Leinster Rugby vs Ulster Rugby
United Rugby Championship
RDS Arena, Dublin
Saturday, 3rd December 2022, 19:35
TV: Live: Premier Sports, TG4
Leinster made it eight from eight last week and now take on Ulster in a first vs second battle.
Ulster are currently nine points behind Leinster but have a game in hand from when their game against the Sharks was postponed due to a mass outbreak of nasty stomachachery in South Africa. Ulster's only defeat so far this season was to Leinster on a wet night in Belfast. Leinster took a big lead but then ended up hanging on at the end in a rather annoying way because the Leinster pack had dished out a lesson in dominance in the first 45 minutes.
Jason Jenkins departure coincided with Ulster revival that night but in the end Leinster saw the game out. But it revived the suspicion that once again for all Ulster's big talk and their fine attacking play they ultimately can't hack it when it comes to the front five. Could that finally be about to change though? Signing Stephen Kitchoff (the most Irish looking non-Irish person ever) from the Stormers for next season is a serious statement of intent. If they can find the cash for a top class second row too, then who knows. They already have Iain Henderson of course, but with his recent injury profile can they trust him to be around when it really matters?
Henderson came off the bench last week in his latest return from injury and now makes his first appearance of the season although curiously he's named in the back row alongside Marcus Rea and Nick Timoney. Alan O'Connor and Kieran Treadwell are in the boiler room while Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart and Marty Moore make up the front row.
Former Leinster and Irish international player (and possibly a future Scottish international player) John Cooney is named at scrum-half with Billy Burns at ten. James Hume and Stuart McCloskey are the centres and the versatile Stewart Moore moves to the left wing. Michael Lowry and Ethan McIlroy complete the back three. Duane Vermeulen, Nathan Doak and Jacob Stockdale are among those named on a strong-looking bench.
It's nearly all change for Leinster this week as most of the fit internationals are named in the match-day squad. Only Jamie Osborne, Ross Byrne and Ronan Kelleher are retained in the starting lineup and Osborne moves to inside centre where he'll partner skipper Garry Ringrose. In a massive boost Hugo Keenan and James Lowe are fit to make their first Leinster starts of the season in the back three alongside Jimmy O'Brien. Jamison Gibson-Park also makes his first Leinster appearance of the season alongside Byrne at half-back.
In the pack Cian Healy and Michael Ala'alatoa come in to start in the front row alongside Kelleher while James Ryan and Jason Jenkins are the second rows. Ryan Baird, World player of the year Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan are the starting backrow. Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris are all kept in reserve on the bench.
Leinster lost to Ulster at home last year and that defeat will still rankle so expect them to take revenge tomorrow evening.
| Leinster Rugby |
Ulster Rugby |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Hugo Keenan | 15 | Michael Lowry |
| Jimmy O'Brien | 14 | Ethan McIlroy | |
| Garry Ringrose (C) | 13 | James Hume | |
| Jamie Osborne | 12 | Stuart McCloskey | |
| James Lowe | 11 | Stewart Moore | |
| Ross Byrne | 10 | Billy Burns | |
| Jamison Gibson-Park | 9 | John Cooney | |
| Cian Healy | 1 | Andy Warwick | |
| Ronan Kelleher | 2 | Tom Stewart | |
| Michael Ala'alatoa | 3 | Marty Moore | |
| James Ryan | 4 | Alan O'Connor | |
| Jason Jenkins | 5 | Kieran Treadwell | |
| Ryan Baird | 6 | Iain Henderson (C) | |
| Josh van der Flier | 7 | Marcus Rea | |
| Jack Conan | 8 | Nick Timoney | |
| Replacements | Dan Sheehan | 16 | Rob Herring |
| Andrew Porter | 17 | Callum Reid | |
| Tadhg Furlong | 18 | Tom O'Toole | |
| Ross Molony | 19 | Sam Carter | |
| Caelan Doris | 20 | Duane Vermeulen | |
| Nick McCarthy | 21 | Nathan Doak | |
| Charlie Tector | 22 | Jacob Stockdale | |
| Liam Turner | 23 | Matty Rea | |
| Not Considered
due to Injury |
James Tracy, Tommy O'Brien, Will Connors, Charlie Ryan, Martin Moloney, Ciaran Frawley, Robbie Henshaw, Johnny Sexton, Jordan Larmour, Charlie Ngatai |
||
| Officials | Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU), Assistant Referees: Oisin Quinn (IRFU), Kieran Barry (IRFU), TMO: Rowann Kitt (RFU) | ||
by Jim O'Connor, © 2022-12-02
