Former Munster Rugby player appointed head coach of Leinster Women's senior side

FORMER Munster Rugby player Ben Martin is set to take over as Head Coach of the Leinster Women’s senior team ahead of this summer’s Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.

Martin is a former professional rugby player having previously represented Australia 7s and UL Bohemians at 15s as well as Munster Rugby.

Martin represented his native Australia on the Sevens circuit during a playing career which saw him also taken to Munster. He served as a player-coach at Kanturk in the AIL before taking over the UL Bohemians Women’s team, where he won the AIL title and picked up the 2019 Women’s AIL Coach of the Year award. The Australian also served as head coach at Bruff RFC.

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Martin was named Head Coach of Blackrock College RFC’s Women’s team in 2020 and guided them to two AIL finals, lifting the trophy once more in the 2022/23 campaign.

Most recently, he served on Neill Alcorn’s coaching ticket in the Celtic Challenge as the Wolfhounds won nine of their ten games to claim the crown.

Speaking to leinsterrugby.ie about his new role, Martin said: "It's an exciting time, obviously, with a Women's World Cup on the horizon, as well. There's a chance to potentially unearth some diamonds that haven't been found yet within the pathways of Women's rugby.

"I'm excited. It's a big challenge. There's a nice history with what's happened, especially in the recent history, with Leinster being back-to-back champions, so that puts a little bit of pressure on us. But yeah, it's an exciting couple of months ahead.

"The easy thing to do would be to have a look at the five AIL teams and just pick the top of the available players from that. But we've cast that net a little bit wider, especially with the younger group that potentially could be there with the players that are missing with the World Cup.

"So we've got 70 odd names that we're going to be taking a close look at for the first couple of weeks of the training camps and what happens with that U-20 squad where players might filter back."

Martin will be joined by a coaching staff featuring a mix of familiar and new faces.

"A name that's synonymous with the Leinster jersey, Michelle Claffey will join us as our Backs and Defence Coach," he explains. "And a new name that might not be familiar within Women's rugby is Charlie Doel, who will take on the role of the Forwards Coach.

"And Matt Gill, who's in charge of the Women’s National Talent Squad (WNTS), will be helping us out with the set piece and scrum. I'm excited to be working with the three of those guys along with the extended management team."