Leinster Rugby vs Munster Rugby
URC Semi-final
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday, 13th May 2023, 17:30

TV: Live: RTE2/ Premier Sports

• Dragons 18-9 Leinster
• Leinster 18-3 Ulster
• Leinster 19-15 Glasgow
• Connacht 47-10 Leinster
• Ulster 14-13 Leinster
• Leinster 35-25 Munster

Remember all these games?

Most of them probably don't spring to mind too readily but they are the six games Leinster played immediately prior to their six previous Heineken Cup finals. Four of them were dead rubbers for which Leinster rested all their starters and they lost three of those games. Rather amusingly they did win one of the dead rubbers last season against Munster's first choice team. However two of the games were league semi-finals back in 2011 and 2012 and Leinster duly won both of them.

They are interesting games to look back on because there's been a healthy debate among Leinster fans about how strong a team they should field this weekend. Some argue they should rest everyone for a third crack at La Rochelle, especially as the French team will be able to rest their players this weekend. Others argue they should respect the URC and field the strongest team possible. So it's interesting to see what they did in the past.

In 2011 against Ulster, Leinster started 12 of the team that started against Northampton the following week in Cardiff. In 2012 against Glasgow, Leinster started 11 of the team that started against Ulster the following week in London. Of course they won Heineken Cups both of those years but interestingly didn't manage to complete the double the week after, losing to Munster and Ospreys in the league finals. They did finally manage the double in 2018 when they were able to send out a team to get absolutely tonked in Connacht in their final regular season league game. So it's always a risk when you play a strong team in case you suffer an injury to a top player but sometimes keeping the playing rhythm going can make the risk worth it.

Leinster take on a Munster side who are on an upward curve of a rollercoaster season. Only six weeks ago their season looked to be heading for a fairly disastrous conclusion with the prospect of having to play in the Challenge Cup next season. After losing away to the Sharks in the Champions Cup, their defence was then conceding an average of 43 points for the last three games. They then had to get something from their remaining two games in South Africa to secure their involvement in the Champions Cup next season.

To be fair to Munster they turned things around winning against the Stormers and coming from 22-3 down to draw against the Sharks to secure fifth place in the table. Even then they probably weren't overly optimistic travelling away to the Glasgow Warriors given how they'd lost 38-26 at home to them only a few weeks before. The Warriors dominated the first twenty minutes but the Munster defence was aggressive and organised, very much in the image of defence coach Denis Leamy. Leamy spent two years with Leinster as skills coach in a bit of a "Nixon goes to China" move. But he was very well spoken of by the coaches and players in his time in Donnybrook.

Munster just kept smashing the Warriors back and disrupting their normal free-flowing gameplan. The Warriors went into panic mode too early and it played into Munster's hands. Yes the red card for Glasgow played a big part but Munster's defiance in that first quarter was really the winning of the game. In cup rugby a good defence can sometimes take you a long way.

Unfortunately for Munster, winning such a physical game came at a price with Malakai Fekitoa, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and RG Snyman all picking up concussions which have ruled them out for tomorrow's game. Skipper Peter O'Mahony was a doubt after injuring his elbow but is named to captain the team that shows four personnel changes and three positional switches from last week.

Keith Earls has also recovered from injury and replaces Calvin Nash on the right wing with Mike Haley and Shane Daly completing the back three. Jack Crowley moves to inside centre to partner Antoine Frisch so there is a new halfback pairing of Edinburgh-bound Ben Healy and Craig Casey. John Hodnett comes into the pack at openside which means Peter O'Mahony moves to blind-side and Gavin Coombes starts again at number eight. Tadhg Beirne moves into the second row to partner Jean Kleyn. Hooker Diarmuid Barron has recovered from a shoulder injury to start again with Jeremy Loughman and Stephen Archer packing down either side of him in an unchanged front row.

For Leinster they've juggled the cards again and have made seven changes from last week's starting side. Jimmy O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien and Robbie Henshaw all come in to start in the backline. In the pack Ronan Kelleher and Michael Ala'alatoa come in to start in the front row and Jack Conan and Will Connors start in the back row alongside Max Deegan. It is noticeable that most of next week's key men like James Ryan, Garry Ringrose, Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Caelan Doris and Hugo Keean and the rest haven't been risked at all.

Both the previous two games this season have been pretty competitive affairs with Leinser winning on both occasions. A very understrength Munster team came to the Aviva in September but the 27-13 scoreline was inflated by a couple of late scores and very much flattered Leinster. And the Stephen's day game in Thomond Park had only a point in it. Munster will see this as a free shot and will hope Leinster have one eye on the Heineken Cup final next week. After Leinster's struggles at the scrum last week against the Sharks, they'll also target Leinster there.

Leinster have certainly picked a side that Munster will fancy their chances against. So it will be interesting to see if the risk pays off for Leo Cullen.

by Jim O'Connor, © 2023-05-12