Charlie Tector offers reminder of potential for Leinster in crucial year

Leinster got their URC league campaign off to a hard-fought and rewarding start with a high-scoring thriller against an experienced Edinburgh side.

Despite ex-Munster out-half Ben Healy's best efforts, Leinster hung on for a well-deserved victory in the end.

With a blend of youthful exuberance and the return of some of their internationals that didn’t feature during the summer, Leinster’s challenge was to blend the different experience levels together, in a tough away environment.

One player that rose to the challenge was former Kilkenny College man, Charlie Tector.

I’ve come across Tector in the AIL and he’s always been an addition to the Lansdowne team. He’s composed and does the basics well, but has struggled to make his breakthrough in the senior Leinster ranks.

Tector has been involved with Leinster during the twilight years of the Sexton era, being kept out by both of the Byrne brothers. When a space finally freed up in the post-Sexton season, Ciarán Frawley even struggled to get game time at out-half, and Sam Prendergast has spring-boarded himself beyond Tector.

I wondered if Tector’s time in Leinster was up considering the depth of talent at out-half, but Saturday’s URC opener was a good reminder of what he can do. He’s still just 22, and in his third year in the Leinster academy. Sometimes when you’ve come across a player at such a young age, it’s easy to forget how young they still are when playing on the main stage.

This is clearly a crucial year for Tector, with a big decision around his future in Leinster and whether they can make space for another senior contract. With Harry and Ross Byrne, and Frawley, in the senior ranks, along with Prendergast’s inclusion as a senior contract, Tector will need a strong year to