# 2011–12 Leinster Rugby season

The 2011–12 Leinster Rugby season was Leinster's eleventh season competing in the Pro12, they also competed in the Heineken Cup which they won for the second consecutive year. The Leinster 'A' team however were knocked out of the British and Irish Cup by Munster A in the semi-final.

## Squad
### Coaching and management team

| Position | Name | Nationality |
| Head & Defence Coach | Josef Schmidt | New Zealand |
| Forwards Coach | Jono Gibbes | New Zealand |
| Scrum Coach | Greg Feek | New Zealand |
| Skills & Kicking Coach | Richie Murphy | Ireland |
| Chief Executive | Mick Dawson | Ireland |
| Team Manager | Guy Easterby | Ireland |
| Team Doctor | Prof. John Ryan | Ireland |
| Team Doctor | Prof. Arthur Tanner | Ireland |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Jim McShane | Ireland |
| Physiotherapist | James Allen | Ireland |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Jason Cowman | Ireland |
| Chief Scout | Guy Easterby | Ireland |

### Playing squad 2011/2012

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Seán Cronin | Hooker | Ireland |
| Richardt Strauss | Hooker | South Africa |
| Aaron Dundon | Hooker | Ireland |
| Tom Sexton | Hooker | Ireland |
| Jamie Hagan | Prop | Ireland |
| Cian Healy | Prop | Ireland |
| Jack McGrath | Prop | Ireland |
| Mike Ross | Prop | Ireland |
| Heinke van der Merwe | Prop | South Africa |
| Nathan White | Prop | New Zealand |
| Damian Browne | Lock | Ireland |
| Leo Cullen (c) | Lock | Ireland |
| Ed O'Donoghue | Lock | Ireland |
| Steven Sykes | Lock | South Africa |
| Devin Toner | Lock | Ireland |
| Mark Flanagan | Lock | Ireland |
| Brad Thorn | Lock | New Zealand |
| Shane Jennings | Flanker | Ireland |
| Kevin McLaughlin | Flanker | Ireland |
| Seán O'Brien | Flanker | Ireland |
| Dominic Ryan | Flanker | Ireland |
| Rhys Ruddock | Flanker | Ireland |
| Leo Auva'a | Number 8 | New Zealand |
| Jamie Heaslip | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Isaac Boss | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Eoin Reddan | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| John Cooney | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Matt Berquist | Outside-half | New Zealand |
| Ian Madigan | Outside-half | Ireland |
| Johnny Sexton | Outside-half | Ireland |
| Gordon D'Arcy | Centre | Ireland |
| Brendan Macken | Centre | Ireland |
| Fergus McFadden | Centre | Ireland |
| Brian O'Driscoll | Centre | Ireland |
| Eoin O'Malley | Centre | Ireland |
| Fionn Carr | Wing | Ireland |
| Luke Fitzgerald | Wing | Ireland |
| Shane Horgan | Wing | Ireland |
| Dave Kearney | Wing | Ireland |
| Isa Nacewa | Fullback | Fiji |
| Andrew Conway | Fullback | Ireland |
| Rob Kearney | Fullback | Ireland |

#### In for 2011–12

* Matt Berquist from Crusaders
* Seán Cronin from Connacht
* Jamie Hagan from Connacht
* Steven Sykes from Sharks
* Fionn Carr from Connacht
* Damian Browne from Brive
* Nathan White from Chiefs
* Leo Auva'a from Old Belvedere
* Brad Thorn from Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Loan)

#### Out for 2011/12

* Stan Wright to Stade Francais
* Nathan Hines to Clermont Auvergne
* Paul O'Donohoe to Connacht
* Shaun Berne to Calvisano
* Niall Morris to Leicester Tigers
* Stephen Keogh to Shannon
* Michael Keating to Doncaster Knights
* Stewart Maguire to Connacht
* Jason Harris-Wright to Bristol
* Cillian Willis to Sale Sharks (Loan)
* Ed O'Donoghue to London Wasps
* Eoin Sheriff to Saracens
* Dave McSharry to Connacht
* Shane Horgan retired in March 2012 due to injury; he had not played in the 2011–12 season.

## RaboDirect PRO12
### Table

Pro12 Table :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Leinster (F) | 22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 568 | 326 | +242 | 48 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 81 | Play-off place |
| 2 | Ospreys (C) | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 491 | 337 | +154 | 44 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 71 | Play-off place |
| 3 | Munster (SF) | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 489 | 367 | +122 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 67 | Play-off place |
| 4 | Glasgow Warriors (SF) | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 445 | 321 | +124 | 34 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 65 | Play-off place |
| 5 | Scarlets | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 446 | 373 | +73 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 62 | |
| 6 | Ulster | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 474 | 424 | +50 | 53 | 41 | 5 | 3 | 56 | |
| 7 | Cardiff Blues | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 446 | 460 | −14 | 43 | 45 | 5 | 5 | 50 | |
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 321 | 433 | −112 | 27 | 36 | 0 | 7 | 37 | |
| 9 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 370 | 474 | −104 | 27 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 36 | |
| 10 | Benetton Treviso | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 419 | 558 | −139 | 41 | 57 | 3 | 5 | 36 | |
| 11 | Edinburgh | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 454 | 588 | −134 | 42 | 65 | 2 | 4 | 32 | |
| 12 | Aironi | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 289 | 551 | −262 | 22 | 54 | 1 | 5 | 22 | |
* number of matches won;
* the difference between points for and points against;
* the number of tries scored;
* the most points scored;
* the difference between tries for and tries against;
* the fewest red cards received;
* the fewest yellow cards received. (C) Champions; (F) Lost in the final; (SF) Lost in the semi-finals Notes:
* ↑ Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest-ranked Irish teams, three highest-ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Because Leinster won the 2012 Heineken Cup Final, Ireland earned an extra Heineken Cup place, which will go to Connacht. Aironi were denied a licence for the 2012–13 season due to financial issues; the newly established Zebre side replaced Aironi in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.

### Final
## Heineken Cup
### Pool Table

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Leinster | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 172 | 88 | +84 | 2 | 0 | 24 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 106 | 133 | -27 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Bath | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 122 | 151 | -29 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Montpellier | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 84 | 112 | -28 | 0 | 2 | 10 |

### Final
## Player statistics
### Squad

Last updated 9 June 2012
Key: = Appearances, = Tries, = Yellow card, = Red card
| Position | Name | Pro12 | Pro12 | Pro12 | Pro12 | Heineken Cup | Heineken Cup | Heineken Cup | Heineken Cup | Total | Total | Total | Total |
| HK | Seán Cronin | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| HK | Richardt Strauss | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| HK | Aaron Dundon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HK | Tom Sexton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PR | Jamie Hagan | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| PR | Simon Shawe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PR | Cian Healy | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| PR | Mike Ross | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| PR | Heinke van der Merwe | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| PR | Nathan White | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| PR | Jack McGrath | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| PR | Jack O'Connell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PR | Martin Moore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Damian Browne | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| LK | Leo Cullen | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| LK | Ed O'Donoghue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Eoin Sheriff | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Mark Flanagan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Steven Sykes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Devin Toner | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| LK | Ciaran Ruddock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LK | Brad Thorn | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FL | Shane Jennings | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| FL | Kevin McLaughlin | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| FL | Seán O'Brien | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| FL | Dominic Ryan | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FL | Rhys Ruddock | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| FL | Jordi Murphy | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N8 | Jamie Heaslip | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| N8 | Leo Auva'a | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| SH | Isaac Boss | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| SH | Eoin Reddan | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SH | John Cooney | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SH | Cillian Willis | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SH | Luke McGrath | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OH | Matt Berquist | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OH | Ian Madigan | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| OH | Johnny Sexton | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| OH | Noel Reid | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Gordon D'Arcy | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Colm O'Shea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Brendan Macken | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Fergus McFadden | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Brian O'Driscoll | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CE | Eoin O'Malley | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| WG | Fionn Carr | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| WG | Luke Fitzgerald | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| WG | Shane Horgan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WG | David Kearney | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| WG | Darren Hudson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FB | Isa Nacewa | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Andrew Conway | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FB | Rob Kearney | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 |

## British & Irish Cup
### Pool Stage

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Leinster (1) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 117 | 75 | +42 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Bedford Blues | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 137 | 104 | +33 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Aberavon | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 89 | 97 | -8 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| London Scottish | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 47 | 162 | -115 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### Fixtures
#### Pool Stage

* 12 November 2011 15:00
| Esher RFC | 32 – 18 | Leinster A |
| | Report | |
* Molesey Road, Surrey Referee: Jackson (England)
* 19 November 2011 18:00
| Leinster A | 42 – 20 | Melrose |
| | Report | |
* Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: MacDonald (England)
* 11 December 2011 13:00
| Llanelli | 13 – 19 | Leinster A |
| | Report | |
* Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli Referee: Rudkin (Scotland)
* 18 December 2011 14:00
| Leinster A | 24 – 24 | London Welsh |
| | Report | |
* Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: Thomas (Wales)

### Quarter-final

* 22 January 2012 14:00
| Leinster A | 32 – 0 | Pontypridd |
| | Report | |
* Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: MacDonald (England)

### Semi-final

* 6 April 2012 18:00
| Leinster A | 29 – 32 | Munster A |
| | Report | |
* Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: Davies (Wales)