European Cup:Michael Cheika will have to plan for the Heineken Cup quarter-final clash against Harlequins without Jonathan Sexton after he was suspended for two weeks for kicking Munster's Lifeimi Mafi. The outhalf was named in today's 26-man squad to travel to The Stoop for Sunday's game but will not feature after an IRFU disciplinary hearing.
Sexton was cited under law 10.4 (c) after the Magners League defeat at Thomond Park last weekend and an IRFU panel at Ravenhill upheld that decision this evening. The Ireland A international’s ban is effective from today and ends on Wednesday, April 22nd, though he can appeal the decision.
As it stands, he will also miss the Magners League trip to Murrayfield to face Edinburgh on the 17th.
Cheika earlier named Sexton alongside Brian O’Driscoll, Luke Fitzgerald and Bernard Jackman in his squad to face ‘Quins, but prop CJ van der Linde needs another couple of weeks to recover from a toe injury.
Captain O’Driscoll and Fitzgerald missed the game against Munster, with the former nursing a neck injury and the latter given time to recuperate from a shoulder knock he took in Ireland’s Grand Slam win at the Millennium Stadium.
They were the only additions to the 24-man squad that travelled to Limerick. Along with Jackman, however, they have yet to prove their fitness.
"Brian (O'Driscoll) trained pretty well today and he has a good chance of being fit. Luke (Fitzgerald) was only partially in training today, so we'll make a final decision on him on Friday,” said Cheika earlier today.
“Bernard (Jackman) hasn't trained this week and he's probably more of a doubt than the others. We'll check him on Friday and assess exactly where he's at with his swollen knee and make a decision then. Our medical staff is working around the clock to try to take down some of the swelling which is unrelated to his other injury.”
Prop Ollie le Roux is included in the squad in the absence of his van der Linde and Cheika is confident he can do a job if called upon.
"Ollie has a lot of experience. He knows our system and he certainly doesn't lack confidence, so I'm sure, if we decide to put him into the fray that he will be more than capable…”
Cheika admitted training has been a bit nervy since defeat in Limerick.
"Obviously it's a big week in our calendar and a match that we have been looking forward to since January and we started our preparation out yesterday with a bit nervousness, but we built up a bit better and stronger today and hopefully we'll keep building until Sunday,” said the Australian.
"Preparation isn't any more difficult (after the Munster defeat). There's the disappointment factor that you have to leave behind, but you must ensure that you take the failings from our performance down in Thomond Park and improve them because we're going into a very similar environment.
"It's a big game in someone else's arena, so we've got to make sure that we take stock of the failings that we may have had and add them to the positive things that we had in that game and take that to London.
"They have lots of pace all over the park; at nine, 10, centres, wings, full back, backrow...
“They have a very strong backrow and if you play into them then you're playing into a very strong area. I would say they're a very underestimated tight five. I have watched a number of their games and their tight five has been impeccable in my opinion.
LEINSTER SQUAD
Forwards: Cian Healy, Ronan McCormack, Bernard Jackman, John Fogarty, Ollie le Roux, Stan Wright, Leo Cullen, Trevor Hogan, Malcolm O'Kelly, Rocky Elsom, Cameron Jowitt, Shane Jennings, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip
Backs: Chris Keane, Chris Whitaker, Felipe Contepomi, Jonathan Sexton, Luke Fitzgerald, Simon Keogh, Gordon D'Arcy, Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Isa Nacewa, Girvan Dempsey, Rob Kearney
