City and Country: Dublin, Ireland

PRO Rugby Titles: 8.

Coach: Leo Cullen.

Captain: Johnny Sexton.

Stadium: Aviva Stadium, RDS Arena and Energia Park.

 

Leinster are the giants of Irish rugby with a history dating back over 140 years. They are by far the most successful of the four Irish clubs in both local and European competitions. They come into the United Rugby Championship with eight Pro14 titles behind them, including the last four as champions. Their squad includes a wealth of experience led by captain Johnny Sexton, their leading points scorer and who also captain’s Ireland. The legendary Brian O’Driscoll played for Leinster. The club had five of its players selected for the British and Irish Lions who toured South Africa in 2021. South Africans who have worn the Leinster jersey include Zane Kirchner, Ollie le Roux, CJ van der Linde, Richardt Strauss and Heinke van der Merwe.

 

If you want to sound like a local: The traditional Gaelic pronunciation of the club’s name is Rugbai Laighean. Good luck.

 

What you didn’t know: Their head coach Leo Cullen has the rare honour of having won a Champions Cup title as both a player and a coach for Leinster. Their backline coach is Felipe Contepomi who played flyhalf for Argentina and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2017.