Rugby:Fighting for silverware on two fronts requires a delicate balancing act from Leinster coach Joe Schmidt but it is a measure of the talent available to him that he can make seven changes to his side without diluting its strength too much.
With a Heineken Cup semi-final against Toulouse on the horizon, Schmidt has chosen to rest the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy and Nathan Hines for tomorrow’s Magners League meeting with Ulster, in favour of youth eager to prove their credentials ahead of the visit of the French giants to Dublin.
Eoin O’Malley and Fergus McFadden will fill in for the aforementioned central duo, while Devin Toner comes in for Hines, who moves to the bench. Schmidt as also opted to change frontrow set-up, introducing props Heinke van der Merwe and Stan Wright, but retaining Richardt Strauss at hooker.
Scrumhalf Isaac Boss will line out against his former team, but Jonathan Sexton remains at outhalf with Ian Madigan settling for a place on the bench.
The biggest boost for Leinster, however, will be the return of Shane Jennings to the backrow after two months on the sidelines. He replaces Seán O’Brien, who make the bench but faces a late call with Dominic Ryan.
The back three that operated so well on the counter against Leicester in last week’s quarter-final remains in situ, though with McFadden homing in on a starting berth against Toulouse, Luke Fitzgerald will hope the passes stick a little better than they did on Saturday.
Injuries to lock Johann Muller and wing Simon Danielli have forced Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin into two changes. Muller picked up a dead leg in the Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat to Northampton last weekend, while Danielli sustained a shoulder injury in the same game.
Craig Gilroy will, therefore, replace the Scottish back and Tim Barker joins Dan Tuohy in the secondrow, meaning Neil McComb and Conor Gaston are called on to the bench.
Also among the replacements is centre Darren Cave who replaces Ian Whitten as Ulster go ins search of their first win in Dublin since their European Cup-winning season in 1999.
Now would be a good time to bridge that 11-year gap with the second-placed visitors eager to secure a play-off place at the expense of Joe Schmidt’s fourth-placed Heineken Cup semi-finalists.
Connacht, meanwhile, have been forced into a late change ahead of tonight’s meeting with Edinburgh. Keith Matthews has been ruled out after suffering an Achilles injury that could sideline the centre for up to eight months.
“We’re all very disappointed for Keith,” said Connacht coach Eric Elwood this afternoon. “He’s put in a tremendous amount of work and been an integral part of our achievements this year. He was really looking forward to finishing the season on a high but unfortunately it looks like he’ll be out for good chunk of the year now.
Matthews’s place on the replacements bench at the Sportsground will be filled you by academy graduate Tiernan O’Halloran, with Elwood adding: “It’s a good opportunity for one of our homegrown talents, Tiernan, to step up now and we’d like to wish Keith a speedy recovery.”
Leinster (v Ulster):I Nacewa; S Horgan, E O'Malley, F McFadden, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), D Toner; K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Harris-Wright, C Healy, M Ross, N Hines, S O'Brien/D Ryan, E Reddan, I Madigan, D Kearney,
Ulster (v Leinster):A D'Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best (capt), BJ Botha, T Barker, D Tuohy, R Diack, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements: A Kyriacou, P McAllister, B Young, N McComb, W Faloon, P Marshall, D Cave, C Gaston.
