Ella puts Leinster on the offensive

Rugby: Leinster coach Gary Ella can hardly be accused of not thinking offensively when his side meet Sale Sharks in the second leg of the Heineken European Cup Pool Three match on Sunday.

In a boldly aggressive selection, Ella has brought in Gordon D'Arcy from the wing to fill the hole left by the injured Brian O'Driscoll. Keeping to his policy of attacking rugby, Ella has also selected left wing Brendan Burke to cover for D'Arcy.

Centre David Quinlan unfortunate to miss out on a starting place in the reshuffle.

Outhalf Christian Warner, who missed last week's game through injury, comes back into the side at number 10 with Matthew Leek losing out and reverting to a place on the bench.

D'Arcy's selection at outside centre is expected to give him a chance to demonstrate his breaking and kicking ability in the hole left by the likely Irish captain. It is also a selection of faith by Ella for one of Leinster's in-form players.

Suffering no ill effects from the back injury which forced him from the pitch late in the match last week, the utility back partners Shane Horgan, with Barnhall's Burke coming onto the wing for his first start in a European Cup match.

The reorganised back line maintains Leinster's pace out wide, a principal thought in Ella's mind when he set out to select the team, who have to get a result in the game to keep their European ambitions on line.

"Sure Brian O'Driscoll is going to be missed," said Ella. "He's a world-class player and any team would miss him, but we are able to fill his position with another class player, Gordon D'Arcy, and that also enables us to bring Brendan Burke in on the wing. It is a great opportunity for Brendan and he's got a great left boot on him.

"We'd a couple of options in the back line and David Quinlan is unfortunate not to be there with Shane (Horgan). We just feel that with Gordon there and Brendan on the wing, it keeps our pace up and gives us an attacking game."

There are a couple of other minor injuries, which are not expected to keep players from the match. Des Dillon has a calf strain but is named on the bench along side Aidan McCullen, who pulled out late last week prior to the Lansdowne Road game, but is now back to full fitness.

It is not the first time D'Arcy has played at outside centre. He spent a season in that position with the Ireland A team and gained a couple of replacement caps there as well.

"The A team experience was a steep learning curve for me and it didn't go that well, but by the end of it I got quite used to it," he said.

"People put too much emphasis on the number on your back. You've still got to tackle, run, catch the ball and kick it. Even when I'm playing on the wing, I tend to wander around the pitch. Rugby is rugby. But, you know, I'm under no illusions. When Brian is fit I'm off back out to the wing."

Alan Gaffney has sought no recriminations against the players who lost to Gloucester in last week's away game and names the same Munster side to line out in Limerick for the return leg at Thomond Park.

Marcus Horan, who retired early from the match with a back injury, is fit enough to resume his place in the front row for what is expected to be a huge effort to turn around Munster's campaign and take them to the knock-out stage for the fifth consecutive season.

Gaffney and his captain, Jim Williams, obviously feel that they have the right players who just didn't perform at Kingsholm last week, and both feel that it will not be anything like last year's historic match.

"They will be the wiser coming to Thomond Park and I expect it to be much tougher," said captain Williams earlier in the week.

Looking at the Munster set-pieces and the lineout, which didn't perform to its usual standard, Williams also expects the kicking of Ronan O'Gara to be a decisive factor in a tight match.

"They won't have anything to defend coming to us," he said. "It is all for us to do."

LEINSTER (v Sale Sharks): G Dempsey; J McWeeney, G D'Arcy, S Horgan, B Burke; C Warner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan, S Byrne, P Coyle, M O'Kelly, B Gissing, E Miller, K Gleeson, V Costello. Replacements: E Bohan, G Hickie, D Dillon, A McCullen, B O'Riordan, M Leek, D Quinlan.

MUNSTER (v Gloucester): S Payne; J Kelly, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell; J Williams, D Wallace, A Foley. Replacements: J Blaney, G McIlwham, D Pusey, S Keogh, E Reddan, J Staunton, J Holland.