THE BIGGEST RIVALRY in Irish rugby still pulls in the crowds. Today’s meeting of Leinster and Munster in Croke Park [KO 5.15pm, TG4/Premier Sports/URC TV] won’t reach the 82,000 sell-out status it hit last season, but an expected crowd of over 50,000 is still quite the achievement for a standard URC league fixture.
The hope is that the occasion lives up to the billing, and for that to happen it’s all eyes on Munster. The province have a poor record in this fixture, losing their last four and winning just one of the previous nine.
Improving on that return looks a tall order today. As Leinster welcome back their latest batch of Lions in the form of Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Garry Ringrose and James Ryan – with Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter primed on the bench – Munster go into the battle without the services of Craig Casey and Tom Ahern. Casey’s absence in particular feels significant given his importance to Munster’s gameplan.
Not that it’s all doom and gloom. New boss Clayton McMillan seems to have achieved his early aim of making the team difficult to beat. Form has fluctuated across three mixed performances to start the season, but the most important takeaway is their numbers on the league table – joint-top with three wins from three heading into this weekend.
Edwin Edogbo adds power to the Munster pack. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
They too welcome back some Test-quality firepower in the form of captain Tadhg Beirne, yet the most interesting selection comes elsewhere in the pack. There was always going to be a temptation to go with Edwin Edogbo from the off in Croke Park and the powerful lock is unleashed for his first start since December 2023. It’s a big ask to expect the 22-year-old to have a major impact given his long spell on the sidelines, but the selection is a notable show of faith by McMillan. Irish rugby doesn’t produce many tighthead locks with the power and size of Edogbo, and he can be a difference maker in a Munster pack that needs to at least achieve parity in Drumcondra.
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The same applies to 22-year-old Brian Gleeson, who is showcasing his exciting potential in the Munster back row. That players with the quality of Gavin Coombes and Jean Kleyn are held back on the bench bodes well for the final quarter, where Leinster so often pull clear of their opponents, and Leo Cullen has an all-Test quality front row to call in this evening.
Munster need to still be in the game when that happens, and it’s going to require a ferocious effort against another star-studded Leinster side. And they should be travelling feeling they have a point to prove in a week where Andy Farrell included just four Munster men in an Ireland squad where Leinster supply 21 of the 34 players.
The most impressive aspect of Leinster’s demolition job on the Sharks last weekend was just how sharp the returning internationals looked, and Cullen will be expecting the same again this time around. Even look beyond the Ireland stars, and it’s hard to pick faults in this Leinster team. RG Snyman is back to bulk up the second row and his offloading game can stretch the Munster defence. In the back row, Alex Soroka gets an opportunity to build momentum as he starts his third game of the season at blindside. It’s promising to be a breakthrough year for the aggressive 24-year-old, and games like these are where he needs to catch the eye. Likewise loosehead Paddy McCarthy, who will be watched all the more closely after earning a place in Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for November.
Alex Soroka has impressed across Leinster's opening games. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
And then you have the 10s, as Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley finally face off for the first time. It’s the headline battle of the day and all involved know it, with both Leinster and the URC heavily featuring the two talented out-halves in their promotion around the game.
With the November internationals around the corner, it’s a golden opportunity to lay down an important marker for the Ireland 10 shirt, but a round four URC game won’t shape the narrative around the pair for the season. This battle will rumble along and has a few twists left in it.
Before a ball is kicked today, the odds would appear in Prendergast’s favour. The expectation would be that Leinster get the upper hand, which would afford Prendergast the platform to showcase his talents. Expect Munster to try to test the 22-year-old’s physicality, an area of the game he’s worked hard to improve. Crowley must hope his pack can generate momentum as otherwise, he’ll have the tough task of steering the ship in the face of a Leinster storm.
Leinster’s starting pack is fearsome, and that’s the key battle for Munster, who have the backs to cause Leinster pain. Thaakir Abrahams is one of the most exciting players in Irish rugby and with Andrew Smith on the opposite wing, there is no lack of pace on Munster’s edges. Tom Farrell was the provinces’ player of the season last year and his centre partner today, Dan Kelly, already looks like he might be in that conversation this time around.
Leinster aren’t short on explosive backline talent themselves, with the Garry Ringrose-Robbie Henshaw centre partnership back in action for the first time this year, while the likes of Jamie Osborne, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe will be determined to showcase their best before linking up with Ireland.
On paper, this has all the ingredients needed to cook up a cracker in Croker.
LEINSTER: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; Alex Soroka, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Ciarán Frawley.
MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Tom Farrell, Dan Kelly, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Ethan Coughlan; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Ronan Foxe, Jean Kleyn, Gavin Coombes, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Alex Nankivell.
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Munster seek to keep the fire alive in Leinster rivalry
THE BIGGEST RIVALRY in Irish rugby still pulls in the crowds. Today’s meeting of Leinster and Munster in Croke Park [KO 5.15pm, TG4/Premier Sports/URC TV] won’t reach the 82,000 sell-out status it hit last season, but an expected crowd of over 50,000 is still quite the achievement for a standard URC league fixture.
The hope is that the occasion lives up to the billing, and for that to happen it’s all eyes on Munster. The province have a poor record in this fixture, losing their last four and winning just one of the previous nine.
Improving on that return looks a tall order today. As Leinster welcome back their latest batch of Lions in the form of Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Garry Ringrose and James Ryan – with Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter primed on the bench – Munster go into the battle without the services of Craig Casey and Tom Ahern. Casey’s absence in particular feels significant given his importance to Munster’s gameplan.
Not that it’s all doom and gloom. New boss Clayton McMillan seems to have achieved his early aim of making the team difficult to beat. Form has fluctuated across three mixed performances to start the season, but the most important takeaway is their numbers on the league table – joint-top with three wins from three heading into this weekend.
They too welcome back some Test-quality firepower in the form of captain Tadhg Beirne, yet the most interesting selection comes elsewhere in the pack. There was always going to be a temptation to go with Edwin Edogbo from the off in Croke Park and the powerful lock is unleashed for his first start since December 2023. It’s a big ask to expect the 22-year-old to have a major impact given his long spell on the sidelines, but the selection is a notable show of faith by McMillan. Irish rugby doesn’t produce many tighthead locks with the power and size of Edogbo, and he can be a difference maker in a Munster pack that needs to at least achieve parity in Drumcondra.
The same applies to 22-year-old Brian Gleeson, who is showcasing his exciting potential in the Munster back row. That players with the quality of Gavin Coombes and Jean Kleyn are held back on the bench bodes well for the final quarter, where Leinster so often pull clear of their opponents, and Leo Cullen has an all-Test quality front row to call in this evening.
Munster need to still be in the game when that happens, and it’s going to require a ferocious effort against another star-studded Leinster side. And they should be travelling feeling they have a point to prove in a week where Andy Farrell included just four Munster men in an Ireland squad where Leinster supply 21 of the 34 players.
The most impressive aspect of Leinster’s demolition job on the Sharks last weekend was just how sharp the returning internationals looked, and Cullen will be expecting the same again this time around. Even look beyond the Ireland stars, and it’s hard to pick faults in this Leinster team. RG Snyman is back to bulk up the second row and his offloading game can stretch the Munster defence. In the back row, Alex Soroka gets an opportunity to build momentum as he starts his third game of the season at blindside. It’s promising to be a breakthrough year for the aggressive 24-year-old, and games like these are where he needs to catch the eye. Likewise loosehead Paddy McCarthy, who will be watched all the more closely after earning a place in Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for November.
And then you have the 10s, as Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley finally face off for the first time. It’s the headline battle of the day and all involved know it, with both Leinster and the URC heavily featuring the two talented out-halves in their promotion around the game.
With the November internationals around the corner, it’s a golden opportunity to lay down an important marker for the Ireland 10 shirt, but a round four URC game won’t shape the narrative around the pair for the season. This battle will rumble along and has a few twists left in it.
Before a ball is kicked today, the odds would appear in Prendergast’s favour. The expectation would be that Leinster get the upper hand, which would afford Prendergast the platform to showcase his talents. Expect Munster to try to test the 22-year-old’s physicality, an area of the game he’s worked hard to improve. Crowley must hope his pack can generate momentum as otherwise, he’ll have the tough task of steering the ship in the face of a Leinster storm.
Leinster’s starting pack is fearsome, and that’s the key battle for Munster, who have the backs to cause Leinster pain. Thaakir Abrahams is one of the most exciting players in Irish rugby and with Andrew Smith on the opposite wing, there is no lack of pace on Munster’s edges. Tom Farrell was the provinces’ player of the season last year and his centre partner today, Dan Kelly, already looks like he might be in that conversation this time around.
Leinster aren’t short on explosive backline talent themselves, with the Garry Ringrose-Robbie Henshaw centre partnership back in action for the first time this year, while the likes of Jamie Osborne, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe will be determined to showcase their best before linking up with Ireland.
On paper, this has all the ingredients needed to cook up a cracker in Croker.
LEINSTER: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; Alex Soroka, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Ciarán Frawley.
MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Tom Farrell, Dan Kelly, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Ethan Coughlan; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Ronan Foxe, Jean Kleyn, Gavin Coombes, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Alex Nankivell.
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi [FIR].
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