URC: Leinster v Ospreys, RDS, Saturday, 7.35 – Live on TG4 and Premier Sports
Leo Cullen understands that there can be no more missteps between now and the end of the league stage of the United Rugby Championship (URC) if Leinster hope to chase down a number one seeding in the knock-out phase of the tournament.
Two defeats in South Africa against the Lions and Stormers have seen the province slip to number two in the standings, four points behind Glasgow Warriors, who are in Pretoria on Saturday lunchtime, where they take on the Bulls, with the South African team one of two, along with Munster, within touching distance of the top two.
Emmet Farrell, a member of Leinster’s coaching team, said after Friday’s captain’s run that the side have been boosted all week following the Champions Cup semi-final victory over Northampton.
“The guys are good obviously [with] the feelgood factor from last week. The lads are looking to build on that and keep pushing now until the end of the season, lots of positivity around the place.
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“The league position pushes that [strong selection]. We want to be challenging and have home games here at the end of the season. It is very important we get the win, and the lads are fully focused on getting that result.”
To that end Cullen has made just five changes to the side that beat the Saints at Croke Park. Jimmy O’Brien, a replacement the last day, is named on the left wing while Luke McGrath starts at scrumhalf. They represent the two changes in the backline.
Up front two members of last weekend’s bench, hooker Rónan Kelleher and secondrow Jason Jenkins, have been promoted to the run-on team, while Will Connors is restored at openside flanker having missed out on last weekend. Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park drop to the replacements.
Michael Milne and Thomas Clarkson will cover the respective prop positions. Ryan Baird can slot in at secondrow so Jack Conan, outstanding when introduced in the final quarter against Northampton, is one of two backrow replacements, while Charlie Ngatai and Tommy O’Brien, fit again for the first time since February following a hamstring injury, provide cover in the backs.
There is no sign once again of Garry Ringrose (shoulder), who was expected to be available for the Saints match, and Hugo Keenan (hip). Cullen will be keen that they play next week if the duo are to be in the reckoning for the Champions Cup final against Toulouse at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Saturday week.
The Ospreys have named a strong team bolstered by a couple of returning Welsh internationals. Flanker Jac Morgan is back in the matchday 23 after six months out following knee surgery, but fellow Test forward Adam Beard has picked up an ankle injury that will end his season and may well rule him out of the summer tour of Australia.
Hooker Dewi Lake, who shared the Welsh captaincy with Morgan at the World Cup, makes his first start since January after recovering from hamstring damage. Owen Watkin and the physically powerful Keiran Williams are a handful in the centre while Keelan Giles is blisteringly quick.
Justin Tipuric leads the team and forms part of a backrow the includes the excellent young Harri Deaves and Morgan Morris; the number eight takes a fair bit of stopping.
Ospreys coach Toby Booth said: “We have surprised a few people in how we’ve gone this year, so it shows it still can be done. That’s the beauty of sport.
“You saw this week in the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund didn’t have a chance, according to everybody, but they find themselves in the final.”
He described Leinster as a “juggernaut” before adding: “They have got 60-odd players of the same calibre, so it doesn’t matter who wears the shirt.
“They have got the luxury of making selection choices, where others don’t necessarily. That’s the benefit of having deep pockets and deep squads. There is no complaining or whinging about it. It is what it is.
“You know Leinster are effectively a superpower of the URC and you know how difficult it is to match that. They have got a lot to play for and are a very, very good team.”
Booth’s team realistically need to win two of their last three matches – the others are Welsh derbies against the Dragons and Cardiff – to be in with a chance of making the playoffs.
There is a coterie of Leinster players who are out to convince Cullen that they should be involved in the end-of-season marquee fixtures. The jostling resumes on Saturday night at the RDS, everyone aware that opportunities are scarce, and that Leinster’s pursuit of the double depends on the integrity of performance every week from here on in: 23-point favourites seems an outsize handicap but perhaps not if they hit their straps early.
LEINSTER: C Frawley: J Larmour, J Osborne, R Henshaw, J O’Brien; R Byrne, L McGrath; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Furlong; R Molony, J Jenkins; R Baird, W Connors, C Doris (capt).
Replacements: D Sheehan, M Milne, T Clarkson, J Conan, J Van der Flier, J Gibson-Park, C Ngatai, T O’Brien.
OSPREYS: M Nagy; L Morgan, Ó Watkin, K Williams, K Giles; D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams; N Smith, D Lake, R Henry; J Ratti, H Sutton; H Deaves, J Tipuric (capt), M Morris.
Replacements: S Parry, G Thomas, T Botha, V Sekekete, J Morgan, L Davies, J Walsh, E Boshoff.
Referee: S Grove-White (Scotland).
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