This will be very interesting.
After defeat to Toulouse last time out – something Leinster aren’t too used to these days — Leo Cullen’s side will attempt to get back on track in their Heineken Champions Cup pool today.
They face Bath at the Rec in the A-side of a double header at 3.15pm. We’ll go minute-by-minute throughout.
Here are the teams
Bath:
15. Ruaridh McConnochie
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Jackson Willison
12. Jamie Roberts
11. Joe Cokanasiga
10. James Wilson
9. Will Chudley
1. Nathan Catt
2. Tom Dunn
3. Henry Thomas
4. Dave Attwood
5. Charlie Ewels (captain)
6. Tom Ellis
7. Sam Underhill
8. Francois Louw
Replacements:
16. Jack Walker
17. Jacques van Rooyen
18. Max Lahiff
19. Elliott Stooke
20. Matt Garvey
21. Kahn Fotuali’i
22. Cooper Vuna
23. Alex Davies
Leinster:
15. Rob Kearney
14. Jordan Larmour
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Noel Reid
11. James Lowe
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Luke McGrath
1. Cian Healy
2. Seán Cronin
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. James Ryan
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Dan Leavy
Replacements:
16. James Tracy
17. Ed Byrne
18. Andrew Porter
19. Ross Molony
20. Jack Conan
21. Jamison Gibson-Park
22. Ross Byrne
23. Rory O’Loughlin
Murray Kinsella — who’s at the Rec for us this afternoon – Gavan Casey and Andy Dunne previewed the weekend’s clashes in Thursday’s Heineken Rugby Weekly.
Murray Kinsella, Gavan Casey and Andy Dunne preview a big weekend of Heineken Cup action and dissect the week’s main talking points.
Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42 / SoundCloud
Some pre-game reading? Here’s Murray’s preview.
Many of you may be outside clothes shop dressingrooms or looking for those fairy lights in the attic; if not the TV broadcast is about to get underway on BT Sport 2.
As always, your predictions and thoughts are welcome throughout the afternoon.
Leinster fans weren’t allowed to bring in special flags to the Rec because of health and safety reasons, cited by Bath. The English club say their sorry:
It looks wet and wild in Bath, fittingly. A day for wellies more than studs, Rhys Priestland tells Craig Doyle and Brian O’Driscoll.
Here we go, the world player of the year gets us underway.
Bright start with Bath going through the phases but are warned not to play too much ball by Brian O’Driscoll, moments before Leinster turn it over and get on the front foot for the first time really.
Luke McGrath is pinged for not releasing as he’s forced into contact. IT all came from a malfunction at the scrum with the ball spilling out of Leavy’s grip at a crucial moment. The conditions will tell a lot this afternoon.
Bath 0 Leinster 0 After a high tackle on Noel Reid, Johnny Sexton pings his first penalty attempt off the upright. It looked a straightforward one, but again; those conditions.
15 mins A Sexton touch finder puts Leinster in a good position. They knock on from the line-out, as van der Flier loses the ball.
TRY! Bath’s Henry Thomas get over for the first points of the day.
Bath 7 Leinster 0 The conversion is good from James Wilson.
Amazing from Ringrose who swerves through midfield. Leinster are metres from the lines.
Brilliant turnover from Francois Louw however, right under his own posts.
After great work from Lowe, Sexton and then Ringrose, Leinster don’t even get a three-pointer for their trouble.
TRY for Leinster! Sean Cronin 29′
Bath 7 Leinster 7 Johnny Sexton doesn’t make any mistake with his second kick of the afternoon. Half hour in and we’re level.
After some exchanging of kicks by the sides, Henry Thomas makes a brilliant linebreak in midfield but his pass is ultimately knocked on.
Massive Leinster pressure as we tick into the red on the clock and in the end it’s a Bath penalty, much to the delight of the home supporters.
Half-time: Bath 7 Leinster 7
Right, here we go again for the second half. No changes on either side.
Leinster are building the pressure thanks to the platform of another successful lineout.
Johnny Sexton has a good chat with the referee after Rhys Ruddock is whistled for tackling a player out of possession.
Great work on the ground again from Cian Healy.
TRY for Leinster! Jordan Larmour 49′
Johnny Sexton adds the extras and Leinster are up by a try.
Larmour intercepted a long Wilson pass and is gone under the posts.
James Wilson misses a penalty for Bath. It looks like he knew, in the conditions, he’d have to send it wide of the post initially but it never looked like curling back in.
Massive win at the scrum for the Leinster forwards and Sexton sends the play up the field. Bath make a couple of changes meanwhile:
Bath 7 Leinster 14 An hour gone and this is a real battle still but the champions are in control.
Big moment as Luke McGrath looked to be hit high and it’s gone to the TMO.
Jamison Gibson-Park is on to replace Luke McGrath and Leinster have rotated their front line too, with Ed Byrne making his European debut.
We’re into the last 10 minutes and after a flat enough period, the volume has gone up and Bath are in search of a crucial score.
What a chase from Leinster. James Lowe gets a big kick away under pressure in the corner and then gets up the field to put in a big tackle. Ross Byrne will take the subsequent penalty kick as Sexton receives treatment on a wrist.
Bath 7 Leinster 17 Penalty! Byrne nails it as Sexton watches on and, for the first time, the visitors have a bit of a cushion.
That’s a huge moment, given the earlier Bath pressure.
Johnny Sexton limps off and is replaced by Rory O’Loughlin. Leo Cullen will hope his skipper will be okay for the return fixture next weekend.
90 seconds left and Bath are feet from the Leinster line.
Bath had an advantage and in the end they took the right option; a kick which will secure their bonus point.
Full-time: Bath 10 Leinster 17
Job done. Leinster dug in amongst tough conditions and came from behind for a big win.
That gets them back to winning ways in Europe and they’ll look forward to welcoming Bath to Dublin next week.
What did you make of it?
