Ross Molony: ‘Obviously I’m not getting the ending I would have dreamed of’

The 30-year-old Dubliner will play his 182nd Leinster game and his last at the RDS tonight ahead of his move to Bath at the end of the season.

Molony admits that leaving his home province was not an easy decision, but the offer of a three-year contract at a top Premiership club was too good to turn down.

Having started the Champions Cup semi-final final win over Northampton at Croke Park, Molony was left out of the match-day squad for last weekend’s final defeat to Toulouse, which must have reassured him he had made the right call to seek a fresh start in England.

“Mixed emotions,” Molony said ahead of this evening’s derby against Connacht.

“Obviously I’m not getting the ending I would have dreamed of after I announced the move. But there is ultimately still something to play for, there’s a trophy to win. And to be able to create a memory like that motivates me massively for the next four weeks.

“There was obviously bitter disappointment from the weekend but that’s life, I guess, that’s sport, that’s why we play the game, for the highs – and the lows come with that as well.

“But then yeah, I guess I’m excited for the new chapter in my career and life. I’m excited about joining a team that are going very well, who look like they’re building something.

“Of course I’m disappointed I’m leaving the club I grew up in, I’ve so many friends and even from the playing group to the staff, there’s really, really good people in this club. And what makes coming in here so enjoyable is those people, so there were a lot of factors in terms of my decision but I’m delighted with it.”

Jacques Nienaber previews Leinster v Connacht

As for having to deal with being left out of the big games, Molony said: “We don’t need to address the elephant in the room, like there’s other players in my position who play for Ireland, which will help them, and there are players coming in [RG Snyman] in my position, new signings, so there’s a number of those factors and there’s disappointment when you miss out.

“Look, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you [otherwise], I was incredibly disappointed to hear. Leo [Cullen] rang me before we came in last week, he rang me on Sunday to tell me that was the decision that they had gone with.”

Molony will leave Leinster without winning a cap for Ireland, and while he is English-qualified through his dad, he insists he hasn’t thought about potentially pulling on the red rose.

“It’s any rugby player’s dream to play for their country,” he added. “I’ve had disappointments in Irish squads in the past but I’ve grown and learned so much from those as well.

“I went in for that campaign, the Japan and USA one, a couple of summers ago and I look back on that, not with regrets or not with disappointment that I wasn’t capped, but I think it was an unbelievable kick-start for me and the way I wanted my game to go.

“And I think I showed that over the seasons since then, that I backed my ability. I backed myself as a rugby player and I think those little windows I got in the international set-up did amazing things for me as opposed to negatively impacted me.”