Deegan Promoted To Senior Contract As Leinster Academy Panel Is Confirmed

Leinster Rugby have confirmed their Academy panel for the 2017/18 season as well as a new addition to their senior ranks. Eight players in total will join the Academy from July 1.

The list of Year One players includes Jack Aungier (St. Fintan’s High School), Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College), Ronan Kelleher (UCD), Gavin Mullin (UCD), Tommy O’Brien (UCD), Hugh O’Sullivan (Belvedere College) and Ciaran Frawley (UCD).

Dowling, Doris, Kelleher, Mullin and Frawley were all part of Peter Malone’s Ireland Under-20 squad that competed in the recent World Rugby U-20 Championship in Georgia.

Leinster Rugby Academy Manager Peter Smyth also announced that Max Deegan has signed a senior contract for next season, bringing to eight the number of Academy players promoted to the Leinster senior squad.

As a result, the former Ireland Under-20 back rower joins the previously-announced Ross Byrne, Joey Carbery, Nick McCarthy, Rory O’Loughlin, Andrew Porter, James Ryan and Peadar Timmins in making the step up.

Of the eight players confirmed by Smyth as graduating to senior contracts, only second row Ryan has yet to make his competitive Leinster debut. However, he already made his Ireland Test debut when coming off the bench and scoring a try against the USA on June 10, and picked up his second cap against Japan last Saturday.

In a further update, David O’Connor has been released from his Leinster Academy contract to pursue other opportunities, while Jack Power is joining the Munster Academy.

Smyth, the Leinster Rugby Academy Manager, said: “This is a hugely exciting time in the lives of these young professionals. Some of them are just after competing in a World Rugby Championship with the Ireland U-20s which is a huge honour, and they are all now looking forward to pre-season with Leinster up in UCD.

“They are all a credit to their schools, their clubs, their families and we very much look forward to welcoming them to UCD in July and to seeing where the journey takes us all. I would also like to give credit to the staff in the Leinster sub-Academy and at the Academy who have played a massive part in the journey until now.

“Finally, I would like to wish the eight Academy graduates the very best of luck as they embark on their professional rugby careers and wish David and Jack every success for the future. Both players are talented individuals and have been great young men to work with and I have no doubt that they will find success elsewhere.”

MAX DEEGAN PLAYER BIOG:

DOB: October 1, 1996
Height: 1.93m (6ft 3in)
Weight: 109kg (17st 1lb)
Club: Lansdowne
Honours: Leinster (3 caps) and 2016 World Rugby Under-20 Player of the Tournament

LEINSTER RUGBY 2017/18 ACADEMY PANEL:

Year Four –

Ian Fitzpatrick

Year Three –

Oisin Heffernan
Jeremy Loughman
Sean McNulty
Josh Murphy
Charlie Rock

Year Two –

Will Connors
Hugo Keenan
Jack Kelly
Terry Kennedy
Jordan Larmour
Conor O’Brien
Jimmy O’Brien

Year One –

Jack Aungier
Oisin Dowling
Caelan Doris
Ciaran Frawley
Ronan Kelleher
Gavin Mullin
Tommy O’Brien
Hugh O’Sullivan