THERE HAVE BEEN many important factors for Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber to consider ahead of Saturday’s clash with La Rochelle. Selection has been chief among them.
Getting the right blend in Leinster’s matchday 23 will be key to taking La Rochelle down in a knock-out game for the first time.
Cullen’s side enjoyed a 16-9 victory away to La Rochelle in the pool stages of this Champions Cup campaign back in December and their selection for that clash might be a hint at how they go this weekend.
For that visit to Marcel Stade Deflandre, Leinster sprung a surprise selection by picking Will Connors at openside. He hadn’t featured much in their first-choice team until that point, having had serious injury travails in recent years, but it was a sensible pick.
Connors’ superb chop tackling helped Leinster to take the legs away from La Rochelle’s big ball-carriers such as Will Skelton and Uini Atonio, who have done such damage to the Irish province over the last three seasons.
Connors was picked ahead of regular starting openside Josh van der Flier and delivered some important contributions before being replaced in the 49th minute. Van der Flier had a crucial impact off the bench in the closing stages of the game.
Connors hasn’t featured in the Champions Cup for Leinster since that day. He has made four starts in the URC in the meantime, with three of them in the number six shirt. Despite that relatively low-profile involvement since the last clash with La Rochelle, it would make sense for Leinster to pick him to start again this weekend.
Stopping La Rochelle’s momentum is key. Their power can be like a tidal wave when the likes of Atonio, Skelton, and Jonathan Danty get on a roll. Connors’ defensive quality could be all the more important given that lock James Ryan, their other leading chop tackler, will miss this game through injury.
Ryan was immense in La Rochelle in December, having been superb for the opening 29 minutes of last season’s final in Dublin. Ryan had blitzed the big La Rochelle carriers until that point when an unfortunate head injury forced him off. It was no mere coincidence that Ronan O’Gara’s team began to get on top from there.
So Connors starting on Saturday would be a good pick for Leinster, perhaps combining with blindside flanker Ryan Baird and number eight Caelan Doris. That was the trio who started in December and they provided a good balance of skills on both sides of the ball.
Going that way would leave van der Flier and Jack Conan out of the starting XV. Conan is in exciting form but Leinster could harness that as part of a 6/2 bench. Cullen’s men struggled to impose themselves in the closing stages of both of their final defeats to La Rochelle. Having van der Flier and Conan – who missed the December clash when Leinster went 5/3 – to enter the fray this time would be impactful.
With lineout leader Ryan missing, Leinster face a key decision in their starting second row. Ross Molony is renowned as an excellent lineout caller so it would make sense to pick him alongside powerful tighthead lock Joe McCarthy.
Cullen could move Baird – who has started calling lineouts – into the second row alongside McCarthy and perhaps start Conan in the back row, but Molony is a tried-and-trusted leader in the group.
Leinster’s lineout was poor against Leicester last weekend, with just a 73% return on their throw and some costly errors, so they will need to be much-improved in that area. La Rochelle have won 100% of their lineout throws in both of the final wins against Leinster, although Cullen’s side put more pressure on in the pool game in December as the French side dropped to 80%.
The front row of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong – who missed the December game – will start again barring any late injuries, with Rónan Kelleher and Michael Ala’alatoa likely to provide impact at hooker and tighthead.
There is an injury doubt over replacement loosehead prop Cian Healy but 25-year-old Michael Milne is in good form and would love a big chance on the bench if Healy doesn’t make it.
Jason Jenkins is the other second row set for involvement and he could be another powerful part of a possible 6/2 bench if Leinster go that way. Bringing the sextet of Kelleher, Healy/Milne, Ala’alatoa, Jenkins, van der Flier, and Conan would provide Leinster with punch for the endgame.
Jamison Gibson-Park will be key at scrum-half thanks to his creativity, vision, and speed in defence, while Ross Byrne’s experience and excellent place-kicking will surely see him continue at number 10.
If Garry Ringrose – who has only played 23 minutes of rugby since January – is ruled out with his shoulder injury, Jamie Osborne and Robbie Henshaw seem likely to continue as the midfield pairing. Should Ringrose return, meaning Henshaw would shift back from number 13 to 12, Osborne might miss out altogether, although he could feature on a 5/3 bench.
The back three of James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, and Jordan Larmour could go again this weekend.
If Leinster are only going to pick two backs on the bench, scrum-half Luke McGrath and the versatile Ciarán Frawley are the obvious choices. It’s important to have out-half cover, which Frawley provides, while he and the equally versatile Osborne would cover all positions in the midfield and back three, presuming Osborne is in the starting XV.
Leinster could, of course, opt for a 5/3 split as they did last weekend against Leicester. Out-half Harry Byrne, Frawley, and scrum-half Ben Murphy – in McGrath’s absence – were the three backs picked.
Jimmy O’Brien and Charlie Ngatai have returned to Leinster training after long injury-enforced absences. If he was fully fit and firing, O’Brien would probably start on the right wing, while Ngatai might be picked in the midfield or on the bench, as he was in December against La Rochelle, but it remains to be seen if Leinster spring them straight back into the mix.
Leinster will name their matchday 23 at midday Friday afternoon, but here’s how we’d pick for this weekend.
Leinster: Keenan; Larmour, Henshaw, Osborne/Ringrose, Lowe; R Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; Molony, McCarthy; Baird, Connors, Doris.
Replacements: Kelleher, Healy/Milne, Ala’alatoa, Jenkins, van der Flier, Conan, McGrath, Frawley.
Off with his hand!