TONIGHT’S UNITED RUGBY Championship clash between Leinster and Connacht [KO 7.45pm, TG4, Premier Sports 2, URC TV] comes at an interesting time for the two provinces.
The home side, Leinster, enter the game on the back of a difficult outing against Ulster, where a number of Leo Cullen’s squad underperformed. They don’t often put in back-to-back below-par showings, and have made it clear that they are determined to quickly get back on track tonight.
Standing in their way is a Connacht team bursting with talent and high on confidence following a superb win over the Ospreys last week, delivering a free-flowing performance similar to the one which put Ulster to the sword before the international break.
Connacht have always been great entertainers when they get it right, and the hope is they can now find the consistency to become a real force.
Tonight’s trip to the RDS represents their biggest challenge of the season to date, with Cullen stacking his Leinster team with Ireland internationals ahead of what promises to be an intriguing encounter between two teams who strive to play an open, attacking game.
“They’re certainly well coached,” Cullen says of Connacht.
“I was very impressed with them last week and very impressed with them before the break against Ulster, and I was impressed with them even in that game down in Thomond (earlier in the season) when a couple of decisions went against them that day and maybe they should have won that game as well.
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The Leinster squad during Thursday's captain's run at the RDS. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“They’re definitely up there for sure and we obviously know a good chunk of the guys that have knocked around here as well.
“All the various different bits of experience that they have in terms of their coaching group, playing group, it seems to be gelling very, very well for them at the moment. Definitely our focus needs to be right up there because they’re a team clearly in very, very good form.”
And this is a Connacht team who know how to win in Dublin, taking the spoils on their last visit to the RDS back in January.
“I think it was massive for us,” says Connacht attack coach, Pete Wilkins.
Particularly going away from home, it showed that it is possible (to beat Leinster), and it is possible with largely the same group of players that we have got this year.
“That Ulster performance (in October) was really important to us in terms of laying down a challenge to ourselves about how that looks against the Ospreys. Then in many ways this is the reverse of that challenge. So it’s all very well doing that (against Ospreys), but we’ll have to play better this week, and that’s with full respect to the Ospreys who were really challenging in a different way to what Leinster will be.
“But we have to back it up. It’s the old cliche, but you are only as good as your last game, and we know externally we’ll be judged on that, and internally that’s all that matters to us. When we get to that Monday review next week, there’s no point talking about Ospreys and Ulster, it’s all about what we put on the park against Leinster. That’s an enormous motivation for us and a great challenge as well.”
And while Leinster are hoping their internationals can quickly slot back into the rhythm of provincial rugby, Connacht have the look of a more settled side, making just three changes from the win over Ospreys.
In that regard, Leinster know what type of challenge to expect.
“It’s always important to understand the motivation of teams you face, these guys are massively motivated when they play here,” Cullen added. “You can see that from the celebrations at the end of some of these (previous) games as well.
“We can’t control some of their motivation, all we can control is our own. It’s important we’re in the right frame of mind when it comes to these games and that we’re playing the game smartly as well, managing the games on our terms, defend well, understand the threats they have.
“History has proven it’s always a very, very tough encounter.”
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne, Luke McGrath (capt); Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, Michael Alaalatoa; Ryan Baird, Devin Toner; Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Vakh Abdaladze, Josh Murphy, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Ross Byrne, Tommy O’Brien.
CONNACHT: Oran McNulty; Alex Wootton, Sammy Arnold, Peter Robb, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (capt), Kieran Marmion; Matthew Burke, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Oisín Dowling, Ultan Dillane; Eoghan Masterson, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, Leva Fifita, Cian Prendergast, Caolin Blade, Conor Fitzgerald, Tom Farrell.
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)
Gavan Casey is joined by Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella to discuss Ulster making fools of the experts, Connacht’s class, and Munster’s mission for Wasps:
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Connacht's great entertainers braced for a Leinster backlash
TONIGHT’S UNITED RUGBY Championship clash between Leinster and Connacht [KO 7.45pm, TG4, Premier Sports 2, URC TV] comes at an interesting time for the two provinces.
The home side, Leinster, enter the game on the back of a difficult outing against Ulster, where a number of Leo Cullen’s squad underperformed. They don’t often put in back-to-back below-par showings, and have made it clear that they are determined to quickly get back on track tonight.
Standing in their way is a Connacht team bursting with talent and high on confidence following a superb win over the Ospreys last week, delivering a free-flowing performance similar to the one which put Ulster to the sword before the international break.
Connacht have always been great entertainers when they get it right, and the hope is they can now find the consistency to become a real force.
Tonight’s trip to the RDS represents their biggest challenge of the season to date, with Cullen stacking his Leinster team with Ireland internationals ahead of what promises to be an intriguing encounter between two teams who strive to play an open, attacking game.
“They’re certainly well coached,” Cullen says of Connacht.
“I was very impressed with them last week and very impressed with them before the break against Ulster, and I was impressed with them even in that game down in Thomond (earlier in the season) when a couple of decisions went against them that day and maybe they should have won that game as well.
“They’re definitely up there for sure and we obviously know a good chunk of the guys that have knocked around here as well.
“All the various different bits of experience that they have in terms of their coaching group, playing group, it seems to be gelling very, very well for them at the moment. Definitely our focus needs to be right up there because they’re a team clearly in very, very good form.”
And this is a Connacht team who know how to win in Dublin, taking the spoils on their last visit to the RDS back in January.
“I think it was massive for us,” says Connacht attack coach, Pete Wilkins.
“That Ulster performance (in October) was really important to us in terms of laying down a challenge to ourselves about how that looks against the Ospreys. Then in many ways this is the reverse of that challenge. So it’s all very well doing that (against Ospreys), but we’ll have to play better this week, and that’s with full respect to the Ospreys who were really challenging in a different way to what Leinster will be.
“But we have to back it up. It’s the old cliche, but you are only as good as your last game, and we know externally we’ll be judged on that, and internally that’s all that matters to us. When we get to that Monday review next week, there’s no point talking about Ospreys and Ulster, it’s all about what we put on the park against Leinster. That’s an enormous motivation for us and a great challenge as well.”
And while Leinster are hoping their internationals can quickly slot back into the rhythm of provincial rugby, Connacht have the look of a more settled side, making just three changes from the win over Ospreys.
In that regard, Leinster know what type of challenge to expect.
“It’s always important to understand the motivation of teams you face, these guys are massively motivated when they play here,” Cullen added. “You can see that from the celebrations at the end of some of these (previous) games as well.
“We can’t control some of their motivation, all we can control is our own. It’s important we’re in the right frame of mind when it comes to these games and that we’re playing the game smartly as well, managing the games on our terms, defend well, understand the threats they have.
“History has proven it’s always a very, very tough encounter.”
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne, Luke McGrath (capt); Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, Michael Alaalatoa; Ryan Baird, Devin Toner; Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Vakh Abdaladze, Josh Murphy, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Ross Byrne, Tommy O’Brien.
CONNACHT: Oran McNulty; Alex Wootton, Sammy Arnold, Peter Robb, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (capt), Kieran Marmion; Matthew Burke, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Oisín Dowling, Ultan Dillane; Eoghan Masterson, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, Leva Fifita, Cian Prendergast, Caolin Blade, Conor Fitzgerald, Tom Farrell.
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)
Gavan Casey is joined by Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella to discuss Ulster making fools of the experts, Connacht’s class, and Munster’s mission for Wasps:
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