URC: Scarlets v Leinster, Parc Y Scarlets, Saturday, 5.15 – live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 2
With an eye on next week’s Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton in Dublin, it is no surprise to see Leinster roll over their squad for the visit to Wales to face the Sacrlets.
Beaten just once in all competitions this season, Ireland hooker Rónan Kelleher captains the team for the first time in a fixture that Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel described as “a big occasion against the team in the best form in world club rugby.”
Leinster have become used to pre-match flattery, with the former Wales scrumhalf merely continuing where others have left off as Leinster seek to make it 21 wins from 22 outings.
“They are very intense defensively. You look at their last two European games against Harlequins and Glasgow – two pretty efficient attacking sides – and they nilled them both,” said Peel. “So, you’ve got to play in the right areas, you’ve got to be accurate, and you’ve got to be as physical as you can be.”
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The European dimension is, of course, the motivation for many in the squad and to catch the eye of Leinster coach Leo Cullen and be part of next week’s match in the Aviva Stadium with a possible Champions Cup final the ultimate prize.
Scarlets are currently in ninth place in the table, a place below the eighth-place playoff line. But there are seven teams with between 37 and 41 points, so the end game is sizing up to be something of a fraught scramble at the lower end to make the cut.
Leinster comfortably top the table, nine points ahead of second place Glasgow Warriors with three games in the regular season remaining.
Cullen has made nine changes from the win over Ulster and two positional switches in the backs, with Jamie Osborne moving from fullback to inside centre and Ciarán Frawley moving from outhalf to fullback.
Ruben Moloney is set to make his first senior appearance off the bench for Leinster. A talented football player with Bray Wanderers at underage, the winger/fullback’s father Rory also played with Leinster and Munster.
Academy scrumhalf Fintan Gunne makes his second start of the season and partners Ross Byrne at halfback.
In the pack, Ireland international Thomas Clarkson remains at tighhead, while blindside flanker Alex Soroka and number eight James Culhane retain their places in the backrow.
“It is taking that opportunity when you get it,” said Culhane earlier this week. As he also knows, it is easier to do that if the team can keep winning too.
SCARLETS: B Murray; T Rogers, J Roberts, J Williams, E Mee; S Costelow, G Davies; A Hepburn, R Elias, H Thomas; A Craig, S Lousi; V Fifita, J Mcleod, T Plumtree.
Replacements: M van der Merwe, L Trevett, S Wainwright, J Price, J Taylor, A Hughes, I Lloyd, M Page.
LEINSTER: C Frawley; A Osborne, L Turner, J Osborne, J O’Brien; R Byrne, F Gunne; C Healy, R Kelleher (capt), T Clarkson; R Baird, B Deeny; A Soroka, W Connors, J Culhane.
Replacements: G McCarthy, J Boyle, R Slimani, D Mangan, S Penny, C Foley, C Tector, R Moloney.
Referee: M Adamson (SRU).
