11 months’ hard work by players and coaches will finish on Saturday at the RDS with hopefully another Magners League title.
Under Michael Cheika we have been very consistent in this competition with a third, two seconds and two first place finishes over the past five years.
The Ospreys are a star-studded team but if we can play to the level we did against Munster two weeks ago we have every chance. The game is a sell out but Carlow rugby fans can hear every minute of the action on with Brendan Hennessy and Mickey Quinn.
For me though I am now officially retired from professional rugby. It will come to an end on Tuesday at the Leinster press conference officially but in reality it happened three weeks ago when, after the Toulouse defeat, medical advice made it clear that I wasn’t fit to finish the season.
I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing with Leinster next season as I failed a medical for a new contract a couple of months ago but I would have loved to have been part of the squad until the end of this season and go out on a high like Mal and Girvan will hopefully do this Saturday with a Magners League cup final win.
If we win I will still get a medal having played in 90% of the matches this season but to be honest it won’t be the same and I will look back at my Magners League medal from two seasons ago and my Heineken Cup medal with much more pride and satisfaction.
To put it into context I won a European Challenge Cup medal with Sale Sharks eight seasons ago having played in eight of the nine games but missed the final and I don’t even know where that medal is anymore.
That’s just the way I have always looked on things and it’s probably the wrong attitude but it’s me and I can’t change it.
For the last few weeks I have just been training with the injured players, most of whom are in rehabilitation for next season. I have been in there just to tick the box to be honest and it’s a weird feeling knowing that I won’t ever tog out to play a game of rugby again at any level.
I hope my injuries don’t effect me too badly in later life but I have to admit I would do it all again in the morning if I got half a chance.
Since I played my first game on the wing against Roscrea as a first year border in Newbridge College I have been consumed by the game and getting to play it as a professional was just a bonus.
I loved the game for its honesty and the team spirit that rugby values at every level. I loved testing myself against my opposite man and, if I was bettered, trying to find a way to improve.
I have been very fortunate to have worked under some great coaches but special mention must go to Brent Pope, Warren Gatland, Declan Kidney and Michael Cheika.
I have played with some of the best and worst players in the world but they will all be remembered with fondness.
High points? There are very obvious high points, like the Heineken Cup, the semi-final, that whole road, that whole season last year.
When I was in Connacht and Sale I just wanted to play in the Heineken Cup and not the Challenge Cup but when I signed for Leinster I realised I had a chance of winning it and doing that is special to me.
Getting capped nine times for Ireland is also something I am very proud of.
Because of the nature of the job I have got to spend a lot of time at home and have seen lots of my two children Ava and Ben growing up so far.
Low points? Seven years ago when I came back from Sale I didn’t have any offers of a contract to play professionally here in Ireland and that year spent playing with Clontarf wondering if I would ever get the opportunity again was very testing.
Dealing with the injuries was hard too but failing the medical to play on next season was probably the hardest thing to swallow.
Favourite venue? Is the Stade de France Paris, I have only played there once but it was my first start for Ireland and has an unreal atmosphere.
I have been very lucky in the RDS too and the fans have always been very kind to me there.
Biggest change I saw? Wages have improved massively and so has the level of professionalism from both players and coaching staff. The amount of people who know who you are now compared to when I started is testament to how popular rugby is now all over the country.
The future? I am meeting my mentor this week to put together a three-year personal development plan for rugby, business and media which are the three areas that I hope to excel. I will be coaching Clontarf and St Michael’s next season and I am also going to do a Masters in UCD in Sports and Exercise Management.
I have also been writing a book for the past year which will be published in September. It’s part autobiography, part diary of Leinster’s season and I hope to give people a true insight into the Leinster dressing room and the characters that make it such a great place to work.