RUGBY/MAGNERS LEAGUE/Edinburgh v Leinster:BACK WHEN the season started, a trip to Edinburgh in round four of the league would hardly have assumed particular importance. But that was before Leinster lost in Treviso last weekend which, coupled with the defeat to an under-strength Glasgow on the opening weekend and a patchy win over Cardiff at home – albeit with a bonus point – has heightened the need for Leinster to stand up and deliver.
Accordingly, this has not been identified as a game for Leinster to underplay their hand. As expected, Brian O’Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton (on his seasonal re-appearance) and Shane Horgan have all been recalled to an all-Irish international backline, with Rob Kearney set to become the 17th Leinster player to reach 100 games.
Up front, Devin Toner has been given his first start of the season and Dominic Ryan and Stephen Keogh have been recalled to the backrow, though Cian Healy and Jamie Heaslip are on the bench, presumably in accordance with the Irish player welfare programme. This accounts for why Heaslip was withdrawn after an hour in Glasgow and rested last week, and it’s a delicate balancing act, yet in the last two seasons he has started over 60 games for Leinster, Ireland and the Lions, and played the full 80 all but five times.
It will also serve to give Leinster some ammunition to unload from the bench if things become sticky, as they are liable to do. Munster eventually sealed a hard-fought win here a fortnight ago, thanks in large part to the impact of an experienced bench before Ulster made heavy weather of eventually putting away a poor Edinburgh side in Belfast last week.
Thus Edinburgh arrive on the back of successive defeats to Irish provinces and with a run of seven consecutive league defeats. Only above Aironi on points difference, and with Chris Paterson kicking his goals and their imposing Dutch flyer Tim Visser continuing his prolific form on the wing, the Scots will be desperate for a win.
But they were further hit during the week when the unfortunate Phil Godman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during training and he will be sidelined for six months. David Blair is promoted from the bench and Tom Brown, last season’s Scotland under-20 fullback, is called up to the bench.
No better time then for a visit to their bogey ground? Admittedly, Murrayfield has not been the graveyard of their ambitions in latter times and Leinster have won there on two of their last three visits.
Leinster only lead the head-to-head by 11-10, with one drawn, but have won five of the last six meetings. That they have played poorly and struggled defensively is hardly that surprising given the upheavals to their management ticket which has left them without a specialised defensive coach, and that a new head coach – Joe Schmidt – is seeking to tweak a few things while juggling his resources for a master above him while missing key players such as Stanley Wright and Jonathan Sexton.
“As was demonstrated last week against Treviso, all teams have their quality and if you’re not accurate enough on the night then all of the games will tend to be in the balance,” says Schmidt.
“We were disappointed that we didn’t create a great platform to play from, particularly in the conditions which were consistent rain throughout. Our defence was something else for us to improve on and we didn’t quite dominate them in the collisions.”
The return of Sexton especially should, at a stroke, improve both their goal-kicking, which let them down in Treviso, and their defence, not to mention their direction, although Eoin Reddan will need to sharpen his service to maximise the potential of that experienced backline.
Venue:Murrayfield
Kick-off:(7.05)
ON TV:Live on RTÉ Two
LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, M Ross, E O’Donoghue, D Toner, D Ryan, S Jennings (capt), S Keogh. Replacements: J Harris-Wright, C Healy, S Shawe, M Galarza, J Heaslip, I Boss, I Nacewa, E O’Malley.
EDINBURGH: C Paterson; M Robertson, B Cairns, A Grove, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair; A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, E Lozada, S MacLeod, S Newlands, R Rennie, R Grant (capt). Replacements: A Kelly, K Traynor, J Gilding, C Hamilton, A MacDonald or D Denton, G Laidlaw, D Blair, J Houston.
Referee: Tim Hayes (WRU).
Recent meetings: (07-08) Leinster 23 Edinburgh 8; (HC) Leinster 28 Edinburgh 14; (HC) Edinburgh 29 Leinster 10; Edinburgh 15 Leinster 13; (08-09) Leinster 52 Edinburgh 6; (HC) Edinburgh 16 Leinster 27; (HC) Leinster 12 Edinburgh 3; Edinburgh 27 Leinster 16; (09-10) Edinburgh 19 Leinster 21; Leinster 37 Edinburgh 28.
Betting (Paddy Powers): 6/5 Edinburgh, 20/1 Draw, 4/6 Leinster. Handicap odds (Edinburgh + 3pts) 10/11 Edinburgh, 20/1 Draw, 10/11 Leinster.
Forecast: Leinster to win.
