Sexton to make first start of the season as Leinster target Sharks

Leinster v Cell C Sharks, RDS Arena, Saturday, 5.05pm – Live on RTÉ and Premier Sports.

Coaches tend to be next match focused even at the best of times.

Nonetheless, despite the dust and the rain having barely settled on Leinster’s win in Belfast last weekend, it was instructive to hear Leo Cullen immediately cite last May’s painful semi-final defeat by the Bulls which ended Leinster’s season as a pointer toward this evening’s meeting with another of the South African sides.

No less than proving a point against Ulster after suffering a rare double defeat to them last season, Leinster will be equally keen to demonstrate their title credentials against the Sharks.

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So it is that Johnny Sexton makes his first start of the season after last week’s 14-minute cameo off the bench in one of four changes to Leinster’s starting line-up by Cullen.

The 23-year-old left-winger Rob Russell will make his first RDS start, as will Charlie Ngatai at inside centre, while Will Connors will make his first start since January. Cian Healy, Rhys Ruddock and Cormac Foley are also restored to a bench again featuring James Ryan and also Ross Byrne and Garry Ringrose.

The Sharks make just two changes to their starting line-up, promoting Hyron Andrews at lock and Sikhumbuzo Notshe at ‘8′.

Jason Jenkins, who starts his fourth game, has added real oomph to Leinster’s scrum, maul and work in the collisions, all of which helped lay the foundations for last week’s win.

The Durban-based side will be completing a three-legged European tour having won away to Zebre and the Dragons with decidedly mixed performances.

With their scrum and maul dominant, they powered to a bonus point by the half-hour mark in Parma but were ultimately indebted to an inane obstruction from a restart before Zebre went the length of the field to score a contender for try of the season for the comeback of the season only to have that equalising score chalked off.

The Sharks eventually won 42-37 and last week were indebted to two tries in the final quarter by pacy scrum-half Grant Williams, dangerous off quick taps, and left-winger Thaakir Abrahams, whose electric footwork could make his duel with Jordan Larmour worth the admission money alone.

Zebre gave Leinster a similar scare after the latter also led 28-10 at the break in Parma in round one. But while the Sharks undoubtedly have a potent mix of power and pace, this is an altogether stronger-looking Leinster side than the one which kicked off the season on the opening weekend.

This is also a significantly different side from the second/third choice team which performed magnificently to secure a bonus point against the Sharks in a 28-23 defeat in Durban last April.

Andrew Porter is the only starter retained from that day, and only four players feature in their ‘23′ form that match-day squad.

By contrast, whereas Leinster are strengthened by the presence of a dozen internationals in all, the Sharks are without front-line Springboks such as Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and Siya Kolisi.

This has echoes of Leinster’s 31-3 victory over the Bulls at the Aviva Stadium a year ago in the way one imagines they have again targeted their first meeting with South African opposition this season. Furthermore, they have that heavyweight bench as insurance cover.

LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien; Jordan Larmour, Robbie Henshaw, Charlie Ngatai, Rob Russell; Johnny Sexton (capt), Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Michael Ala’alatoa; Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins; Ryan Baird, Will Connors, Jack Conan.

Replacements: John McKee, Cian Healy, Vakhtang Abdaladze, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock, Cormac Foley, Ross Byrne, Garry Ringrose.

SHARKS: Aphelele Fassi; Werner Kok, Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, Ben Tapuai, Thaakir Abrahams; Boeta Chamberlain, Grant Williams; Ntuthuko Mchunu, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit (capt); Justin Basson, Hyron Andrews; James Venter, Dylan Richardson, Sikhumbuzo Notshe.

Replacements: Dan Jooste, Dian Bleuler, Carlu Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Phepsi Buthelezi, Cameron Wright, Nevaldo Fleurs, Marnus Potgieter.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU).

Forecast: Leinster to win.