Leinster picked up six points against Montpellier during last season’s pool stages of the Champions Cup, but they are sure to face a much stiffer test on Saturday with Ruan Pienaar and Louis Picamoles now playing key roles for the French side.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 3: Saturday, October 14
LEINSTER v MONTPELLIER, the RDS, 1pm (live Sky Sports Action/beIN Sports/RTÉ 2FM/highlights TG4)
Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has announced his first Champions Cup team of the season as the province welcome Montpellier to the RDS on Saturday.
With 15,000 tickets sold, there is still availability for the game with tickets on sale at leinsterrugby.ie or on match day from the Ticketmaster office inside the Anglesea Road gate.
In positive news, Cullen is able to welcome back captain Isa Nacewa, who has recovered from a calf injury to take his place in the centre. He will combine with Robbie Henshaw who made his seasonal debut against Munster last week.
Otherwise, it is the same back-three that took to the pitch against Munster with Joey Carbery lining out at full-back for the fifth time in seven games this season, while Adam Byrne is also set for fifth start this term on the right wing and Barry Daly is selected on the left for his European debut.
Luke McGrath will have Ross Byrne for company at half-back, the latter replacing the injured Jonathan Sexton at out-half. The 22-year-old Byrne, who played four times in last season’s Champions Cup, will make his second start at this level. Sexton has a dead leg but is expected to be fit for next week’s round 2 trip to Glasgow Warriors.
Up front, it is as you were with Jack McGrath, James Tracy and Tadhg Furlong in the front row and Devin Toner and Champions Cup debutant Scott Fardy behind them in the second row. Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan complete the starting XV.
Noel Reid has recovered from injury to take his place on an otherwise unchanged bench from the Munster match. Ross Molony is in line to make his 50th appearance for Leinster at the age of just 23.
Meanwhile, New Zealander Vern Cotter, who replaced Jake White as Montpellier head coach in the summer, has made six personnel changes and two positional switches to the team that lost 31-20 to Stade Francais in the Top 14 last Saturday.
Jesse Mogg, Joe Tomane and 19-year-old out-half Thomas Darmon come into the back-line, with the latter making his Champions Cup debut at half-back alongside former Ulster scrum half Ruan Pienaar. Former All Black Aaron Cruden was expected to don the number 10 jersey, but he suffered a thigh injury in training on Thursday.
Benjamin Fall reverts to the right wing and South African Frans Steyn, who was sent off in the corresponding fixture at the RDS last January, resumes his centre partnership with Tomane, the 17-times capped Wallaby.
An unchanged tight five includes three South Africans – star hooker Bismarck du Plessis and the young second row pairing of Jacques du Plessis (24) and Nicholaas van Rensburg (23) – while France number 8 Louis Picamoles, who has returned to his Montpellier roots, is back to captain the side after a thigh injury ruled him out of their last three league games.
LEINSTER: Joey Carbery; Adam Byrne, Robbie Henshaw, Isa Nacewa (capt), Barry Daly; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Jack McGrath, James Tracy, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, Scott Fardy, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Cian Healy, Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Jordi Murphy, Jamison Gibson-Park, Noel Reid, Fergus McFadden.
MONTPELLIER: Jesse Mogg; Benjamin Fall, Joe Tomane, Frans Steyn, Nemani Nadolo; Thomas Darmon, Ruan Pienaar; Mikheil Nariashvili, Bismarck du Plessis, Antoine Guillamon, Jacques du Plessis, Nicholaas van Rensburg, Kelian Galletier, Yacouba Camara, Louis Picamoles (capt).
Replacements: Romain Ruffenach, Yvan Watremez, Davit Kubriashvili, Julien Delannoy, Wiaan Liebenberg, Benoit Paillaugue, Timoci Nagusa, Joffrey Michel.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 4/11; Draw: 19/1; Montpellier to win: 23/10
Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “Ross (Byrne) has built up a lot of experience. He’s been comfortable running the team. It’s important we invest that time in players. It is another big step for Ross, but he’s very ambitious himself. He wants to push on and get better and we’re seeing that gradual improvement all the time.
“Johnny (Sexton) and Rory O’Loughlin came through the (Munster) game okay, but flagged in with some stiffness and dead legs and couldn’t train properly this week. We made a call reasonably early.
“Seanie (O’Brien) was a little bit slower than we expected on his calf, Isa (Nacewa), on the other hand, made it through. You can always push things along, but we’re doing what we think is best for the team.
“We’ll get those guys checked again and hopefully they’ll be okay to come in next week (for round 2 against Glasgow). It’s important when you play in these high intensity games you’re able to prepare as well as possible and when guys don’t play in the early part of the week, it becomes difficult.
“If you look at the threats Montpellier have, they are very, very powerful. Obviously there is the Jake White influence with a lot of big South Africans, both big names and big-bodied players. Vern Cotter has come in and splashed the cash, opening up the cheque book it looks like, particularly at 8-9-10 where they have gone out and bought the best that money can buy.
“They have recruited very strongly. (Louis) Picamoles, the fact that he was in a contract at Northampton Saints means he must have come at a cost. (Ruan) Pienaar, we know very well from Ulster and what a quality player he is. And then Aaron Cruden, who has his Super Rugby experience with the Chiefs, winning two titles, and also the All Blacks.
“They have just added on a couple more layers to what was already a pretty formidable outfit last year, so it will be a huge challenge for us.”
Current Form – Leinster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 39-16 v Dragons (away), Won 37-9 v Cardiff Blues (home), Won 31-10 v Southern Kings (away), Lost 38-19 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), Won 21-13 v Edinburgh (home), Won 23-17 v Munster (home)
Montpellier – (Top 14 Championship): Won 48-19 v Agen (home), Won 37-6 v Oyonnax (home), Won 22-17 v Castres Olympique (away), Won 43-20 v Toulon (home), Lost 47-17 v Bordeaux-Begles (away), Won 54-10 v Brive (home), Lost 31-20 v Stade Francais (away)
Top Scorers – 2016/17 European Champions Cup: Leinster – Points: Isa Nacewa 80; Tries: Isa Nacewa 7; Montpellier – Points: Frans Steyn 33; Tries: Nemani Nadolo 5
Previous European Meetings: 4
Friday, January 13, 2017 – Pool 4 – Leinster 57 Montpellier 3, the RDS
Sunday, October 23, 2016 – Pool 4 – Montpellier 22 Leinster 16, Altrad Stadium
Saturday, January 21, 2012 – Pool 3 – Leinster 25 Montpellier 3, the RDS
Saturday, November 12, 2011 – Pool 3 – Montpellier 16 Leinster 16, Stade de la Mosson
Match Facts –
– This will be the fifth meeting between the teams. Leinster have lost just one of the previous four, and won both previous home games against the 2016 Challenge Cup winners
– Leinster averaged more carries per game than any other side last season (149) and beat the most defenders per game of any side (27)
– Montpellier’s Nemani Nadolo made 14 clean breaks in the pool stages last season, more than any other player
European Cup Records:
Leinster –
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
Montpellier –
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2012/13: Reached the quarter-finals
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
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