Leinster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby
United Rugby Championship
RDS arena, Dublin
Friday, 23rd September 2022, 19:35

TV: Live: Premier Sports, TG4

Well that did not go as expected.

We've become so used to hammering Zebre down the years that frankly it seemed barely worth even mentioning their team in last week's preview. They had signed twenty one new players and surely couldn't be any more than the usual shambles or even worse. With Leinster 21-0 up after 20 minutes it was all going to the usual script. However Zebre then exposed some dreadful Leinster defence for two excellent quick-fire tries. Leinster weren't worried though and they virtually patted Zebre on the head saying "ah bless, good for you!"

Leinster got another try back through the excellent Jason Jenkins and all seemed well again. But then Leinster collapsed as a team in the second half and suddenly the same patronising Leinster players were sweating as Zebre took advantage of shambolic defending for three more fine tries. Could Leinster actually lose this? In the end, Zebre lacked the composure to get a winning score, but they were undoubtedly the better team, played by far the better rugby and deserved to win.

Leinster looked fairly gassed early in the second half and the decision to only have one preseason game almost came back to haunt the management. Meanwhile Benetton were hammering Glasgow at home and they'd fancy their chances of an upset in the RDS tomorrow evening against the team that played Zebre.

Of course most of the eleven Leinster players are ruled out of selection as they are off on the three match tour to play South Africa's worst teams with the Emerging Ireland squad. The timing of the tour is frankly bizarre as it deprives the provinces of players at a time when generally the top internationals are being gently returned to action. It's like Andy Farrell and David Nucifora came up with the ideas while having a heap of pints celebrating the win in New Zealand. When Farrell sobered up, it appeared like he read his text messages and to his horror realised it clashed with the Rugby League grand final. So he's blown off the tour and sent a couple of subordinates down to lead it. Supposedly the tour is going to be really important for the World Cup next year, but when you look at some of the names travelling frankly Ireland would need to have an injury crisis of biblical proportions for some of these lads to come into the frame.

So it means that most of the internationals are being brought back earlier than normal to make up for the players who are on the Emerging Tour. Is this a good thing in a pre-World Cup season? Curiously one of the players who is going on tour, Ciaran Frawley, is allowed to play presumably because Leinster dangled the carrot of him getting gametime at 10. He partners Luke McGrath in a much changed backline. Garry Ringrose captains the team from outside centre alongside Robbie Henshaw. Jimmy O'Brien and Jordan Larmour come into the back three alongside the retained Dave Kearney. In the pack Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan come in to join Michael Ala'alatoa in the front row. Jason Jenkins retains his spot in the second row and is partnered by James Ryan. Ryan Baird gets another run at blindside flanker with Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris completing the backrow.

Benetton have to do without their excellent South African full back Rhyno Smith this week due to injury. But he's replaced at full back by the exciting looking winger Ignacio Mendy who bagged two tries last week. There are a good few changes from the team that started last week with Toa Halafihi, Michele Lamaro, Niccolo Cannone and Giacomo Nicotera coming into the pack and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Mattia Bellini, Marco Zanon and Onisi Ratave coming in to start in the pack.

It's still a decent Benetton side, but given how strong a side Leinster have named, they shouldn't have too much trouble tomorrow evening.

Team Lineups

	Leinster Rugby		Benetton Rugby
Teams	Jimmy O'Brien	15	Ignacio Mendy
	Jordan Larmour	14	Mattia Bellini
	Garry Ringrose (C)	13	Joaquin Riera
	Robbie Henshaw	12	Marco Zanon
	Dave Kearney	11	Onisi Ratave
	Ciaran Frawley	10	Giacomo Da Re
	Luke McGrath	9	Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
	Andrew Porter	1	Ivan Nemer
	Dan Sheehan	2	Giacomo Nicotera
	Michael Ala'alatoa	3	Simone Ferrari
	Jason Jenkins	4	Niccolo Cannone
	James Ryan	5	Scott Scrafton
	Ryan Baird	6	Giovanni Pettinelli
	Josh van der Flier	7	Michele Lamaro (C)
	Caelan Doris	8	Toa Halafihi
Replacements	Ronan Kelleher	16	Gianmarco Lucchesi
	Ed Byrne	17	Federico Zani
	Cian Healy	18	Filippo Alongi
	Ross Molony	19	Carl Wegner
	Will Connors	20	Henry Time-Stowers
	Cormac Foley	21	Manfredi Albanese
	Ross Byrne	22	Tommaso Menoncello
	Charlie Ngatai	23	Ratuva Tavuyara
Not Considered due to Injury	James Tracy, Tommy O'Brien, Charlie Ryan, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Liam Turner, Joe McCarthy		Tomas Albornoz, Corniel Els, Riccardo Favretto, Thomas Gallo, Alessandro Garbisi, Leonardo Marin, Matteo Meggiato, Sebastian Negri, Edoardo Padovani, Rhyno Smith, Nahuel Tetaz, Cherif Traore
Officials	Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU), Assistant Referees: Paul Haycock (IRFU), Andrew Fogarty (IRFU), TMO: Ian Davies (WRU)

by Jim O'Connor, © 2022-09-22