Conference B leaders Leinster welcome the Southern Kings to the RDS tonight, looking to strengthen their case for a spot in the GUINNESS PRO14 final series and also test out some of their young up-and-coming players.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, February 23
LEINSTER (1st, Con B) v SOUTHERN KINGS (7th, Con B), the RDS, 7.35pm (live TG4/SuperSport 1)
Team News: After his debut off the bench last Saturday against the Scarlets, Skerries youngster Ciaran Frawley has been selected at out-half by Leinster head coach Leo Cullen for the first time. Frawley, who has ten Ireland Under-20 caps, kicked two from two off the tee and impressed in general play on his senior debut for the province.
Elsewhere, in a team that shows ten changes in personnel, Dave Kearney starts at full back for his 120th cap with Barry Daly on the right wing and last weekend’s man-of-the-match, James Lowe, on the left. New Zealander Lowe has scored five tries in six games so far for Leinster.
Isa Nacewa captains the side from the centre on his 180th appearance in blue, with the returning Garry Ringrose outside him in the number 13 jersey. Ringrose last played for Leinster in January against Ulster before an ankle injury forced him off. Partnering Frawley at half-back is fellow UCD clubman Nick McCarthy.
Loosehead prop Ed Byrne is joined by his twin brother, hooker Bryan, and Michael Bent in the front row. It is the first time that the Byrnes from Carlow will start a senior match for Leinster together, having done so twice this season with the province’s ‘A’ team.
Mick Kearney and Ian Nagle come in to form the second row partnership, while the 21-year-old Will Connors gets the nod at openside flanker, linking up in a youthful back row with Josh Murphy (23), who won five turnovers against the Scarlets, and Max Deegan (21).
St. Mary’s College prop Adam Coyle (pictured below), who is also 21, has been selected as Leinster’s replacement tighthead. The former Naas CBS and Ireland Under-20 forward is in line to make his Leinster senior debut having previously played with the province’s Under-20s.
Meanwhile, Southern Kings boss Deon Davids has made two personnel changes and three positional switches to the side that lost 26-12 to the Ospreys in Swansea last Friday night.
A shuffle of the back three sees Michael Makase revert to his favoured position of right wing, while the incoming Anthonie Volmink is restored to left wing. Yaw Penxe, who is the Kings’ leading PRO14 scorer with five tries, is now stationed at full-back.
The pack remains largely intact except in the back row where Andisa Ntsila, the man-of-the-match against the Ospreys, switches from the blindside to number 8. Ntsila’s spot on the side of the scrum goes to Eital Bredenkamp with Ruan Lerm dropping down to the replacements.
Lock Welemu Lindokuhle and Juan-Phillip Smith have been called up to the bench, while centre Jacques Nel, who just flew in to join the squad from South Africa this week, takes over from Harlon Klaasen who unfortunately had to return home after injury.
Both Davids and captain Michael Willemse said that despite the disappointment of two defeats so far on their mini-tour, with the first one a heavy 59-10 loss to Ulster in Belfast, they were determined to finish the tour on a high note and assured fans that they will be giving everything they have against a powerful Leinster outfit.
LEINSTER: Dave Kearney; Barry Daly, Garry Ringrose, Isa Nacewa (capt), James Lowe; Ciaran Frawley, Nick McCarthy; Ed Byrne, Bryan Byrne, Michael Bent, Mick Kearney, Ian Nagle, Josh Murphy, Will Connors, Max Deegan.
Replacements: James Tracy, Peter Dooley, Adam Coyle, Ross Molony, Peadar Timmins, Jamison Gibson-Park, Noel Reid, Jordan Larmour.
SOUTHERN KINGS: Yaw Penxe; Michael Makase, Berton Klaasen, Luzuko Vulindlu, Anthonie Volmink; Martin du Toit, Rowan Gouws; Schalk Ferreira, Michael Willemse (capt), Pieter Scholtz, Stephan Greeff, Bobby de Wee, Eital Bredenkamp, Martinus Burger, Andisa Ntsila.
Replacements: Stephan Coetzee, Johan Smith, Luvuyo Pupuma, Lindokuhle Welemu, Ruaan Lerm, Juan-Phillip Smith, Barend Janse van Rensburg, Jacques Nel.
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales), Ken Imbusch (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 1/100; Draw: 100/1; Southern Kings to win: 40/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “We’ve a lot of players unavailable to us and a lot of injuries as well. I think it’s a great window. For us as coaching team, I think it’s important that we demonstrate a certain element of bravery as well with selections at different times of the year and we’ve come under a little bit of scrutiny for some selections over the years and it’s important that we make sure guys are pushing through.
“You’ve got to give guys the opportunity to play. When a guy comes out of the Academy for his first game, he’s got to get to fifty caps somehow and the only way he does that is by playing fifty games. We’ve got to make sure we back the players that we have and we pick them, we give them the opportunities, so this week is another chance for guys.
“There’s a bit of experience mixed in with some inexperience. I think all the time we’re just trying to get that balance right. I think it’s good for the group, I think it’s good for the competition of the overall collective. It’s good to see and I’m curious to see how this group of players gets on.
“I thought Ciaran (Frawley) acquitted himself really well against the Scarlets. He shifted to ten later on because Ross (Byrne) had picked up on a knock on his hip. Ross didn’t kick at the start of the second half, you saw the kick at the end for James’ second try that came up short, so Ciaran took that on at half-time and slotted over his first kick from the sideline and kicked another one after that. I thought he did really well.
“He’s had the added advantage of preparing through the course of the week, even though it’s been a short week. He’s gone well, it’s great. I’m delighted to see him out there and hopefully he does well again.”
Deon Davids (Southern Kings) – “Leinster are a very good team and we will need to be organised in defence against them. It’s also important that we try and play the game in the right areas and be clinical in using our opportunities when we get quality ball.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 96; Tries: Barry Daly 7; Southern Kings – Points: Yaw Penxe 25; Tries: Yaw Penxe 5
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Leinster – Played 15, Won 12, Lost 3, 57 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), W 21-18 v Connacht (home), W 38-7 v Ulster (home), L 29-24 v Edinburgh (away), W 20-13 v Scarlets (home); Southern Kings – Played 15, Won 0, Lost 15, 4 Points; L 57-10 v Scarlets (away), L 32-10 v Connacht (away), L 31-10 v Leinster (home), L 43-17 v Zebre (home), L 29-13 v Dragons (away), L 31-3 v Benetton Rugby (away), L 43-13 v Glasgow Warriors (away), L 43-36 v Ulster (home), L 34-30 v Scarlets (home), L 48-21 v Edinburgh (home), L 37-7 v Edinburgh (away), L 45-21 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 45-24 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 59-10 v Ulster (away), L 26-12 v Ospreys (away)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, September 16, 2017 – Southern Kings 10 Leinster 31, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Leinster’s only defeat in any tournament since early November was 29-24 at Edinburgh in round 14 of the GUINNESS PRO14
– The Leinstermen have not been defeated at home in a regular season Championship fixture for over three years, when the Dragons were the visitors
– The Southern Kings have not been victorious since beating the Bulls 31-30 in Pretoria in Super Rugby last July
– This is the South Africans’ third visit to an Irish province, having lost at Connacht in September and at Ulster earlier this month
– The two sides’ only previous meeting was at Port Elizabeth in September with Leinster winning 31-10
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