2009–10 Leinster Rugby season

The 2009–10 Leinster Rugby season was Leinster's ninth competing in the Celtic League which they finished runners up in, alongside which they were competing in the 2009–10 Heineken Cup as defending champions until they were knocked out at the semi-finals by Stade Toulousain who went on to win the competition.

Leinster Rugby

2009–10 season
Manager	Michael Cheika
Captain	Leo Cullen
Celtic League	Runners-up
Heineken Cup	Semi-finalist
British and Irish Cup	Quarter-finals
Top try scorer	League: Shane Horgan (7) (Celtic League); Seán O'Brien (4) (Heineken Cup)
Top points scorer	League: Isa Nacewa (142) (Celtic League); Johnny Sexton (138) (Heineken Cup)
Highest home attendance	20,000 vs Clermont Auvergne 9 April 2010, RDS Arena
Lowest home attendance	11,836 vs Edinburgh 9 May 2010
Average home attendance	16,601
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2008–09 2011–12 →

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union John Fogarty Hooker Ireland Jason Harris-Wright Hooker Ireland Bernard Jackman Hooker Ireland Richardt Strauss Hooker South Africa Cian Healy Prop Ireland Ronan McCormack Prop Ireland Mike Ross Prop Ireland CJ van der Linde Prop South Africa Stan Wright Prop Cook Islands Leo Cullen (c) Lock Ireland Nathan Hines Lock Scotland Trevor Hogan Lock Ireland Malcolm O'Kelly Lock Ireland Devin Toner Lock Ireland Shane Jennings Flanker Ireland Kevin McLaughlin Flanker Ireland Seán O'Brien Flanker Ireland Rhys Ruddock Flanker Ireland Jamie Heaslip Number 8 Ireland Stephen Keogh Number 8 Ireland

Player Position Union Chris Keane Scrum-half Ireland Paul O'Donohoe Scrum-half Ireland Eoin Reddan Scrum-half Ireland Shaun Berne Fly-half Australia Johnny Sexton Fly-half Ireland Gordon D'Arcy Centre Ireland Fergus McFadden Centre Ireland Brian O'Driscoll Centre Ireland Eoin O'Malley Centre Ireland Luke Fitzgerald Wing Ireland Shane Horgan Wing Ireland Simon Keogh Wing Ireland Isa Nacewa Wing Fiji Girvan Dempsey Fullback Ireland Rob Kearney Fullback Ireland Andrew Conway Fullback Ireland

Coaching and management team

Position	Name	Nationality
Head Coach	Michael Cheika	Australia
Consultant Coach	Alan Gaffney	Australia
Backs Coach	Chris Whitaker	Australia
Forwards Coach	Jono Gibbes	New Zealand
Defence Coach	Kurt McQuilkin	New Zealand
Chief Executive	Mick Dawson	Ireland
Physiotherapist	James Allen	Ireland
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Jason Cowman	Ireland
Chief Scout	Guy Easterby	Ireland
Baggage Master	Patrick Moloi	Botswana

Transfers

In

Player	From	Source
Shaun Berne	Bath Rugby	RTE
Nathan Hines	USA Perpignan	RTE
Eoin Reddan	London Wasps	RTE
Mike Ross	NEC Harlequins	RTE
Rhys Ruddock	Ospreys

Out

Player	To	Source
Felipe Contepomi	Toulon Rugby	BBC
Rocky Elsom	Brumbies	RTE
Felix Jones	Munster Rugby	Magners League
Cameron Jowitt	NSW Waratahs
Chris Whitaker	Retired

Pre-Season Results

Date	Home team	Score	Away Team	Score	Venue
21 August 2009	Rugby Nice	10	Leinster	38	Stade des Arboras, Nice
28 August 2009	Leinster	8	London Irish	24	Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin

2009–10 Magners League Fixtures/Results

Key to colours

	Magners League Semi-Final
	Magners League Final

Date	Home team	Score	Away Team	Score	Venue
5 September 2009	Scarlets	18	Leinster	16	Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
12 September 2009	Leinster	23	Newport Gwent Dragons	14	RDS Arena, Dublin
18 September 2009	Ospreys	11	Leinster	18	Liberty Stadium, Swansea
26 September 2009	Edinburgh Rugby	19	Leinster	21	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
3 October 2009	Leinster	30	Munster	0	RDS Arena, Dublin
24 October 2009	Ulster	16	Leinster	14	Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast
31 October 2009	Leinster	23	Cardiff Blues	6	RDS Arena, Dublin
6 December 2009	Newport Gwent Dragons	30	Leinster	14	Rodney Parade, Newport
26 December 2009	Leinster	15	Ulster	3	RDS Arena, Dublin
20 February 2010	Leinster	27	Scarlets	14	RDS Arena, Dublin
21 February 2010	Cardiff Blues	20	Leinster	29	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
18 March 2010	Leinster	20	Glasgow Warriors	14	RDS Arena, Dublin
27 March 2010	Leinster	17	Connacht	14	RDS Arena, Dublin
2 April 2010	Munster	15	Leinster	16	Thomond Park, Limerick
16 April 2010	Leinster	20	Ospreys	16	RDS Arena, Dublin
21 April 2010	Connacht	27	Leinster	13	Galway Sportsgrounds, Galway
23 April 2010	Glasgow Warriors	30	Leinster	6	Firhill Stadium, Glasgow
7 May 2010	Leinster	37	Edinburgh Rugby	28	RDS Arena, Dublin
15 May 2010	Leinster	16	Munster	6	RDS Arena, Dublin
29 May 2010	Leinster	12	Ospreys	17	RDS Arena, Dublin

League table

Key to colours

Top four teams advance to playoffs.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Leinster	18	13	0	5	359	295	+64	27	29	1	2	55
2	Ospreys	18	11	1	6	384	298	+86	37	26	3	3	52
3	Glasgow Warriors	18	11	2	5	390	321	+69	31	24	2	1	51
4	Munster	18	9	0	9	319	282	+37	33	20	3	6	45
5	Cardiff Blues	18	10	0	8	349	315	+34	33	28	2	2	44
6	Edinburgh	18	8	0	10	385	391	−6	40	40	4	5	41
7	Newport Gwent Dragons	18	8	1	9	333	378	−45	32	37	3	2	39
8	Ulster	18	7	1	10	357	370	−13	39	35	4	2	36
9	Scarlets	18	5	0	13	361	382	−21	35	35	1	8	29
10	Connacht	18	5	1	12	254	459	−205	20	53	0	4	26
Correct as of 9 May 2010 Table from Magners League official site

Heineken Cup Fixtures/Results

Round	Date	Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Venue
Pool Stage	9 October 2009	Leinster	9	London Irish	12	RDS Arena, Dublin
Pool Stage	17 October 2009	CA Brive	13	Leinster	36	Stade Amédée-Domenech, Brive-la-Gaillarde
Pool Stage	12 December 2009	Scarlets	7	Leinster	32	Parc y Scarlets, Pemberton
Pool Stage	19 December 2009	Leinster	39	Scarlets	7	RDS Arena, Dublin
Pool Stage	16 January 2010	Leinster	27	CA Brive	10	RDS Arena, Dublin
Pool Stage	23 January 2010	London Irish	11	Leinster	11	Twickenham Stadium
Quarter Final	9 April 2010	Leinster	29	Clermont Auvergne	28	RDS Arena, Dublin
Semi Final	1 May 2010	Stade Toulousain	26	Leinster	16	Stade Municipal, Toulouse

Pool Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
Leinster (4)	6	4	1	1	19	154	60	+94	4	22
Scarlets (7)	6	4	0	2	12	116	147	−29	1	17
London Irish	6	3	1	2	16	150	94	+36	3	17
Brive	6	0	0	6	7	68	177	−109	1	1

Knock-out stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	10 April – Estadio Anoeta
	Biarritz	29
					2 May – Estadio Anoeta
	Ospreys	28
					Biarritz	18
	10 April – Thomond Park
					Munster	7
	Munster	33
									22 May – Stade de France
	Northampton	19
									Biarritz	19
	11 April – Stadium Municipal
									Toulouse	21
	Toulouse	42
					1 May – Stadium Municipal
	Stade Français	16
					Toulouse	26
	9 April – RDS Arena
					Leinster	16
	Leinster	29
	Clermont Auvergne	28

External links

• Official Leinster website