It might not be long before he’s in an Ireland shirt
Casper Gabriel is one of Leinster’s most promising youngsters, and for good reason.
The 20-year-old impressed in Leinster A’s 26-26 draw with Munster A at the weekend, with his highlights reel including an outrageous behind-the-back pass, a brilliant finish from deep and several conversions.
The hype surrounding Gabriel has been consistent since he joined Leinster’s academy in 2024, with the general consensus that the Austrian-born Out-half will play for Ireland one day.
While he missed out on the Ireland U20s last season due to eligibility issues, he has gone from strength to strength with Terenure College in the AIL, Leinster ‘A’, and in training with the Leinster senior squad.
Sam Prendergast recently admitted that he has not seen a huge amount of him, but pinpointed a couple of aspects of his game which stood out to him.
Speaking with SportsJOE, he said: “I haven’t seen a whole pile of him.
“He’s a great lad first of all and he’s incredibly talented. I haven’t seen a whole pile of him play but when I see him in training he’s incredibly talented.
“He’s a brilliant left foot on him and I think he’s got quite a freshness to how he sees the game. So I think he could be an unbelievably good player.”
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Is Gabriel eligible for Ireland?
Despite being born in Austria, Gabriel moved to Dublin in order to further his career as a rugby player, and intends to play for Ireland. That intention was disrupted in 2020 due to Covid, where Gabriel returned to Austria, meaning his continuous run as a resident in Ireland was broken.
He has played for Ireland Under-19s, but at Under-20s level and beyond, World Rugby governs eligibility, meaning Gabriel must be a continuous resident in Ireland for 60 months (five years) before playing.
It is unknown when this five years will be up, but we will likely be seeing Gabriel back in an Ireland shirt by 2026.
Gabriel’s fact file
Position: Out-half
Date of Birth: 18 October 2005
Place of Birth: Vienna, Austria
Height: 6ft 3in / 191cm
Weight: 93kg / 14st 9lbs
Secondary School: Terenure College
