Felipe Contepomi has been voted Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Leinster Player of the month for December. Since returning from International duty Contepomi has put in some outstanding performances for Leinster in crucial games for the province against Bourgoin and against Cardiff Blues.
Leinster’s team for the trip to Bath this Saturday has been named and it includes Irish International Malcom O’Kelly who has recovered from the groin injury that had ruled him out of last weekend’s game against Munster. He comes into the side in place of Ben Gissing.
Munster won a war of attrition at a wet and windy Musgrave Park where they saw off Leinster to stay second in the League, a single point behind The Ospreys.
David Wallace will be available for Munster’s New Year’s Day clash with Leinster. Wallace has recovered enough from a neck injury to make the 26 man Munster squad but John Kelly hasn’t made the squad with Gaffney indicating that Kelly isn’t better just yet.
Leinster coach Declan Kidney is expected to name a full strength team to face Munster on New Year’s Day. Girvan Dempsey who missed Leinster last match returns to the squad which contains all of Leinsters Irish Internationals.
Today saw the first of two weekends of derbies in the Celtic League with Munster visiting Connacht and Ulster making the trip to Dublin to face Leinster. In the end it was the kickers, Paul Burke for Munster and Felipe Contepomi for Leinster who saw their teams to narrow victories.
Ulster coach Mark McCall has named a squad of 26 players from which he will name his match-day 22 on Sunday for the clash with Leinster on Monday.
Leinster have named their squad for Monday’s Celtic League clash with Ulster at Donnybrook. Brian O’Driscoll returns to the panel and – alongside Gordon D’Arcy - is expected to be named in the final 22 on Friday morning.
Following Christian Cullen’s win last month, David Holwell has become the second Kiwi to win this award. Holwell who joined Leinster this season has become an important part of the province’s back-line and has impressed at out-half scoring 49 points, comprising of a try, 10 penalty goals and seven conversions and earned two Man of the Match performances last month against Llanelli and Glasgow.
Leinster fans will have been delighted that Gordon D’Arcy has returned for the province and appears to not have been set back at all by his absense with a groin injury. D’Arcy came on late in the game against Cardiff yesterday and almost immediately made a break to seal a 15 points to 6 victory for Leinster.