Ahead of Leinster's clash with Glasgow Warriors in the Pro14 final tomorrow evening, all four Irish provinces had players named in the Guinness Pro14 Dream Team announced last night.
In total, there are seven Irish-based players named in the team. Surprisingly, Leinster is the only province with one player named, every other province seeing two of their stars make the line-up.
The sole representation for Leinster, despite making it to the Pro14 final in Celtic Park, is Scott Fardy who forms a second-row partnership with the indomitable Tadhg Beirne, last year's Guinness Players’ Player of the Season.
Tadhg Beirne ✔️
Scott Fardy ✔️@Munsterrugby & @leinsterrugby team-up in the second row of the #PRO14DreamTeam.
Agree with the selection?#GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/pxWtQdVZS5— eir Sport (@eirSport) May 23, 2019
Meanwhile, Munster's Peter O'Mahony and Connacht's Colby Fainga'a make up two thirds of the back-row with this year's Guinness Players’ Player of the Season, Edinburgh's Bill Mata, completing the back-row.
While Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray may be acknowledged as the best half-back pairing in the world, it was their understudies, fly-half Jack Carty and scrum-half John Cooney, who were recognised as the best in the league this season.
And finally, Ulster's Stuart McCloskey was the final member of the Irish contingent listed in the XV after an impressive year in the Ulster shirt - the 26-year-old was named at inside-centre.
Guinness Pro14 Dream Team 2018/19
- Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
- Ken Owens (Scarlets)
- Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
- Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
- Scott Fardy (Leinster)
- Peter O’Mahony (Munster)
- Colby Fainga’a (Connacht)
- Bill Mata (Edinburgh)
- John Cooney (Ulster)
- Jack Carty (Connacht)
- Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)
- Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
- Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues)
- Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby)
- Dan Evans (Ospreys)
With all this season's awards now out of the way, attention quickly turns to Celtic Park for the climax of the year. The much anticipated clash between the reigning champions, Leinster, and Glasgow Warriors, the 2015 champions, kicks off at 6.30pm tomorrow.
