Leinster v Edinburgh
RDS Arena, 7.35pm TG4
Ben Te'o will be the centre of attention in every respect for tonight's Guinness Pro12 match. On Halloween night there'll be nothing eerie in having thousands of pairs of eyes focused on his every move.
There is a legitimate sense of anticipation as the Australian rugby league convert makes his full Leinster debut having enjoyed a British & Irish Cup match against Carmarthen Quins as a loosener in his repatriation to union, a sport he last played as a teenager.
He’s already made quite an impression on his new team-mates and he’ll be looking to make one or two more, albeit in a different sense of the word, on Edinburgh players.
Leinster coach Matt O’Connor was asked to elaborate on the Auckland-born, Samoan league international’s qualities.
“He’s a little bit down on the nuances of the game but he’s an incredibly fast learner and the more he plays, the better he’ll be,” said O’Connor.
Powerful defender
“He’s a very powerful defender, carries the ball incredibly well and we’ll be looking to get him involved in those aspects of the game as often as we can.
"The reality is you've got to look at as much rugby (union) as you can. You've got to immerse yourself in it and thankfully he's been living with Rob and Dave Kearney and we'll certainly be using every avenue we can to expose him to the game, and look at the game.
“He’s not going to have any issues physically from a power and endurance perspective. It’s just [about] understanding the little bits of detail, where to stand and how to impart himself on the game. I mean, he’s a great pro.
“He’s certainly demonstrated that throughout his Rugby League career and he’s got a hunger to work and a hunger to learn as quickly as he can.”
New environment
Leinster captain Kevin McLaughlin, celebrating a return to the team after a six-week absence because of acute bone bruising to his knee, offered a lighter look at how Te'o is adapting to his new environment.
“There’s been a massive improvement even since last week when we were explaining the word ruck to him. Whereas this week he’s actually hitting rucks.
“He’s already one of the most popular lads in the changing room. He’s very, very outgoing. He’s been a really good addition so far and I think he’s going to bring a little bit of a buzz to the place, some excitement. He’s really enthusiastic to learn, which is very important.
“He’s a natural athlete and he’s a big guy and he likes hitting things.
“Hopefully we can teach him to run at space a bit as well, but I think he’s going to give us good gain-line ball. From what I’ve seen his fight on the ground is pretty good which is very important.
“So it’s going to be interesting for him and I’m sure he’ll find some of it very challenging, adapting to all the calls and the shape of the game.”
McLaughlin makes a welcome return in a backrow that includes the in-form Dominic Ryan and the talented young number eight Jack Conan. Luke McGrath gets a chance at scrumhalf, while Peter Dooley, Dan Leavy and Steve Crosbie are named among the replacements.
Edinburgh are hamstrung in missing 18 players through injury and another two on international duty but it's unlikely to change the way they'll play the game or the fact that Tim Visser and Dougie Fife will both cause problems when in possession.
The Scottish club like to use the full expanse of the pitch and also to hang onto possession. Leinster understand that they will have to be disciplined in defence and ruthless when clearing out at rucks if they want to guarantee fast ball.
It'd be nice to judge Leinster's back play based on fast ball and Te'o might just be the man to give them both good gain-lines and also offload in the tackle.
LEINSTER: Z Kirchner; D Fanning, B Te'o, N Reid, L Fitzgerald; J Gopperth, L McGrath; M Bent, R Strauss, T Furlong; K Douglas, T Denton; K McLaughlin (capt), D Ryan, J Conan. Replacements: B Byrne, Ed Byrne, P Dooley, B Marshall, D Leavy, I Boss, S Crosbie, M McGrath.
EDINBURGH: N McLennan; D Fife, J Dominguez, A Strauss (capt), T Visser; T Heathcote, S Hildago-Clyne; A Dell, J Hilterbrand, W Nel; B Toolis, J Turley; M Bradbury, T Leonardi, D Denton. Replacements: J Kerr, R Sutherland, J Andress, J Ritchie, G Turner, S Kennedy, G Toinks, J Cuthbert.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Verdict: Leinster to win
