RUGBY:MATCHES OF this magnitude, where play-off contenders collide, are not alone about winning but the bonus-point issue. Leinster will want to guarantee in this meeting of third and fourth in the Magners League table the Scarlets leave Dublin empty-handed.
A victory for the home side is a prerequisite if they want to sustain their play-off ambitions but Leinster coach Joe Schmidt would like the four-try cherry on top to eke out a little daylight between them and a visiting team that is one of six contenders for a place in the knock-out stages.
Leinster still have a date in Thomond Park to fulfil and must also welcome Ulster to the RDS; two fixtures that will provide clearer definition on whose season will be extended. Missing out on a bonus point against Benetton Treviso last time out rankled with players and management alike. Tonight will be a very difficult game to win, never mind anything else.
Under Schmidt the home side this season have been easy on the eye in terms of style – there’s substance there too, obviously – and there is an expectation that a young, talented three-quarter line would like to maintain those patterns and standards.
Wings Niall Morris and Dave Kearney have both shown in recent matches they can deliver on their undoubted ability. The challenge is to main their upward curve. Fergus McFadden and Eoin O’Malley complete a three-quarter line that oozes talent.
The catalyst for much of Leinster’s counter-attacking game is fullback Isa Nacewa, the outstanding player this season and a worthy player of the month for February. He led the team for the first time against Treviso, a moment he enjoyed: “It was definitely a proud personal moment for me to be asked to lead the team out, but it was disappointing (not getting the bonus point).
“The Scarlets have been on fire this year and the whole top of the table is crammed up. The Scarlets had a good win against us here a couple of years ago and that’s still lodged in the back of the guys’ memories. They’re going to bring a strong squad as well so we’ll have to be prepared.”
Jonathan Sexton and Leo Cullen return from the Ireland squad to provide direction, while the backrow of Kevin McLaughlin, Dominic Ryan and Rhys Ruddock has the right balance of brutality and artistry.
Leinster do not have the monopoly on talented young players, with 18-year-old Scarlets wing George North already capped by Wales. He is in his second game back after surgery and is one half of a serious physical threat on the wings. Tavis Knoyle, Josh Turnbull and Ben Morgan are others who shoulder great expectations, while the elegant Regan King is one of the best centres in the tournament.
The central theatre will be the forward battle but the main entertainment on the night could come from behind the scrum.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; N Morris, E O’Malley, F McFadden, D Kearney; J Sexton, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), D Toner; K McLaughlin, D Ryan, R Ruddock. Replacements: J Harris Wright, J McGrath, S Shawe, N Hines, P Ryan, P O’Donohoe, I Madigan, D Riordan.
SCARLETS: D Newton; G North, R King, G Maule, J Ajuwa; R Priestland, T Knoyle; I Thomas, R Lawrence, R Thomas; L Reed, A Shingler; R McCusker, J Turnbull, B Morgan. Replacements: K Myhill, R Jones, S Gardiner, D Welch, J Edwards, G Davies, D Evans, N Reynolds.
Referee: A Macpherson (Scotland).
