Leinster look for European impetus

With Europe on the horizon, the season is cranking up. This summit meeting between the top two sides in the Celtic League is a perfect lead-in to the European Cup next week, but as potentially the match of an embryonic season so far, it's also an intriguing contest in its own right.

The Ospreys are the only unbeaten side in any of the major European leagues, and aside from seeking their seventh straight win of the campaign, they've also built up some momentum at St Helen's, where they've won five of their last six. They have been the yardstick for all-comers, and Leinster are no exception.

Leinster have won on both their previous visits to St Helen's, albeit against a Swansea team in the doldrums on and off the pitch, by 34-18 in the Celtic League in September 2001 and 51-10 in the European Cup in October 2002 at a time when they were flying under Matt Williams.

As a formguide, however, even last season's meetings against the Ospreys - in which Leinster won two and drew one - don't look reliable. The Ospreys are unrecognisable from then. Granted, they went into the second-last weekend of October last season on the back of four wins out of five, whereupon they embarked upon a ten-match losing streak.

However, there will assuredly be no similar freefall this term. Buoyed by the prospect of a move to a new, state-of-the-art all-seater stadium in tandem with Swansea City FC, the Ospreys are a club with momentum.

All their new signings have already made significant contributions, David Bishop and Sonny Parker contributing eight tries already, while ex-Wellington scrumhalf Jason Spice - who will be facing his erstwhile ex-Hurricanes halfback partner David Holwell - has been hailed as the signing of the season in Wales.

Away to Ulster they looked a very well-drilled, all-round side who retained self-assurance even when falling 14 points behind and being pegged back level subsequently. Even Gavin Henson's blips, a missed penalty or a botched restart, seemed shaken off without undue bother.

Part of Leinster's problem is that the mere sight of them and their big-name players has a galvanising effect on opposing teams and supporters alike. The Ospreys captain, Barry Williams, can scarcely conceal his enthusiasm over the Leinster roadshow coming to town.

"We couldn't have asked for a bigger and better test before Europe than Leinster, but if we do have a bad performance it could well knock us back a week or two.

"We are a confident side at the moment but all that work could be undone by a dodgy 80 minutes. We are playing one of the best teams in the Celtic League and it's the biggest test of our season so far."

Whereas the Ospreys look more settled and on a roll of six wins, with try-scoring bonus points in four of them, Leinster are still playing catch-up in many ways. For half a dozen of this Leinster side, this is their third outing of the season. More new combinations are being tried out here, notably at halfback.

Well though they obtained bonus points in their last two home wins, over Scottish opposition, Leinster's defeat away to the Dragons a fortnight ago remains the more pertinent memory.

Declan Kidney could scarcely contain his anger over that performance when interviewed by BBC Radio Wales that night, and Leinster will have done some soul-searching in advance of this return to Wales. Playing more of the game in opposition territory, making fewer unforced turnovers, being a good deal tighter in defence and providing a bigger impact with their replacements will all be targets.

Leinster's speedsters in a multi-talented array of backs have been attracting the bouquets, but it's the performance of their pack that has determined their fate and will continue to do so. There are only two changes in the pack that struggled against the Dragons, and both are in the back row: the in-form Aidan McCullen and Des Dillon. So tonight is a chance for redemption for the tight five.

But the likes of Reggie Corrigan, Shane Byrne and Malcolm O'Kelly (each of whom made his seasonal reappearance a fortnight ago) already look better for having two games under their belt. Ditto Brian O'Driscoll.

His attempted offloads didn't stick that night, prompting two important turnovers in the second half, but his team-mates are liable to be more on his wavelength tonight.

With the European opener away to Benetton Treviso again in mind, the pressure to perform is intense, especially on Gordon D'Arcy, clearly straining at the leash, and Shane Horgan, who may have only 20 or 30 minutes to redeem himself after a fairly undistinguished hour last week.

Leinster have it in them to make inroads into the Ospreys' eight-point lead rather than fall farther behind. It's a big ask though, albeit perhaps the one the Leinster think tank would privately have wanted right now. They and the rest of us will be a good deal wiser after this.

NEATH/SWANSEA OSPREYS: (from) A Durston, R Mustoe, S Parker, D Bishop, E Seveali'i, S Williams; G Henson, M Jones, A Williams, J Spice; D Jones, A Jones, A Millward, P James, M Davies, B Williams (capt), A Newman, L Bateman, B Cockbain, R Jones, A Lloyd, R Pugh, J Bater.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; G Brown, B O'Driscoll, F Contepomi, D Hickie; D Holwell, G Easterby; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, R Nebbett, M O'Kelly, B Gissing, A McCullen, D Dillon, S Jennings. Replacements: E Byrne, G Hickie, L Cullen, E Miller/C Potts, B O'Meara, G D'Arcy, S Horgan.

Referee: Rob Dickson (SRU)

Previous meetings: (03-04) CC - Leinster 35 The Ospreys 21. CL - (The Gnoll) The Ospreys 25 Leinster 36; Leinster 16 The Ospreys 16.

Formguide: Ospreys - 34-17 v Munster (h); 23-6 v Llanelli (a); 39-3 v Cardiff (h); 37-24 v Ulster (a); 40-17 v Glasgow (h); 23-15 v Borders (a). Leinster - 9-9 v Cardiff (h); 26-15 v Ulster (a); 17-15 v Munster (h); 50-13 v Borders (h); 13-34 v Dragons (a); 35-13 v Edinburgh (h).

Leading try scorers: Ospreys - David Bishop 4, Sonny Parker 3. Leinster - Gary Brown 4, Denis Hickie, James Norton 3 each.

Leading points scorers: Ospreys - Gavin Henson 91. Leinster - Brian O'Meara 23.

Forecast: Ospreys to win.