Berne to start at outhalf as Sexton loses fitness battle

H EINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL:JONATHAN SEXTON has definitely been ruled out of tomorrow's Heineken Cup semi-final in Toulouse due to the after-effects of an operation on the fractured jaw he sustained against Clermont Auvergne in the quarter-final three weeks ago. Leinster coach Michael Cheika confirmed last night that Shaun Berne will start at outhalf.

“He (Sexton) is desperate to play and we gave him every opportunity but we felt it was too big a risk and we also have the player’s welfare and safety in mind,” said Cheika, who emphasised: “But we also have 100 per cent confidence that Shaun Berne can do the job.”

Centre Fergus McFadden (calf) remains very doubtful but Girvan Dempsey has recovered from the neck injury he picked up against Connacht. Isa Nacewa will most likely be back-up outhalf and goalkicker.

Cheika’s counterpart Guy Noves also has concerns about Jean-Baptiste Elissalde’s troublesome calf in weighing up whether to start him or David Skrela at out-half, with Ellisalde also covering scrumhalf from the bench. Noves is likely to recall winger Vincent Clerc, centre Florian Fritz, number eight Shaun Sowerby, lock Romain Millo-Chluski and, if passed fit, prop Dan Human.

Their former player, Trevor Brennan feels Toulouse are likely to produce a typically strong finish to the season.

“There’s always that inconsistency but Toulouse always tend to play better toward the end of the season, and they’re a team that are very proud of their European record,” he says, in reference to Toulouse’s ninth semi-final, from which they have won five and gone on to claim a record three H Cups.

“Europe means a lot to them whereas other French teams have only started to cop on to how big the European Cup is in the last few years. For Toulouse, it’s huge.”

Brennan says the influence of Yannick Bru as forwards coach has been “massive” in the last two years. “He’s brought in different things like video analysis, and just the way he reads the game. . . Yannick has changed everything. They’ve been destroying packs in the scrums, although their lineout has been touch and go when there have been injuries to Jean Bouilhou or Shaun Sowerby.”

Halfback has been their problem area though Le Depeche newspaper yesterday hailed Byron Kelleher’s timely return to form under the headline “le retour de bison”.

“In his first year he was like an extra seven, and he’s back to that,” said Brennan, who says Leinster have “proven themselves as a tough team” and diplomatically describes it as a 50-50 game.

Noves has said his coaching staff and players began preparing prior to the Castres match, with a big emphasis on video work. “The players are in a good mental state. The entire team is anxious to contest this match . . . The entire group is very motivated, we are in a good dynamic. It would be a pity to let this match pass by, even if I think that will not happen.”

As for Leinster, he noted: “Well, they are not champions of Europe accidentally and they have huge experience at this level. . . . Even when behind, Leinster are never dead. One has to be better than them.”

LEINSTER(probable team): R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; S Berne, E Reddan; S Wright/C Healy, J Fogarty, CJ van der Linde/S Wright, L Cullen (capt), N Hines, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: (two from Healy/van der Linde/M Ross), Jackman, O'Kelly, Stephen Keogh, P O'Donohoe, E O'Malley, G Dempsey.

TOULOUSE(probable team): C Poitrenaud; V Clerc, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans; D Skrela/J-B Elissalde, B Kelleher; D Human/J-B Poux, W Servat, B Lecouls, R Millo-chluski, P Albacete, J Bouilhou, T Dusautoir, S Sowerby. Replacements: V Lacombe, Human/Poux, Y Maestri, L Picamoles, Elissalde/Skrela, Y David, M Medard, Y Montes.