RUGBY/HEINEKEN CUP Leinster v Brive: LEINSTER RESUME their season and their defence of the Heineken Cup after an unscheduled festive hiatus with what is the proverbial banana skin. They've everything to lose against a team with nothing to lose, and they've slipped up in games like this before.
With the benefit of his crystal ball though, Michael Cheika helpfully played the vast majority of this line-up in their last outing, against Ulster on St Stephen’s Day.
As expected, Jonathan Sexton returns to the starting line-up, as does the even rustier Shane Jennings, with Cheika reasoning he felt compelled to afford Jennings a start after his 13-week absence. Nathan Hines is also recalled.
This will be Sexton’s and Cian Healy’s 50th appearances for Leinster, whereas Shane Horgan will become the first player to reach the 75 Heineken Cup appearance landmark with the province in a backline which features six Ireland internationals (plus four in the pack and another five on the bench) plus Isa Nacewa. CJ van der Linde has recovered from injury to take his place on a strong looking bench, particularly amongst the forwards.
Also as expected, Ugo Mola (promoted from assistant/backs coach to head coach in the wake of Laurent Seigne’s departure since the sides last met) has rung the changes, retaining only four of the team that started last week’s 17-15 win at bottom-placed Albi.
Admittedly this does include their linchpin and captain Antoine Claassen, and there are still 14 of the 22 who were on duty last Saturday. Nevertheless, whereas Leinster retain a dozen from that first meeting, Brive have only five of the same players lining up for the kick-off again, which must also make it a tad trickier for the Leinster think-tank to do their homework.
Perhaps the more pertinent comparison is with Brive’s last outing, away to Leinster’s pool rivals London Irish at the Madejski Stadium in what was also effectively a dead rubber for the French side. With nine of the team which is lining up tomorrow they conceded a try inside 10 minutes, and another well before half-time, yet made London Irish sweat for their bonus point until Delon Armitage’s 80th-minute try.
That sounds the warning bells more than anything, and one can also recall Castres visiting the RDS last year when, despite having lost their opening two games, they denied Leinster a bonus point before beating them a week later.
There’s also the example of Montauban’s second string yet cosmopolitan line-up coming to Thomond Park on the opening weekend last season as supposed lambs to the slaughter, and extending Munster to a late 18-16 win.
Similarly, two-thirds of this Brive line-up are non-French. Aside from the combative and dynamic Claassen, reputedly a prospective French international under the eligibility rule, it’s hard to imagine the likes of Jamie Noon, Steve Thompson, Damien Browne, Alix Popham and Argentinian prop Pablo Henn not being up for this game.
Leinster are the prized scalp of European champions this season, and for many of this Brive line-up it’s an opportunity to impress Mola and Christophe Laussucq.
Cheika, a keener student of opposing teams than most, credits the changed coaching ticket with a number of improvements in a Brive side that has won five of its last seven Top 14 games.
“Their maul has been very destructive, they pushed Perpignan’s scrum all over the place, and they are very combative. They’ve organised their forwards very well and their forwards are giving them a good platform to get into the game. Depending on the conditions, we could be in for a real torrid struggle and a real battle on the ground. They’ve got a lot of turnovers in their games.”
Cheika travelled to Brive to see their win over Toulouse and says: “You can’t just say ‘Toulouse didn’t go there to win’. They did, of course they did. They (Toulouse) haven’t been able to beat them (Brive). A combination of their form and our situation in the tournament leaves us in the mentality that we need a performance to show we are desperate to get out of our pool.”
Interruptions didn’t hinder Leinster unduly away to the Scarlets and as that game showed, their primary focus is on atoning for that opening-day loss to London Irish. Going for the jugular from the start, as they subsequently did at home to the Scarlets, and later sending on the reinforcements off the bench, Leinster don’t look in the mood to let up now.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, S Wright, L Cullen, N Hines, K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: B Jackman, M Ross, C Van Der Linde, M O'Kelly, S O'Brien, P O'Donohoe, S Berne, G Dempsey.
BRIVE: S Spedding; N Jeanjean, J Noon, L Mackay, H Agulla; L Orquera, J Pejoine; P Henn, S Thompson, P Idieder, R Uys, D Browne, A Popham, F Domingo, A Claassen (capt). Replacements: G Ribes, P Toderasc, C Short, S Azoulai, S Perry, V Waqaseduadua, R Bianco, P Barnard.
Referee: Andrew Small(England)
Results so far: Leinster: 9-12 v London Irish (h); 36-13 v Brive (a); 32-7 v Scarlets (a); 39-7 v Scarlets (h). Brive: 12-24 v Scarlets (a); 13-36 v Leinster (h); 3-36 v London Irish (h); 13-34 v London Irish (a).
Leading points scorers: Leinster– Jonathan Sexton 28 pts. Brive– Andy Goode 17.
Leading try scorers: Leinster– Rob Kearney, Gordon D'Arcy 3 each. Brive– Gerhard Vosloo, Guillaume Namy 1 each.
Betting(Paddy Powers): 1/100 Leinster, 66/1 Draw, 25/1 Brive. Handicap odds (Brive + 28 pts) 10/11 Leinster, 25/1 Draw, 10/11 Brive.
Forecast: Leinster win with bonus point.
