Leinster head coach Leo Cullen confirmed that flanker Will Connors, secondrow Brian Deeny, wing Jordan Larmour and centre Robbie Henshaw have all recovered from the injuries that kept them out of the end of season run-in last year and are available for selection ahead of Friday night’s opener United Rugby Championship (URC) opener against the Stormers in Cape Town (6pm Irish time).
Caelan Doris (shoulder) and Joe McCarthy, who had a procedure on a foot injury sustained while playing for the Lions, won’t be available for the early rounds of the URC, while Cullen also revealed that Hugo Keenan would be sidelined for three months following an operation on his groin.
Leinster officially announced a short-term senior contract for Jerry Cahir. The former Cistercian College Roscrea prop has made a name for himself over the last few years in the All-Ireland League, winning the Dublin University FC Player of the Year in 2024 and the Lansdowne FC Player of the Year in 2025.
He was involved with Leinster ‘A’ last season and was among the replacements in the IRFU 150 ‘A’ men’s interprovincial championship final against Ulster ‘A’, which Leinster won. His strong form has seen him involved with Leinster over the pre-season training and indeed, he came off the bench in the pre-season friendly against Cardiff two weeks ago.