Leinster Academy 19/20

[Longtimelurker]

Sub Academy Prospects front row:

Prop
Hugo O'Malley(Blackrock)
Aaron Rowan(Blackrock)
Jack Boyle(St. Michaels) - u19
Ben Popplewell(Wexford RFC) - u19
Sam Illo(Wesley/Old Wesley)
Temi Lasisi(Enniscorthy RFC.Lansdowne)
Shane Connolly(Roscrea)
James Power(St. Michaels)

Hooker
Lee Barron(St. Michaels)
Ronan Loughnane(Roscrea/UCD)
Levi Vaughan(Terenure/Terenure)
Callum Dowling(Clongowes)
Hugo Fitzgerald(Gonzaga)
Barry Gray(Carlow RFC) - u19

Ben Griffin? Was in the Ireland u19 squad

Would agree with Griffin. Some size and nearly sure not 19 until end of year. Would be interested in his development with a good coaching set up seeing as he only had 2 years in Castleknock.

[mildlyinterested]

Sub Academy Prospects:

Lock
Patrick Kieran(Greystones RFC)
Tom Mulcair(Clongowes)
Sean Walsh(Seapoint RFC) - u19
Ruairi Clarke(Cill Dara RFC) - u19
Mark Morrissey(Blackrock) - u19
Paul Deeny(Wexford RFC) - u19

Backrow
Aaron Coleman(Belvedere/DUFC)
Jack Barry(Gonzaga/Lansdowne)
Mark Boyle(Gorey RFC/Lansdowne)
Jack Guinane(St. Michaels)
Will Hickey(St. Michaels)
Conor Duffy(Tullow RFC) - u19
Conor McGroary(Newbridge)
Mark Dennis(Newbridge)

[hugonaut]

Hard to see anyone joining full academy straight from school given covid situation. Or at least not being announced officially. Cosgrave being the obvious player to do it along with Jack Boyle, tho Boyles youth probably being a factor against it happening for him.

Possible Academy class:
Marcus Hanan or Charlie Ward(LH Prop)
John McKee or Bobby Sheehan(Hooker)
Joe McCarthy(Lock)
Alex Soroka(Lokc-Blindside)
Sean O'Brien(Backrow)
Mark Hernan(Openside)
Andrew Smith(Wing)

I don't see us taking in an openside. We're really deep there and the age profile is very, very good with Josh VDF @ 27 years old, Leavy @ 25/26 years old, Connors @ 24 and Penny @ 20. Even sending both JVDF and Leavy to Irish squads, we've still got Connors and Penny, who both have test potential. In the Academy you've got Martin Molony, who the staff apparently really like – not the 'A+, best student ever' ratings that Penny got, but I've heard that he is competitive to a reckless degree and throws himself into everything like his life depends on it.

Not sure about the looseheads either. We could probably do with one, but Ward would have to be a standout player and an amazing athlete to play prop professionally at 5'9" and 110-112kg [he's currently 106kg] and he isn't that player or that athlete. My guess would be that they will sit this Michael's prop [Jack Boyle] in the sub-academy for a year and then bring him into the academy proper the following year.

Tough choice there with John McKee and Bobby Sheehan. McKee is unusual for a number of reasons - firstly, he has come down from Campbell College to play for Belvo and train in the sub-academy at Leinster. I can't recall any Ulsterman doing that in the pro era. Miller spent a season with Ulster when he came back to Ireland from Leicester, but he was a Dub. Secondly, McKee has spent a couple of years on the Irish U20s, but isn't first choice at hooker in his second year at the level.

I haven't seen Bobby Sheehan play, but have heard that he's good, and he's obviously huge - if he's 196cm and 111kg as a 19 year old front rower, you'd project him to be 120kg+ as a pro. That height is very atypical for a hooker though - 8cm taller than Malcolm Marx or John Smit or Bismarck du Plessis, the tallest hookers I can think of in the pro era, and a whopping 16cm taller than Tommy Lawton, the famously big hooker of the Aussie team of the 1980s.

@ Mildly Interested: What would be your take?

[mildlyinterested]

I'd be in favour of giving Hanan, Sheehan and Hernan contracts - Moloney has his injury problems and only a matter of time before depth at 7 is eroded. Dunno if they will though, hard to make calls on it due to irish u20's being cut short, could all be in for preseason on a trial basis to get evaluated again. Wait and see.

Agree on Boyle being a matter of time, he only recently turned 18 and probably needs a season in sub-academy to keep developing physically. Hanan is an interesting prospect and i'd like to see him given a season to see how he develops.

Sheehan is only around 3cm shorter than his brother Dan and has been playing hooker all the way up so not worried about him doing the basics of the position. Think he is worth a long look, his brother was also not much of a prospect as a u20 and look how he has matured. Then again they may wait on a hooker with Lee Barron at u19 level being a strong prospect. Difficult to project.

[mildlyinterested]

Sub Academy Prospects:

Scrumhalf
Ben Murphy(Pres Bray/Clontarf)
Rob Gilsenan(St. Michaels/UCD)
Matthew Cullen(Blackrock)
Will Reilly(Portloaise RFC/MU Barnhall)

Outhalf
Tim Corkery(Kilkenny RFC/UCD)
Justin Leonard(Belvedere/Old Belvedere)
Charlie Tector(Kilkenny) - u19
Fionn O'Hara(Mullingar RFC) - u19

[mildlyinterested]

Sub Academy Prospects:

Centre
Marcus Kiely(Newbridge)
Simon O'Kelly(St. Michaels)
Karl Martin(Boyne RFC/Old Belvedere) - u19

Back Three
Chris Cosgrave(St. Michaels)
Jamie Osborne(Naas RFC)
Josh O'Connor(Wexford RFC/UCD)
Donal Conroy(Newbridge)
Shane Mallon(Roscrea) - u19

[hugonaut]

I'd be in favour of giving Hanan, Sheehan and Hernan contracts - Moloney has his injury problems and only a matter of time before depth at 7 is eroded. Dunno if they will though, hard to make calls on it due to irish u20's being cut short, could all be in for preseason on a trial basis to get evaluated again. Wait and see.

Agree on Boyle being a matter of time, he only recently turned 18 and probably needs a season in sub-academy to keep developing physically. Hanan is an interesting prospect and i'd like to see him given a season to see how he develops.

Sheehan is only around 3cm shorter than his brother Dan and has been playing hooker all the way up so not worried about him doing the basics of the position. Think he is worth a long look, his brother was also not much of a prospect as a u20 and look how he has matured. Then again they may wait on a hooker with Lee Barron at u19 level being a strong prospect. Difficult to project.

I agree, just three Irish U20 matches makes it difficult to make a good guess/informed decision on 'maybe' candidates when looking from outside the system. I recall that Max Deegan didn't have a particularly bright start to his U20 Six Nations ... and he went on to win U20 World Player of the Year that year!

[neiliog93]

Hard to see anyone joining full academy straight from school given covid situation. Or at least not being announced officially. Cosgrave being the obvious player to do it along with Jack Boyle, tho Boyles youth probably being a factor against it happening for him.

Possible Academy class:
Marcus Hanan or Charlie Ward(LH Prop)
John McKee or Bobby Sheehan(Hooker)
Joe McCarthy(Lock)
Alex Soroka(Lokc-Blindside)
Sean O'Brien(Backrow)
Mark Hernan(Openside)
Andrew Smith(Wing)

I don't see us taking in an openside. We're really deep there and the age profile is very, very good with Josh VDF @ 27 years old, Leavy @ 25/26 years old, Connors @ 24 and Penny @ 20. Even sending both JVDF and Leavy to Irish squads, we've still got Connors and Penny, who both have test potential. In the Academy you've got Martin Molony, who the staff apparently really like – not the 'A+, best student ever' ratings that Penny got, but I've heard that he is competitive to a reckless degree and throws himself into everything like his life depends on it.

Not sure about the looseheads either. We could probably do with one, but Ward would have to be a standout player and an amazing athlete to play prop professionally at 5'9" and 110-112kg [he's currently 106kg] and he isn't that player or that athlete. My guess would be that they will sit this Michael's prop [Jack Boyle] in the sub-academy for a year and then bring him into the academy proper the following year.

Tough choice there with John McKee and Bobby Sheehan. McKee is unusual for a number of reasons - firstly, he has come down from Campbell College to play for Belvo and train in the sub-academy at Leinster. I can't recall any Ulsterman doing that in the pro era. Miller spent a season with Ulster when he came back to Ireland from Leicester, but he was a Dub. Secondly, McKee has spent a couple of years on the Irish U20s, but isn't first choice at hooker in his second year at the level.

I haven't seen Bobby Sheehan play, but have heard that he's good, and he's obviously huge - if he's 196cm and 111kg as a 19 year old front rower, you'd project him to be 120kg+ as a pro. That height is very atypical for a hooker though - 8cm taller than Malcolm Marx or John Smit or Bismarck du Plessis, the tallest hookers I can think of in the pro era, and a whopping 16cm taller than Tommy Lawton, the famously big hooker of the Aussie team of the 1980s.

@ Mildly Interested: What would be your take?

Scott Baldwin and Stuart McInally are both 190cm (about 6'3") but surely 196 cm (over 6'5") is too tall for a hooker?..

[johng]

I think he is about 6'2" not 6'5"

[mildlyinterested]

By my eye he is closer to 6'5 than 6'2, either way he is a big hooker:

[mildlyinterested]

Scott Baldwin and Stuart McInally are both 190cm (about 6'3") but surely 196 cm (over 6'5") is too tall for a hooker?..

well he has been playing AIL there since he left school and well.

[mildlyinterested]

Next man up for Leinster at TH Prop?

U20
Sam Illo(Wesley/Old Wesley)
Ben Griffin(Castleknock)
Shane Connolly(Roscrea)
U19
Rory McGuire(Blackrock)

[LeinsterLeader]

Next man up for Leinster at TH Prop?

U20
Sam Illo(Wesley/Old Wesley)
Ben Griffin(Castleknock)
Shane Connolly(Roscrea)
U19
Rory McGuire(Blackrock)

Anyone in that list 'marked for greatness' mildly?

[mildlyinterested]

Next man up for Leinster at TH Prop?

U20
Sam Illo(Wesley/Old Wesley)
Ben Griffin(Castleknock)
Shane Connolly(Roscrea)
U19
Rory McGuire(Blackrock)

Anyone in that list 'marked for greatness' mildly?

Illo has a lot of potential in the loose but is a work in progress elsewhere.
Griffin is interesting but needs a lot of work with his conditioning.

McGuire appears to be very highly rated, but is still in school and until I see him at u20 level it's hard to say.

Given Furlong, Porter and Clarkson.. leinster can afford to take some projects on and see if any workout.. Illo/Griffin fit that mold.

[Pilotman123]

I think he is about 6'2" not 6'5"

Those Irish u20s stats are always wrong, they’re unreliable, I stopped trusting them ever since I saw Liam Turner being listed as 6’0 and Aaron O’Sullivan being listed as 6’7

[mildlyinterested]

Could see Charlie Ward given a deal due to his ability to play loose and tight, granted his size at TH at pro rugby would be a concern..

Assuming of course he hasn't signed for Connacht?

[mildlyinterested]

I think he is about 6'2" not 6'5"

Those Irish u20s stats are always wrong, they’re unreliable, I stopped trusting them ever since I saw Liam Turner being listed as 6’0 and Aaron O’Sullivan being listed as 6’7

Brian Deeny, Cian Prendergast and Bobby Sheehan in 2018.

[neiliog93]

That's terrifying, he looks very good value for the 196 cm height listing in that pic..

[mildlyinterested]

Apparently a Leinster academy scrumhalf(PP?) did the bronco test in 4.06 mins

[Ruckedtobits]

That's terrifying, he looks very good value for the 196 cm height listing in that pic..

Bobby Sheehan is every cm of his Stats