Only two teams remain standing in the race to be crowned the 2019/20 Guinness PRO14 champions as Leinster and Ulster prepare to lock horns in a mouth-watering all-Irish final at the Aviva Stadium.
GUINNESS PRO14 FINAL: Saturday, September 12
LEINSTER (1st, Con A) v ULSTER (2nd, Con A), Aviva Stadium, 7.35pm (live eir Sport 1/Premier Sports 1/TG4/SuperSport 1/DAZN/www.pro14.tv)
Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made four changes to the team that accounted for Munster at the semi-final stage, with Garry Ringrose captaining his province for the first time.
Fellow Ireland star James Ryan also makes a timely return from a shoulder injury as Leinster look to make history with a third Guinness PRO14 title in-a-row at the Aviva Stadium tonight.
For their second showdown with Ulster in recent weeks, the defending champions’ back-three is unchanged. Full-back Jordan Larmour has come through the return-to-play protocols, with Hugo Keenan and James Lowe stationed out wide.
Ringrose, who wins his 75th Leinster cap, teams up again with Robbie Henshaw in midfield, while with Cullen mindful of next week’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Saracens, Ross Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park replace Jonathan Sexton and Luke McGrath at half-back respectively.
Ryan partners Devin Toner in the engine room, packing down behind a front row of Cian Healy, Ronan Kelleher and Andrew Porter. It is Healy’s 219th Leinster appearance, making him their joint-fourth most-capped player alongside Cullen and Rob Kearney.
The in-form Caelan Doris, last week’s Guinness player-of-the-match, continues in the blindside flanker role, Josh van der Flier swaps in for Will Connors at openside, and Jack Conan completes the pack at number 8.
Speaking ahead of the game, Cullen said: “It’s about getting yourselves into a final and then performing on the day. We’ve tried to manage the group well to get to this point in very unusual circumstances. But it’s all about getting into a final and performing to get a win.
“The winners get the prize and the losers get nothing, really, so it’s important we understand that dynamic when it really comes down to it, what it will be like. Ulster really put it up to us that day (in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final last year). We rode our luck at different stages.
“When you get to these knockout games you’re looking for a bit of freshness and a bit of continuity at the same time. That’s what we’ve gone for. A lot of really close calls. We think we’ve a strong 23 that will hopefully represent the 53 that managed to play through the course of the year.”
“Ulster, you’ve seen them against Edinburgh, we’re planning for a strong 80-minute game from them, so we need to make sure we have that bit of punch coming off the bench as well.”
Commenting on selecting Ringrose for the captaincy, he added: “I think it’s when you see people influencing the group really and Garry is such a key student of the game really. He’s always looking to improve himself, whether that’s his attacking skills, his defensive reading of the game, understanding the situations so then you bring him into our leadership group.
“We had a leadership group last year which since we’ve restarted that has changed slightly with some of the personnel in it and because Garry was away at the World Cup, he’s not around for pre-season but now because we’ve had this pre-season together he’s very much more involved in the running of the way we do things.
“You can see the players, how they view him as well. He’s such a key talker in the group as it is anyway. He’s very strong on both sides of the ball, attack and defence, his game understanding is good and I think he’ll hopefully do a good job for us.”
Meanwhile, club captain Iain Henderson has given Ulster a massive boost with his return to fitness ahead of the first all-Irish Guinness PRO14 decider since 2016.
Henderson is one of four personnel changes, slotting into the second row for his first provincial appearance since last January. Michael Lowry, Alby Mathewson and Sean Reidy also come into the starting XV.
Of the back-line that started last weekend’s thrilling 22-19 semi-final win in Edinburgh, Lowry anchors the back-three with Rob Lyttle, the Guinness player-of-the-match in Scotland, and Jacob Stockdale filling the wing positions.
Stuart McCloskey, who, along with John Cooney, was named in the Guinness PRO14 Dream Team earlier this week, continues his centre partnership. There is a first Ulster start for Mathewson at half-back alongside Billy Burns.
Henderson, who underwent hip surgery in July, combines with Alan O’Connor at lock, featuring behind an unchanged front row of Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring and Tom O’Toole. Reidy, a lively replacement the last day, joins Matthew Rea and Marcell Coetzee in the loose forwards.
Dan McFarland has opted for a six-two split on the bench where John Andrew, Jack McGrath, Martin Moore, Sam Carter, Jordi Murphy and Nick Timoney will offer the forward back-up, and the back-line cover is provided by Cooney and Ian Madigan, the late goal-kicking hero from the semi-final.
Head coach McFarland explained: “It’s terrific to have Iain back. He’s the captain of the club and we know what Iain can do for us in those big games. He has shown a propensity to play well in big games and also in big games that come off the back of him not being involved for a number of weeks beforehand. It’s a great boost for the squad.”
Commenting on some of the selection calls, he noted: “That was definitely the most difficult selection decision that I’ve ever been involved in and I’ve been involved in a lot. John and Alby are two excellent number 9s, but Alby is playing the better rugby at the moment.
“I feel really lucky that we, as a club, have two scrum halves of that quality and the fact we’re able to look to John coming off the bench – as Alby did last week – and influence the game and change the way the game is played, potentially in the second half.
“It’s pretty clear what Michael (Lowry) offers. He has electric feet and the way we want to play the game counter attacking-wise, he adds to that. He’s a really talented young player and he can play at number 10 as well. There’s great hopes for Michael going forward and we’re really lucky having him in the team this weekend.”
LEINSTER: Jordan Larmour; Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose (capt), Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Cian Healy, Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Devin Toner, James Ryan, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: James Tracy, Ed Byrne, Michael Bent, Scott Fardy, Will Connors, Luke McGrath, Jonathan Sexton, Rory O’Loughlin.
ULSTER: Michael Lowry; Rob Lyttle, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, Alby Mathewson; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson (capt), Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: John Andrew, Jack McGrath, Martin Moore, Sam Carter, Jordi Murphy, John Cooney, Ian Madigan, Nick Timoney.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Frank Murphy, George Clancy (both Ireland)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Pre-Match Quotes: Garry Ringrose (Leinster) –
(To captain Leinster) is probably the biggest honour of my rugby career, not even career, probably since I started playing rugby if I’m being honest. So it’s an incredibly special moment, an incredibly special opportunity.
“I had to flick the switch and realise that’s irrelevant come Saturday, that what’s important is ultimately how we perform as a team. So it was a special moment finding out but since then it’s been focused on what really matters this week.
“Thankfully there’s plenty of leaders on the pitch, the likes of James Ryan, Caelan Doris have captained before and then there’s Jamison (Gibson-Park) and Ross (Byrne), who is obviously a massive leader for us.
“We’ve had a few conversations about what we’ll do and decide out there, and then an element of how does it feel. It might just be one or two extra responsibilities but nothing changes from what we expect from each individual, including myself.
“We were lucky that day to win (when the sides met at the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final stage last year). To go into this game and taking anything for granted on previous results would be the downfall. We understand it. Ulster are coming to the Aviva to win and we’ve to do the same.”
Iain Henderson (Ulster) –
We’re looking forward to having a shot at Leinster. The last time we played them in a knockout game was down there (at the Aviva in the 2019 Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final) and that was a fair few of this team’s first experience for playing knockout rugby for Ulster.
“Obviously, it was against Leinster too. So that was a massive experience and even though the result was extremely disappointing that day, the guys loved the experience.
“It was surgery that was planned for the off-season and postponed due to everything that went on (with Covid-19). I ended up having the surgery in early July so it hasn’t been a quick process but it has been one that the physios and strength and conditioning departments have been extremely diligent with. They have been a massive help to me.
“I couldn’t explain (fully) how much they have done for me and the massive role they played in getting me back. They were probably sick of hearing me ask the question, ‘when can I get back playing?’. Like every operation, the surgeon has to clear it.
“It was a week or two ago that I got chatting to the surgeon, and he was happy that if I was continuing to get through the work at the rate I was without any symptoms he would be happy for me to be involved this week.”
Top Scorers – 2019/20 Guinness PRO14: Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 83; Tries: Dave Kearney 9; Ulster – Points: John Cooney 105; Tries: Matt Faddes 6
2019/20 TEAM FORM: Leinster – Played 16, Won 16; W 32-27 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 53-5 v Ospreys (home), W 40-14 v Edinburgh (home), W 3-0 v Zebre (away), W 50-15 v Dragons (home), W 42-11 v Connacht (away), W 23-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 54-42 v Ulster (home), W 13-6 v Munster (away), W 54-7 v Connacht (home), W 36-12 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 21-13 v Ospreys (away), W 55-19 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 27-25 v Munster (home), W 28-10 v Ulster (away), W 13-3 v Munster (home – semi-final)
Ulster – Played 16, Won 9, Drawn 1, Lost 6; W 38-14 v Ospreys (home), L 63-26 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), W 42-17 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 23-14 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 22-7 v Zebre (home), L 22-16 v Munster (away), W 29-5 v Scarlets (home), L 54-42 v Leinster (away), W 35-3 v Connacht (home), W 38-17 v Munster (home), L 26-24 v Ospreys (away), W 20-10 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), D 0-0 v Benetton Rugby (away), L 26-20 v Connacht (away), L 28-10 v Leinster (home), W 22-19 v Edinburgh (away – semi-final)
RECENT CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS:
Saturday, October 28, 2017 – Ulster 10 Leinster 25, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, January 6, 2018 – Leinster 38 Ulster 7, the RDS
Saturday, January 5, 2019 – Leinster 40 Ulster 7, the RDS
Saturday, April 27, 2019 – Ulster 14 Leinster 13, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, December 20, 2019 – Leinster 54 Ulster 42, the RDS
Saturday, August 29, 2020 – Ulster 10 Leinster 28, Aviva Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Leinster are playing their ninth Guinness PRO14 final in the last eleven years and are bidding to go through an entire PRO14 campaign with a 100% winning record for the second time having achieved the feat with ten straight victories in the inaugural season of the competition in 2001/02
– The Leinstermen have lost only one of their last five PRO14 finals: 20-10 to Connacht at BT Murrayfield in 2016
– Leinster have won both of the previous Championship finals they have played at the Aviva Stadium/Lansdowne Road, against Munster in 2001 and the Scarlets in 2018
– Ulster’s only previous Guinness PRO14 final appearance was seven years ago at the RDS when Leinster took the title with a 24-18 win
– Ulster’s dramatic late triumph over Edinburgh in the semi-final was their first win since beating the Toyota Cheetahs in February
– Leinster have lost just once in their last seven meetings with Ulster, and that by a single point in Belfast in April 2019
– Leinster have won their last three clashes with Ulster at the Aviva Stadium, two in the PRO14 in December 2006 and last month, with one in the quarter final of the Heineken Champions Cup in March 2019
– The Ulstermen’s most recent victory over Leinster at Lansdowne Road was in the Interprovincial Championship in October 1989