2008–09 Leinster Rugby season

Leinster Rugby
	2008–09 season
Manager	Michael Cheika
Captain	Leo Cullen
Celtic League	3rd
Heineken Cup	Champions
British and Irish Cup	Quarter-finals
Top try scorer	All: Luke Fitzgerald (9)
Top points scorer	All: Felipe Contepomi (225)
Highest home attendance	18,500 vs Munster ; 28 September 2008
Lowest home attendance	10,910 vs Glasgow Warriors ; 25 April 2009
Average home attendance	15,466
← 2007–08	2009–10 →

The 2008–09 Leinster Rugby season was Leinster's eighth competing in the Celtic League alongside which they competed in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup. Though Leinster were ultimately to lose their Celtic League crown to rivals Munster, they were to cap a great year for Irish rugby with their victory over the Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup Final at Murrayfield.^[1]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player	Position	Union
John Fogarty	Hooker	Ireland
Bernard Jackman	Hooker	Ireland
Cian Healy	Prop	Ireland
Ronan McCormack	Prop	Ireland
CJ van der Linde	Prop	South Africa
Stan Wright	Prop	Cook Islands
Leo Cullen (c)	Lock	Ireland
Trevor Hogan	Lock	Ireland
Malcolm O'Kelly	Lock	Ireland
Cameron Jowitt	Lock	New Zealand
Devin Toner	Lock	Ireland
Rocky Elsom	Flanker	Australia
Shane Jennings	Flanker	Ireland
Kevin McLaughlin	Flanker	Ireland
Seán O'Brien	Flanker	Ireland
Jamie Heaslip	Number 8	Ireland
Stephen Keogh	Number 8	Ireland

Player	Position	Union
Chris Keane	Scrum-half	Ireland
Paul O'Donohoe	Scrum-half	Ireland
Chris Whitaker	Scrum-half	Australia
Felipe Contepomi	Fly-half	Argentina
Johnny Sexton	Fly-half	Ireland
Gordon D'Arcy	Centre	Ireland
Fergus McFadden	Centre	Ireland
Brian O'Driscoll	Centre	Ireland
Luke Fitzgerald	Wing	Ireland
Shane Horgan	Wing	Ireland
Simon Keogh	Wing	Ireland
Isa Nacewa	Wing	Fiji
Girvan Dempsey	Fullback	Ireland
Rob Kearney	Fullback	Ireland
Felix Jones	Fullback	Ireland

Match Attendance

Leinster's average Celtic League attendance was 14,728, up 415 on the 2007-08 season.^[2]

Leinster's Heineken Cup semi final against Munster, held in Croke Park set the record for the highest attendance in club rugby history at over 82,000.^[3]

2008–09 Celtic League Fixtures

Date	Home team	Score	Away Team	Score	Venue
5 September 2008	Cardiff Blues	16	Leinster	16	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
12 September 2008	Leinster	52	Edinburgh Rugby	6	RDS Arena, Dublin
19 September 2008	Leinster	19	Ospreys	13	RDS Arena, Dublin
28 September 2008	Leinster	0	Munster	18	RDS Arena, Dublin
5 October 2008	Connacht	19	Leinster	18	Sportsgrounds, Galway
24 October 2008	Glasgow Warriors	15	Leinster	12	Firhill, Glasgow
29 November 2008	Leinster	29	Newport Gwent Dragons	13	RDS Arena, Dublin
27 December 2008	Ulster	13	Leinster	21	Ravenhill, Belfast
2 January 2009	Leinster	26	Connacht	18	RDS Arena, Dublin
10 January 2009	Leinster	21	Cardiff Blues	20	RDS Arena, Dublin
21 February 2009	Scarlets	17	Leinster	31	Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
6 March 2009	Ospreys	8	Leinster	13	Liberty Stadium
29 March 2009	Leinster	32	Ulster	6	RDS Arena, Dublin
4 April 2009	Munster	22	Leinster	5	Thomond Park, Limerick
17 April 2009	Edinburgh Rugby	27	Leinster	16	Murrayfield, Edinburgh
25 April 2009	Leinster	36	Glasgow Warriors	13	RDS Arena, Dublin
8 May 2009	Leinster	45	Scarlets	8	RDS Arena, Dublin
16 May 2009	Newport Gwent Dragons	18	Leinster	9	Rodney Parade, Newport

League table

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Munster	18	14	0	4	405	257	148	49	23	6	1	63
2	Edinburgh	18	11	0	7	416	296	120	40	30	6	5	55
3	Leinster	18	11	1	6	401	270	131	38	20	4	2	52
4	Ospreys	18	11	0	7	397	319	78	39	28	3	5	52
5	Scarlets	18	9	0	9	376	395	−19	41	46	3	1	40
6	Cardiff Blues	18	8	1	9	322	361	−39	31	36	2	2	38
7	Glasgow Warriors	18	7	0	11	349	375	−26	36	41	4	5	37
8	Ulster	18	7	0	11	298	331	−33	30	33	2	6	36
9	Newport Gwent Dragons	18	7	0	11	305	429	−124	26	39	1	4	33
10	Connacht	18	4	0	14	224	460	−236	20	54	1	3	20
Correct as of 13 May 2009 MagnersLeague.com

2008/09 Heineken Cup Fixtures/Results

Round	Date	Home team	Score	Away team	Score	Venue
Round 1	11 October 2008	Edinburgh	16	Leinster	27	Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Round 2	17 October 2008	Leinster	41	Wasps	11	RDS Arena, Dublin
Round 3	6 December 2008	Leinster	33	Castres	3	RDS Arena, Dublin
Round 4	12 December 2008	Castres	18	Leinster	15	Stade Pierre-Antoine, Castres
Round 5	17 January 2009	Wasps	19	Leinster	12	Twickenham, London
Round 6	25 January 2009	Leinster	12	Edinburgh	3	RDS Arena, Dublin
Quarter-Final	12 April 2009	Harlequins	5	Leinster	6	The Stoop, London (Report)
Semi-Final	2 May 2009	Munster	6	Leinster	25	Croke Park, Dublin (Report)
Final	23 May 2009	Leicester	16	Leinster	19	Murrayfield, Edinburgh (Report)

Pool Table

Team	Pld	W	L	TF	PF	PA	/−	BP	Pts
Leinster (6)	6	4	2	15	140	70	70	4	20
Wasps	6	4	2	9	114	112	2	1	17
Edinburgh	6	2	4	8	91	103	−12	1	9
Castres	6	2	4	6	73	133	−60	1	9

Knock-out stages

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final

11 April – Millennium Stadium

Cardiff Blues	9
		3 May – Millennium Stadium
Toulouse	6
		Cardiff Blues	26 (6)
11 April – Walkers Stadium
		Leicester Tigers (p)	26 (7)
Leicester Tigers	20
				23 May – Murrayfield
Bath	15
				Leicester Tigers	16
12 April – Thomond Park
				Leinster	19
Munster	43
		2 May – Croke Park
Ospreys	9
		Munster	6
12 April – Twickenham Stoop
		Leinster	25
Harlequins	5

Leinster	6

References

^ "European Rugby Cup : Leicester Tigers v Leinster". Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
^ "Magners League : Match Centre : Match Centre". Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
^ Graham Jenkins. "Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby Match Pack | Leinster stun Munster to book final berth | Scrum.com". Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.

[1] "European Rugby Cup : Leicester Tigers v Leinster". Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.

[2] "Magners League : Match Centre : Match Centre". Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2009.

[3] Graham Jenkins. "Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby Match Pack | Leinster stun Munster to book final berth | Scrum.com". Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.

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