Ulster Bank League profiles: UCD boast next crop of Leinster stars

“Our model is slightly different in that all the other players. All the players we have are students in the university. They start in first year and you hope they stay with UCD RFC for the duration of the degree.  We haven’t really recruited anyone else because you have to be a student to play.”

They have no shortage of talent in their ranks, the students, but that is not always good in a dynamic league of Division 1A’s nature.

The likes of Josh Van Der Flier, Ross Molony, James Tracy, Dan Leavy, Luke McGrath and Garry Ringrose cannot be relied on too much due to their provincial duties and players of their caliber will be sorely missed.