Jason Jenkins relishing return home as Leinster braced for tough South Africa trip

For Jason Jenkins, this will be different. The only member of Leinster’s matchday 23 which beat Leicester last Friday to be part of the fairly callow 30-man squad which set off for their two URC games in South Africa on Tuesday night, this trek must have had particular appeal for the 27-year-old once-capped Springbok lock.

From Pretoria, Jenkins’s family home is only about 15 minutes from the Loftus Versfeld ground where he plied his trade for seven years. Even Johannesburg, where Leinster will face the Lions this Saturday, is a mere 40 minutes from ‘home’.

Hence, as well as seeing family and friends, Jenkins should also play against the Bulls, for whom he played 57 Super Rugby matches in five season between 2016 and 2020, for the first time, having been part of the Munster squad whose game there last season was cancelled.

“It will be special to play down in Loftus again. I played many years there, lots of my rugby junior levels through to Super Rugby there.”

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“It’s changed a lot, there’s a lot of new guys there but yeah, I still know a good few of them, especially guys that have come through from younger level and are playing consistently now at senior level.”

These games come with the added difficulty of playing at altitude, although Jenkins says: “Once you get there and have a session or two you sort of blow it out and get used to it: you get that second wind and you’re actually fine.

“At Loftus, in the tunnel, there’s a big sign as you walk on to the field that says ‘1,200 metres altitude ... it matters’,” he reveals, laughing at the deliberate mind games entailed.

Leinster may have already secured a top seeding in the URC knock-out stages, but this squad are also defending a 22-match unbeaten season to date.

“It’s definitely something we’ve spoken about. Regardless of who puts on the Leinster jersey we want to keep the record going. We’re still one club, so that’s definitely a goal for us, we’re not taking these games lightly at all.”

After an injury-plagued season with Munster, Jenkins eclipsed his number of minutes there by early October with Leinster. Given his impact physically, not least in lineout mauls, it seemed unlikely he would be on the bench in the Champions Cup knock-out stages, although that is also testimony to the form of Ross Molony as well as Jenkins’s hamstring injury in the opening pool win over Racing 92.

While disappointed not to be starting, he counters: “You can just imagine how the guys feel who aren’t a part of the 23 and they work just as hard.”

The next two games are also an opportunity to catch the eye of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, with the World Cup in mind, although he keeps that in perspective as well.

“I’m definitely not putting any external pressure on myself in terms of that. What will happen, will happen. Rugby’s a funny old sport. We always say that a week in rugby is a very long time because anything can happen in terms of injuries or anything, really.”

Along with Jenkins, Leo Cullen has included Rhys Ruddock, Max Deegan, Will Connors, Ed Byrne and Dave Kearney among an otherwise inexperienced squad.

In addition to the uncapped under-20 Grand Slam winning halfback pair of Fintan Gunne and Sam Prendergast, the other members of the academy to travel to South Africa are outside backs Rob Russell, Max O’Reilly, Chris Cosgrave and Aitzol King, centre Ben Brownlee, scrumhalf Ben Murphy, hooker Lee Barron, props Jack Boyle and Temi Lasisi and backrowers Alex Soroka and James Culhane.

The 20-year-old uncapped UCD and Ireland under-20 lock Conor O’Tighearnaigh is also included, as is Trinity’s Irish under-20 flanker Liam Molony.

Leinster squad

Backs (13): Max O’Reilly, Chris Cosgrave, Rob Russell, Tommy O’Brien, Liam Turner, Ben Brownlee, Aitzol King, Dave Kearney, Charlie Tector, Sam Prendergast*, Ben Murphy, Nick McCarthy, Fintan Gunne*.

Forwards (17): Jack Boyle, Ed Byrne, Michael Milne, Lee Barron, Tadgh McElroy, Vakhtang Abdaladze, Thomas Clarkson, Temi Lasisi, Brian Deeny, Alex Soroka, Jason Jenkins, Conor O’Tighearnaigh*, Liam Molony*, Rhys Ruddock, Will Connors, James Culhane, Max Deegan.

*denotes uncapped player