Celtic League: Following tomorrow night's Celtic League clash with Llanelli in Donnybrook, Gary Ella may finally get the chance to field his strongest Leinster side since taking up the coaching job at the beginning of the season.
After this weekend, Leinster's next Celtic League game is away to Neath on November 29th by which time new signing, Argentinian outhalf Felipe Contepomi, will be in Ireland. There is also the possibility that a number of Ireland players will be back in Dublin and available to play, a development that would hinge on the outcome of Sunday's World Cup quarter-final between Ireland and France.
Success for Ireland would keep them in Australia for a semi-final on the weekend of November 15th with the 3rd/4th place play-off scheduled for Thursday, November 20th and the final on Saturday 22nd.
Resting in Argentina, having played a key roll in his country's World Cup campaign, the 26-year-old Contepomi is expected to arrive in Ireland on November 17th-18th. As Leinster sit out the Celtic Cup semi-finals on the weekend of November 14th and the following weekend is a rest one, Contepomi is expected to play for Leinster in their next match, against Neath at The Gnoll on the 29th.
In the event of France winning on Sunday morning, the Ireland squad would then be entitled to an official two-week break before resuming play with their respective clubs.
Clearly the run of World Cup matches against Argentina, Australia and France on successive weekends will have taken its toll on centrally involved players and the possibility is those players will wait until December 5th, when the Heineken European Cup starts, to come back into the domestic game.
However, players who will have played a peripheral part in the World Cup campaign may arrive back for duty immediately and make themselves available.
Leinster, in Pool 3 of the European Cup, play Biarritz Olympique at home in their first match.
"Hopefully, Felipe Contepomi will be up and running for the Neath match," said Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson. "As for the rest of the side, it depends when the guys get back from the World Cup. Officially they are available two weeks after their last match for Ireland,"
In Ulster, coach Alan Solomons has made just one change to the side that defeated Cardiff 32-7 on Friday night at Ravenhill. Tyrone Howe's departure to Australia for the injured Denis Hickie gives Scott Young the opportunity to come into the starting line-up on the wing against Connacht at the Sportsground on Saturday, while new signing Paul Steinmetz has been named on the bench.
Ulster top the Celtic League table, with Connacht in third place.
In Munster, outhalf Jeremy Staunton is not in Alan Gaffney's side to face Edinburgh at Meadowbank tomorrow night. Staunton is omitted relating to an internal disciplinary matter following last week's match against Celtic Warriors. As a result, Staunton, the fourth highest points scorer in the Celtic League, is replaced by Jason Holland.
Holland moves from the centre to 10 with Conrad O'Sullivan coming into the side at inside centre.
The expected return of Martin Cahill has not materialised. Instead, Simon Kerr, Andy Long and Frank Roche fill the front row, as they did last week, with Cahill, who has been injured, not named on the bench.
Gaffney yesterday confirmed that All Black Christian Cullen would be arriving in Cork on Sunday afternoon and it is anticipated he will be involved in the Celtic League game against Cardiff Blues (Musgrave Park) on November 28th.
Gaffney also confirmed that flanker Alan Quinlan, who arrived home from Australia on Tuesday, will see a specialist in Dublin today about his injured shoulder.
MUNSTER (v Edinburgh): D Crotty; M McPhail, M Mullins, C O'Sullivan, M Lawler; J Holland, E Reddan; S Kerr, A Long, F Roche, T Hogan, S Keogh, D Leamy, C McMahon, J Williams (capt). Replacements: E McGovern, J Blaney, D Sheehan, T Hayes, F Murphy, K Matthews, C Casey.
ULSTER (Connacht): B Cunningham; J Topping, R Constable, S Stewart, S Young; A Larkin, K Campbell; B Young, M Sexton, R Moore, M Mustchin, M McCullough, A Ward (capt), N Best, T McWhirter. Replacements: P Shields, R McCormack, R Frost, R Wilson, R Spee, P Steinmetz, S Mallon.
