Irish youngster joins La Rochelle

La Rochelle have secured the services of young Irish backrow Richie Whelan for the rest of this season.

Whelan has come to an agreement with the French side having attended a trial before Christmas. This month, he has played for the Espoirs, La Rochelle’s under-21 side. While Whelan has not signed a contract, the club have confirmed that he will play for their age grade outfit until the end of this season.

After captaining Cistercian College Roscrea in the 2023 Senior Cup, Whelan played for Clontarf in the AIL with no Leinster academy deal forthcoming. He was part of an Ireland under-19 squad in 2023.

Whelan came through the Leinster youth set-up at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level. In 2021, he featured on the Leinster under-18 schools side which won an interprovincial title. A number of players in that group joined the Leinster academy this year, including Oliver Coffey, Ruben Moloney, Andrew Sparrow, Alan Spicer, Hugo McLaughlin and Stephen Smyth. Jack Murphy, Sam Berman and Wilhelm de Klerk also featured in that squad and have subsequently signed for Ulster.