Munster Rugby vs Leinster Rugby
Pro Rugby
Thomond Park, Limerick
Saturday, 23rd January 2021, 19:35
TV: Live on Eir Sports
It's been a strange journey to having this match on the traditional last weekend of the European rugby pool stage. Covid initially saw the game scheduled for St. Stephen's Day postponed. But now because the last two weeks of the pool matches are postponed (or cancelled if you believe the English) we now have this weekend free and sure why not play Munster versus Leinster?
For once the Ireland rugby coaches are more than happy to allow the internationals to play this game. Otherwise the guts of their squad would have faced the prospect of no competitive rugby for a month before the start of the Six Nations (if indeed that does start in two weeks). So it's probably the strongest teams selected, certainly at Thomond Park, since Christmas 2018. Ironically that feisty encounter is Munster's only win of the last eight meetings, seven of which current Munster coach Johann van Graan was in charge for.
With a 1-6 record against Leinster, it's been a little surprisingly how bullish van Graan has been in the media this week. You think he might have learnt from Dan McFarland running his mouth before Leinster's last game against Ulster. But maybe this reflects the new confidence that Munster are feeling this season. It's not just the coach either as after many years you get a sudden new found sense of confidence among Munster fans and the Munster media. They seem to have seen something of a breakthrough in their form this season and they smell blood in a weakened Leinster squad.
Now exactly what that belief is based on is hard to say. Sure Munster had an incredible comeback win over Clermont and bless the Dublin-Mayo All Ireland for totally overshadowing that game by the way. They also had a workmanlike win over a fairly poor Harlequins team at home. The rest of the wins have come in the Pro 12 which (as Leinster know all too well), it's dangerous to get too smug about. The Welsh, Scottish and Italian teams are in such a state that they can barely muster a competitive team between them. While it was no fun to watch Leinster lose against Connacht, it was refreshing to have a tough, competitive league game again. Leinster followed up with a middling performance against Ulster but eventually did enough in the second half. Again though it felt good to have a bit of fear about a league game.
Munster have picked their strongest team with just two changes as Rhys Marshall and John Ryan come into the front row. Tadhg Beirne has been in great form at the breakdown in recent games and will need special attention. Gavin Coombes has made a breakthrough at blindside flanker this season and has been scoring tries for fun. In the backs Chris Farrell and Damian de Allende will be looking to set down a physical marker.
For Leinster Garry Ringrose is fit again to come back into the team at outside centre. Jimmy O'Brien is named on the left wing and Luke McGrath comes in at scrum-half in the other two backline changes from the Ulster match. The only change to the pack sees Will Connors rotate in at openside with Josh van der Flier dropping to a bench with a 6-2 split.
Once again this fixture has been cursed as it was twice in 2020 by the appointment of Andrew Brace who seems to be the only referee in Ireland as far as the IRFU are concerned. So prepare yourselves for another baffling, whistle-happy display where breakdown laws are applied wholly inconsistently and high tackles are treated as leniently as possible.
The forecast is for snow so the conditions could make the game into a real slogfest. Munster fancy themselves and their faith might prove justified, but hopefully the Leinster pack are fired up to put some manners on Munster.
| Munster Rugby |
Leinster Rugby | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Mike Haley | 15 | Hugo Keenan |
| Keith Earls | 14 | Jordan Larmour | |
| Chris Farrell | 13 | Garry Ringrose | |
| Damian de Allende | 12 | Robbie Henshaw | |
| Shane Daly | 11 | Jimmy O'Brien | |
| JJ Hanrahan | 10 | Johnny Sexton (C) |
|
| Conor Murray | 9 | Luke McGrath | |
| James Cronin | 1 | Cian Healy | |
| Rhys Marshall | 2 | Sean Cronin |
|
| John Ryan | 3 | Andrew Porter | |
| Jean Kleyn | 4 | Scott Fardy | |
| Tadhg Beirne | 5 | James Ryan | |
| Gavin Coombes | 6 | Rhys Ruddock |
|
| Peter O'Mahony (C) | 7 | Will Connors |
|
| CJ Stander | 8 | Caelan Doris | |
| Replacements | Niall Scannell | 16 | Ronan Kelleher |
| Dave Kilcoyne | 17 | Ed Byrne | |
| Stephen Archer | 18 | Tom Clarkson | |
| Fineen Wycherley | 19 | Ross Molony | |
| Jack O'Donoghue | 20 | Jack Conan | |
| Craig Casey | 21 | Jamison Gibson-Park | |
| Ben Healy | 22 | Ross Byrne | |
| Rory Scannell | 23 | Josh van der Flier | |
| Not Considered
due to Injury |
Vakh Abdaladze, Conor O'Brien, Adam Byrne, Tadhg Furlong, Max Deegan, Tommy O'Brien, James Lowe, Scott Penny, Josh Murphy, Rory O'Loughlin |
||
| Officials | Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU) | ||
by Jim O'Connor, © 2021-01-22
