Leinster

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Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has signed a two-year contract extension with the Irish province.

The new deal will keep the 46-year-old with Leinster until 2027.

Former Ireland lock Cullen has won four United Rugby Championship titles and one Champions Cup in his nine years in charge in Dublin.

"I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to continue in my role as head coach of Leinster Rugby," Cullen said after signing his contract extension.

"We are lucky to have a fantastic group of players and staff here at Leinster who I enjoy going to work with every day."

While Cullen, who won 32 caps for Ireland, has tasted European success with Leinster - winning the Champions Cup in 2018 - the Irish province has lost the last three finals.

"Yes, we have come up short in the last three years and while we are very conscious of that fact, my remit and that of the club in making a head coach appointment, is to also look beyond that," said Leinster CEO Shane Nolan.

"We are consistently competing in finals year after year, we continue to develop exciting homegrown talent from our pathways, and when we do look externally for coaching or player recruitment, we continue to attract the highest calibre of talent to our club who are excited to work with Leo."

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The Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] has confirmed that a provincial 'A' championship will return next month.

The competition will see second string sides from each of the four provinces meet each other home and away between November and May in an effort to give those not featuring regularly in the United Rugby Championship game-time through the season.

"We’re delighted to kickstart the men’s ‘A’ Interprovincial championship which will provide a host of players with a further means of developing in a meaningful competition," said the IRFU's performance director David Humphreys.

"With the success of the Emerging Ireland tours, coupled with the return of an ‘A’ international against England next year, it is vital that we continue to provide players at provincial and club levels with opportunities to impress outside of the traditional URC and EPCR fixture windows.

"Discussions have been ongoing for some time to provide players with meaningful games and all four provinces are unanimously supportive of this competition."

Ulster will start their campaign by welcoming Connacht to Ballymacarn Park, the home of Ballynahinch RFC, on 22 November with Humphreys adding it is hoped the competition will benefit All-Ireland League clubs.

"It is also great to see provinces taking matches around their local clubs," he said.

"It is anticipated that as the competition progresses over the coming seasons these fixtures won’t clash with Energia All-Ireland League fixtures for the most part, thus potentially also offering players from the club game with an opportunity to impress.

"This competition will form another important part of the representative pathway from Energia AIL to URC levels for Academy players upwards over the coming seasons."

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Leinster will go into the international break top of the United Rugby Championship after beating the Lions 24-6 at the Aviva Stadium for their sixth win from six games played this season.

Leo Cullen's men did, however, drop their first point of the campaign having failed to collect a four-try bonus for the first time in 2024-25.

All six points for the South African visitors, who came into this round second in the table, came from the boot of Kade Wolhunter.

Less than two weeks from Ireland meeting New Zealand at the same ground, Leinster were able to call on a healthy number of their Test contingent for the top of the table meeting.

It was one of those Irish internationals who scored the only try of the first-half, Josh van Der Flier wriggling his way across the whitewash after Caelan Doris had been stopped short just prior.

Before that try in the 32nd minute, the only scoring of the first half had come through penalties, one for Leinster's Sam Prendergast and a pair from the Lions' Wolhunter.

The second half proved to be a similarly tight affair as conditions worsened.

While James Lowe was just unable to ground Prendergast's grubber kick beyond the try line, it took until almost the hour mark for the first points after the turn.

With Doris having made the carry that preceded Van der Flier's score in the first half, this time it was the openside flanker swivelling to pass to his number eight to set up the try for the new Irish captain.

As the Lions' charge faded despite a battling performance, Leinster had already made the victory safe by the time, with the last play of the game, they were awarded a penalty try when their maul was illegally stopped when driving over the line.

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Munster and Leinster have named strong teams boasting plenty of Ireland players for their United Rugby Championship matches against South African opposition on Saturday.

Munster have named Calvin Nash, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey and Tadhg Beirne to start against the Sharks in Durban (15:00 BST), while Leinster have included a host of their Test players for their top-of-the-table clash with the Lions at Aviva Stadium (17:15).

Munster boss Graham Rowntree makes four changes from last week's loss to the Stormers with Rory Scannell, Casey, Stephen Archer and John Hodnett all recalled.

Caelan Doris, who was this week named Ireland captain for next month's autumn internationals, skippers a Leinster side featuring Robbie Henshaw for the first time this season. Henshaw will be partnered in midfield by Hugh Cooney, who makes his first senior start.

With Ciaran Frawley not included after his injury against Connacht last weekend, Sam Prendergast - who was included in the Ireland squad this week - starts at fly-half for Leo Cullen's side.

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Sean O’Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Jack O’Donoghue.

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Kieran Ryan, Ronan Foxe, Fineen Wycherley, Ruadhan Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Billy Burns, Alex Kendellen.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Andrew Osborne; Hugh Cooney, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Michael Milne, Gus McCarthy, Rabah Slimani; RG Snyman, Ryan Baird; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Stephen Smyth, Andrew Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Brian Deeny, James Culhane, Cormac Foley, Ross Byrne, Charlie Tector.

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Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber has clarified his comments about the prospect of him returning to South Africa's coaching set-up in the future.

Nienaber helped the Springboks win back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2019 and 2023 before joining the Irish province as a senior coach last year.

Speaking to the Irish media on Monday before Leinster's United Rugby Championship game against South African side Lions on Saturday, Nienaber - who is under contract at Leinster until 2026 - appeared to indicate that he had no plans to rejoin the Springboks.

But posting on X, Nienaber said he is happy at Leinster without dismissing "what might come down the line".

He wrote: "Hey guys - I was asked yesterday in media about life at Leinster and being a club coach day to day...but headlines can be misleading.

"It is absolutely the right time for me, my family and my coaching journey, and being tested daily, to be here now.

"But that is not to dismiss what I did before now, what I loved to do before now or to dismiss what might come down the line.

"But for now, I am happy here at Leinster. My full quotes reflect that. Not the headlines!"

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Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw will be available to make his seasonal debut when Leinster host the Lions at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The United Rugby Championship fixtures this weekend are the last provincial action before Ireland host New Zealand on 8 November.

Henshaw has not played since Ireland beat South Africa in Durban last July with what was described as a "minor injury".

Fly-half Ciaran Frawley, who delivered the winning drop goal in that game, sustained an ankle injury during Leinster's win over Connacht on Saturday.

His province have, however, described the knock as "not serious", although it will be further assessed this week with a view to whether he can feature at the Aviva on Saturday.

Connacht's Mack Hansen missed the same interprovincial derby with a hip injury sustained against Ulster this month but the 26-year-old is expected to train this week.

The winger missed both the Six Nations and Ireland's tour of South Africa so has not played for the national side since the World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand over a year ago.

Andy Farrell will name his Ireland squad for November on Wednesday. His side will travel to Portugal for warm weather training before their autumn fixtures against the All Blacks, Argentina, Fiji and Australia.

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James Ryan returns to the Leinster side to partner former Munster player RG Snyman in the second row for Saturday's sold-out interprovincial United Rugby Championship game at Croke Park (17:45 BST).

Ryan's inclusion is one of three changes from the team which started last weekend's 35-5 win over Benetton in Italy.

Liam Turner is selected on the wing, replacing the injured Jimmy O'Brien, and hooker Lee Barron comes in at hooker.

Munster make four personnel changes and one positional switch after securing a bonus-point win over Ospreys last week.

Fit-again centre Alex Nankivell returns from a shoulder injury after missing his side's last two games.

Sean O'Brien starts on the wing after returning from Emerging Ireland's tour to South Africa.

Prop Stephen Archer makes his first start of the season in place of injured tight-head Oli Jager, with Gavin Coombes returning to the starting XV at number eight and Jack O'Donoghue moving to blindside flanker in the absence of the injured Peter O'Mahony.

Mike Haley is fit to start at full-back while Tom Ahern is named among the replacements after recovering from an ankle injury suffered against Ulster in June.

Three academy players are included among the Munster replacements - prop Kieran Ryan, flanker Ruadhán Quinn and winger Shay McCarthy.

Leinster are top of the URC table after winning their opening three games while third-placed Munster are four points behind.

The match will be played in front of a sold-out crowd of 82,000 at the home of gaelic games in Ireland as Leinster's RDS home is being redeveloped.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Liam Turner, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Lee Barron, Tadhg Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne.

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Seán O’Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Kieran Ryan, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Ruadhán Quinn, Conor Murray, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy.

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Benetton (0) 5

Tries: Manfredi

Leinster (28) 35

Tries: penalty try, Frawley, Conan, Doris Cons: Frawley 3, R Byrne

Leinster continued their winning start to the United Rugby Championship season as they scored five tries to make it three bonus-point victories from three by defeating Benetton 35-5 at Stadio di Monigo on Saturday.

The Irish province had their extra point in the bag before the half-hour mark courtesy of a penalty try and converted scores by Conor Frawley, Jack Conan and Caelan Doris to lead 28-0 at half-time.

Mirco Spagnolo was penalised and yellow-carded for pulling down a maul short of the line and on the resumption of play Frawley burst through the Benetton defence to touch down under the posts.

Conan dotted down in the corner for try number three and fellow Ireland international back row Doris crashed over from five metres out. Frawley added three conversions.

The second period was much more closely contested as the hosts passed up several scoring opportunities before Marco Manfredi touched down from a driving maul in the 66th minute after Ryan Baird had been sin-binned for a cynical foul.

Replacement hooker Lee Barron crashed over for Leinster's fifth try late on, with Ross Byrne adding the extras to restore their 28-point advantage.

Leinster next face Munster in an Irish interprovincial derby at Croke Park on 12 October, while Benetton host the Sharks as they continue to chase a first win of the campaign.

Team line-ups

Benetton Treviso: Gallagher, Mendy, Menoncello, Fekitoa, Odogwu, Umaga, Garbisi, Spagnolo, Maile, Ferrari, N. Cannone, Favretto, Negri, Zuliani, Lamaro.

Replacements: Manfredi, Aminu, Avaca, Ruzza, Marini, L. Cannone, Uren, Marin.

Leinster: Keenan, J. O'Brien, Ringrose, J. Osborne, Lowe, Frawley, Gibson-Park, Porter, Kelleher, Furlong, J. McCarthy, Snyman, Conan, van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Barron, Milne, Clarkson, Baird, Deeny, Gunne, R. Byrne, Penny.

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Summer arrival RG Snyman will make his debut for a much-changed Leinster in Saturday's United Rugby Championship game against Benetton in Treviso (17:15 BST).

Leo Cullen's starting side has 12 changes in personnel from last weekend's 34-6 home win over the Dragons.

Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne and Jack Conan are the players to retain starting roles although all three switch positions.

Ireland stars Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park and Ciaran Frawley are drafted into the backs as Jordan Larmour, Liam Turner, Charlie Tector, Luke McGrath and Ross Byrne drop out of the starting line-up.

Lowe's inclusion sees O'Brien switching wings with Osborne moving to centre as Keenan starts at full-back.

Back row Conan is the only member of last week's starting pack retained although he switches from number eight to flanker because of the return of skipper Caelan Doris.

Internationals Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong replace Cian Healy, Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarkson in the front row.

Synman, who controversially moved from Munster to the Dublin-based side at the end of last season, will be partnered by Joe McCarthy in the second row as James Ryan and Brian Deeny drop out.

Doris and his fellow Ireland regular Josh van der Flier take over from Max Deegan and Will Connors in the back row.

Clarkson, Deeny and Ross Byrne are named on a replacements bench that includes Ireland player Ryan Baird.

Leinster comfortably beat the Dragons after edging out Edinburgh away in their opener while Benetton thumped 42-10 by champions Glasgow last weekend after a 20-20 draw with the Scarlets in their home opener.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, RG Snyman; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Brian Deeny, Fintan Gunne, Ross Byrne, Scott Penny.