Leinster Rugby have announced their squad for the 2009/10 season with a number of new additions to the line-up.
Scotland international lock Nathan Hines has signed a two-year deal with the Heineken Cup champions and he arrives from Perpignan where his form prompted a call up to the recent British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
Hines will be joined by Ireland tight-head prop Mike Ross (Harlequins) and Australian back Shaun Berne (Bath) who have each agreed two year deals with the province. Hooker Richardt Strauss, 23, has also agreed a deal with the province and joins from the Cheetahs.
The quartet will join Ireland international scrum-half Eoin Reddan who had previously signed a three-year deal from London Wasps.
Meanwhile, scrum-half Paul O'Donoghue, who made four senior appearances last season, and hooker Jason Harris-Wright have both been awarded their first professional contracts and are the latest graduates from the Leinster Academy.
Leo Cullen will continue as captain after guiding the province to the Heineken Cup title last season, while there is one remaining vacancy in the playing squad.
Leinster will travel to Nice for a week long training camp in the south of France which will include a pre-season friendly against Rugby Nice Cote d'Azur on Friday, 21 August (kick-off 7pm, local) before continuing their preparations with a game against London Irish a week later on Friday, 28 August in Donnybrook (kick-off: 7pm) ahead of the start of the Magners League campaign.
Meanwhile, over 10,600 season ticket holders have signed up to watch Leinster next season in the RDS. The application deadline for this season closes this Friday. Full details of season ticket packages can be found on www.leinsterrugby.ie
Leinster Squad 2009/10 (alphabetical order)
Backs: Shaun Berne, Gordon D'Arcy, Girvan Dempsey, Luke Fitzgerald, Shane Horgan, Chris Keane, Rob Kearney, Simon Keogh, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa, Paul O'Donoghue, Brian O'Driscoll, Eoin O'Malley, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton
Forwards: Leo Cullen, John Fogarty, Jason Harris-Wright, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Nathan Hines, Trevor Hogan, Bernard Jackman, Shane Jennings, Stephen Keogh, Ronan McCormack, Kevin McLaughlin, Sean O'Brien, Malcolm O'Kelly, Mike Ross, Richardt Strauss, Devin Toner, CJ van der Linde, Stan Wright
Leinster Academy 2009/10: Andrew Conway, Mark Flanagan, David Kearney, Michael Keating, Brendan Macken, Ian Madigan, Stewart Maguire, Jack McGrath, Ian McKinley, Shane Monahan, David Moore, Niall Morris, Ciaran Ruddock, Rhys Ruddock, Dominic Ryan, Paul Ryan, Tom Sexton, Eamonn Sheridan, Eoin Sheriff, Kyle Tonetti
