Three-time Kilkenny All-Ireland SHC winning hurler Walter Walsh is poised to make his Leinster rugby debut this weekend.

Within weeks of announcing his inter-county retirement last November, Walsh resumed his rugby career after a 15-year lapse with New Ross RFC. That put him in the shop window for selection for the Leinster junior side which opens its inter-provincial campaign against Ulster this weekend.

The 6’5” Tullogher-Rosbercon clubman excelled at outside centre in recent friendly games against the Defence Forces and Suttonians and is looking forward to his latest sporting challenge, 13 years after he announced himself on the national stage by scoring 1-3 in a man of the match performance in the Cats’ 2012 All-Ireland SHC final replay victory over Galway.

“I'm doing a bit with Leinster juniors now,” Walsh explained to the media at the launch of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series of Croke Park for 2025.

“They gave me a phone call there two weeks ago, they have inter-provincials, kind of a seven-week block. So they play Ulster, Connacht and Munster.

“They're picking a panel now so I've been training with that team the last week really. It's something completely different. I got to pull on a Leinster jersey last week and it's nice. I played a bit, we played the Defence Forces in a game and it's something I always wanted to do, pull on the Leinster jersey.

“I've been playing rugby since I was five years of age. Obviously, I had a 15-year break between when I was 18 and 33 last year when I got to play again. I didn't think I'd ever get to put on one (a Leinster jersey). But I did and that was nice for me.”

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