'Big guns' to give Leinster the edge

Connacht v Leinster: On paper, this should be a routine return to arms for Leinster's stellar test names. Yet of all teams making the trek to the Magners League's most western point, no one should know better than them that Connacht will be the least inclined to roll over and have their bellies tickled.

The return for their seasonal bows of Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey, with Gordon D'Arcy and Malcolm O'Kelly also likely to make an appearance at some juncture, ought to have a galvanising effect on a Leinster side stun by Llanelli last week.

By the same token, it should also inspire Connacht's biggest crowd of the season and quite a response from the home team.

Reggie Corrigan is also chosen ahead of Ronan McCormack, who, along with another ex-Connacht man, Bernard Jackman, has to make do with a spot on the bench. Quite an impressive looking bench it is too.

Then again, if Michael Bradley can accommodate the fit-again Paul Warwick and prolific winger Conor McPhillips on his bench, Connacht clearly have a stronger squad than last season. The one change to the starting line-up sees the experienced Darren Yapp back in the side in place of the injured John Hearty.

Given the scheduled return of O'Driscoll and co in round five, it does seem remiss that the TV cameras are once again absent from the Sportsground. It's almost as if Connacht operate in a nether world, as Michael Cheika has noted.

"We've been able to sneak a bit of vision out of them, because they seem to play their games all under the cover of darkness and they're not on television so you've got to get spies down there to get vision. But we've had a good look at them over a number of games and they're playing some good football.

"It was a challenge down there last year and I'm sure we'll get challenged again down there this year."

Cheika rejects the notion that this is a must-win game for his team, even though they stand below Connacht in eighth place and 14 points off the pace, but acknowledges that the home side's proficient defensive lineout will assuredly target Leinster's much discussed problem area.

You'd have to presume Leinster's class and array of gamebreakers will make the difference. That Connacht cannot sufficiently stifle them throughout the 80 minutes. But Leinster have lost on six of their last 10 visits to the Sportsground and if the poorish weather forecast comes to fruition, it could be one of those troublesome dogfights they've known in the wild, wild west.

CONNACHT: D Riordan; M Mostyn, D Yapp, G Williams, K Matthews; M McHugh, C Keane; B Wilkinson, J Fogarty, B Sturgess; D Gannon, A Farley; J Muldoon, M Lacey, C Rigney. Replacements: A Flavin, R Hogan, M Swift, R Ofisa, T Tierney, P Warwick, C McPhillips.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; L Fitzgerald, B O'Driscoll (capt), S Horgan, D Hickie; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; R Corrigan, H Vermaas, W Green, T Hogan, O Finegan, S Keogh, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: R McCormack, B Jackman, M O'Kelly, N Ronan, G Easterby, C Warner, G D'Arcy.

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU)

Last five seasons: (01-02) Connacht 20 Leinster 49; (02-03) Leinster 23 Connacht 26; (03-04) Leinster 21 Connacht 6; Connacht 35 Leinster 24; (04-05) Leinster 18 Connacht 9; Connacht 21 Leinster 26; (05-06) Connacht 9 Leinster 21, Leinster 16 Connacht 13.

Formguide: Connacht: W W L D. Leinster: L W L.

Leading try scorers: Connacht: Matt Mostyn 2. Leinster: Denis Hickie 2.

Leading points scorers: Connacht: Mark McHugh 58. Leinster: Felipe Contepomi 26.

Forecast: Leinster to win.