After 152 games across the Championship, it all comes down to this as the respective Conference winners, who made it through the knockout rounds, face off at Glasgow’s Celtic Park for the GUINNESS PRO14 title.
GUINNESS PRO14 FINAL: Saturday, May 25
GLASGOW WARRIORS (1st, Con A) v LEINSTER (1st, Con B), Celtic Park, 6.30pm (live eir Sport 1/TG4/Premier Sports 1/SuperSport 1/RTÉ 2fm/BBC Radio Scotland)
Team News: Captain Jonathan Sexton, Rob Kearney and Scott Fardy all come into the Leinster team which has been selected for Saturday evening’s GUINNESS PRO14 final against fellow Conference winners Glasgow Warriors at Celtic Park.
Sexton and Kearney resume at out-half and full-back respectively, with the latter’s inclusion seeing Jordan Larmour, a try scorer during last year’s PRO14 final win over the Scarlets in Dublin, switching back to the right wing. It will be Kearney’s 210th Leinster appearance and Sexton’s 160th.
James Lowe, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw and Luke McGrath complete the same back-line which started against Saracens in the recent European decider. Winger Lowe’s late score against Munster last Saturday was his 11th try in 16 games so far this season.
GUINNESS PRO14 Dream Team lock Fardy continues in the second row alongside James Ryan, having replaced knee injury victim Devin Toner just before half-time during the 24-9 semi-final victory over Munster. Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong and Sean Cronin, the province’s top try scorer this term with 13 tries, form the front row once again.
The unchanged loose forwards include vice-captain Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, last week’s man-of-the-match, and in-form number 8 Jack Conan. Ross Molony takes the vacant second row spot on the bench, with Nick McCarthy set for his final run-out in Leinster blue before his move to Munster.
Speaking at today’s pre-match press conference, head coach Leo Cullen commented: “(We’re) delighted to be here. I made my Ireland Schools debut back in 1995 in Glasgow against the Scottish Schoolboys and we have been coming here on a very regular basis to Glasgow with Leinster.
“To see the progression from Hughenden to Firhill to Scotstoun and to be playing a game here in Celtic Park is amazing to have been part of that progression. Leinster feel very privileged to be here and we’re looking forward to what will hopefully be a very good encounter between two very, very competitive bunches of players.
“Seanie (O’Brien) he has just been a little bit slower now, we will probably have a bit more of an update on him next week. You know he has been struggling a bit with a hip injury that has been ongoing for a while, which ruled him out of this week.”
Five-time champions Leinster are looking to match their achievement from 2014 by claiming back-to-back titles, while Glasgow are pushing to make it two wins from three PRO14 final appearances. Tickets start at just £25 for adults and £1 for kids. Visit www.pro14rugby.org/finaltickets.
Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors’ Kiwi boss Dave Rennie has named an unchanged starting XV for their final clash with the defending champions. More than 43,000 tickets have already been sold for the final and sales are closing in on the PRO14 final record of 46,092, which was set last May at the Aviva Stadium.
Rennie has stuck with the side that beat Ulster in comprehensive fashion, 50-20, at Scostoun Stadium in last Friday night’s semi-final, the inclusion of Tongan international prop Siua Halanukonuka on the bench the only change to the matchday 23.
Scotland star Stuart Hogg will play his last game for the club, starting in a back-three with DTH van der Merwe, who has scored in his two previous appearances in PRO14 finals, and Tommy Seymour who bagged a brace of tries against Ulster seven days ago.
Kyle Steyn and Sam Johnson start outside of half-backs Adam Hastings and Ali Price, Steyn and Price also both crossing the whitewash against the Ulstermen. It is a full Scotland international front row, Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson, the Warriors’ only member of the PRO14 Dream Team, starting either side of Fraser Brown.
Scott Cummings and Jonny Gray continue together in the engine room, while Rob Harley and Matt Fagerson start alongside captain Callum Gibbins in the back row. Pete Horne’s inclusion on the bench makes it eight players in the squad who featured in Glasgow’s successful 2015 final against Munster in Belfast.
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Kyle Steyn, Sam Johnson, DTH van der Merwe; Adam Hastings, Ali Price; Jamie Bhatti, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Jonny Gray, Rob Harley, Callum Gibbins (capt), Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Grant Stewart, Oli Kebble, Siua Halnukonuka, Ryan Wilson, Tom Gordon, George Horne, Pete Horne, Huw Jones.
LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jonathan Sexton (capt), Luke McGrath; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Fardy, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Andrew Porter, Ross Molony, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Ross Byrne, Rory O’Loughlin.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), John Lacey (Ireland)
TMO: Ian Davies (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Glasgow Warriors to win: 7/5; Draw: 16/1; Leinster to win: 4/7
Pre-Match Quotes: Jonathan Sexton (Leinster) –
We have to try and cherish that (facing Glasgow in their home city), don’t we? I think Saracens are a great example over the years of a team that have thrived in other teams’ back gardens. We need to try and take a little bit of that into tomorrow.
“It’ll be 23 of us against probably 40,000. I don’t know how many Leinster fans will make it over having put their hands in their pockets to come to Newcastle. We probably let them down there a little bit and want to repay them. It’ll be a tough challenge for us, but one we’re looking forward to.”
Dave Rennie (Glasgow) –
We’re excited to represent our city and our families at what is going to be an amazing occasion for Glasgow. The noise that 10,000 people make in Scotstoun is deafening, so to play in front of more than 40,000 of our supporters is going to be a special experience.
“Leinster are a world class side with hardened finals experience, so we’re going to have to play better than we have all season to lift the trophy.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Glasgow Warriors – Points: Adam Hastings 131; Tries: George Horne 9; Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 107; Tries: Sean Cronin, James Lowe 7 each
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Glasgow Warriors – Played 22, Won 17, Lost 5; W 27-26 v Connacht (away), W 25-10 v Munster (home), W 52-24 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 38-28 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 29-13 v Dragons (home), Won 36-8 v Zebre (home), L 25-24 v Munster (away), W 29-20 v Ospreys (away), W 40-15 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 29-20 v Scarlets (home), L 23-7 v Edinburgh (away), L 16-8 v Edinburgh (home), L 20-17 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 9-3 v Ospreys (home), W 38-34 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 43-17 v Connacht (home), W 42-10 v Zebre (away), W 35-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 30-7 v Ulster (home), W 39-24 v Leinster (away), W 34-10 v Edinburgh (home), W 50-20 v Ulster (home)
Leinster – Played 22, Won 16, Drawn 1, Lost 5; W 33-32 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 23-21 v Scarlets (away), W 52-10 v Dragons (home), W 31-7 v Edinburgh (home), W 20-3 v Connacht (away), W 30-22 v Munster (home), W 31-3 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 38-31 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 52-7 v Ospreys (home), W 59-10 v Dragons (away), W 33-29 v Connacht (home), L 26-17 v Munster (away), W 40-7 v Ulster (home), W 22-17 v Scarlets (home), W 40-24 v Zebre (away), W 59-19 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home), W 19-7 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 28-11 v Edinburgh (away), D 27-27 v Benetton Rugby (home), L 39-24 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 14-13 v Ulster (away), W 24-9 v Munster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, October 23, 2015 – Leinster 23 Glasgow Warriors 18, the RDS
Friday, March 18, 2016 – Glasgow Warriors 12 Leinster 6, Scotstoun Stadium
Saturday, September 10, 2016 – Glasgow Warriors 33 Leinster 25, Scotstoun Stadium
Friday, April 28, 2017 – Leinster 31 Glasgow Warriors 30, the RDS
Friday, November 3, 2017 – Glasgow Warriors 31 Leinster 21, Scotstoun Stadium
Saturday, April 13, 2019 – Leinster 24 Glasgow Warriors 39, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– Celtic Park hosts its first game of rugby union 110 years after it was the venue for a rugby league international between England and Australia. It will be the 46th different ground used for a Championship encounter and the seventh different venue for a final
– Glasgow Warriors have won their last nine GUINNESS PRO14 matches since their defeat away to Benetton Rugby on January 5
– It is the Warriors’ third final appearance. They lost to Leinster at the RDS in 2014 but beat Munster in Belfast a year later
– Leinster’s 24-9 victory over Munster at the RDS in last Saturday’s semi-final ended a four-match winless run in the GUINNESS PRO14
– This is Leinster’s ninth appearance in the final where their previous record is an even won four and lost four. Just one of those finals has been played outside of Ireland, when they lost to Connacht at BT Murrayfield in 2016
– Glasgow’s only defeat in their last five fixtures against Leinster in the PRO14 was by a solitary point in 61 at the RDS in April 2017
– Leinster have not beaten the Warriors in Scotland in the Championship since a 6-0 success at Scotstoun Stadium in November 2012
– The Leinstermen have lost on their last three visits to Scotland against all opponents
– The two sides have met in one previous final at the RDS in May 2014 with Leinster winning 34-12