Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ross Molony is enjoying life in Bath.Dan Sheridan/INPHO Irish Abroad 'I'm very proud of my time in Leinster but I needed something different' Ross Molony is thriving in his first season with Johann van Graan’s Bath. 7.31am, 18 May 2025 Share options AMONG THE BIGGEST differences between playing for Leinster and playing with Bath is the out-half. Ross Molony, who joined the Premiership club on a three-year deal last summer, took a while to get to grips with the man in the number 10 shirt. But he and Finn Russell have struck up a good relationship this season as Molony has settled into life in England strongly. The Irish lock has played for Johann van Graan’s side 22 times, starting 12 games. Molony hopes to help Bath to win the Challenge Cup when they take on Lyon in Friday night’s final in Cardiff. The English side also have their sights set on the Premiership title, having secured top spot in the regular season table ahead of the semi-finals. Molony is well known as a lineout specialist and Russell is Bath’s tactical leader on the pitch, so they’ve been working closely together. “He’s so different from what I would have been used to with 10s throughout my years of playing back in Dublin,” says 31-year-old Molony. “I went to school with Ross [Byrne], played with him the whole way up, and, you know, Ross is very detail-based and drives a lot of detail around him, and has his plan. He’s an incredible competitor and then you look at others like Johnny [Sexton] who are similar. “Then you flip that to Finn, who’s eating sweets before he goes out for the warm-up. “But at the same time, he has such a competitive nature about him and yes, he does it in a relaxed way, but you still get the same output.” Molony laughs as he remembers one example of Russell’s laid-back approach. “We were having a discussion before the Leinster game in Dublin [in January] and it was around the first play we would use. “I was like, ‘What are you thinking for the first play?’ and he said, ‘Oh, we’ll do this one.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, spot on.’ “They’re normal conversations you have. But then he said, “Either [Garry] Ringrose bites in and we get him on the edge, or he gets an intercept. Either way, it’s entertainment.’ “In my head, I’m like, ‘I don’t know if he’s serious or not.’ But that’s brilliant. So different, so different. Then at the same time, he just drives standards in the way he conducts himself and the way he plays and he delivers a performance.” Molony with Bath boss Johann van Graan.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo It’s one example of why Molony is enjoying himself so much in Bath, having decided to do something different after nine years and 184 appearances for his native Leinster. He always knew a move to England was possible at some stage in his career as he is English-qualified, a big attraction for Premiership clubs. For that, he has to thank his grandfather, Jack Molony, an Irish doctor who was on rotation in the English town of Buxton for just three months. Ross’ dad, Kevin, was born during that brief stint. That, in turn, means Ross is entitled to a UK passport and opened the door for a move to the Premiership. It had only been a thought in the back of Molony’s mind as he took huge pride in becoming an important senior figure in the Leinster set-up, but he and his agent, Niall Woods, began to explore other options in the autumn of 2023. Rumours of RG Snyman’s move to Leinster the following summer were rumbling, while the likes of James Ryan and Joe McCarthy were also important to Leinster in the second row. Advertisement Bath boss Johann van Graan asked Molony to meet him in November. “Initial impressions, unbelievably impressive,” says Molony of the former Munster head coach. “He had a plan of what he wanted to build around him, which he had obviously started the year before. “Johann has an incredible relationship with staff, with players, with fans in Bath as well. “The thing that impressed me most is how driven he was and how driven he wanted the club to be.” Bath hadn’t won a trophy since 2008. Van Graan was determined to change that and had already set about transforming their squad. Molony liked the vision but still faced an agonising decision. He could have stayed in Leinster. It was late February when the second row made his final call to opt for something new in Bath. Molony understandably doesn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of negotiations with Leinster, and he has only positive things to say about the province now. “I have so much respect for them and I’m very proud of my time in Leinster. I have no bad blood there whatsoever. I guess it got to a point where, for me, in terms of my career, I needed something different. “Leinster had made a couple of signings around then, or maybe rumoured to have made a couple of signings. “There are also some incredible players who I had played with there in my position. So I guess for me, the reality of it is that if I stayed in Leinster, I probably wouldn’t have played as much rugby as I have this year. “To be honest, I haven’t looked back on that decision and I’ve really enjoyed it here.” Joe McCarthy and Molony after Bath visited Leinster in January.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO The move to Bath means some of Molony’s family have switched allegiances too. His granny, Anne Mannion of Balla in Mayo, used to bravely fly a Leinster flag in her front garden. Now she’s got a Bath flag on display. On the other side of the family, Ross’ cousin, Liam Molony, is a back row in the Leinster academy and another cousin, Charlie Molony, has impressed on the wing for the Ireland U20s this season. Ross has been happy to offer advice anywhere he can as they look to plot their routes to the top. These days, Molony lives in a picturesque village just outside Bath, half an hour’s commute from the rugby club’s stunning training facility at Farleigh House, a grand old English country house in the Somerset countryside. Molony says he nearly has to pinch himself driving in each morning. Bath’s owner, Bruce Craig, is a regular presence around the set-up and it’s evident to the players that he enjoys watching the club’s progress. The Irish second row settled into life with Bath quickly. Indeed, Molony was being praised publicly by out-half Russell very early in the season for his ability to organise fellow forwards in phase-play attack, something he excelled at with Leinster. Bath wanted Molony to bring fresh ideas into the group from Leinster, but he was cognisant of not overstepping the mark or seeming pushy early on. “Before I came over, I wanted to seek advice on that,” says Molony. “I actually met Goody – Andrew Goodman [now Ireland and Lions assistant coach] – over a pint because he was a player in Leinster, went back to the Crusaders as a coach, then came back to Leinster. “I guess I was like, ‘How do you go from two successful clubs and integrate yourself while sharing what knowledge you have, but not being a dickhead about it?’” Goodman stressed to Molony that building relationships and getting to know his team-mates as quickly as possible was crucial. It has helped that Molony is such a lineout expert. Leinster have missed him badly in this regard. He has enjoyed working with Bath forwards coach Richard Blaze, a former second row, and his fellow lock, England international Charlie Ewels. “It’s a very enjoyable dynamic because you’ve basically got three lineout nerds who work together to plan out a week, so that’s magic,” says Molony. “And we have some big units to do the shoving and the pushing!” Former Ireland lock Quinn Roux, who was still in Leinster when Molony joined the academy, is among those big units in Bath, while ex-Ireland U20s captain and hooker Niall Annett is also with the club. Molony is a highly-regarded lineout caller.Juan Gasparini / INPHO Juan Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO While Molony is clearly adding a lot to the Bath set-up, he’s also enjoying how the club is pushing him to improve. He has been challenged by the “brilliant” strength and conditioning staff to bring more explosive moments later in games. Match days in Bath are “mad.” Molony sometimes feels a dash of jealousy when he’s heading off for games while visiting family and friends enjoy the build-up. The squad meet in a hotel near The Rec and walk to the stadium together, passing through the ‘tunnel of noise’ created by supporters. The Premiership has been a welcome change of scene, Molony enjoying the varying tactical questions that the likes of Leicester, Harlequins, and Sale pose. Bath are flying high and are favourites to claim their first English title, having ended their 17-year trophy drought by winning the Premiership Rugby Cup in March. There was disappointment in failing to get into the Champions Cup knock-out stages, although it was a fiendishly difficult pool-stage for Bath as they faced La Rochelle, Leinster, Clermont, and Benetton. “It was tough because my whole career has been, you know, in love with the Champions Cup,” says Molony. “European rugby was like the pinnacle of the club game for me.” He has no doubt that everyone in Bath feels the same, but they lost at home to La Rochelle in their opening game, were pipped by a late Benetton try in Italy, beat Clermont, but then lost away to Leinster. Molony also felt Leinster’s pain recently when they lost in the Champions Cup semi-finals to Northampton. “I know what they’re going through, having gone through that myself. I know how much that will hurt the lads and I’m gutted for them on a personal level because they’re my mates as well.” Bath plan on being Champions Cup contenders in the coming years, but the Challenge Cup has been enjoyable to play in after they dropped down this season. They aim to seal silverware on Friday night at the Principality Stadium. Molony’s parents will be there and his good friend from Leinster, Ed Byrne, who is now playing for Cardiff, hopes to make it along with his wife, Rebecca. There are a couple of mates living in London who might be there too. So Molony could have a few special weeks ahead at the end of the first season of his three-year deal in Bath. He looks back on leaving Leinster without any regret. “I’m really enjoying my time here and this group, it’s a very competitive group. “It’s a very driven group and hopefully there’s some good times ahead.” Murray Kinsella View 4 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I'm very proud of my time in Leinster but I needed something different'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I'm very proud of my time in Leinster but I needed something different'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Challenge Cup Irish Abroad ross molony FreeTake a Bow Joy for Ireland's Sarah Rowe as Mariners win first A-League Women's title Scottie Scheffler surges into the lead at PGA 43 mins ago Why the jury is out on Robbie Keane in Hungary 'I hated it. Every morning he’d bring me to training, and I'd be almost terrified to go out' Ciaran Kilkenny: as loyal as a Yeoman and as faithful to the Dublin cause having his say Hallgrímsson wants Roy Keane to meet Ireland players as he ramps up World Cup mission David Sneyd Munster hurling The Dropzone: How will Limerick and Cork wage the puckout wars? Declan Bogue NOT BATE YET Late Tom Lahiff buzzer-beater downs Galway as Dubs arrest the slide in Salthill History makers Crystal Palace stun Manchester City to win FA Cup for first time Leinster close out URC regular season with win over Glasgow Leinster host Scarlets while Munster travel to play Sharks in URC quarter-finals more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account