Leinster line up against Toulouse for the first time since their 2011 semi-final win, with an 11th consecutive Heineken Champions Cup victory their target this afternoon as they look to take control of Pool 1.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 1: Sunday, October 21
TOULOUSE (2nd) v LEINSTER (1st), Stade Ernest Wallon, 4.15pm local time/3.15pm Irish time (live BT Sport 2/beIN Sports/FR2/RTÉ Radio 1/highlights Virgin Media One)
Team News: Rob Kearney has a tight quad following last Friday’s first round victory over Wasps, so Leinster’s reshuffled back-three sees Jordan Larmour move to full-back with Joe Tomane starting his first European game for the province, and James Lowe, the man-of-the-match from the Pool 1 opener, continuing on the left wing.
The rest of Leinster’s back-line is unchanged as Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw are retained as the centre pairing, and captain Jonathan Sexton and Luke McGrath, who bagged a well-taken brace against Wasps, at half-back.
Dan Leavy, who injured his calf in the warm-up last week, remains an absentee so Rhys Ruddock continues at blindside flanker, with Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan completing the loose forwards trio. Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong flank Sean Cronin in the front row, and Devin Toner and James Ryan provide the support in behind.
Previewing this clash of the record four-time European Cup winners, Leinster scrum coach John Fogarty said: “When you go over there, it is almost an attack on the senses. There’s an atmosphere. There’s a history. There’s so much about Toulouse that you have to respect. We understand that.
“Toulouse hasn’t changed. There is still an atmosphere. There’s still a group of players and group of coaches and a group of supporters that love the game. They play the game with huge passion. That hasn’t changed for me.
“They are going to be confident. They’ve got world class players and huge size in their pack. When you watch them they’ve got lots of rugby intelligence. You’re defending and they’re rumbling along at a pace that suits them then they can break out and just catch you. I wouldn’t get tricked by looking at anybody’s shape and saying, ‘we’re better conditioned, we take them through phases, we’re going to score, they can knock off’.
“Their rugby intelligence, when they can attack a ruck or when it’s time to kick or time to play, they do that really well. The rugby intelligence is excellent. So you can get tricked a bit thinking, ‘we have this’, and that, and ‘we can run this team off the park’. We’re not expecting to run this team off the park, we’re expecting a physical challenge.”
Meanwhile, 19-year-old starlet Romain Ntamack will make his first Champions Cup start for Toulouse, coming in at inside centre as one of five personnel changes from last week’s hard-fought 22-20 victory at Bath.
The son of Toulouse and France legend Emile Ntamack replaces Maxime Mermoz, while the other alterations are all up front where Clement Castets and Julian Marchand start in the front row, the former taking over from suspended loosehead Lucas Pointud.
Alban Placines and Selevasio Tolofua join a back row missing All Black Jerome Kaino who received a five-week ban for a high shoulder-led tackle on Jamie Roberts. Austtralian Zack Holme, formerly of the Brumbies, Western Force and La Rochelle, leads a back-line containing the fleet-footed recent Springbok debutant Cheslin Kolbe.
TOULOUSE: Thomas Ramos; Cheslin Kolbe, Sofiane Guitoune, Romain Ntamack, Maxime Medard; Zack Holmes, Sebastien Bezy; Clement Castets, Julien Marchand (capt), Charlie Faumuina, Florian Verhaeghe, Joe Tekori, Rynhardt Elstadt, Alban Placines, Selevasio Tolofua.
Replacements: Leonardo Ghiraldini, David Faimafiliotama’ita’i Ainuu, Maks van Dyk, Pierre Gayraud, Louis Madaule, Yoann Huget, Antoine Dupont, Arthur Bonneval.
LEINSTER: Jordan Larmour; Joe Tomane, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jonathan Sexton (capt), Luke McGrath, Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: James Tracy, Jack McGrath, Andrew Porter, Scott Fardy, Sean O’Brien, Nick McCarthy, Ross Byrne, Rory O’Loughlin.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Toulouse to win: 16/5; Draw: 22/1; Leinster to win: 1/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Jordan Larmour (Leinster) – “France is always a tough place to go, I got a bit of a taste of it last year against Montpellier. Just seeing how they feed off the crowd and the noise they bring. Even when the 10s are taking kicks, they are screaming and shouting. So it’s a tough place to go but we’re looking forward to the challenge.
“It (the Montpellier match) was just kind of dealing with the whole occasion and the crowd. It was my first time playing at that level in France, so I was just trying to stay calm and composed. Robbie (Henshaw) was a great help. He was playing thirteen that game, so he was just talking to me in defence.
“I was trying to stay connected with him and then just trying to take down the big man (Nemani Nadolo). You prepare for everything so you’re always working on whatever you need to work on. You can always go back and say, ‘oh, I did that before’, so it kind of helps you in the long run, knowing in the back of your head that you’ve done it before.”
Julien Marchand (Toulouse) – “We are under pressure because we are at home and we will be expected to perform and hopefully get the win. We started well in the Top 14 and we feel the team is improving all the time but we know this will be a big test.
“Leinster are champions of Europe and we know we will need a big performance to beat them. They are a strong side but we are also improving all the time. Every year we go out to do well in this competition. We have a proud history in it and we want to maintain that and make a bid for the title. It should be a great game and hopefully we can do enough to win it.”
Current Form – Toulouse (Top 14 Championship): Drew 16-16 v Lyon (away), Won 23-20 v Grenoble (away), Won 33-26 v La Rochelle (home), Won 30-17 v Racing 92 (home), Lost 66-15 v Montpellier (away), Lost 26-22 v Castres Olympique (home), Won 10-0 v Agen (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 22-20 v Bath (away)
Leinster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 33-32 v Cardiff Blues (away), Lost 23-21 v Scarlets (away), Won 52-10 v Dragons (home), Won 31-7 v Edinburgh (home), Won 20-3 v Connacht (away), Won 30-22 v Munster (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 52-3 v Wasps (home)
Top Scorers – 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup: Toulouse – Points: Sofiane Guitoune 10; Tries: Sofiane Guitoune 2; Leinster – Points: Jonathan Sexton, Luke McGrath, James Lowe 10 each; Tries: Luke McGrath, James Lowe 2 each
Previous European Meetings: 9
Saturday, April 30, 2011 – Semi-Final – Leinster 32 Toulouse 23, Aviva Stadium
Saturday, May 1, 2010 – Semi-Final – Toulouse 26 Leinster 16, Stade Municipal
Saturday, January 12, 2008 – Pool 6 – Leinster 20 Toulouse 13, the RDS
Sunday, November 18, 2007 – Pool 6 – Toulouse 33 Leinster 6, Stade Ernest Wallon
Saturday, April 1, 2006 – Quarter-Final – Toulouse 35 Leinster 41, Stade Municipal
Sunday, January 13, 2002 – Pool 6 – Toulouse 43 Leinster 7, Stade Municipal
Friday, September 28, 2001 – Pool 6 – Leinster 40 Toulouse 10, Donnybrook
Saturday, October 11, 1997 – Pool A – Toulouse 38 Leinster 19, Stade Ernest Wallon
Saturday, September 6, 1997 – Pool A – Leinster 25 Toulouse 34, Donnybrook
Match Facts –
– This will be the 10th meeting between Toulouse and Leinster and the first in over seven years since their semi-final meeting in 2011 which was won 32-23 by Leinster at the Aviva Stadium
– Overall, Toulouse have won five of their nine matches with Leinster (L4), including three of their four home clashes (L1)
– Leinster are unbeaten in five consecutive away pool games, and they have never gone six away games without suffering a defeat
– Round 1 saw Leinster record their third biggest tournament win (52-3) and also inflict Wasps’ heaviest tournament defeat
– Since the start of 2017/18 and their Challenge Cup campaign, Toulouse have scored 139 points and conceded 140 in European competition (W3, L3, D1)
– Only Munster (167) have played more tournament games than either Toulouse (158) or Leinster (160)
– Three of the leading five ball carriers in round 1 were Leinster players. Garry Ringrose topped the charts with 21 while Jack Conan and Robbie Henshaw made 19 each
– Toulouse made 20 offloads in round 1. Only three other teams reached double figures in this category and none made more than 15. Individually, no one made more than Maxime Médard, Sofiane Guitoune and Joe Tekori (4 each)
– Leinster collectively made the most carries (191), metres (671) and breaks (18) of any side in round 1
– James Lowe was the top metre maker in round 1 (184), while no one beat more defenders than the Leinster winger (8, also Toulouse’s Cheslin Kolbe)
European Cup Records:
Toulouse –
2016/17: Reached the quarter-finals
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2011/12: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Reached the semi-finals
2009/10: Champions
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Runners-up
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Champions
2003/04: Runners-up
2002/03: Champions
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1999/00: Reached the semi-finals
1998/99: Reached the quarter-finals
1997/98: Reached the semi Finals
1996/97: Reached the semi-finals
1995/96: Champions
Leinster –
2017/18: Champions
2016/17: Reached the semi-finals
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2014/15: Reached the semi-finals
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2011/12: Champions
2010/11: Champions
2009/10: Reached the semi-finals
2008/09: Champions
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2006/07: Reached the quarter-finals
2005/06: Reached the semi-finals
2004/05: Reached the quarter-finals
2003/04: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2002/03: Reached the semi-finals
2001/02: Reached the quarter-finals
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1998/99: Failed to qualify from Pool A
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool A
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool B
1995/96: Reached the semi-finals
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