RUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: LEINSTER WILL effectively be selecting a shadow side against Newport Gwent Dragons this Sunday at Rodney Parade with a line-up that could bear more than a passing resemblance to the A team that just beat Cornish Pirates at Donnybrook last Friday.
Due to the IRFU’s Rugby World Cup 2011 Player Management Programme, presumably a similar scenario may apply to Munster when they face the Ospreys away on Saturday.
Leinster have left out 15 full internationals from the 26-man squad for Sunday’s game. Already without the injured Stan Wright and the suspended Shane Jennings, they lost Luke Fitzgerald and Jonathan Sexton during the November window. With their Irish Test players limited to a maximum of six of the next eight games before Ireland entertain Italy in the opening defence of their Six Nations crown at Croke Park on February 6th, several more have been rested this week.
These include Cian Healy, Leo Cullen, Kevin McLaughlin, Seán O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Eoin Reddan, Gordon D’Arcy, Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan and Isa Nacewa, while coach Michael Cheika has also to rest Nathan Hines, who played in all three of Scotland’s autumnal matches, and Isa Nacewa for personal reasons.
Leinster have found Rodney Parade a tricky venue in the last few years, but more pertinently perhaps, it means the European champions will effectively be going in cold away to pool leaders the Scarlets six days later. Despite the proximity of that game and the risk entailed, the likelihood is Shaun Berne will make his third start of the year at outhalf as the likely replacement for Sexton against the Dragons.
While still reasonably strong up front, Cheika seems likely to pick a backrow of highly-regarded academy flankers Rhys Ruddock and Dominic Ryan either side of Stephen Keogh, with perhaps a midfield of the fit-again Eoin O’Malley and Fergus McFadden, and possibly David Kearney and Michael Keating on the wings.
As part of the player management programme, some players will be limited to five games, and given their age profile, this applies even more to Munster, who may thus be without the likes of John Hayes, Jerry Flannery, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, David Wallace, Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara, as well as possibly one or two more when announcing their squad for their trek to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, prior to hosting Perpignan in the Heineken Cup six days later.
“The Dragons are the top Welsh club in the Magners League at the moment so they will be high on confidence coming into Sunday’s game,” said Leinster defence coach Kurt McQuilkin. “They have a fairly steady squad in terms of players who were missing during the international window and with the likes of Luke Charteris having a strong season to date, they will be difficult opponents.”
Leinster have lost on their last two visits there, while Paul Turner’s much-improved outfit are unbeaten at home in the league this season, having won their last seven league games dating back to their defeat by Munster last March.
“We’re under no illusions as to how difficult Sunday’s game will be,” admitted McQuilkin. “In an intimate ground like this you hear every comment and that puts a lot of pressure on the away team and the officials when things don’t go right.
“They have a large, vocal home support and for the new players in our squad that will be another factor for them to contend with. We have been practising hard and you can sense a real determination in the players’ attitudes to maintain top spot. In saying that, the attitude by the players over the last few weeks has been first class. We enjoyed two good wins in the opening British and Irish Cup games and some of the players who were involved have put their hands up for selection.”
Playing down the six-day turnaround in their next two fixtures, McQuilkin added: “The Dragons have lots of danger men. Joe Bearman is a very good loose forward while James Arlidge has a good boot and can dictate the tempo superbly.”
Meanwhile, over 17,000 tickets have been sold for Leinster’s home Heineken Cup clash against the Scarlets on Saturday, December 19th (3.45pm), with in excess of 15,000 tickets sold for the St Stephen’s Day Magners League clash against Ulster (5.30pm).
LEINSTER (squad v Dragons): Forwards– Mark Flanagan, John Fogarty, Trevor Hogan, Bernard Jackman, Stephen Keogh, Ronan McCormack, Jack McGrath, Malcolm O'Kelly, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Dominic Ryan, Paul Ryan, Richardt Strauss, Devin Toner, CJ van der Linde. Backs– Shaun Berne, Girvan Dempsey, Chris Keane, David Kearney, Michael Keating, Simon Keogh, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden, Ian McKinley, Niall Morris, Eoin O'Malley.
