URC: Stormers v Leinster, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, Friday, 6pm Irish time – live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is without his Lions contingent from the summer tour to Australia while also missing the injured trio of captain Caelan Doris, Joe McCarthy and Hugo Keenan for the opening game of their title defence in the United Rugby Championship.
There is plenty of good news, though, with Robbie Henshaw, Jordan Larmour, Will Connors and Brian Deeny all fit after being sidelined for the run-in last season, while Cullen can also call upon a tranche of players from Ireland’s summer tour.
Jimmy O’Brien gets first dibs on the 15 jersey, while Tommy O’Brien will look to continue the form that has brought him more Test tries than caps after an impressive start to his international career. Henshaw is named at outside centre and will partner Ciarán Frawley in the midfield, while captain Luke McGrath will buddy up with Sam Prendergast at halfback.
Provincial previews - How will Connacht and Leinster fare this season?
In the pack Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy and Ryan Baird swap the delights of Tbilisi and Lisbon for Cape Town. Paddy McCarthy also made the Irish tour but didn’t play. It’s interesting that he’s been chosen as cover at loosehead prop, as he can play both sides of the scrum. Andrew Sparrow, a former Ireland under-20 international, is set to make his debut off the bench.
READ MORE
There’s an element of “needs must” in a few selections from a positional sense but it doesn’t detract from how individuals perform in the context of the team in what should be a rip-roaring tussle. There are few clubs in the URC against whom Leinster would have a losing record, but the Stormers are one, with the South African side winning three of the four matches between the sides.
STORMERS: W Simelane; S Senatla, R Nel (capt), D du Plessis, L Zas; J Matthee, S Ungerer; V Matongo, A-H Venter, N Fouché; A Smith, JD Schickerling; P de Villiers, B-Jason Dixon, E Roos.
Replacements: JJ Kotze, O Reid, Z Porthen, R van Heerden, R Ackermann, M Theunissen, D Duvenage, C Swart.
LEINSTER: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, R Henshaw, C Frawley, J Larmour; S Prendergast, L McGrath (capt); J Boyle, G McCarthy, R Slimani; D Mangan, B Deeny; R Baird, S Penny, J Culhane.
Replacements: J McKee, P McCarthy, A Sparrow, M Deegan, W Connors, F Gunne, H Byrne, H Cooney.
Referee: G Gnecchi (Italy).
