Leinster have relinquished their GUINNESS PRO12 crown this season and one of the main reasons behind their failure to reach the play-offs is their disappointing away form. They have one final chance to win on the road when visiting Edinburgh at the home of Scottish rugby.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, May 16
EDINBURGH (8th) v LEINSTER (5th), BT Murrayfield, 3pm (live BBC ALBA/highlights TG4)
Team News: There are three changes to the Leinster team this week which results in a first appearance of the season at outside centre for 24-year-old Clontarf man Colm O’Shea, while Leinster Academy member Cian Kelleher could make his senior debut if introduced from the bench.
Both players were involved in the Ulster Bank League Division 1A final last weekend when Kelleher’s Lansdowne side defeated reigning champions Clontarf. It has been a good week for Kelleher (20), who was also awarded the Ulster Bank League Rising Star award on Thursday for his performances this season.
Elsewhere, the pack is the same that beat Benetton Treviso last time out with Jack McGrath, Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross combining in the front row and Devin Toner and Mike McCarthy selected together again in the second row.
In the back row Jordi Murphy starts at blindside flanker with Sean O’Brien at openside, while Jamie Heaslip, Leinster’s lone try scorer against Treviso, continues at the base of the scrum at number 8 and as captain.
Rob Kearney features at full-back once more in an all-international back row, with his younger brother Dave on the left wing and 29-times capped Springbok Zane Kirchner on the right.
It is a new centre partnership for the trip to Edinburgh with Noel Reid at inside centre and the aforementioned O’Shea (pictured below with Matt O’Connor) at outside centre. As a result, Ian Madigan switches to out-half with Isaac Boss the final change as he starts at scrum half.
Saturday will mark Jimmy Gopperth’s last involvement in a Leinster jersey before he moves to Wasps in the summer and should he make an appearance off the bench, it will be his 59th cap. He has 350 points to his name to date and has started 13 of the 15 European Cup games Leinster have been involved in during his time. He won a PRO12 title last season, scoring 14 points in the final against Glasgow Warriors.
With Gordon D’Arcy and his wife Aoife expecting their first baby this week, he was not considered for selection.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh boss Alan Solomons, whose contract extension for another season was confirmed this week, has made four changes to the team that lost 19-5 to the Newport Gwent Dragons.
Tom Heathcote moves up from the bench to fill the out-half berth vacated by the injured Phil Burleigh, while the remainder of the changes are in the pack.
John Andress starts at tighthead prop in place of WP Nel, while Anton Bresler comes in at lock for Fraser McKenzie who moves to blindside flanker where he takes over from the injured Stuart McInally.
Jack Cuthbert retains his place at full-back with Dougie Fife and Tim Visser – playing his last league match in the black and red – on the wing. The centre pairing of Sam Beard and Andries Strauss is retained and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne remains at scrum half.
In the pack, Alasdair Dickinson and Ross Ford, who will captain the side, stay at loosehead prop and hooker, while Ben Toolis at lock, Hamish Watson at openside and Cornell du Preez at number 8 retain their places.
EDINBURGH: Jack Cuthbert; Dougie Fife, Sam Beard, Andries Strauss, Tim Visser; Tom Heathcote, Sam Hidlago-Clyne; Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (capt), John Andress, Anton Bresler, Ben Toolis, Fraser McKenzie, Hamish Watson, Cornell du Preez.
Replacements: Neil Cochrane, Rory Sutherland, Simon Berghan, Ollie Atkins, James Hilterbrand, Nathan Fowles, Jade Te Rure, Tom Brown.
LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Zane Kirchner, Colm O’Shea, Noel Reid, Dave Kearney; Ian Madigan, Isaac Boss; Jack McGrath, Richardt Strauss, Mike Ross, Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy, Jordi Murphy, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip (capt).
Replacements: Aaron Dundon, Michael Bent, Tadhg Furlong, Tom Denton, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Jimmy Gopperth, Cian Kelleher.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemy, Graeme Wells (both Scotland)
Television Match Official: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Edinburgh to win: 6/5; Draw: 20/1; Leinster to win: 4/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Tom Denton (Leinster) – “We have to take the pain of this season with us but channel it in a positive manner. The pain we feel now at not being involved in PRO12 Play-offs or being involved in Twickenham a few weeks ago. That has to motivate.
“You would then hope that another win against Edinburgh allows us to finish the season on a high and to take that positivity into next season. It doesn’t mask what has gone before but if you lose you would tend to stew more over the summer.
“Last year Edinburgh beat us narrowly over there in terrible conditions. They’ve beaten the Ospreys and Glasgow this year at home and as we all know those two teams are flying it at the moment. So, we know that we need to front up and perform because Edinburgh have still got Champions Cup qualification on their minds.
“I think the season just gone could yet be a huge positive (for us). It’s hard to think like that at the moment but you have to have the bad days to enjoy the good. In my three seasons here this is the first time experiencing this sort of end-of-season run-in.
“The supporters expect better, the players expect better, the coaches expect better. It’s up to us all to ensure that we’re not in a similar position next season.”
Dougie Fife (Edinburgh) – “The last three or four games have been cup finals for us and this one definitely is. It’s that last shot to get to the Champions Cup through the play-offs. We have to win this week and see what happens in the Connacht-Ospreys game
“It’s a massive game for us this week and if we win this game we are obviously going to be up for it if it comes down to Gloucester away for that Champions Cup spot because that’s all we are aiming for now. We are obviously annoyed not to win the (Challenge Cup) final with Gloucester. We know we can beat them.
“Leinster have already qualified for the Champions Cup, they can’t qualify for the play-offs or the league. I would imagine they will come over and they might not have much to play for but they can be pretty dangerous at times. They can throw the ball about, have a bit of fun out there and cause a bit of damage.”
Top Scorers – 2014/15 GUINNESS PRO12: Edinburgh – Points: Tom Heathcote 103; Tries: Roddy Grant, Tim Visser 5 each; Leinster – Points: Ian Madigan 129; Tries: Ian Madigan, Dominic Ryan, Ben Te’o 4 each
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, April 13, 2012 – Leinster 54 Edinburgh 13, the RDS
Saturday, September 22, 2012 – Leinster 22 Edinburgh 16, the RDS
Friday, January 4, 2013 – Edinburgh 16 Leinster 31, Murrayfield
Friday, December 20, 2013 – Edinburgh 11 Leinster 6, Murrayfield
Saturday, May 10, 2014 – Leinster 15 Edinburgh 13, the RDS
Friday, October 31, 2014 – Leinster 33 Edinburgh 8, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– Realistically Edinburgh require a bonus point victory to put themselves in contention for a European Champions Cup spot in 2015/16
– The Scotsmen have lost just two of their last twelve home games in all competitions, both to Irish provinces
– Leinster’s 10-0 victory over Benetton Treviso at the RDS last time out guaranteed a top six finish and automatic qualification for the European Champions Cup in 2015/16
– The Leinstermen have not won successive GUINNESS PRO12 encounters since January, while their only victory on the road since their trip to Castres Olympique in October was at Cardiff Blues in January
– Edinburgh have won just one of their last eight games against Leinster: 11-6 at BT Murrayfield in round 10 last season, and have been restricted to a single try in each of their last six encounters with the Leinstermen
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