WHATEVER HAPPENS on the pitch, whether we get an absorbing contest or not, it’s worth remarking on how big a deal it is that Leinster are expected to have an attendance of more than 40,000 people cheering them on this evening.
The Aviva Stadium will host the biggest crowd of the Champions Cup season so far as Leinster clash with Stade Français in their pool game [KO 5.30pm, RTÉ/TNT], easily surpassing the 26,415 attendance for Bordeaux’s home clash with Bristol last month.
Leinster lead the way in the URC again this season too, with 49,246 people visiting the Aviva Stadium for the inter-pro clash with Munster in November. That’s a staggeringly big crowd for a regular-season game in any league.
Obviously, it helps that Leinster have access to the 51,700-capacity venue on Lansdowne Road but it needs fans to fill it. These figures show that there is a strong appetite for good rugby in Leinster, even for a pool game against Stade Français in which Leo Cullen’s men are 32-point favourites.
Most of those who bought tickets for this evening would have hoped to see the Parisians bring their frontline side to Dublin, which is not the case as boss Laurent Labit makes 10 changes, but they’re going to see Leinster.
Even after two seasons without a trophy, Cullen’s men are still a big draw. Leinster’s team is rammed full of Ireland internationals, they have a new double World Cup-winning coach in Jacques Nienaber, and they have wrongs to right this season.
Nienaber’s arrival has made Leinster riveting to watch in a new way. There have been defensive errors aplenty but the huge defensive change he has asked for is clear too. Leinster’s players are enjoying the renewed focus on defence and they’re getting to grips with the increased demands to be aggressive, assertive, and relentless. Having conceded three tries to Ulster last time out on New Year’s Day, Leinster will be determined to set a new defensive marker here.
At the same time, attack coach Andrew Goodman will be hoping to see an improvement in his area. The poor weather over the festive period, as well as numerous changes across Leinster’s team selections, made it difficult to be precise and cohesive in attack but there were still signs of some clever thinking even if the execution was lacking.
It would be understandable if Leinster are spending more time on defence in training at the moment but Goodman has all the weapons he needs for Leinster to be an effective, thrilling attacking force. The weather forecast suggests dry, crisp conditions, so this is a chance to do some damage.
Although the game against Sale Sharks’ second-string team at the RDS last month showed that Leinster might not just sweep to victory with ease, this evening does appear to be a good chance for a more complete 80-minute performance from the Irish province.
Cullen’s selection is imposingly strong, particularly with left wing James Lowe back for his first provincial appearance of the season, tighthead Tadhg Furlong returning from a break, and lock James Ryan recovering from injury to take a bench spot.
Ireland boss Andy Farrell will be happy to see them back, while he will also watch with interest as Ciarán Frawley gets another shot in the number 10 shirt, with Harry Byrne absent due to an ankle injury. Farrell names his Six Nations squad on Wednesday and the two Leinster men will be hoping for good news.
With Ireland’s right wing spot up for grabs, Jordan Larmour has a chance to impress, while Garry Ringrose captains the Leinster team a few days before Farrell name the successor to Johnny Sexton as the new Irish skipper.
As for Stade, there are just five players retained from last weekend’s Top 14 draw with Clermont as Labit rotates.
Gigantic South African lock JJ van der Mescht, skipper Mathieu Hirigoyen, clever Kiwi scrum-half Brad Weber, English out-half Zack Henry, and wing Kylan Hamdaoui go again in this much-changed team.
There is quality on the bench with the likes of Samoa tighthead Paul Alo-Emile and France international lock Paul Gabrillagues but Leinster are the justified favourites. While Stade sit third in the Top 14, they have lost both their Champions Cup Pool 4 games so far against Sale and Leicester, so it would be a shock if they won in Dublin.
This is a good chance for Leinster to strengthen their grip at the top of the pool, solidify their chances of home knock-out games, and entice more big crowds to the RDS and the Aviva further down the line.
Leinster:
- 15. Hugo Keenan
- 14. Jordan Larmour
- 13. Garry Ringrose (captain)
- 12. Robbie Henshaw
- 11. James Lowe
- 10. Ciarán Frawley
- 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
- 1. Andrew Porter
- 2. Dan Sheehan
- 3. Tadhg Furlong
- 4. Joe McCarthy
- 5. Jason Jenkins
- 6. Ryan Baird
- 7. Josh van der Flier
- 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements:
- 16. Rónan Kelleher
- 17. Cian Healy
- 18. Michael Ala’alatoa
- 19. James Ryan
- 20. Jack Conan
- 21. Luke McGrath
- 22. Sam Prendergast
- 23. Tommy O’Brien
Stade Français:
- 15. Leo Monin
- 14. Peniasi Dakuwaqa
- 13. Stephane Ahmed
- 12. Noah Nene
- 11. Kylan Hamdaoui
- 10. Zack Henry
- 9. Brad Weber
- 1. Clement Castets
- 2. Lucas Peyresblanques
- 3. Hugo N’Diaye
- 4. Pierre-Henri Azagoh
- 5. JJ van der Mescht
- 6. Mathieu Hirigoyen (captain)
- 7. Ryan Chapuis
- 8. Giovanni Habel-Kuffner
Replacements:
- 16. Mamoudou Meite
- 17. Vasil Kakovin
- 18. Paul Alo-Emile
- 19. Giorgi Tsutskeridze
- 20. Andy Timo
- 21. Jules Gimbert
- 22. Paul Gabrillagues
- 23. Joris Segonds
Referee: Christophe Ridley [RFU].
