A Leinster rugby player who made youth appearances for Ireland is to deny assaulting a nightclub doorman after appearing in court last week.

Jason Harris-Wright, who was promoted to the Leinster senior squad from the academy earlier this year, has indicated he is to fight the charge on the basis of self-defence.

Harris-Wright, 21, a promising hooker with an address at Meadow Brook, Kilcoole, has been charged with threatening and abusive behaviour and assault following an incident at Koo nightclub in Bray in July last year.

While the events of the evening have not yet been made clear, it is understood Harris-Wright will say he was simply defending himself against a doorman at the premises.

At a previous sitting of Bray district court, Margaret Farrelly, counsel for Harris-Wright, said she wished to see CCTV footage relating to the alleged incident.

However, the court heard that this may not be possible as garda cameras were pointing in the other direction and, because the allegations relate to an altercation outside the premises, it did not fall within the scope of the club's own cameras.

Farrelly commented that it "beggars belief" that no CCTV footage was available as a call had been made to the garda station saying that a fight was in progress.

"My client will be pleading self-defence against the bouncer in question," she said.

Following Monday's brief appearance, the case was adjourned.

Harris-Wright's career took a step in the right direction earlier this year when he was promoted from Leinster's academy squad to the Leinster senior squad, an achievement not always accomplished by the club's young talent.

So far in his short career he has clocked 10 caps for the Ireland under-20 team and seven caps for the Leinster A team. He has yet to make an appearance for the senior team.

Last month Wright was used as an example of the success of the Leinster academy programme by senior player Shane Horgan.

"There's a real conveyor belt now where you're occasionally getting two or three really good guys coming through," he said. "Guys like Sean O'Brien and Jason Harris-Wright are establishing themselves so the best thing that can happen is our academy players can see there's a ladder there."