Montpellier Herault vs Leinster Rugby
Heineken Champions Cup - Pool A
GGL Stadium, Montpellier
Friday, 17th December 2021, 21:00 (20:00 Irish time)
TV: Live: BT Sports
In the interests of full disclosure, we weren't sure this game was going to happen because of the Covid outbreaks in both camps and it still might not. So this preview is considerably shorter than normal.
As things stand, the game is due to go ahead as planned tomorrow and both sides have named teams. Leinster have made several changes but still can name a strong match day squad in which Jamie Osborne, Vakh Abdaladze, Jack Dunne, Cormac Foley and Scott Penny could all make their European Rugby debuts. There is also the welcome return of Jack Conan and James Ryan from injury and Ryan is named as captain.
Montpellier sent a weak enough team to Exeter last week and were duly hammered. They've named a stronger team this week with the likes of Mohamed Haouas, Paul Willemse and Kelian Galletiername starting. But it's hard to know how much they'll care really. Last season Leinster beat them handily in the pool stage and they barely tried a leg. Yet strangely enough they seemed to care more about the European Challenge Cup they were demoted to and they ended up winning it.
Leinster delayed their flight until tomorrow morning and it's unusual to be flying the morning of a game to France but these are strange times. It's hard to know how the game will go if it does take place but hopefully Leinster still have enough to win.
Regardless of the result, the main thing is the players and any travelling supporters get there and back safely.
| Montpellier Herault | Leinster Rugby |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Thomas Darmon | 15 | Jimmy O'Brien |
| Josua Vici | 14 | Adam Byrne | |
| Yvan Reilhac | 13 | Jamie Osborne | |
| Pierre Lucas | 12 | Ciaran Frawley |
|
| Gabriel N'gandebe | 11 | James Lowe |
|
| Louis Foursans | 10 | Ross Byrne |
|
| Gela Aprasidze | 9 | Jamison Gibson-Park |
|
| Enzo Forletta | 1 | Cian Healy | |
| Jeremie Maurouard | 2 | Ronan Kelleher | |
| Mohamed Haouas | 3 | Andrew Porter | |
| Mickael Capelli | 4 | Ryan Baird | |
| Paul Willemse | 5 | James Ryan (C) | |
| Nico Janse van Rensburg | 6 | Max Deegan | |
| Kelian Galletier (C) | 7 | Dan Leavy | |
| Marco Tauleigne | 8 | Jack Conan | |
| Replacements | Brandon Paenga-Amosa | 16 | Dan Sheehan |
| Robert Rodgers | 17 | Ed Byrne | |
| Malik Hamadache | 18 | Vakh Abdaladze | |
| Zach Mercer | 19 | Devin Toner | |
| Aubin Eymeri | 20 | Jack Dunne | |
| Axel Bevia | 21 | Cormac Foley | |
| Karl Martin | 22 | Tommy O'Brien | |
| Tyler Duguid | 23 | Scott Penny | |
| Not Considered
due to Injury |
Dave Kearney, Michael Milne, Conor O'Brien, Johnny Sexton, Will Connors |
||
| Officials | Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU) | ||
by Jim O'Connor, © 2021-12-16
