Leinster set to give Ulster tougher time

Right from the full-time whistle at the same venue a week ago, tonight's meeting between Ulster and Leinster at Ravenhill has been shaping up as the biggest game of the season so far. It may be premature to saddle it with the label of championship decider, but as they are the current top two in the Guinness Interprovincials it could well work out that way.

Ulster have been the pacesetters since the off, beginning with that surprisingly facile opening night win over a lethargic Leinster. Victory tonight would seem them kick for home with the buffer of an extra win over the chasing pack and only two games remaining.

The way Mike Ruddock, sees it, "the intepros really start now. We've all had three games and the next round of games are crucial." Without detracting from Ulster's fine performance in the first contest, Ruddock maintains that Leinster were "disadvantaged by not having a warm-up game beforehand."

They have, however, since then strung together three successive wins, and the situation could hardly be better poised.

Save for Connacht's second-half comeback, nothing has been putting this highly professional, well organised Ulster side off their stride.

That defeat to Connacht aside, a feature of this year's interprovincials has been the manner one side has sped out of the blocks and built decisive early leads. Ulster have looked more assured of what they're about in the opening quarter than anyone in constructing leads of 17-0 against Leinster, 12-0 against Connacht and 16-0 against Munster.

With home advantage, Ulster will be expected to seek an early territorial edge, play the percentages and maybe tack on a few early penalties through the prodigious boot of Simon Mason, whose prolific form underlines that virtually anything in the opposition half is kickable.

But Leinster will hardly be the relative soft touches they were in week one and currently look best equipped of the other three provinces to trouble the championship favourites. They've hit on a more balanced unit, with Martin Ridge stiffening up the middle - an important consideration bearing in mind Johnny Bell's impressive comeback last week - and Denis Hickie having passed a fitness test yesterday to give their outside three a seriously pacey and potent look.

The anticipated return of Trevor Brennan and the emergence of Craig Brownlie also gives their back-row a meaner, more robust look. By comparison, though the makeshift Bell-Jan Cunningham midfield partnership worked well last week, the loss of Mark McCall's leadership is bound to be missed, not to mention the strong running of the still hamstrung Stanley McDowell.

Injuries, like last week, could yet play a part. While Leinster still have a doubt over scrum-half David O'Mahony, Ulster have concerns over Murtagh Rea, Justin Fitzpartrick and Dean Macartney due to a combination of bumps, bruises and viruses.

The two best and most varied line-outs in the championship ought also make for what Harry Williams forecasts as "a more open game than last week's game, which was a bit of a dour battle."

Leinster may have a discernible edge in the scrums, which has looked the pick of the four on offer heretofore. So well has Emmet Byrne played that Leinster can afford not to rush Reggie Corrigan back unduly.

Nonetheless, it's probably fair to say that due to the absence of a preparatory friendly that day, the surfeit of errors they made, the subsequent changes in personnel, the ensuing run of three wins and a much tighter defence, Leinster may have improved by 20 points or so, whereas Ulster will be doing well to play as well.

Ulster v Leinster Five year formguide (98) Leinster 14 Ulster 34; (97) Leinster 26 Ulster 25; (96) Ulster 25 Leinster 35; (95) Leinster 31 Ulster 3; (94) Ulster 6 Leinster 12.

Ulster: S Mason; J Davis, J Cunningham, J Bell, A Park; D Humphreys, A Matchett; J Fitzpatrick, A Clarke, G Leslie, M Rea, G Longwell, D Macartney, T McWhirter, A Ward.

Leinster: K Nowlan; G Dempsey, S Horgan, M Ridge, D Hickie; A McGowan, D O'Mahony; E Byrne, S Byrne, A McKeen, P Holden, G Fulcher (capt), T Brennan, V Costello, C Brownlie.

Referee: Dave McHugh (Munster).

Leading try scorers Ulster - Andy Ward 3, Jan Cunningham 2. Leinster - Kevin Nowlan, Girvan Dempsey 2 each.

Connacht have made four changes from the side which lost by 28-13 to Glasgow Caledonians last week for tomorrow's Guinness Interprovincial game against Munster in Dooradoyle. Irish scrum-half Conor McGuinness, having come through the first half-hour of last week's encounter unscathed, starts his first interprovincial of the campaign.

The three alterations see the return of Nigel Carolan on the wing to the exclusion of Russell Southam, with Alan Reddan switching flanks, the return of Jimmy Screene at tight-head, as opposed to loose-head, to accommodate the inclusion of John Maher, Simon Allnutt's selection ahead of Owen Cobbe in the absence of the injured Eric Elwood, and the return of a fit again Junior Charlie.

Where the Kiwi plays in the back-row has still to be finalised.