41	29	6	3	41
4	Sharks	11	7	0	4	288	283	+5	36	42	4	2	34
5	Munster	12	6	0	6	287	294	–7	46	41	8	1	33
6	Cardiff	12	5	1	6	263	321	–58	41	44	6	3	31
7	Edinburgh	12	5	0	7	295	300	-5	41	41	5	5	30
8	Connacht	12	5	0	7	277	296	-19	42	38	6	3	29
9	Scarlets	12	5	1	6	271	255	+16	29	36	2	4	28
10	Lions	11	6	0	5	258	243	+15	33	34	3	1	28
11	Ospreys	12	5	1	6	258	258	–	34	33	3	3	28
12	Stormers	12	5	0	7	272	293	–21	34	37	5	3	28
13	Benetton	12	5	1	6	251	317	–66	31	44	5	1	28
14	Ulster	12	5	0	7	269	294	–25	39	42	3	4	27
15	Zebre Parma	12	5	0	7	196	268	–72	25	38	2	3	25
16	Dragons	12	1	0	11	226	374	–149	28	53	1	3	8
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[37] number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest red cards received; the fewest yellow cards received.
Green background indicates teams that are in play-off places and earn a place in the 2025–26 European Champions Cup Pink background indicates teams that are in play-off places and earn a place in the 2025–26 European Challenge Cup Yellow background indicates the team that won the 2024–25 European Challenge Cup and thus qualify for the 2025–26 European Champions Cup, but are not in a play-off place Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2025–26 European Challenge Cup. Q: qualified for play-offs. H: home field advantage secured for quarter-and semi-final. h; home field advantage secured for quarter-final X: cannot reach play-offs. E: qualified for Champions Cup.

2024–25 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield Pools view · watch · edit · discuss
Irish Shield
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts	Pos overall
1	Leinster (S)	6	6	0	0	175	80	+95	25	11	5	0	29	1
2	Munster	5	3	0	2	106	130	–24	16	20	3	0	15	7
3	Ulster	5	2	0	3	105	124	–19	14	19	1	2	11	12
4	Connacht	6	0	0	6	115	167	–52	18	23	3	3	6	14
Italian x Scottish Shield
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts	Pos overall
1	Glasgow Warriors (S)	5	4	0	1	129	43	+86	19	4	3	1	20	2
2	Benetton	5	3	0	2	99	132	–33	14	18	2	0	14	6
3	Edinburgh	6	2	1	3	134	141	–7	18	20	1	2	13	9
4	Zebre Parma	6	1	1	4	78	124	–46	9	18	0	1	7	15
South African Shield
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts	Pos overall
1	Sharks (S)	6	4	0	2	129	135	-6	17	20	2	1	19	4
2	Stormers	6	3	0	3	142	130	+12	19	15	3	3	18	8
3	Bulls	6	3	0	3	151	141	+10	19	17	3	2	17	3
4	Lions	6	2	0	4	141	157	-16	19	22	1	1	10	13
Welsh Shield
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts	Pos overall
1	Cardiff (S)	6	4	1	1	147	117	+30	22	14	4	1	23	6
2	Scarlets	6	4	0	2	163	126	+37	20	17	3	1	20	10
3	Ospreys	6	2	1	3	155	158	–3	21	18	1	1	12	11
4	Dragons	6	1	0	5	130	196	–66	15	27	0	1	5	16
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[38] number of matches won the difference between points for and points against the number of tries scored the most points scored the difference between tries for and tries against the fewest red cards received the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields. (S) : URC Shield champion

European Rugby Champions Cup

Pool D

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 2

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Leinster (2)	4	4	0	0	113	54	+59	15	7	2	0	18	Home Champions Cup round of 16.
2	La Rochelle (8)	4	2	0	2	98	75	+23	12	6	1	2	11
3	Benetton (11)	4	2	0	2	83	109	−26	11	14	2	1	11	Away Champions Cup round of 16.
4	Clermont (14)	4	2	0	2	89	81	+8	13	12	2	0	10
5	Bath (10CC)	4	1	0	3	102	114	−12	14	16	1	2	7	Away Challenge Cup round of 16.
6	Bristol Bears	4	1	0	3	80	132	−52	12	20	2	1	7

Source: EPCR^[39]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.

Honours

Leinster Trophy Cabinet (2022)

Honours
Competition	Winners	Season(s)	Runners-up	Season(s)
European
European Rugby Champions Cup[note 2]	4	2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18	4	2018–19, 2021–22, 2022-23, 2023-24
European Rugby Challenge Cup[note 3]	1	2012–13	-	-
Domestic
United Rugby Championship[note 4]	8	2001–02, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21	5	2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2015–16
Provincial
URC Irish Shield[note 5]	4	2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25	-	-
Irish Inter-Provincial Championship[note 6][40]	22	1949, 1950*, 1955*, 1957*, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965*, 1972, 1973*, 1976*, 1978*, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983*, 1984, 1994*, 1996, 1998*, 2002	N/A	N/A
'A'-Team
Celtic Cup[note 7]	2	2018–19, 2019–20	-	-
British & Irish Cup[note 8]	2	2012–13, 2013–14	1	2017–18

Colours and crest

Flag of the province of Leinster

The current crest was introduced in 2005 as Leinster Rugby held no copyright on the previous crest. The new, stylised crest, is made specific to Leinster Rugby as it incorporates the harp with a rugby ball.^[41] The Leinster Rugby crest is on all official club merchandise including replica jerseys.

The province's current kit (2018/19) is blue with a pattern of spearheads on the jersey which takes inspiration from the people of Laighean (the ancient Irish name for Leinster), while the alternative kit is green with gold features, the colours seen in the Flag of Leinster, with a pattern of geographical cutouts for its 12 counties. The European kit is 'night navy' with the name of each of the 12 counties visible on the jersey written in the ancient Irish alphabet ogham.

The Leinster jersey also features four stars above the crest, to represent the four European Cup titles won to date.

Stadia

RDS Arena

Main article: RDS Arena

The RDS Arena

Leinster's current home ground is the RDS Arena.^[42] Games were first played at the RDS during the 2006–07 season, initially just for European Cup games. By the following season, however, all games had been moved to the RDS. The RDS has undergone large scale redevelopment since Leinster moved in. The arena now has a mostly seated capacity of 18,500. As the RDS remains a showjumping venue, the North and South stands are removable. A roof has been constructed to cover the grandstand opposite the pre-existing Anglesea stand.^[43] The RDS will be Leinster's home until 2027, as a 20-year lease was signed in 2007.^[44]

In July 2014, it was announced by the RDS and Leinster rugby that a design competition was being held to develop the arena into a 25,000 capacity world-class stadium, with work expected to commence on the redevelopment in April 2016.^[45] The selling of naming rights to the arena will be a key component in funding the project, with an initial budget of €20,000,000 being proposed.^[46]

Inside the RDS Arena prior to a Leinster Game

Aviva Stadium

Main article: Aviva Stadium

The Aviva Stadium prior to Leinster game

For bigger games where the RDS does not have sufficient capacity, Leinster play their games at the Aviva Stadium, which has an all-seater capacity of 51,700. These are often key home games in the European Cup or United Rugby Championship games against domestic rivals. In 2010 they first played a home league game against Munster, the first time the stadium sold out,^[47] and then against ASM Clermont Auvergne.^[48][49][50] Leinster defeated Leicester Tigers at the venue in the 2010–11 European Cup quarter-finals and went on to beat Toulouse in the semi-finals, also held at the Aviva stadium on 30 April 2011, en route to winning their second European Cup.^[51] The following season Leinster hosted Munster, Bath and Cardiff at the Aviva Stadium and remained unbeaten at the ground until December 2012 when they lost 21–28 to ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Donnybrook Stadium

Main article: Donnybrook Stadium

Donnybrook Stadium

Leinster's traditional home over the years has been Donnybrook Stadium in Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Donnybrook consists of a single covered stand and three sides of open terracing. A move across Dublin 4 to the RDS Arena for Leinster was needed to accommodate growing crowds, as the 6,000 capacity stadium had become too small.^[52] For this reason, Leinster have signed a long-term lease with the Royal Dublin Society to play home games at the RDS Arena. Donnybrook has since, been improved as a venue with the reconstruction of the grandstand in 2008^[53] and remains an important venue for rugby union in Dublin.^[5] Due to limited space, it is unlikely that Donnybrook will undergo further redevelopment. Leinster A play their British and Irish Cup games in the stadium and the senior team have continued to hold certain pre-season friendlies in the stadium as well as most Leinster schools cup matches being held at the venue.^[54][55]

Supporters

Before the advent of professionalism in the Irish game, provincial rugby games were generally poorly attended. During most of the 1990s, Leinster matches regularly attracted crowds of about 500 to 2,000.^[56] The decision to structure the game professionally via the provincial network through centralised player contracts and the subsequent on-field success achieved by Leinster and the other provinces resulted in a significant increase in support within a decade.^[56] Leinster had 3,700 season ticket holders in 2006, double the number of the previous season.^[56] The Official Leinster Supporters Club was formally established as a club in 2007.^[57] The last match at the old Lansdowne Road stadium was against Ulster on 31 December 2006 before it was demolished to make way for the new Aviva Stadium, earning the match the moniker of "The Last Stand". Leinster won the match 20–12, with an attendance of 48,000 – a record at the time.^[58] A previous attendance record in the Pro12 was also set at Lansdowne Road, for a game between Leinster and Munster which drew a crowd of 30,000.^[59] Leinster's supporters were named as 'Player of the Month' for April 2009 following their support in the European Cup Quarter Final against Harlequins at The Stoop.^[60]

The Leinster Jet

On several occasions Leinster have set the record for the largest Celtic league and Pro12 attendances. On 2 October 2010, Leinster beat Munster 13–9 in the 5th round of the league at the Aviva Stadium. This set a new crowd attendance record for a Pro12 game at 50,645.^[61] They subsequently set a new record on 29 March 2014 during a sellout match against Munster in which 51,700 fans were in attendance. This Pro12 record was subsequently surpassed by attendances at the Judgement Day fixtures. During the 2014–15 Pro12 season Leinster had the best support of any club in the PRO12 league with an average attendance of 17,717.^[62]

Leinster's European Cup clash against Munster at Croke Park on 2 May 2009 set a world record attendance at the time for a club rugby union game with a crowd of 82,208.^[63]

Home attendance

Domestic League					European Cup					Total
League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	Total Attendance	Average Attendance
–	–	–	–	–	1995–96 Heineken Cup	2	5,675	7,350	4,000	11,350	5,675
–	–	–	–	–	1996–97 Heineken Cup	2	3,750	4,000	3,500	7,500	3,750
–	–	–	–	–	1997–98 Heineken Cup	3	6,267	7,000	5,500	18,800	6,267
–	–	–	–	–	1998–99 Heineken Cup	3	5,500	8,000	4,000	16,500	5,500
–	–	–	–	–	1999–00 Heineken Cup	3	4,833	6,500	3,000	14,500	4,833
–	–	–	–	–	2000–01 Heineken Cup	3	8,147	12,000	3,940	24,440	8,147
2001–02 Celtic League	6•	8,926	30,000	3,056	2001–02 Heineken Cup	3	7,500	7,500	7,500	76,056	8,451
2002–03 Celtic League	3	5,500	6,000	4,500	2002–03 Heineken Cup	5	21,600	45,000	6,000	124,500	15,563
2003–04 Celtic League Celtic Cup	12*	3,173	7,000	1,068	2003–04 Heineken Cup	3	14,963	23,463	7,200	82,965	5,531
2004–05 Celtic League Celtic Cup	12*	5,038	13,500	2,800	2004–05 Heineken Cup	4	19,891	48,500	5,100	140,020	8,751
2005–06 Celtic League	10	5,814	14,135	1,700	2005–06 Heineken Cup	4	20,932	47,000	11,133	141,868	10,133
2006–07 Celtic League	10	11,892	48,000	3,750	2006–07 Heineken Cup	3	15,861	22,530	6,400	166,503	12,808
2007–08 Celtic League	9	14,361	18,500	9,439	2007–08 Heineken Cup	3	17,820	18,563	16,752	182,709	15,226
2008–09 Celtic League	9	14,728	18,500	10,910	2008–09 Heineken Cup	3	17,680	18,300	16,500	185,592	15,466
2009–10 Celtic League	11	15,835	19,750	11,836	2009–10 Heineken Cup	4	18,709	20,000	17,836	249,021	16,601
2010–11 Celtic League	12	16,849	50,645	9,790	2010–11 Heineken Cup	5	36,229	50,073	17,936	383,333	22,549
2011–12 Pro12	12	18,971	48,365	14,362	2011–12 Heineken Cup	4	33,282	50,340	17,924	360,780	22,549
2012–13 Pro12	12	19,084	46,280	13,235	2012–13 Heineken Cup 2012–13 Challenge Cup	6†	22,369	48,964	9,654	363,222	20,179
2013–14 Pro12	13	19,507	51,700	14,400	2013–14 Heineken Cup	3	28,137	47,370	18,500	338,002	21,125
2014–15 Pro12	11	17,675	43,817	11,322	2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup	3	29,509	43,958	17,558	282,952	20,211
2015–16 Pro12	12	15,118	43,108	8,612	2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup	3	25,428	44,925	14,569	257,700	17,180
2016–17 Pro12	12	15,579	40,527	10,792	2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup	4	30,081	50,266	13,890	307,272	19,205
2017–18 Pro14	11	16,793	46,374	10,115	2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup	5	34,432	51,700	15,947	356,883	22,305
2018–19 Pro14	12	17,242	50,120	10,057	2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup	5	34,285	51,700	18,055	378,329	22,255
2019–20 Pro14	7‡	12,919	18,300	7,967	2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup	3‡	25,086	42,041	15,080	165,691	16,569
2020–21 Pro14 Pro14 Rainbow Cup	1‡	1,200	1,200	1,200	2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup	0‡	–	–	–	1,200	1,200
2021–22 United Rugby Championship	11	14,138	32,411	8,559	2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup	4‡	26,134	42,067	5,000	260,046	17,336
2022–23 United Rugby Championship	11	18,773	45,436	12,441	2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup	6	39,377	51,711	15,469	442,765	26,045
2023–24 United Rugby Championship	10	18,939	49,246	10,404	2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup	5	46,747	82,300	18,600	423,119	28,208
2024–25 United Rugby Championship	5	34,348	80,486	17,951	2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup	2	37,190	40,195	34,184	246,121	35,160
•Only matches in which there was a reported attendance are included.
*Match figures inclusive of both Celtic League and Celtic Cup fixtures.
†Match figures inclusive of both Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures.
‡Match figures include fixtures in which COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance, but exclude fixtures in which no spectators were allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up to date as of the 2024–25 season.^[64]

Key
	Record high
	Record low
*	Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

Leinster A

Leinster A is the team that represents Leinster in the British & Irish Cup,^[65] having won the competition a record two times to date, in the 2012–13 season as well as the 2013–14 season, also becoming the first and only side to ever successfully defend the trophy. Leinster A also compete in the All Ireland Inter-provincial Championship. Pre-professionalism and a formal Celtic league structure, the main Leinster team competed in the AIIPC. Since the advent of professionalism, the provinces have fielded lesser teams to concentrate on the Celtic League. The team is composed of Senior Leinster squad players requiring game time, Development contract & Academy players and, occasionally, AIL players called up from their clubs.

For the 2019–20 season, the Leinster A team is coached by Noel McNamara.^[66]

Competition	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won	Championships
British and Irish Cup	61	46	2	13	75.41%	2012–13, 2013–14
Celtic Cup	15	15	0	0	100.00%	2018–19, 2019–20
Total	76	61	2	13	80.26%

Updated as of 12 April 2021.^[67]

Sponsorship

From the 2007–08 season to the 2017–18 season Leinster's kits were supplied by Canterbury of New Zealand but for the next five seasons starting with the 2018 -19 season Leinster's kits were supplied by Adidas. Their kits are now supplied by Castore. Bank of Ireland, the country's oldest banking institution are Leinster's primary sponsors appearing in the front of their shirt, their sleeves, the top back of their shirt and the front right of their shorts. The Bank of Ireland symbol appeared on Leinster's front right and front left collars. On occasion, the team will wear a shirt adorned with the logo of another sponsor due to a promotion run annually by the bank offering up the sponsorship space to an Irish business by way of a competition to win the right to become a sponsor for a day.^[68] During the 2013–14 season the contest was won by Dublin-based meat wholesaler Gahan Meats^[69] and for 2014–15 the shirt sponsorship winners were accounting software provider Big Red Cloud.^[70] The sponsorship prize package is valued at €50,000 and attracts hundreds of companies keen to be shortlisted each year.^[71] The left of Leinster's back shorts had Bank of Ireland between 2009 and 2013 where it was replaced by Bank of Ireland's Twitter address right up until 2015 where it was replaced by Laya Healthcare.^[72] For about a decade, the team's "official airline"' was Ireland's CityJet.^[73][74]

Management and coaches

Position	Name	Nationality
Head coach	Leo Cullen	Ireland
Senior Coach	Jacques Nienaber	South Africa
Assistant coach	Robin McBryde	Wales
Backs Coach	Tyler Bleyendaal	New Zealand
Contact Skills Coach	Sean O'Brien	Ireland
Kicking Coach & Head Analyst	Emmet Farrell	Ireland

Current squad

For player movements before or during the 2024–25 season, see List of 2024–25 United Rugby Championship transfers § Leinster.

Leinster Rugby United Rugby Championship squad[a]
Props Jack Boyle Tom Clarkson Tadhg Furlong Cian Healy Paddy McCarthy Andrew Porter Rabah Slimani Hookers Rónan Kelleher John McKee Dan Sheehan Locks Ryan Baird Brian Deeny Joe McCarthy James Ryan RG Snyman	Back row Jack Conan Will Connors James Culhane Max Deegan Caelan Doris (c) Scott Penny Alex Soroka Josh van der Flier Scrum-halves Cormac Foley Jamison Gibson-Park Luke McGrath Fly-halves Harry Byrne Ross Byrne Ciarán Frawley Sam Prendergast	Centres Jordie Barrett ST Robbie Henshaw Jamie Osborne Garry Ringrose Liam Turner Wings Jordan Larmour James Lowe Tommy O'Brien Rob Russell Fullbacks Hugo Keenan Jimmy O'Brien
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. ST denotes a short-term signing. Players and their allocated positions from the Leinster Rugby website.[75] Taking into account signings and departures head of 2023–24 season as listed on List of 2023–24 United Rugby Championship transfers.

Academy squad

Leinster Rugby Academy squad[a]
Props Rory McGuire (3) Niall Smyth (1) Andrew Sparrow (1) Alex Usanov (1) Hookers Gus McCarthy (2) Stephen Smyth (1) Locks Billy Corrigan (1) Diarmuid Mangan (3) Conor O'Tighearnaigh (2) Alan Spicer (1)	Back row Liam Molony (2) Scrum-halves Oliver Coffey (1) Fintan Gunne (2) Fly-halves Casper Gabriel (1) Charlie Tector (3)	Centres Ben Brownlee (3) Hugh Cooney (2) Wings Aitzol King (3) Hugo McLaughlin (1) Ruben Moloney (1) Andrew Osborne (2) Fullbacks Henry McErlean (2)
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Leinster Rugby website.[76][77] Taking into account signings and departures head of 2023–24 season as listed on List of 2023–24 United Rugby Championship transfers.

Results versus representative sides

Scores and results list Leinster's points tally first.

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score	Notes
17 December 1902	Canada	Dublin	Won	13–6	Match Report[78]
17 November 1945	New Zealand Kiwis[note 9]	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Drew	10–10	Details of Tour
27 November 1957	Australia	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	8–10	Match Programme Match Ticket
1 February 1961	South Africa	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	5–12	Match Programme Match Report
22 January 1964	New Zealand	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	8–11	Match Programme Match Report
7 December 1966	Australia	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	3–9	Match Programme
15 November 1972	New Zealand	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	9–17	Match Programme
15 September 1973	Fiji	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Won	30–9	Match Programme
13 November 1974	New Zealand	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	3–8	Match Programme Match Highlights
21 October 1978	Argentina	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	13–24	Match Report
30 December 1979	Italy	Donnybrook, Dublin	Won	26–10	100 year anniversary
8 October 1980	Romania	Donnybrook, Dublin	Won	24–10	Match Programme Match Report
8 November 1989	New Zealand	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	9–36	Match Programme Match Report
17 October 1992	Australia	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Lost	11–38	Match Programme Match Report
12 November 1994	United States	Donnybrook, Dublin	Won	9–6	Match Programme
24 August 1999	Argentina	Donnybrook, Dublin	Lost	22–51	Match Report
24 August 2019	Canada	Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton	Won	38–35	Match Report
18 November 2022	Chile	Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin	Won	40–3	Match Report

Records against European Cup and URC opponents in the professional era (1995–present)

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won
Agen	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Aironi	4	4	0	0	100.00%
Benetton	29	25	2	2	86.21%
Bath	14	12	0	2	85.71%
Biarritz	6	4	0	2	66.67%
Bordeaux	2	1	0	1	50.00%
Border Reivers	10	7	0	3	70.00%
Bourgoin	4	3	0	1	75.00%
Bridgend	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Bristol	3	3	0	0	100.00%
Brive	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Bulls	5	2	0	3	40%
Cardiff Blues	38	30	2	6	78.95%
Cardiff RFC	1	1	0	0	100%
Castres	8	6	1	1	75.00%
Celtic Warriors	2	0	0	2	0.00%
Cheetahs	4	3	0	1	75%
Clermont Auvergne	10	6	0	4	60%
Connacht*	47	38	0	9	80.85%
Dragons	40	31	0	9	77.5%
Ebbw Vale RFC	1	1	0	0	100.00%
Edinburgh	44	29	1	14	65.91%
Exeter Chiefs	5	5	0	0	100.00%
Glasgow Warriors	56	38	2	16	67.86%
Gloucester	4	3	0	1	75%
Harlequins	4	3	0	1	75%
La Rochelle	6	3	0	3	50.00%
Lions	4	3	0	1	75%
Leicester Tigers	15	10	0	5	66.67%
Llanelli RFC	1	1	0	0	100%
London Irish	2	0	1	1	0.00%
Lyon	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Montpellier†	8	6	1	1	75%
Munster*	56	37	1	18	66.07%
Milan	3	2	0	1	66.67%
Newcastle Falcons	2	2	0	0	100.00%
Newport RFC	4	4	0	0	100.00%
Northampton Saints	11	10	0	1	90.91%
Ospreys	43	27	3	13	62.79%
Pau	1	1	0	0	100.00%
Perpignan	1	0	0	1	0.00%
Pontypridd RFC	2	2	0	0	100%
Racing 92	5	5	0	0	100.00%
Sale Sharks	3	2	0	1	66.67%
Saracens	5	3	0	2	60.00%
Scarlets	43	29	2	12	67.44%
Sharks	5	4	0	1	80.00%
Southern Kings	3	3	0	0	100.00%
Stade Français	6	3	0	3	50.00%
Stormers	4	1	1	2	25.00%
Swansea RFC	3	3	0	0	100.00%
Toulon	4	0	0	4	0.00%
Toulouse	15	8	0	7	53.33%
Ulster*	57	42	3	12	73.68%
Wasps	11	6	1	4	54.55%
Zebre	18	18	0	0	100%
Total	690	498	21	171	72.17%
*Matches played as part of the Irish Interprovincial Rugby Championship, separate from Celtic League fixtures, are not included in this table.
†Results do not include the cancelled Montpellier vs Leinster 2021-22 Heineken Cup fixture in which Montpellier were awarded a 28–0 victory due to positive Covid tests in the Leinster squad.

Correct as of 19 April 2025.^[79]

Since the inception of the Celtic league, Leinster have dominated their Irish provincial rivals Ulster, with a 42–12 win–loss record. Similarly, Leinster enjoy a 37–9 win–loss ratio against western province Connacht. Leinster also hold a 37–18 head-to-head advantage against arch-rivals Munster, in one of the most intense derbies in world rugby. Of the United Rugby Championship sides, Munster have the most competitive record against Leinster; all of the league's other sides, excluding South African clubs, have substantial losing records against Leinster. The Welsh side, Celtic Warriors competed in the Celtic league during the first couple of seasons and have a winning record against Leinster of two wins and zero defeats.

Among European teams, of those who have played at least three games against Leinster, only RC Toulon enjoys a winning record. They have a commanding 4–0 head-to-head lead.

Records against Irish Provinces (1946–present)

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won
Connacht	107	84	4	19	78.5%
Munster	114	64	5	45	56.14%
Ulster	114	70	6	38	61.4%
Total	333	216	15	167	64.86%

Correct as of 19 April 2025.

Notable players

See also Category:Leinster Rugby players.

Club captains

Professional era only

Captain	Season(s)	Championships/Notes
Kurt McQuilkin	1997–98	Interprovincial Championship: 1 (1998)
Gabriel Fulcher	1998–99	—
Liam Toland	1999–00 – 2000–01	—
Reggie Corrigan	2001–02 – 2004–05	United Rugby Championship: 1 (2002) Interprovincial Championship: 1 (2002)
Brian O'Driscoll	2005–06 – 2007–08	United Rugby Championship: 1 (2008)
Leo Cullen	2008–09 – 2013–14	European Cup: 3 (2009, 2011, 2012) Challenge Cup: 1 (2013) United Rugby Championship: 2 (2013, 2014)
Jamie Heaslip	2014–15	—
Kevin McLaughlin	2015	Retired mid-season due to injury
Isa Nacewa	2015–16 – 2017–18	European Cup: 1 (2018) United Rugby Championship: 1 (2018)
Johnny Sexton	2018–19 – 2022–23	United Rugby Championship: 3 (2019, 2020, 2021) Irish Shield: 2 (2022, 2023)
James Ryan Garry Ringrose	2023–24	Irish Shield: 1 (2024)
Caelan Doris	2024–25 –

British & Irish Lions

The following Leinster players have also represented the British & Irish Lions.^[40] Bold indicates tour captain.

Year	Tour	Series Result	Players
1888	New Zealand Australia	No Test	—
1891	South Africa	3–0	—
1896	South Africa	3–1	Thomas Crean Robert Johnston
1899	Australia	3–1	—
1903	South Africa	0–1–0	—
1904	Australia New Zealand	3–0 0–1	—
1908	New Zealand Australia	0–2–1 No Test	—
1910	South Africa	1–2	—
1910	Argentina	1–0	—
1924	South Africa	0–3–1	—
1927	Argentina	4–0	—
1930	New Zealand Australia	1–3 0–1	—
1936	Argentina	1–0	—
1938	South Africa	1–2	George J. Morgan
1950	New Zealand Australia	0–3–1 2–0	Karl Mullen
1955	South Africa	2–2	Tony O'Reilly Robin Roe
1959	Australia New Zealand	2–0 1–3	Niall Brophy Ronnie Dawson Bill Mulcahy Tony O'Reilly (2)
1962	South Africa	0–3–1	Niall Brophy (2) Bill Mulcahy (2)
1966	Australia New Zealand	2–0 0–4	—
1968	South Africa	0–3–1	Ronnie Dawson (2)
1971	New Zealand	2–1–1	Mike Hipwell Sean Lynch Fergus Slattery
1974	South Africa	3–0–1	Tom Grace John Moloney Fergus Slattery (2)
1977	New Zealand	1–3	Willie Duggan Philip Orr
1980	South Africa	1–3	Ollie Campbell Rodney O'Donnell Philip Orr (2) John Robbie Tony Ward
1983	New Zealand	0–4	Ollie Campbell (2) Hugo MacNeill
1989	Australia	2–1	Paul Dean Brendan Mullin
1993	New Zealand	1–2	Vince Cunningham Nick Popplewell
1997	South Africa	2–1	Eric Miller
2001	Australia	1–2	Brian O'Driscoll Malcolm O'Kelly
2005	New Zealand	0–3	Shane Byrne Gordon D'Arcy Denis Hickie Shane Horgan Brian O'Driscoll (2) Malcolm O'Kelly (2)
2009	South Africa	1–2	Gordon D'Arcy (2) Luke Fitzgerald Jamie Heaslip Rob Kearney Brian O'Driscoll (3)
2013	Australia	2–1	Cian Healy Jamie Heaslip (2) Rob Kearney (2) Seán O'Brien Brian O'Driscoll (4) Johnny Sexton
2017	New Zealand	1–1–1	Tadhg Furlong Robbie Henshaw Jack McGrath Seán O'Brien (2) Johnny Sexton (2)
2021	South Africa	1–2	Jack Conan Tadhg Furlong (2) Robbie Henshaw (2) Ronan Kelleher Andrew Porter

Notable overseas players

The following is a list of non-Irish qualified representative Leinster players:

Nation	Player	Season(s)
Argentina	Felipe Contepomi	2003/04 – 2008/09
	Mariano Galarza	2010
	Juan Gomez	2007/08 – 2008/09
Australia	Shaun Berne	2009/10 – 2010/11
	Kane Douglas	2014/15
	Rocky Elsom	2008/09
	Scott Fardy	2017/18 – 2020/21
	Owen Finegan*	2006/07
	Joe Tomane	2018/19 – 2019/20
	Lote Tuqiri	2013
	Chris Whitaker*	2006/07 – 2008/09
New Zealand	Matt Berquist	2011/12
	David Holwell	2005, 2008
	Jimmy Gopperth	2013/14 – 2014/15
	Charlie Ngatai	2022/23 –
	Ben Te'o†	2014/15 – 2015/16
	Brad Thorn*	2012
South Africa	Jason Jenkins	2022/23 –
	Zane Kirchner	2013/14 – 2016/17
	Ollie Le Roux	2007/08
	CJ van der Linde*	2008/09 – 2009/10
	Heinke van der Merwe*	2010/11 – 2012/13
Rest of the World	Vasily Artemiev	2006/07
	Adam Byrnes	2005/06
	Will Green	2005/06 – 2006/07
	Nathan Hines	2009/10 – 2010/11
	Isa Nacewa	2008/09 – 2012/13; 2015/16 – 2017/18
	Stan Wright	2006/07 – 2010/11
	Michael Alaalatoa	2021/22 – Present
	Fosi Pala'amo	2006/07
	Vakh Abdaladze	2017/18 – Present
* indicates World Cup winners
† Ben Te'o subsequently represented England at international level

Head coaches (professional era)

As of 19 April 2025^{[update][note 10]}

Coach	Season(s)	GP*	W	D	L	Win %	Loss %	Championships / Notes
Jim Glennon†[80]	1995/96 – 1996/97	14	9	0	5	64.29%	35.71%	Interprovincial Championship (1996)
Mike Ruddock[81]	1997/98 – 1999/00	34	16	0	18	47.06%	52.94%	Interprovincial Championship (1998)
Matt Willams[82]	2000/01 – 2002/03	46	31	3	12	67.39%	26.09%	United Rugby Championship (2002) Interprovincial Championship (2002)
Gary Ella[83]	2003/04	30	14	2	14	46.7%	46.7%
Declan Kidney[84]	2004/05	26	17	1	8	65.38%	30.77%
Gerry Murphy[85]	2004/05	3	2	0	1	66.67%	33.33%	Interim Coach
Michael Cheika[86]	2005/06 – 2009/10	134	88	4	42	65.67%	31.34%	European Cup (2009) United Rugby Championship (2008)
Joe Schmidt[87]	2010/11 – 2012/13	99	77	3	19	77.78%	19.19%	European Cup (2011, 2012) European Challenge Cup (2013) United Rugby Championship (2013)
Matt O'Connor[88]	2013/14 – 2014/15	61	40	5	16	65.57%	26.23%	United Rugby Championship (2014)
Leo Cullen	2015/16 – Present	282	223	4	55	79.08%	19.5%	European Cup (2018) United Rugby Championship (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) United Rugby Championship Coach of the year (2018, 2022) Irish Shield (2022, 2023, 2024)
Total	1995 – Present	728	516	22	190	70.88%	26.1%
*Games played are inclusive of matches played against touring international sides, but do not include friendlies against club opposition.
†Glennon was the Leinster head coach for two separate spells between 1992 and 1998, but only matches during the professional era are included in this table.[80]

Personnel honours and records

(correct as of 19 April 2025)^[89]

Bold indicates active player

Most tries Rank Player Tries 1 Shane Horgan 69 2 James Lowe 64 3 Brian O'Driscoll 61 4 Gordon D'Arcy 60 5 Denis Hickie 56 6 Dave Kearney 55 7 Luke McGrath 54 8 Isa Nacewa 47 Jordan Larmour 47 10 Seán Cronin 45

Most appearances Rank Player Apps 1 Cian Healy 289 2 Devin Toner 280 3 Gordon D'Arcy 257 4 Jamie Heaslip 229 Rhys Ruddock Luke McGrath 7 Leo Cullen 219 Rob Kearney 9 Seán Cronin 206 10 Shane Jennings 205

Most points Rank Player Points 1 Johnny Sexton 1,646 2 Felipe Contepomi 1,225 3 Ross Byrne 1,187 4 Ian Madigan 827 5 Isa Nacewa 706 6 Brian O'Meara 553 7 Fergus McFadden 444 8 Alan McGowan 372 9 Jimmy Gopperth 352 10 Shane Horgan 348

World Rugby Player of the Year

Inaugurated 2001

Season	Nominated	Winner
2001	Brian O'Driscoll	—
2002	Brian O'Driscoll (2)	—
2004	Gordon D'Arcy	—
2007	Felipe Contepomi	—
2009	Jamie Heaslip, Brian O'Driscoll (3)	—
2014	Johnny Sexton	—
2016	Jamie Heaslip (2)	—
2018	Johnny Sexton (2)	Johnny Sexton
2022	Johnny Sexton (3), Josh van der Flier[90]	Josh van der Flier[91]

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year

Inaugurated 2015

Nominated (3 nominees per year)

Season	Nominated	Winner
2018	Jordan Larmour	—
2022[90]	Dan Sheehan	—

World Rugby Junior Player of the Year

Inaugurated 2008 - awarded to World Rugby Under 20 Championship player of the tournament

Season	Nominated	Winner
2014	Garry Ringrose	—
2016	Max Deegan	Max Deegan

Europe

All players listed below are Irish unless otherwise noted.

ERC European Dream Team
The following Leinster players were selected in the ERC European Dream Team, an all-time dream team of Heineken Cup players over the first 15 years of professional European rugby. (1995–2010). Both O'Driscoll and Elsom were part of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup winning team.

Season(s)	Player	Position
2008–2009	Rocky Elsom*	Flanker
1999–2014	Brian O'Driscoll	Centre

* Elsom had the fewest Heineken Cup appearances in the team and was the only member born outside of Europe

European Player of the Year

Awarded annually since 2010-11

Season	Nominated	Winner
2010–11	Seán O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Isa Nacewa[92]	Seán O'Brien
2011–12	Rob Kearney, Johnny Sexton[93]	Rob Kearney
2012–13	Jamie Heaslip (2)[94]	—
2013–14	—	—
2014–15	Jamie Heaslip (3)[95]	—
2015–16	—	—
2016–17	Garry Ringrose	—
2017–18	Scott Fardy, Tadhg Furlong, Johnny Sexton (2)[96]	—
2018–19	Seán Cronin, Tadhg Furlong (2), Garry Ringrose (2)	—
2019–20	Tadhg Furlong (3), Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose (3)	—
2020–21	—	—
2021–22	Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, James Lowe[97]	Josh van der Flier[97]
2022–23	Caelan Doris (2), Josh van der Flier (2), Garry Ringrose (4), Jamie Osborne[98]	—
2023–24	Caelan Doris (3), Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe (2), Dan Sheehan[99]	—

European Cup Team of the Year
The following Leinster players were selected on the European Cup team of the year.

All players listed below are Irish unless otherwise noted. Inaugurated 2020-21.

Season	Irish players	Foreign players
2020–21	Rónan Kelleher, Josh van der Flier	—
2021–22	Rónan Kelleher (2), Tadhg Furlong, Ross Molony, Josh van der Flier (2), Johnny Sexton, James Lowe, Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan[100]	—
2023–24	Joe McCarthy, Caelan Doris, James Lowe (2)[101]	—

Rugby Champions Cup player records

Most tries Rank Player Tries 1 Brian O'Driscoll 33 2 James Lowe 30 3 Shane Horgan 27 4 Gordon D'Arcy 26 5 Denis Hickie 19

Most appearances Rank Player Apps 1 Cian Healy 116 2 Gordon D'Arcy 104 3 Brian O'Driscoll 87 Shane Horgan 87 5 Jamie Heaslip 85

Most points Rank Player Points 1 Johnny Sexton 728 2 Ross Byrne 372 3 Felipe Contepomi 352 4 Alan McGowan 225 5 Brian O'Meara 192

Statistics do not include European Rugby Challenge Cup matches. Updated as of 14 April 2025.^{[102][103][104]}

Rugby Champions Cup Individual Season Records

Top Try Scorer Season Player Tries 2004–05 Shane Horgan 8 2008–09 Brian O'Driscoll 5 2016–17 Isa Nacewa 7 2018–19 Seán Cronin 6 2021–22 James Lowe 10 2022–23 Josh van der Flier 6 2023–24 James Lowe 6

Top Point Scorer Season Player Points 2005–06 Felipe Contepomi 129 2010–11 Johnny Sexton 138 2011–12 Johnny Sexton (2) 103 2014–15 Ian Madigan 113 2021–22 Johnny Sexton (3) 83

The players listed above were the top try-scorers and points-scorers for the European Rugby Champions Cup in a given season.^[105]

United Rugby Championship

All players listed below are Irish unless otherwise noted. Inaugurated 2006-07.

United Rugby Championship Team of the Year
The following Leinster players were selected on the Pro 14/URC team of the year.

Season	Irish players	Foreign players
2006–07	Jamie Heaslip, Gordon D'Arcy, Denis Hickie	Felipe Contepomi
2007–08	Jamie Heaslip (2), Leo Cullen, Bernard Jackman, Malcolm O'Kelly	Felipe Contepomi (2), Ollie Le Roux, Stan Wright
2008–09	Jamie Heaslip (3), Brian O'Driscoll	Rocky Elsom
2009–10	Jamie Heaslip (4), Brian O'Driscoll (2), Leo Cullen (2)	—
2010–11	Jamie Heaslip (5), Richardt Strauss, Seán O'Brien, Mike Ross	Isa Nacewa
2011–12	Richardt Strauss (2)	Isa Nacewa (2)
2012–13	Ian Madigan	—
2013–14	Seán Cronin, Jordi Murphy, Rhys Ruddock[106]	—
2014–15	—	—
2015–16	Josh van der Flier	Isa Nacewa (3), Ben Te'o
2016–17	Jack Conan, Dan Leavy	—
2017–18	Andrew Porter, Jack Conan (2), Jordan Larmour	Scott Fardy, James Lowe
2018–19	—	Scott Fardy (2)
2019–20	Will Connors, Max Deegan	Scott Fardy (3)
2020–21[107]	Michael Bent, Dave Kearney, Scott Penny	—
2021–22[108]	Ross Byrne	—
2022–23[109]	Ross Byrne (2), Scott Penny (2), Dan Sheehan	—
2023–24[110]	Jordan Larmour (2)	—

United Rugby Championship Player Records

Category	Player	Total
Tries	Dave Kearney	48
Appearances	Devin Toner	191
Points	Johnny Sexton	887
Successful Conversions & Penalties	Johnny Sexton	312

Updated 04 March 2023^[111]

United Rugby Championship Golden Boot
The Golden Boot is awarded to the kicker who has successfully converted the highest percentage of place kicks during the 22-week regular Pro12 season. To be eligible, the player must have taken at least 20 kicks at goal. The prize has been awarded annually since 2012. (Percentage success rate in brackets)

Season	Winner	Percentage
2011-12	Johnny Sexton	90%
2012-13	Ian Madigan	87%
2014-15	Ian Madigan	87%

United Rugby Championship Individual Awards

Category	Player	Season	Total
Top Try Scorer	Shane Horgan, Girvan Dempsey (Joint)	2001–02	7
	Jamie Heaslip (Joint)	2006–07	7
	Barry Daly	2017–18	12
	Scott Penny (Joint)	2020–21	9
Top Point Scorer	Felipe Contepomi	2005-06	287
	Felipe Contepomi (2) (Joint)	2008-09	161
	Ian Madigan	2012–13	186
Players' Players of the Year	Dan Sheehan	2022-23	N/A
Young Player of the Year	Joey Carbery	2016–17	N/A
	Jordan Larmour	2017–18	N/A
	Caelan Doris	2019–20	N/A
	Scott Penny	2020–21	N/A
Coach of the Year	Leo Cullen	2017–18	N/A
	Leo Cullen (2)	2021–22[112]	N/A

United Rugby Championship Team Awards

• 2010–11: Fairplay Award
• 2011–12: Fairplay Award

End-of-season club awards

Season	Player of the Year	Young Player of the Year	Supporters' Player of the Year
2006–07	Gordon D'Arcy	Luke Fitzgerald, Felix Jones	–
2007–08	Bernard Jackman	Luke Fitzgerald	Keith Gleeson
2008–09[113]	Rocky Elsom	Cian Healy	Felipe Contepomi
2009–10[114]	Jamie Heaslip	Rhys Ruddock	Shane Jennings
2010–11[115]	Isa Nacewa	Eoin O'Malley	Shane Horgan
2011–12[116]	Rob Kearney	Ian Madigan	–
2012–13[117]	Ian Madigan	Jordi Murphy	–
2013–14[118]	Jack McGrath	Marty Moore	–
2014–15[119]	Seán Cronin	Jack Conan, Peter Dooley	–
2015–16[120]	Ben Te'o	Josh Van Der Flier	–
2016–17[121]	Luke McGrath	Joey Carbery	Isa Nacewa
2017–18[122]	Dan Leavy	James Ryan	Dan Leavy
2018–19[123]	James Ryan	Max Deegan	Seán Cronin
2019–20[124]	Garry Ringrose	Caelan Doris	–
2020–21[125]	Robbie Henshaw	Ronan Kelleher	Josh van der Flier
2021–22[126]	Josh van der Flier	Dan Sheehan	Ciarán Frawley
2022–23[127]	Caelan Doris	Scott Penny	Garry Ringrose
2023–24[128]	Jamison Gibson-Park	Joe McCarthy	Joe McCarthy

See also

• Rugby union in Ireland
• History of rugby union matches between Leinster and Connacht
• History of rugby union matches between Leinster and Munster
• History of rugby union matches between Leinster and Ulster

Notes

1. Leinster awarded a walkover as Toulon were unable to field a team following positive COVID-19 test results in the squad
2. Formerly known as Heineken European Cup
3. Formerly known as European Challenge Cup
4. Formerly known as Celtic League / Magners League / Pro12 / Pro14
5. Contested from 2022 to present
6. Contested from 1946 to 2002 – Bold indicates Grand Slam; * indicates shared title; years shown are season ending years
7. Contested from 2019 to 2020
8. Contested from 2009 to 2018
9. Representative side consisting of New Zealand soldiers who completed military service in World War II. Much of the squad went on to represent the All Blacks.
10. Original research sourced from http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/team/results/index.php