URC: Leinster v Cardiff, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 3pm (Live on RTÉ & Premier Sports)
Ivan Soroka, a financial adviser with AIB Bank, will return to professional rugby this weekend for the first time since spending a year with Connacht in the 2016-17 season. In doing so, the 30-year-old Kyiv born, loosehead prop is likely to make his Leinster debut off the bench where he will hopefully get to spend some game time in the company of his younger brother, Alex (24).
It’s a great story, and a proud day for the Soroka family and Clontarf rugby club, from whom Leinster have borrowed Ivan after injury and international commitments had left the provincial loosehead stocks rather threadbare.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen explained: “We have Andrew (Porter) and Cian (Healy) away with Ireland. Paddy McCarthy played the A (international against England last Sunday) with Ireland, but he has an issue that’s just flared up, big toe (picked up in training on Tuesday); hopefully it won’t be too bad, but it rules him out this week.
Is Ireland’s production line of talent beginning to falter?
“Mikey Milne is injured and Alex Usanov, who is the Irish 20s loosehead, is also injured at the moment. I have watched a lot of the AIL (All-Ireland League) and Ivan is someone who is a real standout, particularly around the set piece, scrum, someone that we would track quite a bit.
“I gave him (Ivan) a call a couple of weeks ago just in terms of planning and a couple of different scenarios and (asked) if he would be interested if the opportunity came about. I talked to Andy Wood this week so a lot of credit must go to him and Clontarf, the great work that they do there. The quality is good, the coaching is good, and it’s amazing to see some of those guys rewarded.”
The Soroka family is synonymous with Ukraine, with Alex – who was born in Ireland – raising in excess of €35,000 for the Okhmadits Children’s Hospital three years ago. So, what’s the dynamic been like in Leinster this week, with younger brother Alex, a full-time professional with the province, offering a helping hand to his sibling?
Cullen smiled: “Yeah, little and large. Lexi (Alex) has been very good in terms of how he has gone about trying to help Ivan, in setting him up, and Ivan has been very diligent in the way he has gone about his preparation this week.”
Alex made a standout impact off the bench for Ireland A in Bristol last Sunday in what was an otherwise disappointing performance for the visitors. That match had its own injury legacy from a Leinster perspective with Ciarán Frawley sustaining a head injury – he is following the return to play protocols – and scrumhalf Fintan Gunne suffering a minor wrist issue.
Cormac Foley is also injured, so academy and former Irish-20s scrumhalf Oliver Coffey is set to make his debut off the bench. A place-kicker of note, he’s trained with the squad for the last couple of weeks. Cullen confirmed that Tadhg Furlong, who is rehabbing with Leinster, took part in some of the unit drills.
Jimmy O’Brien and Tommy O’Brien provide experience in a young backline that includes a fledgling midfield combination of Hugh Cooney and Charlie Tector, with Andrew Osborne, younger brother of Jamie, on the left wing. Ross Byrne and Luke McGrath will be expected to run the game plan with a practiced eye.
Up front, Jack Boyle, fresh from his senior debut against Wales last weekend, has been released to get some match minutes. Three hookers, Dan Sheehan, Rónan Kelleher and Gus McCarthy are with Ireland, so John McKee starts, while academy prospect Stephen Smyth, who played in the A international, is on the bench.
RG Snyman and Scott Penny will add value whenever they’re introduced, while Rob Russell is fit again after injury. The job that Matt Sherratt did in preparing Wales as interim head coach for last week’s Six Nations clash underlines Cullen’s assertion that Cardiff “are a very well-coached side,” with a nice blend of power and pace. They have the potential to be a handful.
Former Wales and Lions prop Gethin Jenkins, who is leading Cardiff alongside Corniel van Zyl in the absence of Sherratt, said: “Leinster have played 15 games this season and have 15 wins. The challenge for us is creating belief in our squad that we can go there and put them under pressure.”
Leinster start the match as 18-point favourites, which seems a slightly generous appraisal at face value, but if they can fire in performance terms it should be a memorable occasion for the Soroka and Coffey households.
LEINSTER: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, H Cooney, C Tector, A Osborne; R Byrne, L McGrath (capt); J Boyle, J McKee, R Slimani; B Deeny, D Mangan; A Soroka, W Connors, M Deegan.
Replacements: S Smyth, I Soroka, R McGuire, RG Snyman, S Penny, O Coffey, L Turner, R Russell.
CARDIFF: C Winnett; G Hamer-Webb, R Lee-Lo, R Jennings, H Millard; C Sheedy, J Mulder; D Southworth, L Belcher (capt), R Litterick; J McNally, R Thornton; B Donnell, T Young, A Lawrence.
Replacements: E Daniel, R Barratt, W Davies-King, S Davies, A Mann, E Bevan, T de Beer, R Grace.
Referee: A Piardi (Italy).
