Kleyn, meanwhile, has scaled that mountain, but all five of his Ireland caps were accumulated in quick succession and during the last days of the Joe Schmidt regime. Unfortunately, it was an occasion when few players in the Irish ranks advanced their cases for promotion. He replaced his stricken Leinster team-mate Joe McCarthy early in the contest. Molony has managed to pull on the green jersey, but it occurred for Ireland 'A' against a New Zealand XV at the RDS in November. The 28-year-old has featured in plenty of training camps on Andy Farrell's watch, but that maiden Test cap has proven elusive. Highly-rated by management and team-mates, he is one of the few frontliners who has yet to achieve international honours. Molony is something of an outlier in this current Leinster squad. The term 'unseen work' is one of those classic rugby cliches which draws many an eye-roll, but it applies in this case. Molony and Kleyn are very much cut from the same cloth. Like apps working away in the background. Quietly, they will be integral to their respective team's chances this weekend. These hard-working, no-nonsense second rows share a lot of the same traits. United Rugby Championship, Rodney Parade, Newport, Wales Dragons vs Leinster Leinster’s Ross Molony. A pair of workhorses in the respective engine rooms. There won't be much chat about Ross Molony and Jean Kleyn, however. The news cycle will be relentless this week. Will James Ryan and Robbie Henshaw make the cut? How many of Munster's walking wounded will be able to make the journey up the M7?įacing Europe's top side on their home turf without Peter O'Mahony, RG Snyman and Conor Murray will be a tall order. There will be no shortage of opinion, discussion and analysis on the impact that Graham Rowntree, Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy have had on the province's tactical bluepoint.Īnd, of course, there will no shortage of updates and speculation on the various injury doubts in both camps. ![]() The fascinating back story of Antoine Frisch should get another airing. Craig Casey is further along the same road. You will hear plenty about Jack Crowley's growing stature as the club's frontline No10. Munster don't have the same marquee names, but Tadhg Beirne always commands respect. Munster v Leinster rarely disappoints, especially when there's something extra at stake. ![]() ![]() You will hear plenty this week about their headline acts, about Leo Cullen's calm leadership of the whole operation or Stuart Lancaster's couching nous, or the increasingly influential Andrew Goodman, the Kiwi assistant coach adding an extra layer to this squad's potent attack.
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