URC: Ospreys v Leinster, Swansea.com stadium, Friday, 7.35pm – live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1
A primary challenge for Leinster’s returning Ireland squad contingent is the ability to switch between playbooks and calls in a relatively short period. Leo Cullen touched on that point when addressing what’s required for the league leaders to continue on their unbeaten way against a resurgent Ospreys team in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Jamie Osborne, Jimmy O’Brien, Ciarán Frawley, Jack Boyle and Gus McCarthy return from the national squad environment, while Hugh Cooney was one of four chosen as ‘development’ players when Ireland’s Six Nations squad was announced.
There will be ancillary points of interest outside of the specifics of the Ospreys game, one being how Osborne goes at fullback and Frawley fares in the outhalf role. Their versatility in being able to play multiple positions is a prized asset, but it does have a downside when looking to specialise in one – or at least be left there long enough to tune into the rhythm of that role.
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Osborne will have Tommy O’Brien, back for a first outing since sustaining an injury in December, and Irish international Jimmy O’Brien for company in the back three, while there are two academy players in the centre: the hugely promising Cooney and Charlie Tector, who had adapted impressively from playing outhalf to inside centre.
Frawley, in tandem with captain Luke McGrath, will be hoping to enjoy a regular supply of front-foot, quick ball to give the backline its head in attack. It’s fair to call Rabah Slimani a veteran, but less so perhaps Max Deegan and Scott Penny, despite the fact that both have been handsome contributors to the Leinster cause for quite a while.
It’s hard to credit at times that Penny is just 25 years old. He made his debut as a teenager and has since made 79 appearances for the province, scoring 27 tries. He knows that some outside opinion would question why he didn’t strike out for pastures new to try to become first choice elsewhere.
“It’s tough and people have asked me about it before. At the moment, I am happy. It’s the best club in the world. You’re playing with British & Irish Lions, Springboks, All Blacks, people in the French national team. You’re learning and growing so much as a player,” he said.
“I want to stay here for the rest of my career, but if I don’t, I’ve learned so much here that I wouldn’t have learned at any other club. Keep learning, keep trying to push for those big spaces – you never know what is going to happen down the line.
“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. You could go into a different system, the training is different, you pick up injuries, you pick up niggles. You see it pretty often when lads go to different clubs. It doesn’t always work out the way they wanted it to. I want to fight for my place in Leinster.”
[ Leinster call upon Irish squad players for URC clash against OspreysOpens in new window ]
Penny, a fine player, also has a mature attitude. Opportunities are less frequent with few URC games played in Test windows. Taking your chance represents a downpayment on future selection. “Loads of us have been begging for chances and it is important we take them,” Penny said.
“We don’t want to be going there and messing up the team by trying something beyond your skill set. It’s most important you just fit into the team first. And then from there, if you’re doing what is best for the team, the reward will come with a good performance.”
James Culhane anchors the backrow, while the secondrow contains two young players with great athletic ability in Brian Deeny and Diarmuid Mangan; the latter may eventually find a more permanent home in the backrow.
The bench has a youthful look with RG Snyman and Ross Byrne providing some pastoral guidance as well as the physical direction should they be called on. Paddy McCarthy and Rory McGuire are two young props with oodles of ability, while the hope is that Alex Soroka gets an injury-free run to deliver on his talent.
Fintan Gunne is delivering consistently on his potential while Osborne the younger, Andrew, has made impressive strides at the fledgling stage of his career.
Ospreys thumped Benetton 43-0 last time out and head coach Mark Jones is upbeat about their chances. “The quality of the Leinster team never changes; that’s the challenge when you play the best teams. They have great depth, a competitive culture and the drop off is less noticeable when they’re missing players,” Jones said.
“We’re proud of how we have played over the last six weeks and our challenge is to keep repeating and improving. We’ve given Leinster the respect they deserve but we’re focusing on ourselves and what we do.”
The Leinster players will understand that they have been entrusted with the province’s unbeaten record this season, and individually and collectively, they need to prove themselves worthy.
OSPREYS: J Walsh, D Kasende, E Boshoff, K Williams, K Giles, O Williams, R Morgan-Williams, G Phillips, S Parry, T Botha, J Ratti, J Fender, H Deaves, J Tipuric (capt), M Morris.
Replacements: E Lewis, C Jones, B Warren, W Spencer, M Morse, K Hardy, T Florence, I Hopkins.
LEINSTER: J Osborne, T O’Brien, H Cooney, C Tector, J O’Brien, C Frawley, L McGrath (capt), J Boyle, G McCarthy, R Slimani, D Mangan, B Deeny, M Deegan, S Penny, J Culhane.
Replacements: J McKee, P McCarthy, R McGuire, RG Snyman, A Soroka, F Gunne, R Byrne, A Osborne.
Referee: F Russo (Italy).
