RUGBY Magners League:GIRVAN DEMPSEY is set to make his return to rugby this week as Leinster face into one of their toughest matches of the season, against Llanelli on Saturday at Stradey Park. The Ireland fullback has not played in a competitive match since he hurt a hip in training during the Six Nations Championship in February, writes Johnny Watterson.
Dempsey's injury opened the door for Leicester's Geordan Murphy to dramatically reappear on the horizon of the then coach Eddie O'Sullivan for Ireland's game against Scotland.
Murphy subsequently injured an Achilles tendon, whereupon the Ireland and Leinster left winger Rob Kearney capably stepped into the fullback role.
Kearney, who was 21 yesterday, hardly put a foot wrong, having been parachuted into the position.
That sequence of events, combined with the fact that Luke Fitzgerald has played at outside centre for Ireland after Brian O'Driscoll got injured, makes the starting selection of Leinster coach Michael Cheika more interesting than usual this week.
The likelihood is that Kearney, who prefers playing at 15, will revert to the wing to accommodate the experienced Dempsey, if Dempsey is selected to start at fullback. Shane Horgan would then start on the right wing, with Fitzgerald at outside centre alongside Christian Warner.
With captain O'Driscoll (hamstring) and Gordon D'Arcy (arm) not yet in the running for selection, Fitzgerald seems the ideal choice to step into the role as a line breaker and elusive ball carrier on the outside.
Even at the higher level, the 20-year-old looked comfortable with the ball in hand, his pace and sidestep evident and potent even against some of the best defenders in the game.
Cheika, however, may also be forced to consider the inexperienced Fitzgerald's defensive capabilities, which though improving, and given his limited exposure to the 13 position at this level, might come into question.
Word from the Leinster camp is that O'Driscoll and D'Arcy are on target to make a return for the side's clash with Munster in two weeks' time.
As next week is set aside for Heineken Cup quarter-finals, where Munster faces Gloucester in Kingsholm, Leinster have a clear match-free run into what is usually a testy Magners League game between the old rivals.
That selection week will be even more interesting. If both O'Driscoll and D'Arcy come into contention, Cheika will be left with the difficulty of filling five positions with six international players. It was easy enough to put Fitzgerald on the bench earlier in the season when his international colleagues were all available. But at that stage Fitzgerald had not yet taken the leap into international rugby. The young man may now feel a starting place in the Leinster team is his by right and Cheika may have to contemplate the unthinkable - benching one of the anointed grandees.
This week's challenge, however, is great enough and Llanelli line out without their captain, Simon Easterby. The flanker has a knee injury and does not even make the bench but Llanelli remain a formidable outfit and have to cut back Leinster's 10-point lead at the top if they are to retain hopes of winning the title.
They field a back row of Daffyd James, Gavin Thomas and the abrasive Alix Popham.
Stand-in captain and soon-to-be Sale Sharks scrumhalf Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones form the halfback axis.
They also have some fliers in the back line, with Mark Jones and Dafydd James on the flanks and Regan King at outside centre.
In all Leinster name 11 international players in their 26-man squad with Horgan, Jamie Heaslip and Fitzgerald currently sharing second place in the individual try-scoring chart with five touchdowns.
They are all two scores behind Llanelli centre King. Horgan is also in second place in the overall Magners League try-scoring list with 24, five touchdowns behind Llanelli's replacement Matthew Watkins.
LEINSTER:(Forwards) B Blaney, L Cullen, K Gleeson, C Healy, J Heaslip, T Hogan, B Jackman, S Jennings, C Jowitt, S Keogh, S Knoop, O le Roux, M O'Kelly, S Wright. (Backs) M Berne, G Brown, F Contepomi, G Dempsey, L Fitzgerald, S Horgan, C Keane, R Kearney, J Sexton, C Warner, C Whitaker, C Willis
LLANELLI:M Stoddart, D James, R King, G Evans, M Jones; S Jones, D Peel (capt); P John, M Schwalger, B Douglas; L Reed, S Macleod, D Jones, G Thomas, A Popham. Replacements- D Manu/B Broster, M Rees, A Eustace, N Thomas, G Cattle, C Thomas, M Watkins, R Priestland, J Bater.
HOW THEY STAND
P W D L F A B Pts
Leinster13 10 1 2 303 207 4 46
Llanelli13 7 0 6 309 225 8 36
Munster12 7 1 4 242 161 5 35
Edinburgh13 6 3 4 236 199 5 35 Cardiff 13 7 0 6 245 244 5 33
Glasgow13 5 1 7 216 256 3 25
Ospreys12 4 1 7 217 175 7 25
Dragons12 5 1 6 197 268 1 23
Ulster12 4 1 7 176 269 2 20
Connacht13 3 1 9 155 292 2 16
