DAN SHEEHAN AT number eight for Leinster should be a lot of fun.
Charlie O’Shea getting his latest chance in Munster’s number 10 shirt against the reigning back-to-back URC champions will be worth watching.
Leinster are out to settle a score a year on from Munster marching on Croke Park and giving them a battering.
And Clayton McMillan’s side are back in Dublin, at the Aviva Stadium this time [KO 8pm, Premier Sports/URC TV], looking to cause what would be an even greater upset.
37,000 tickets had been sold for this inter-provincial derby by Friday afternoon, and though Storm Boelo could have dissuaded people, there is a big buzz around this game.
Out-half Joey Carbery gets his first start since returning to Leinster, and it just happens to be against Munster, whom he joined upon leaving his native province in 2018.
Munster have just two players in Andy Farrell’s latest Ireland squad and, like last year before Croke Park, it will surely be a motivation for the southern province today. This is the kind of stage where Farrell will expect to see people making their point.
Jamison Gibson-Park is back from injury for his first game of the season, a boost for Leinster and for Ireland as the November Tests come into view. He is part of a Leinster side packed with players who will play important roles for Ireland next month.
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Joey Carbery is at 10 for Leinster. Grace Halton / INPHO
Grace Halton / INPHO / INPHO
The Leinster bench includes some youngsters looking to enhance their growing reputations, with out-half Caspar Gabriel, lock Conor O’Tighearnaigh and loosehead prop Alex Usanov in that category. Similarly, Munster flanker Seán Edogbo, centre Gordon Wood, and hooker Max Clein will be excited to get their shot as replacements. Number eight Brian Gleeson, having missed out on the Ireland squad, will be fired up.
The Munster fight will be led by the force that is Tadhg Beirne, but he has new allies up front. South African hooker Marnus van der Merwe was a clever signing by Munster and has made an excellent start to life in Irish rugby. Similarly, the grizzled tighthead Kieran Brookes was a good addition and has been part of their drastic scrum progress.
Can Brookes and van der Merwe do damage against a Leinster pack that is bursting with quality, with Sheehan shifting to number eight for the first time in the absence of Caelan Doris and Jack Conan?
With props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong starting the season in sharp, athletic form and with a powerful second row of Joe McCarthy and James Ryan behind them, the Leinster scrum has been in good form in the last couple of weeks too.
That’s one of a few intriguing battles. Last year, Munster’s kicking game took Leinster apart, as McMillan’s men kicked 28 times to Leinster’s 13. Crucially, there was variety to Munster’s kicking, which often came on first phase from set-pieces or turnovers. Jack Crowley led those tactics last time, so O’Shea has to fill his boots in this regard.
They kicked cleverly over and outside Leinster’s linespeed, rather than playing into the heart of Jacques Nienaber’s blitz and barge strengths. Leinster, surely, will look to the boot a little more this time, even in the absence of Sam Prendergast, whose wrist injury now makes him a doubt for the start of Ireland’s Nations Championship campaign.
30-year-old Carbery will look to bring balance at out-half in his first game back on Irish soil after two years with Bordeaux and his recovery from an ACL injury. He has plenty of experience.
Munster dominated the breakdown last time around, with Beirne contributing four of their nine steals in this area. Van der Merwe will look to chip in this time, but Leinster will be determined to bring far more aggression and speed to their clearout work.
Munster hooker Marnus van der Merwe. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster were poor last year in Croker. Their big crop of Lions players had belatedly returned to pre-season and the vast majority were making their first appearances of the season when Munster visited. The rust was glaring.
Munster were outstanding in executing a well-conceived game plan and brought impressive physicality, but it’s impossible not to think that Leinster are far less ripe for an ambush this time.
Their frontliners have had time to find rhythm early on this season, with last weekend’s convincing win over Clermont seeing them pick up more momentum. Munster will back themselves to cause problems and no one should dismiss their ability to do that, but Leinster appear better set.
Last season stung Leo Cullen’s side badly. They won’t have forgotten Gavin Coombes running off after his yellow card and pumping his fist to the crowd as he smiled, knowing Munster had done the job.
So there are many, many reasons that this is a particularly interesting edition of the Leinster v Munster saga.
Leinster are favourites to make a statement, with Munster seeking another shock.
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Dan Sheehan (captain).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Caspar Gabriel, Charlie Tector.
MUNSTER: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Seán O’Brien, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Marnus van der Merwe, Kieran Brookes; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (captain); Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Michael Ala’alatoa, Seán Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Gordon Wood.
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Sheehan the 8, Carbery's return and Munster's tough task in Dublin
DAN SHEEHAN AT number eight for Leinster should be a lot of fun.
Charlie O’Shea getting his latest chance in Munster’s number 10 shirt against the reigning back-to-back URC champions will be worth watching.
Leinster are out to settle a score a year on from Munster marching on Croke Park and giving them a battering.
And Clayton McMillan’s side are back in Dublin, at the Aviva Stadium this time [KO 8pm, Premier Sports/URC TV], looking to cause what would be an even greater upset.
37,000 tickets had been sold for this inter-provincial derby by Friday afternoon, and though Storm Boelo could have dissuaded people, there is a big buzz around this game.
Out-half Joey Carbery gets his first start since returning to Leinster, and it just happens to be against Munster, whom he joined upon leaving his native province in 2018.
Munster have just two players in Andy Farrell’s latest Ireland squad and, like last year before Croke Park, it will surely be a motivation for the southern province today. This is the kind of stage where Farrell will expect to see people making their point.
Jamison Gibson-Park is back from injury for his first game of the season, a boost for Leinster and for Ireland as the November Tests come into view. He is part of a Leinster side packed with players who will play important roles for Ireland next month.
The Leinster bench includes some youngsters looking to enhance their growing reputations, with out-half Caspar Gabriel, lock Conor O’Tighearnaigh and loosehead prop Alex Usanov in that category. Similarly, Munster flanker Seán Edogbo, centre Gordon Wood, and hooker Max Clein will be excited to get their shot as replacements. Number eight Brian Gleeson, having missed out on the Ireland squad, will be fired up.
The Munster fight will be led by the force that is Tadhg Beirne, but he has new allies up front. South African hooker Marnus van der Merwe was a clever signing by Munster and has made an excellent start to life in Irish rugby. Similarly, the grizzled tighthead Kieran Brookes was a good addition and has been part of their drastic scrum progress.
Can Brookes and van der Merwe do damage against a Leinster pack that is bursting with quality, with Sheehan shifting to number eight for the first time in the absence of Caelan Doris and Jack Conan?
With props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong starting the season in sharp, athletic form and with a powerful second row of Joe McCarthy and James Ryan behind them, the Leinster scrum has been in good form in the last couple of weeks too.
That’s one of a few intriguing battles. Last year, Munster’s kicking game took Leinster apart, as McMillan’s men kicked 28 times to Leinster’s 13. Crucially, there was variety to Munster’s kicking, which often came on first phase from set-pieces or turnovers. Jack Crowley led those tactics last time, so O’Shea has to fill his boots in this regard.
They kicked cleverly over and outside Leinster’s linespeed, rather than playing into the heart of Jacques Nienaber’s blitz and barge strengths. Leinster, surely, will look to the boot a little more this time, even in the absence of Sam Prendergast, whose wrist injury now makes him a doubt for the start of Ireland’s Nations Championship campaign.
30-year-old Carbery will look to bring balance at out-half in his first game back on Irish soil after two years with Bordeaux and his recovery from an ACL injury. He has plenty of experience.
Munster dominated the breakdown last time around, with Beirne contributing four of their nine steals in this area. Van der Merwe will look to chip in this time, but Leinster will be determined to bring far more aggression and speed to their clearout work.
Leinster were poor last year in Croker. Their big crop of Lions players had belatedly returned to pre-season and the vast majority were making their first appearances of the season when Munster visited. The rust was glaring.
Munster were outstanding in executing a well-conceived game plan and brought impressive physicality, but it’s impossible not to think that Leinster are far less ripe for an ambush this time.
Their frontliners have had time to find rhythm early on this season, with last weekend’s convincing win over Clermont seeing them pick up more momentum. Munster will back themselves to cause problems and no one should dismiss their ability to do that, but Leinster appear better set.
Last season stung Leo Cullen’s side badly. They won’t have forgotten Gavin Coombes running off after his yellow card and pumping his fist to the crowd as he smiled, knowing Munster had done the job.
So there are many, many reasons that this is a particularly interesting edition of the Leinster v Munster saga.
Leinster are favourites to make a statement, with Munster seeking another shock.
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Dan Sheehan (captain).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Caspar Gabriel, Charlie Tector.
MUNSTER: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Seán O’Brien, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Marnus van der Merwe, Kieran Brookes; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (captain); Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Michael Ala’alatoa, Seán Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Gordon Wood.
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU).
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