Gloucester have announced the loan signing of Leinster centre Brendan Macken, 23, for the rest of the season after Henry Tinder picked up a season ending injury in their last fixture, a bonus point victory over London Welsh.

Tinder underwent surgery on his troublesome knee on Thursday and his return date is still to be decided. David Humphreys, meanwhile, wasted no time in utilizing his links in Irish Rugby to sign Macken.

“Looking towards the end of the season and the nature of some of the injuries we’ve had we felt we needed a little more depth.

“Brendan’s a player I’ve known for a number of years, obviously I’ve worked in Ireland and watched him playing for Leinster and he will bring something a little bit different to the squad.

“He’s still young, he still has a huge amount to prove and probably feels he hasn’t quite fulfilled the potential he showed as an 18 or 19-year-old.

“We have given him an opportunity and he will bring both pace and a physical presence to the midfield”, said Humphreys.

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Stringer in action for Bath earlier this season.

Bath and Ireland Scrum Half Peter Stringer has recently been linked with a move back to Ireland and put into a BLUE jersey. Er… what?!

Bath have previously announced that Stringer would be leaving the professional club after the end of this season. It has now been revealed that Matt O’Connor, Leinster Head Coach, has expressed his interest in signing the 37 year old ex-Munster scrum half.

Without a club for the 2015/16 season, Leinster could pinch 98 Irish capped player and put him in the blue jersey. With Eoin Reddan and Isaac Boss likely to be tied up at the start of the season with World Cup duties, this leaves only one scrum half in the Leinster senior team with Pro12 experience – Luke McGrath and another in the academy ranks with Ireland u20 experience – Nick McCarthy.

Speaking Earlier on in the Leinster press conference, O’Connor indicated that they are in the market for an experienced 9 in the likelihood that they will be caught short at the start of the season, and Mr. Stringer looks like a great option.

We’re probably in a position where we might lose two nines for the World Cup, going on current [Ireland] ranking. So anyone who comes onto the market is of interest to us. 

I think he [Stringer] is doing a great job for Bath. I think he’s been very good for them and if it was a World Cup slot, or whatever, well then it might be an opportunity for us. 

The idea of a Munster icon putting on the jersey of a rival province may sit badly with Munster fans, but for the sake of Irelands future, it might be the smart move. At Leinster, he could give invaluable experience to up and coming nines McGrath and McCarthy.

If Carlsberg did facial expressions….

At the same time, O’Connor also mentioned Irish Scrumhalf James Hart, who has been tearing it up on the French scene in the blue and red jersey of Grenoble. After failing to pick up an academy contract with Leinster, he moved to France, and under the tutelage of Bernard Jackman, has become a real contender for the 9 jersey. However, Hart is contracted to the alpine province until 2017.

James is a good player doing a good job for Grenoble. All those guys, especially the Irish-qualified ones, are of interest to us.

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Often hailed as an off the cuff player, Ian Madigan lived up to that billing with aplomb today as he caught Ulster cold with a moment of quick thinking.

Feigning to kick to touch, Madigan instead ran and burrowed his way in for a try, evading the would be tackles of Callum Black and Rodger Wilson.

The fly half’s moment of virtuoso craft proved key as Leinster would go on to defeat their interprovincial rivals, Ulster, by a score of 24-11.

Youtube Credit: Meatloaf Daly

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In case you didn’t already know it, Christian Wade is a veritable speed merchant.

If our word isn’t enough for you, ask Leinster’s Ian Madigan, the man whom the English winger burns for pace during Wasps Champions Cup defeat to Leinster last weekend.

This is a video, we suspect, Ian Madigan won’t want to see again.

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Hilariously, during Leinster’s Pro12 defeat to Munster recently, Isaac Boss, the Leinster scrum half, loses sight of the ball and goes on an impromptu search mission for it.

Boss does a 360 degree turn in search of the ball before he realized that ball was, where it invariably is, in the ruck.

Boss, born in New Zealand but capped by Ireland, has had a stellar career, but this surely isn’t one of his finer moments.

Clip Credit: Le Rugbynistere- Daily Motion

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Youtube Credit: Pro12Rugby

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After weeks of conjecture, it was today confirmed that Jonathan Sexton will return to his former club, Leinster, at the end of the current campaign.

After a year in France with Racing Metro, Sexton has decided the time was right for a return home and the news will surely delight both Michael O’Connor and Joe Schmidt, his coaches at Leinster and Ireland respectively, as well as the Irish Rugby Football Union who will be delighted that one of their most prized assets will be under their watch in the build up to the Rugby World Cup.

The news was broken by the Irish Independents Rugby correspondent, Ruaidhri O’Connor, and was soon followed by a statement from the Irishman’s current club, Racing Metro’s president, Jackie Lorenzetti.

Rumours were abound that Sexton was the subject of a mouth watering lucrative contract offer from Toulon, but, unusually, the French giants haven’t gotten their man.

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The Kearney’s, Rob and Dave, alongside Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip, the Leinster foursome who earlier this year to buy the famous Bellamy’s pub in Ballsbridge, have announced that their new pub will be known as The Bridge 1859

“We feel that The Bridge 1859 captures both – we’re located in Ballsbridge, and the building was first used as a pub in 1859. We also wanted a name that was easy to roll off the tongue standing in the RDS or the Aviva – let’s go to The Bridge for one, ” explained Jamie Heaslip

Sean O’Brien, Heaslip’s back-row partner for both Leinster and Ireland, is very enthusiastic about their new venture.

“I’ve always been interested in owning a pub and now that is has become a reality, I can’t wait to get behind the bar and pull a few pints!” said O’Brien.

“I’m looking forward to chatting with customers and hearing their thoughts on the place, ” mused the Tullow Tank.

We at RBP don’t know about you guy’s, but we definitely know where our new watering hole in Dublin is.

Article Source: The Irish Independent

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As per his interview with the Irish Times, Leinster coach Matt O’Connor is confident that one of the Dublin based teams new signings, Kane Douglas, will be available for the opening round of the Champions Cup.

The 25 year old Super Rugby winning lock is currently committed to NSW Country, who play in Australia’s second tier, The National Rugby Championship, but O’Connor is confident that the fourteen time capped Australian  lock will be available for selection soon rather than later.

“We’ve had a few positive conversations in relation to that and it will certainly be well in advance of that date,” Said the former Leicester Tigers’ backs coach to the Irish Times

“We’re just trying to work out the logistics of when that will actually be. There is a release process.

“We need to get him signed off by them. Nothing can happen until that’s achieved.

“All things being equal, that’s looking quite positive. It will be sooner rather than later”.

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According to reports in this morning’s Irish Independent, Lions and Irish fly half Jonathan Sexton will return to Leinster Rugby on a four year deal from next season.

Given that Sexton has opted for a return to Leinster Blue represents a significant coup for the RDS based side, given Racing  Metro’s intent to renew his current deal and mooted interest from Toulon who were supposedly keen on offering the Irishman a €900,000 per-annum contract to replace English legend Jonny Wilkinson.

Naturally, Irish coach Joe Schmidt, who knows Sexton from their time together at Leinster and, indeed, Ireland, will be delighted at the impending return of the fly half. Sexton returning to Ireland, means he will be an IRFU employee and will be part of the Irish Player management scheme, which should see him rested and primed in advance of the 2015 World Cup.

The French Top 14 is a grueling schedule and had Sexton remained at Racing he wouldn’t be afforded the same rest and recuperation periods that Irish international players receive as part of their contracts.

Sexton signed a two year contract with the Parisians in 2013 with an option of a third year after protracted negotiations with the IRFU broke down.

Together, Schmidt and Sexton have won several trophies at both Leinster and Ireland, and both men will hope that their partnership bares even more fruit from 2015 onwards.

Article Source: Irish Independent

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