Leinster v LondonIrish. Friday 8.00pm

Nilther

Leinster squad to face London Irish...

FORWARDS: Leo Cullen, John Fogarty, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Nathan Hines, Bernard Jackman, Shane Jennings, Stephen Keogh, Ronan McCormack, Kevin McLaughlin, Malcolm O'Kelly, Sean O'Brien, Mike Ross, Devin Toner, CJ van der Linde

BACKS: Shaun Berne, Gordon D'Arcy, Girvan Dempsey, Luke Fitzgerald, Shane Horgan, Chris Keane, Rob Kearney, Simon Keogh, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa, Brian O'Driscoll, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton

REFEREE: Romain Poite (FFR), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Eric Soulan (FFR), Bernard Dal Maso (FFR), 4th OFFICIAL: Paul Haycock (ARLB), 5th OFFICIAL: Ken Henley-Willis (ARLB), TMO: Jean Christophe Gastou (FFR)

from LeinsterFans.


Should be a good match, apparently the weathers due to be terrible though. Interesting only 4 props named in the squad so fairly easy to assume 1 and 3 will be Healy and Ross with CJ and RMcC benching. The rest of the team picks itself bar Nacewa/Kearney and McLaughlin/O'Brien. Nacewa and McLaughlin to start for me personally.

smurphy29

This is a massive game. Huge. You wouldn't have backed 2007 vintage Leinster to back up a big performance with another one, (remember Toulouse after winning in Musgrave?) but I have more confidence in 2009 vintage Leinster to do it - and do it we must, because this is going to be one mighty tough game. Looking forward to another crackling atmosphere at the RDS - we must make it a cauldron again!

Can't see any changes other than out of necessity. Ross will come in for Wright, and I don't think he'll weaken the side. It's great to have CJvdL back, but he probably won't see action on friday. Tough on Kearns and O'Brien, but they'll be starting on the bench again.

toomevara

This is a mouth watering prospect. LI are absolutely on fire. They play a fabulously expansive game and their set piece is superb, rather like Leinster at the minute. Great stuff in prospect for the neutral. Seen LI play live twice this season and they're scoring tries for fun and playing very aesthetically pleasing rugby to boot. Going to be a cracker.

I wonder how Irish will fair without Richards

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/london_irish/8291738.stm

toomevara

Deleted User wrote: »

I wonder how Irish will fair without Richards

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/london_irish/8291738.stm

Won't bother them in the least. Paul Hodgson is LI's first choice scrum half. he and Lamb are really firing together.

RuggieBear

LI match up too well for Leinster...decent scrum/lineout. Big pack and incredibly quick out wide.

I'm hoping for a victory but feeling quite pessimistic tbh.

In the group scheme, LI will also garner more BPs than Leinster I feel and will thus go through at Leinster's expense.

The Rooster

RuggieBear wrote: »

LI match up too well for Leinster...decent scrum/lineout. Big pack and incredibly quick out wide.

I'm hoping for a victory but feeling quite pessimistic tbh.

In the group scheme, LI will also garner more BPs than Leinster I feel and will thus go through at Leinster's expense.

Indeed, though perhaps LI are more likely to throw in a surprise below par performance and drop points unexpectedly. But Friday is a massive game - the winner will be favourite to top the group.

irishbucsfan

This is going to be an epic clash of the titans, not the two teams themselves as such but it'll be incredible to see Leinster's "impenetrable" defense up against LI's "irresistable" attack.

Mike Ross has to believe that if he plays well he can challenge Hayes for Ireland (even if it's not necessarilly true in my opinion) and play out of his skin.

r0nanf

toomevara wrote: »

Won't bother them in the least. Paul Hodgson is LI's first choice scrum half. he and Lamb are really firing together.

Lamb is the weak link imo - he's real flaky under pressure, so it'll be important for us to get in his face right from the off. Probably wouldn't hurt for Hines to get a little "close" to him early on too...

anonymous_joe

r0nanf wrote: »

Lamb is the weak link imo - he's real flaky under pressure, so it'll be important for us to get in his face right from the off. Probably wouldn't hurt for Hines to get a little "close" to him early on too...

Looked ok in the preseason friendly.

toomevara

r0nanf wrote: »

Lamb is the weak link imo - he's real flaky under pressure, so it'll be important for us to get in his face right from the off. Probably wouldn't hurt for Hines to get a little "close" to him early on too...

Would have agreed with you last year when he was having a mare at Gloucs and was clearly unhappy. This season Toby Booth seems to have turned him around completely, and his partnership with Hodgson is purring..

Beanmachine

Would have agreed with you last year when he was having a mare at Gloucs and was clearly unhappy. This season Toby Booth seems to have turned him around completely, and his partnership with Hodgson is purring..

Still very weak defensively though,Leinster could really get to London Irish if they target him.

r0nanf

Agree with Beanmachine - continually run Heaslip and O'Brien down Lamb's channel and that'll be him sorted. Once a flaker, always a flaker.

Isn't that right Charlie Hodgson?

canine

If Leinster play the way they did last Saturday there is,nt a team in the home nations that will live with them ,the problem being its such high tempo in your face type of play it could be difficult to maintain time after time . Im a recovering Munster fan

Pegs595

Is this on terrestrial telly or just SKY?

I haven't been watching the English premiereship but Leinster looked very good so far. Should be a good one I reckon

ALH-06

Pegs595 wrote: »

All Heineken Cup is on Sky only.

smurphy29

15: Isa Nacewa
14: Shane Horgan
13: Brian O’Driscoll
12: Gordon D’Arcy
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jonathan Sexton
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Cian Healy
2: John Fogarty
3: Mike Ross
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Nathan Hines
6: Kevin McLaughlin
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Bernard Jackman
17: Ronan McCormack
18: CJ van der Linde
19: Malcolm O’Kelly
20: Sean O’Brien
21: Simon Keogh
22: Shaun Berne
23: Rob Kearney

LONDON IRISH: 15: Peter Hewat, 14: Tom Homer, 13: Elvis Seveali'i, 12: Seilala Mapusua, 11: Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10: Chris Malone, 9: Paul Hodgson; 1: Clarke Dermody, 2: David Paice, 3: Faan Rautenbach, 4: Nick Kennedy, 5: Bob Casey CAPTAIN, 6: Declan Danaher, 7: Steffon Armitage, 8: Chris Hala'ufia
REPLACEMENTS: 16: Danie Coetzee, 17: Dan Murphy, 18: Paulica Ion, 19: Andy Perry, 20: Richard Thorpe, 21: Ryan Lamb, 22: Jamie Lennard, 23: Alfredo Lalanne

No surprise for Leinster, it's as you were except the necessary change in the front row. Kearney and O'Brien will just have to be patient I guess.

Bit of a surprise for Irish though - Chris Malone selected at 10. Tom Homer is only a baby is he not? Looking through the sides, I know Irish are in great form, but I think we should have enough to win.

Blured

Berne in for McFadden - not sure about that. Plenty of impact on the bench though

If things are going well I'd like to see CJ get a bit of game time.

crisco10

13 out of 15 are Irish. Happy days.

And you could easily imagine MOK and Rob K slotting into the team to make it an all Irish XV.

Happy with the team, although it looks like he is expecting 80 from BOD. Tough on McFadden but wonder is that he is not versatile enough to fill a HC bench with Rob(who himself is really only a fullback).

Pegs595

ALH-06 wrote: »

All Heineken Cup is on Sky only.

Pub it is then!!

(Cheers)

Macsimus

Disappointed from an Ireland pov that Kearney's not starting, i thought Cheika might rotate things a bit this week and have a nacewa, Kearney & fitz back 3. But gotta say fair play to shaggy for nailing down his place, great to see the old warhorse back to his best. Though i do hope Rob gets out on the field for the last 30 along with SOB

LI might be flying high in the GP but I still expect us to dominate them tomorrow and once again prove the superiority of the top ML teams.

SpAcEd OuT

Macsimus wrote: »

Disappointed from an Ireland pov that Kearney's not starting, i thought Cheika might rotate things a bit this week and have a nacewa, Kearney & fitz back 3. But gotta say fair play to shaggy for nailing down his place, great to see the old warhorse back to his best. Though i do hope Rob gets out on the field for the last 30 along with SOB

LI might be flying high in the GP but I still expect us to dominate them tomorrow and once again prove the superiority of the top ML teams.

I'm all for rotation but don't think it's sensible to throw Kearney back in to the mix in our first HC game against a quality opposition side.

Beanmachine

13 out of 15 are Irish. Happy days.

Yes indeed, looking at the London Irish bench it couldn't be more different,Could be wrong but i can only see 5 English players starting the match for LI.

Aidric

SpAcEd OuT wrote: »

I'm all for rotation but don't think it's sensible to throw Kearney back in to the mix in our first HC game against a quality opposition side.

Why not? The guy has buckets of class, very disappointing to see him on the bench from an international perspective. He offers a hell of a lot more than Nacewa imo.

Macsimus

SpAcEd OuT wrote: »

I'm all for rotation but don't think it's sensible to throw Kearney back in to the mix in our first HC game against a quality opposition side.

Well ideally, last week, I would have proffered Rob to get a bit more game time - Though I'm not complaining about the result .

Regards this week, I think Rob has enough class and experience by now to slot back in when required.

Nacewa really put his hand up last week though - that tackle on Williams was savage. Before last week I thought Rob would have the edge in defense - not so sure now.

crisco10

crisco10 wrote: »

Happy with the team, although it looks like he is expecting 80 from BOD.

If BOD comes off I think Nacewa Fitz and Berne can slot into centre.

wixfjord

Have to say Im happy with that team. Mclaughlin has been playing very well, and from what I have seen of Nacewa at FB so far, I think hes better than Kearney going forward, bar Kearneys superb catching, and very solid defensively, and in form. It would be very unfair to him to be dropped, on the back of the end of last year and last Saturday. I also wouldnt subscribe to the opinion that its harmful to kearneys Irish chances. With Murphy out presumabely and Earls not up to international standard fb level yet, hes probably Irelands best option.

Very strong bench options for Leinster.

However, Im a bot dissapointed that Lamb isnt playing, he could be targeted by a mobile back row, and Malone is a much more solid kicker, meaning Irish may be looking to play field position.

TarfHead

I've a clear memory of seeing the Harlequins front row getting stuffed by London Irish in the GP semi-final last season. I hope Mike Ross gets a better outcome tomorrow.

chupacabra

Aidric wrote: »

He offers a hell of a lot more than Nacewa imo.

Thats totally not the case. Nacewa offers a lot more than Kearney in attack and his defense is superior.

Macsimus

chupacabra wrote: »

Thats totally not the case. Nacewa offers a lot more than Kearney in attack and his defense is superior.

I wouldn't go so far as to say his defense is superior.. Kearneys very strong in the tackle too and his fielding abilities are second to none. With the weather forecast for tomorrow there's a strong argument to use him.

Horgan's keeping Kearney out as much as Nacewa, they've both had a run of games and are both in good form, so Cheika's accommodating them both. Rob will get his chance and if he can reproduce the form he showed in the summer it'll be Isa and Horgan fighting over the last place.

Might also be an element of Cheika noticing how good RK played in SA when he really had to fight for his place. So with Isa and Horgan both firing its an opportunity for Cheiks to set a fire under Rob for the rest of the season

Podge_irl

chupacabra wrote: »

Thats totally not the case. Nacewa offers a lot more than Kearney in attack and his defense is superior.

Nacewa made a reasonably pathetic attempt at a tackle in the lead-up to Leicester's try in the HEC final. Kearney is better under the high ball as well (by a considerable distance). I would say they are pretty comparable defensively. Nacewa is a lot better hitting the line though.

anonymous_joe

Podge_irl wrote: »

Nacewa made a reasonably pathetic attempt at a tackle in the lead-up to Leicester's try in the HEC final. Kearney is better under the high ball as well (by a considerable distance). I would say they are pretty comparable defensively. Nacewa is a lot better hitting the line though.

Tore Munster apart in the match before that, and did very well last week.

I'd probably have preferred Kearney for this game, but I'm fairly sure Cheika knows more than me about rugby.

DonkeyPokerTour

Was I the only one scratching my head about 2 props on the bench? Forgetting the new rule about full front row replacement.

Can some one clarify that rule exactly for me please. The way I understand it, if 3 of the props get injured or both hookers, the game goes to uncontested scrums and the team that caused uncontested scrums goes down to 14 men correct?

Decent squad, disappointed that McFadden is not on the bench, but I suppose berne gives the option of covering 10 as well.

Teferi

Anyone know if this is broadcast on the radio anywhere? Might be stuck in work for the match.

Beanmachine

ALH-06 wrote: »

All Heineken Cup is on Sky only.

No S4C are showing the welsh matches aswell,English commentary on the red button.

Hamo

This match will be a cracker regardless, two teams at the top of their game can't wait

G'WAN LEINSTER.....

bamboozle

current weather in dublin wont suit LI's running game, and will suit our defense down to the ground.
Bonus point win for Leinster

accensi0n

bamboozle wrote: »

current weather in dublin wont suit LI's running game, and will suit our defense down to the ground.
Bonus point win for Leinster

Havn't seen irish play this season but hasn't their defense been savage too?

toomevara

accensi0n wrote: »

Havn't seen irish play this season but hasn't their defense been savage too?

In a word, yes. As for the weather, LI won last weekend's GP game against Sale in appalling conditions, torrential rain, wind etc... They've got the champagne in the locker, but when needs must they can produce the brown ale stuff too.

Thanos

Think it will be a tight game, weather not letting either side play the way they would like but Leinster to win by about 5.

justsomebloke

FECK OFF RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crash

Stopped raining in parkwest, the suns come out. Fingers crossed.

Chucky the tree

This is actually a game Leinster should be hoping for rain I think.

danthefan

Chucky the tree wrote: »

This is actually a game Leinster should be hoping for rain I think.

I don't think Leinster need to hope for anything, rather just make sure they play to the best of their ability. Do that and they'll win, whether it's torrential or dry.

Ceartgoleor

toomevara wrote: »

In a word, yes. As for the weather, LI won last weekend's GP game against Sale in appalling conditions, torrential rain, wind etc... They've got the champagne in the locker, but when needs must they can produce the brown ale stuff too.

This is definitely true. They are a quality side with a real hard edge about them. Very similar to Leinster actually in a lot of ways. I happened to be at the Sale game and was very impressed by them, incredible depth too of front row options, having changed the entire front row. Mike Ross is in for a testing night, and we'll know a lot more about whether or not he can be the long term replacement for John Hayes after tonight.

Hodgson at scrum half is top notch too.

subfreq

Rain now cleared with 3 hours to go so it should be very good conditions. Wind has totally eased off as well.

FridaysWell

subfreq wrote: »

Rain now cleared with 3 hours to go so it should be very good conditions. Wind has totally eased off as well.

No rain, little wind and wet ground hopefully??!?!
We are in for a cracker of a game today :D

mikeystipey

anyone know if the Leinster game tonight is on radio? Will be on the road between 8 and 10pm

Four-Percent

toomevara wrote: »

They've got the champagne in the locker, but when needs must they can produce the brown ale stuff too.

Excellent

Chucky the tree

Jesus christ I can't stand this twat. Intro consists of a 5 ****ing munite pun-filled stream of ****e. Come on LI as well! 4/1 is just to good to turn down.