The Leinster Listen

Episode 59, and the club season is done — back-to-back URC champions, Leo Cullen's departure announced, and now the focus shifts to Andy Farrell's Ireland squad heading south for the inaugural Nations Championship. Jack Crowley is ruled out, which leaves four fly-halves in the squad: Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne, Ciarán Frawley, and Nathan Doak — the Ulster scrum-half who can also play 10. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🎙️ Discussion Point; Andy Farrell's Four Fly Halfs — Crowley ruled out, Prendergast's Grand Final form, Byrne's Champions Cup credentials, Frawley's South Africa tour experience, Doak's versatility at 9 and 10, and who starts in Sydney, Newcastle, and Auckland.
🏉 Next game; Ireland's Nations Championship Southern Series — Australia (4 July, Sydney), Japan (11 July, Newcastle), and New Zealand (18 July, Eden Park).

Episode 58, and Leinster are back-to-back BKT United Rugby Championship champions after a stunning 36-7 hammering of the Vodacom Bulls at Croke Park on Friday night. Déjà vu from last year's final — five tries, 22-0 at half-time, and Sam Prendergast running the show on the night we saved our best rugby for the biggest stage. James Lowe, Rieko Ioane, Luke McGrath, and Jerry Cahir bow out as winners. And then Monday brought the news: Leo Cullen will leave as head coach when his contract ends at the end of next season. One more year, one more shot at adding to the legacy. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏆 BKT United Rugby Championship match results; The Grand Final at Croke Park — Leinster 36-7 Vodacom Bulls, 39,184 in the ground, and a repeat of last year's decider.
🔥 Overall opinion of the game; Why this felt like the performance we'd been waiting for all season — Bulls indiscipline, Doris off early, Conan stepping up, and Prendergast at his absolute best. 📋 Analysis of the game events; Moodie and le Roux yellows, O'Brien's opening try, Ioane and Conan, Prendergast's snipe, Lowe's farewell yellow, Moodie's consolation, the disallowed Bulls tries, and Byrne sealing it.
🗺️ BKT United Rugby Championship positioning after this weekend; Back-to-back titles, a record 10th league crown, the Bulls' fourth final defeat in five years — and the domestic season is done.
🎙️ Discussion Point; Leo Cullen to leave Leinster at the end of 2026/27 — his accomplishments as a player (221 caps, three European Cups as captain, Ireland skipper) and as head coach (seven trophies in 11 years, 2018 Champions Cup, back-to-back URC titles, and the recruitment search already underway).

Episode 57, and we're back at Croke Park for the BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final, an exact repeat of last year's decider as Leinster defend their title against the Vodacom Bulls on Friday night. Leo Cullen has named a side with Tadhg Furlong returning, Caelan Doris passed fit, and James Lowe starting in his final game for the province, while Johan Ackermann's Bulls arrive at full strength off the back of that remarkable 22-21 semi-final comeback in Edinburgh. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏟️ Details of our game; Kick-off, weather, why Croke Park and a Friday night, where to watch, and Andrea Piardi in the middle for his fourth consecutive URC decider.
📋 Team lineups; Full run-through of both confirmed matchday 23s. Furlong and Lowe in for Leinster, eleven Springboks in the Bulls XV, Porter out, and the 5-3 vs 6-2 bench splits.
🎯 Score and MOTM Prediction; The bookies' 2/5 and -6 handicap, semi-final form from both sides, my scoreline call, and who I've gone for as man of the match.
🏉 Discussion Point; Club Rugby in mid June — why the season shouldn't run this late, Croke Park vs the Aviva, Metallica, ticket prices, empty seats, and whether anyone can afford to show up in Dublin.

Episode 56 is a different kind of show — a year in review across Leinster, the URC, the Investec Champions Cup, Irish rugby, and the wider game. Three sections, headline-style — I'm talking through it naturally, not reading a script.
🏉 Leinster news — From the Cape Town shutout to Bordeaux heartbreak, the Lions demolition, the Stormers semi, Nienaber's press conference, and a big academy year.
👩‍🦰 Women's rugby — Celtic Challenge playoffs, Wolfhounds three-in-a-row, both Women's Six Nations campaigns, and Aoife Dalton's form.
🌍 Wildcard — Robertson sacked, shock Six Nations results, doping scandals, Moana Pasifika folding, and the Ospreys lie detector row.

We did it! I'm back for Episode 55, and Leinster are through to the BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final after a hard-fought 20-11 win over the DHL Stormers at the Aviva Stadium. It wasn't pretty at times — but when the stakes were highest, the boys in blue found a way. Here is what I'm hitting on this week's episode:
🏆 BKT United Rugby Championship match results; My run-through of both semi-finals this weekend — Glasgow Warriors vs the Bulls in Edinburgh, and our tense Dublin showdown with the Stormers.
🔥 Overall opinion of the game; Why this felt like the story of our season in microcosm — strong start, Stormers fightback, indiscipline deciding it, and Jamison Gibson-Park delivering when it mattered most.
📋 Analysis of the game events; Rieko Ioane's early try, Sam Prendergast's boot, Adré Smith's Stormers response, Ruan Ackermann's red card, Salmaan Moerat's yellow, and Gibson-Park's late seal-the-deal score.
🗺️ BKT United Rugby Championship positioning after this weekend; Leinster vs the Bulls at Croke Park on Friday 19 June — a repeat of last year's final and a shot at back-to-back titles on home soil.