Gerry Thornley: Leinster on a mission as Irish bid to draw a line under the World Cup

URC: Leinster vs Munster, Saturday November 25th, Aviva Stadium, kick-off 6.30pm, live on TG4

If ever there was going to be a line drawn through the World Cup, it probably had to done by these two. Far from growing weary with the game or indeed with a rivalry that is unequalled outside of Test rugby in the world game, over 48,000 tickets had been sold as of Friday.

Hence, if ever there was proof that the fixture needed the shot in the arm of a Munster win in a stadium that has long become a graveyard of their ambitions for the last decade, this is it.

In dramatically beating Leinster 16-15 in last May’s semi-final thanks to Jack Crowley’s late drop goal, Munster ended a run of 11 successive away defeats in this fixture.

The Red Army had dwindled to more of a battalion in that time but the increased amount of red among the near 27,000 attendance last May was striking. They had started to believe even before that breakthrough win and the victory over the Stormers in Cape Town a fortnight later.

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Now they arrive as reigning champions for the first time since Leinster hosted them in a similar revenge mission here in front of a 48,365 crowd, also in November, in 2011 after they were beaten in the Magners League final in Thomond Park the preceding May.

It wasn’t dull. These two don’t do dull. But as the Johnny Sexton and Ronan O’Gara rivalry picked up where it had left it off in the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, a bruising contest was try-less until Munster earned a late penalty try. Soon after, Sexton landed his seventh penalty out of seven (Rob Kearney kicked a drop goal) to ensure a 24-19 Leinster win.

That game came four weeks after Ireland’s quarter-final exit against Wales in windy Wellington. This comes five weeks after the defeat at the same point by the All Blacks.

As expected, having welcomed back eight of their frontline World Cup contingent in last week’s 54-5 win over Scarlets, Leinster this week give seasonal debuts to Robbie Henshaw and Jack Conan. In three other changes, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong and Ross Byrne are promoted from the bench to start. James Lowe is unavailable for personal reasons.

So the starting XV features a dozen of the 23 which faced the All Blacks, with only Jordan Larmour not at Le Mondial. As statements go, this one is in bold lettering, capitals and with an exclamation mark.

“Well, it’s trying to get the group together really, is probably the big thing,” said Cullen, steadfastly playing down any hint of revenge in the air after their captain’s run in the stadium. “The international guys have been away, so it’s just trying to get them back together and build a bit of cohesion for the challenges that are ahead.

“It’s an unbelievable block of games,” said Cullen ahead of four derbies sandwiching two Champions Cup games. “It’s so exciting for us anyway, as a coaching group, management and for guys, hopefully the same, and supporters. It looks like it will be pretty close to being sold out here tomorrow, which is amazing for this time of year, isn’t it?

“It will be a tough bloody game, won’t it? It doesn’t really matter what team Munster send. They will send a team that will be highly motivated and committed to the cause. They will fight literally every inch and scrap for everything. And that is the beauty of the fixture. That’s what separates it from a lot of the other fixtures because it means so much.

“You have seen it over the years in players leaving it all out there and they will fight until the bitter end as well. It’s not like you go behind by a score and you suddenly give up the ghost. Both sets of players tend to fight to the very end. And that’s what makes the fixture so great.”

For their part, Munster make six changes form the sleeves-rolled-up 10-3 win over the Stormers. Stephen Archer eclipses Donnacha O’Callaghan to become Munster’s most-capped player of all-time with 269 Munster appearances. Diarmuid Barron returns to captain the side, World Cup-winning lock Jean Kleyn makes his first appearance of the season, Tom Ahern starts in the Munster backrow for the first time, Rory Scannell returns in midfield and Simon Zebo makes his first appearance of the season and his first start at fullback for Munster since 2018.

With Peter O’Mahony and Jack O’Donoghue added to Munster’s lengthy injury list, their bench features three academy players in Brian Gleeson, Tony Butler and Shay McCarthy, albeit the returning Dave Kilcoyne brings their World Cup contingent up to seven, with the experienced John Ryan and Conor Murray also among the replacements.

In the heel of the hunt ,though, whereas Munster retain 11 of last May’s starting line-up (Ahern, Scannell, Calvin Nash and Zebo being the exceptions), Leinster retain only three, and include ten of their World Cup contingent who were rested that day.

Munster haven’t really hit their straps yet, with Graham Rowntree lamenting how opponents have slowed down their ruck ball. Nor have they beaten much this season, and with three home wins and none in two away games.

That said, they did guts it out against the Stormers and they will provide an altogether stiffer defensive effort than either the Dragons or Scarlets managed, while each of Leinster’s performances have had their flaws and patchy spells.

But even in the URC’s formative stages, more than Munster or anyone else in accumulating four bonus point wins on the spin, some of Leinster’s interplay has hit unrivalled heights. They look like a team on a mission again.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose (co-capt), Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan (capt); Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Michael Ala’alatoa, Ross Molony, James Culhane, Ben Murphy, Ciarán Frawley, Scott Penny.

Munster: Simon Zebo; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron (capt), Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Scott Buckley, Dave Kilcoyne, John Ryan, Brian Gleeson, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy.

Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)

Forecast: Leinster to win.

Johnny Sexton will be introduced to the crowd before the game, with the Official Leinster Supporters Club making a special presentation to him. The victorious Women’s Interpro team will also be introduced to the crowd at half-time and will be invited to parade the trophy around the pitch.