With some of the GUINNESS PRO14’s most exciting attacking talent on show, this New Year’s Day encounter should provide plenty of entertainment as Leinster and Connacht – two of the most impressive performers in round 11 – battle it out for crucial Conference points.
GUINNESS PRO14: Monday, January 1
LEINSTER (2nd, Con B) v CONNACHT (5th, Con A), the RDS, 3.15pm (live TG4)
Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has announced his team to take on Connacht in their first GUINNESS PRO14 fixture of 2018 at the RDS on Monday afternoon.
Over 16,000 tickets have sold for Leinster’s second interprovinicial fixture of the festive period, and the last remaining tickets can be bought at leinsterrugby.ie. With three derby clashes in 11 days, Cullen has retained only two players from the side that accounted for Munster on St. Stephen’s Day.
Rob Kearney comes in at full-back with Fergus McFadden also recalled on the right wing. New Zealander James Lowe, who is retained on the left wing, makes his first appearance at the RDS and wins his third Leinster cap in all.
Noel Reid and Garry Ringrose are paired together in the centre with Luke McGrath and captain Jonathan Sexton, who has completed the return-to-play protocols, are reunited as the province’s starting half-backs.
Up front, Birr native Peter Dooley makes his first start of the season at loosehead prop alongside former Connacht hooker Sean Cronin and Andrew Porter. Ross Molony and Ian Nagle team up in the second row.
Dan Leavy is the only back rower retained following his man-of-the-match performance at Thomond Park, with Josh van der Flier and the 21-year-old Max Deegan, who is set for his first senior interprovincial appearance, completing the starting line-up.
Meanwhile, Connacht head coach Kieran Keane has made three changes to the team for their New Year’s Day showdown with Leinster in Dublin, bringing Cian Kelleher, Tom McCartney and James Cannon into the starting XV.
McCartney takes his place in the front row alongside Denis Coulson and Finlay Bealham. The pack that dominated against Ulster and contributed four tries, two from Ultan Dillane and one each from Eoghan Masterson and Jarrad Butler, sees one other change as Cannon takes over from Quinn Roux in the second row.
Kelleher rejoins a back-three that includes in-form winger Matt Healy and full-back Tiernan O’Halloran. Ireland international Bundee Aki and Tom Farrell continue their partnership in midfield, with Jack Carty and Kieran Marmion backing up as the starting half-backs.
Connacht, who are currently fifth in Conference A, will take confidence from their record 44-16 victory over Ulster but will be fully aware of the challenge they face against a high-flying Leinster side, according to Keane.
“It was great to get the interpro series off to a flying start against Ulster, and coming off two big wins in Europe, it was no more than the boys deserved. They are a great group and have been working really hard and we saw the results of that hard work with the performance they delivered against Ulster,” said the New Zealander.
“We face another big challenge against Leinster. They are a top side and are really in form as we saw with their performance against Munster at Thomond Park. We will be focusing on ourselves and our game-plan and will try and implement it as best we can.
“We had a fantastic home crowd that really got behind us in our win last weekend, but the roles will be reversed on New Year’s Day. We will be the underdogs against Leinster and we will need to put in a big performance against them.”
LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Fergus McFadden, Garry Ringrose, Noel Reid, James Lowe; Jonathan Sexton (capt), Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, Sean Cronin, Andrew Porter, Ross Molony, Ian Nagle, Dan Leavy, Josh van der Flier, Max Deegan.
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Michael Bent, Mick Kearney, Scott Fardy, Nick McCarthy, Cathal Marsh, Rory O’Loughlin.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Cian Kelleher, Bundee Aki, Tom Farrell, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Coulson, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, James Cannon, Eoghan Masterson, Jarrad Butler, John Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Peter McCabe, Conor Carey, Quinn Roux, Naulia Dawai, Caolin Blade, Eoin Griffin, Niyi Adeolokun.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Frank Murphy, Eddie Hogan O’Connell (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 1/6; Draw: 22/1; Connacht to win: 4/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Dan Leavy (Leinster) – “Lads can be pretty disappointed during the year not getting a run. Around the Christmas period with three games in 11 days, you can’t play the same team – there’d be too many injuries.
“It gives everyone an opportunity to put their hand up and say, ‘I want to be on the starting team’. Everyone is raring to play. A great win (against Munster), missing some of the players that have been starting a lot of the European games, is fantastic.
“Connacht had a great win against Ulster. I think they just won their first-up collisions, they beat up Ulster so it’s going to be a physical encounter and we have got to be ready for that. You could have all the excuses in the world after coming down here (Thomond Park) and getting a good win but we need to make sure we are right. I’m sure there’ll be a bit of rotation.”
Eoghan Masterson (Connacht) – “It takes time to get used of a new style and a new system and that’s what we have been working on since the start of the season. When people outside of Connacht don’t see immediate results, they presume that the plan isn’t working but that’s not the case and we have seen things really coming together over the last few weeks.
“Against Leinster we are fully aware of the challenge. The RDS is a very tough place to go and win and very few teams manage to do it. The interpro games are difficult games, especially when you are playing away from home, so we are under no illusions about the challenge we face on New Year’s Day.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 86; Tries: Rory O’Loughlin 5; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 77; Tries: Tiernan O’Halloran 4
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Leinster – Played 11, Won 9, Lost 2, 42 Points; W 39-16 v Dragons (away), W 37-9 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 31-10 v Southern Kings (away), L 38-19 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), W 21-13 v Edinburgh (home), W 23-17 v Munster (home), W 25-10 v Ulster (away), L 31-21 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 54-10 v Dragons (home), W 36-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 34-24 v Munster (away); Connacht – Played 11, Won 4, Lost 7, 23 Points; L 18-12 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 32-10 v Southern Kings (home), L 21-8 v Dragons (away), L 17-15 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 36-27 v Scarlets (away), L 16-8 v Ulster (away), W 20-16 v Munster (home), W 23-15 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 36-30 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 24-10 v Zebre (away), W 44-16 v Ulster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, December 19, 2014 – Leinster 21 Connacht 11, the RDS
Friday, January 1, 2016 – Leinster 13 Connacht 0, the RDS
Saturday, March 26, 2016 – Connacht 7 Leinster 6, the Sportsground
Saturday, May 28, 2016 – Final – Connacht 20 Leinster 10, BT Murrayfield
Saturday, October 29, 2016 – Leinster 24 Connacht 13, the RDS
Saturday, April 15, 2017 – Connacht 24 Leinster 37, the Sportsground
MATCH FACTS:
– Leinster have won their last five matches in all competitions since they were beaten by Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium in round 8 of the GUINNESS PRO14
– The Leinstermen have not lost a regular season PRO14 match at the RDS since the Dragons beat them there in February 2015
– Connacht have won their last three matches in all competitions since their defeat at Zebre in round 10 of the PRO14
– Connacht have lost their last six away games in the Championship since they beat Edinburgh at Myreside, 22-19, in April
– Connacht have won only twice away from home against a fellow Irish province in the history of the Championship: in Leinster in 2002 and in Munster in 2015
– Leinster won both of their matches against Connacht last season, while the westerners have won just three times against Leinster in Dublin since they first met in 1932: in 1955 and 1985 at Lansdowne Road and in 2002 at Donnybrook
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