Leinster to build from the front

HEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX MATCH: LONDON IRISH V LEINSTER:COACHES AND players normally fastidiously avoid providing any motivational material ahead of big matches so Toby Booth's comments about today's match referee Nigel Owens seem a little irregular in that context.

The London Irish coach ventured “they (Leinster) have a massive lucky charm that we have to get over as well, which is Nigel Owens refereeing”, a reference to the fact the Welshman officiated in Leinster’s quarter-final, semi-final and final matches en route to their Heineken Cup success last season. The timing of the observation suggests the pressure is beginning to tell.

The manner of last weekend’s defeat to the Scarlets should provoke a positive reaction as much as the circumstances in which London Irish find themselves. Booth will stress the important of patience and the utter folly of forcing the game. Irish have strenuously denied publicly that a bonus point is part of their goal setting. Privately it has to be and the clue to their ambition can be gleaned from the composition of the team.

Sailosi Tagicakibau hasn’t played since fracturing an ankle 11 weeks ago, while Topsy Ojo comes in for his first game this season. The decision to parachute the two first-choice wings into the starting line-up and shifting Delon Armitage to fullback reunites the club’s premier, back-three unit. They possess oodles of pace and guile and can be lethal from any poorly directed punting.

Peter Hewat drops to the bench – the club’s leading try scorer in the Heineken Cup this season Tom Homer (4) is not included in the match 22 – where he is joined by Ryan Lamb, the latter after losing his place to Chris Malone.

The Australia offers a more solid presence at outhalf, physically and temperamentally. He will shoulder the place-kicking duties. London Irish have the best lineout in the Premiership led by Nick Kennedy and Bob Casey and this will be one of the crucial areas of confrontation. They disrupted a far bit of Leinster ball at the RDS and will be keen to deny the visitors a platform again. Irish pride themselves on their scrum pointing to the fact they tend to use all six frontrow forwards in a match without any noticeable diminution in power.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika has opted to make two changes in the Leinster frontrow, promoting Bernard Jackman and CJ van der Linde with John Fogarty and Stan Wright moving to the replacements. Jackman is a physically bigger, more powerful presence in the loose and adds to his team’s ball carrying ranks. His performance out of touch, in tandem with the rest of his pack needs to be foot perfect. Leo Cullen is a shrewd tactician, no doubt conscious of the need for variety as well as accuracy.

A fully-fit Van der Linde not only guarantees a world-class tighthead prop but another effective buttress in the loose. Steffon Armitage caused so many problems for Leinster in Dublin, leeching on to possession at ruck time and if not turning over ball then slowing it down considerably. It’s reasonable to assume Leinster players will hit the rucks with greater ferocity.

Shane Jennings will be charged with mimicking Steffon Armitage’s role when Irish are in possession, while the battle of the respective backrows may be pivotal to the outcome. London Irish will play a more direct game, committing tacklers first before stretching play to the full expanse of the touchlines. Chris Hala’Ufia and centres Elvis Seveali’i and Seilala Mapusua will be primary hard-yard carriers.

Leinster have been nursing a grievance since the RDS match and for them today is not about containment but rather securing a home quarter-final. To do so demands a victory and they’ll embrace that remit, concentrating on the building blocks required up front to release an in-form three-quarter line.

The conduits to that goal are halfbacks Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton, who will have to kick judiciously and take responsibility in running the game. Everyone expected a free-flowing, ball-in-hand spectacle in Dublin, they might just get their wish at Twickenham, maybe not initially but as the clock changes the dynamic of the encounter.

London Irish have twice beaten their visitors this season but with a more settled, battle-hardened composition, the champions to make it third time lucky. Just.

LONDON IRISH:D Armitage; T Ojo, E Seveali'i, S Mapusua, S Tagicakibau; C Malone, P Hodgson; C Dermody, D Paice, F Rautenbach; N Kennedy, B Casey (capt); R Thorpe, S Armitage, C Hala'Ufia. Replacements: J Buckland, D Murphy, P Ion, G Johnson, K Roche, P Hewat, P Richards, R Lamb.

LEINSTER:R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; J Sexton, E Reddan, C Healy, B Jackman, CJ van der Linde; L Cullen (capt), N Hines, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Fogarty, M Ross, S Wright, M O'Kelly, S O'Brien, P O'Donohoe, S Berne, G Dempsey.

Referee:N Owens (Wales).

Previous HC meetings:Oct 2009 – Leinster 9 London Irish 12 HC results so far: London Irish – bt Leinster (a) 12-9; lost to Scarlets (h) 27-25; bt Brive (a) 36-3; bt Brive (h) 34-13; lost to Scarlets (a) 31-22. Leinster – lost to London Irish (h) 12-9; bt Brive (a) 36-13; bt Scarlets (a) 32-7; bt Scarlets (h) 39-7; bt Brive (h) 27-10.

Leading points scorers:London Irish – Chris Malone 26. Leinster – Jonathan Sexton 35. Leading try scorers: London Irish – Tom Homer 4. Leinster – Gordon D'Arcy 4.

Odds (courtesy of Paddy Powers):London Irish 6/4, draw 20/1, Leinster 8/15. Handicap: London Irish (+4) 10/11, draw 20/1 Leinster (-4) 10/11.

Verdict:Leinster to win.