URC: Leinster v Munster, Croke Park, Saturday, 5.15pm – Live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1
The pageantry in the stands, the noise, the shades of blue and red will provide a colourful and vibrant backdrop, but ultimately, when the occasion is stripped to its sporting essence, it’s a game of rugby. Eighty minutes of derring-do, derring-don’t or derring-didn’t. Ticket sales have exceeded 50,000.
Supporters have been free to distract themselves in the build-up with endless debate, from the merits of the respective outhalves, Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley, to ever widening ripples of conflicting opinion that straddle matters further afield, like the composition of Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for the November Test series. The disgruntled find and take umbrage where possible.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, during a freewheeling chat across a variety of topics, spoke about the need to reprise the connection and energy that the team lapped up from the stands when beating the Bulls in last year’s URC final at Croke Park. “It looks like there will be a great crowd there, so we need to try and feed off a lot of that energy that we have in the ground.
“No different when we were there last year, which was at the end of last season against the Bulls. How do you bottle-up that feeling?” The short answer is to produce a quality of performance that enables the supporters to get involved vocally. The key is understanding that one engenders the other.
READ MORE
Cullen acknowledged: “It’s how we deliver on the game plan, in attack, in defence, at the set piece. All the good stuff happens then,” before pointing to an outstanding display from the Leinster frontrow that set the tone for the victory over the Bulls in the final.
“We need to make sure that we are aggressive in attack,” he continued. “If we’re very accurate and threatening with our own attack, it solves a lot of defensive problems because Munster won’t have a huge amount of ball. But if we’re disrespectful to the ball, then we will be defending more, and if we’re not technically good defensively, then Munster will cause us problems.”
[ Clayton McMillan motivated to get more Munster players into Ireland squadsOpens in new window ]
Injuries notwithstanding, both teams are primed personnel-wise, but there is still a little bit of nuance to some of the selections. Munster head coach Clayton McMillan has opted for centre Dan Kelly and number eight Brian Gleeson over Alex Nankevill and Gavin Coombes, with the latter pair on the bench.
Edwin Edogbo’s cameo against Edinburgh earns him a starting place as Jean Kleyn’s workload has been considerable to date. Jack O’Donoghue has been named at openside flanker for the first time this season, a decision that may have its roots in addressing a specific issue.
Munster’s lineout has misfired noticeably in the wins over Cardiff and Edinburgh and can ill afford a repeat on Saturday. Tadhg Beirne’s return, the excellent form of Fineen Wycherley, and the presence of O’Donoghue and Gleeson provide hooker Diarmuid Barron with a broader suite of options, ones that will be rigorously tested by RG Snyman, James Ryan and Alex Soroka.
The scrum also promises a fascinating contest. Paddy McCarthy’s body of work in the last two matches has won him a starting role. John Ryan will be his invigilator. McCarthy’s presence and that of Soroka are examples of Cullen rewarding form.
There’s something at stake everywhere on the pitch, with narrow or broad connotations. Jamie Osborne gets a spin at fullback, the midfield battle between Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw in blue and Kelly and Tom Farrell in red will inform a few arguments, while the tussle between Tommy O’Brien, winning a 50th cap, and the hot-stepping Thaakir Abrahams is one for the popcorn.
Prendergast and Crowley are conjoined in off-field chat, in that you don’t mention one without the other. It’s the first time they have opposed one another on the pitch. Cullen understands the hoopla but doesn’t subscribe to it.
“The hype is good for the overall game, as in you want the profile for the game and I think that’s important, because it’s all part of the story, isn’t it? But it’s more just the journey I would be interested in.
“Particularly when you have a lot of people with such strong vested interests in some of the individuals at play, that’s what I focus my attention on. Some of the external criticism or whatever you want to call it, that’s what it is. I don’t waste too much time on it.”
There are other battles, too. Mikey Milne has enjoyed an immediate impact in swapping a blue jersey for a red one and made his Ireland debut during the summer. He faces his former team-mate, the in-form Tadhg Furlong, adding another layer to this story.
The mental side cannot be ignored. Cullen argued that Leinster were the hunters employing the evidence of the league table, where Munster have won all three of their games thus far to Leinster’s one. Quite apart from the semantics of who’s coursing who, one thing’s assured, McMillan’s charges will be primed for a ferocious contest.
Cullen admitted: “Their motivation will be through the roof. Our guys need to understand what’s coming from the opposition and make sure we have a proper plan to be able to deal with that, which we discussed this week and tried to implement.”
Leinster – who have gambled a little with a six-two bench split – are 14-point favourites with the bookmakers, a paper value that means little unless it’s endorsed by a high-quality performance. The necessity to win is squarely on their shoulders. For Munster there are other rewards available other than winning and that should encourage them to swing freely.
LEINSTER: J Osborne; T O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, R Kelleher, T Furlong; RG Snyman, J Ryan; A Soroka, J van der Flier, J Conan (capt).
Replacements: D Sheehan, A Porter, T Clarkson, B Deeny, M Deegan, S Penny, F Gunne, C Frawley.
MUNSTER: S Daly; A Smith, T Farrell, D Kelly, T Abrahams; J Crowley, E Coughlan; M Milne, D Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; T Beirne (capt), J O’Donoghue, B Gleeson.
Replacements: L Barron, J Loughman, R Foxe, J Kleyn, G Coombes, P Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, A Nankivell.
Referee: G Gnecchi (Italy).
Verdict: Leinster to win.
