The Leinster Listen

Episode 77, and we're back on the men's side — Leinster's first game at the redeveloped Laya Arena in over two years. Zebre Parma visit Donnybrook on Saturday for a pre-season test event before the URC title defence kicks off against Cardiff on the 23rd. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏉 Pre-season context; Zebre's 21-21 draw with Benetton, Leinster's 31-29 loss at LOU Lyon, and what to expect from a capped-attendance friendly at the RDS
📋 Match details; kick-off, venue, weather, tickets, and the Laya Arena return after two seasons at the Aviva
👕 Team lineups; Zebre were too afraid to release theirs
🔮 Score prediction; Leinster 47-22, MOTM Caspar Gabriel

Episode 76, and the women's interpro season ends where Episode 75 feared it might — with Beth Buttimer and the Munster maul writing the script again. After the 39-19 Cork loss, the Connacht response, and an eleven-try rout of Ulster in Belfast, Sarah Delaney's Leinster side met Matt Brown's unbeaten champions at Dexcom Stadium for the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship final. Munster won 14-5, claimed their 17th title, and completed a second successive clean sweep. Ruth Campbell's injury and Leinster's red-zone wastefulness will sting long after Galway. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏉 Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship match results; Connacht vs Ulster in the third-place play-off and Leinster vs Munster in the championship final — plus the final standings after Finals Day.
📊 Overall opinion of the game; Prediction check from Episode 75, the maul question answered, Campbell's injury, and why Leinster could not turn territory into points.
🔍 Analysis of the game events; Scrums, lineouts, defence, and attack — with a full match timeline from Breen's early yellow to Buttimer's title-sealing maul try.
🏆 Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship positioning after this weekend; Munster's back-to-back titles, Ulster's play-off revenge, and what the 2026 table looks like now the competition is complete.
🎙️ Discussion Point; Leinster's preseason friendly with Lyon — quick opinion on the men's 31-29 loss at Gerland the night before Finals Day, the fringe-player runout, and whether the leaky edge defence is a concern before the URC.

Episode 75, and it's the one we've been building towards all month. After the Munster mauling in Cork, the Connacht response at Energia Park, and an eleven-try demolition of Ulster in Belfast, Sarah Delaney's Leinster side meet Matt Brown's unbeaten champions at Dexcom Stadium for the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship final. Fourth Leinster-Munster decider in four years — revenge for the 39-19 Round 1 loss and last year's 50-15 hammering, or another Munster coronation on the west coast. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏉 Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship Finals Day predictions; My calls for Connacht vs Ulster in the third-place play-off and Leinster vs Munster in the championship final — plus the final table after Round 3.
🏟️ Details of our game; Kick-off, Galway weather, Spórt TG4 coverage, and Finals Day referee appointments.
📋 Team lineups; Full confirmed XVs — Govender brings O'Brien and Jordan back with a 6:2 bench, Brown restores O'Leary and Cahill as Clohessy misses out.
🎯 Score and POTM Prediction; Form, the fourth final in four years, recent Leinster-Munster history, my scoreline call, and who I've gone for as player of the match.

Episode 74, and we're back with another Leinster Club Interview on The Leinster Listen — this time with Balbriggan RFC. A North Dublin junior club founded in 1925 at Bowhill in Balrothery, with men's sides in Leinster League Division 2A, women's teams in Division 1 and Division 6, thriving minis and youths, and a Stingers disability tag team, plus a history that runs from the 1928 Towns Cup to Alma Atagamen in the Ireland women's squad. Here is what we cover in this episode:
🏉 **Who they are**; name, role, and a club founded in 1925 on the Rope Walk and reborn through youths rugby in 1967
💚 **What makes them different**; green and white identity, North Dublin roots, and a club that helped pioneer youths rugby in Leinster
👩‍🦰 **Women's rugby**; Division 1 and 2XV sides, the 1990s team, the 2014 revival, and players like Alma Atagamen on the provincial and international stage
🤝 **Community and Leinster Rugby**; volunteers, minis and youths, the out reach and all the things Balbriggan do to bring Rugby to the area
🎯 **Challenges and ambition**; retaining players, competing for young talent, and where Balbriggan want to be in five years
📍 **How to join**; training on Tuesday and Thursday nights, youth and mini schedules, and how to get in touch via balbrigganrfc.com

Episode 73, and Leinster delivered the statement Belfast demanded. After the Munster mauling in Cork and the six-try response against Connacht at Energia Park, Govender's side needed a bonus-point win at Affidea Stadium to reach the Dexcom Stadium decider — and they produced eleven tries in a 75-5 rout. Robyn O'Connor scored five, Katie Whelan bagged a hat-trick, and Ruth Campbell took official player-of-the-match honours. Munster meanwhile stayed unbeaten with a 47-12 win over Connacht in Galway, setting up a fourth Leinster-Munster final in four years. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏉 Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship match results; Ulster 5-75 Leinster in Belfast and Connacht 12-47 Munster in Galway — plus the final table and Finals Day fixtures.
🎯 Prediction post-mortem; My Episode 72 call of Leinster 34-14 and Alma Atagamen for POTM vs the actual 75-5 scoreline and Ruth Campbell's official award.
📋 Match analysis; Eleven Leinster tries, Ulster's lineout woes, O'Connor and Whelan's eight-try Wexford partnership, and King's sin-bin that Ulster could not punish.
📊 Championship positioning; Munster unbeaten on 15 points, Leinster through to the final on 10, and Connacht vs Ulster in the third-place play-off.
📅 Next game; Leinster face Munster in the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship final at Dexcom Stadium, Galway on Saturday 29 August.