Categories: European Rugby Leinster Main News Provincial

European Champions Cup Preview: Leinster v Toulon

Can Leinster break their worst losing streak in European Cup history and give themselves a pre-Christmas lift as they host defending champions Toulon in Dublin for the first time? Another intriguing contest between these tournament heavyweights awaits.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 5: Saturday, December 19

LEINSTER (4th) v TOULON (3rd), Aviva Stadium, 5.15pm (live Sky Sports 3 HD/beIN Sports/Newstalk/highlights TG4)

Team News: Saturday’s game will mark significant milestones in the careers of Rhys Ruddock and Mike McCarthy, while the recently retired Kevin McLaughlin will also be honoured before kick-off at the home of Irish Rugby.

Leinster have also announced that 43,910 tickets have been sold to date which include 6,434 ‘One Province’ tickets which is a record for this club-focused initiative.

Two Pool 4 games have come closest to such figures this season in the Champions Cup and both games included Leicester Tigers. Their round 1 clash with Stade Francais had 20,286 in attendance at Welford Road, while their away encounter last weekend against Munster had 22,261 in attendance at Thomond Park.

Tickets for Leinster against Toulon are still available on www.leinsterrugby.ie, from Ticketmaster and on match day from the Ballsbridge Hotel from 12.30pm.

In addition to McLaughlin being introduced to the crowd before kick-off to acknowledge his stellar career in blue and in the green of Ireland, Leinster will also be celebrating at half-time the team of 1995 who represented Leinster in the first ever match in the European Cup. They played against Milan in 1995 and won 24-21.

In team news, Leo Cullen has made a few changes due to injuries picked up in training this week. Fergus McFadden and Isaac Boss have both failed to shake off minor strains in time for the the return fixture with Toulon.

Winger McFadden picked up a calf strain on Tuesday and did not come through the session this morning, likewise scrum half Boss who had a hamstring issue during the week. Neither injury is of long term concern.

As a result, in the backs, Rob Kearney continues at full-back with Dave Kearney coming in for McFadden on the right wing and Isa Nacewa on the left. Nacewa also captains the side in his first appearance at the Aviva Stadium since December 2012.

Luke Fitzgerald and Ben Te’o continue in the centre while Eoin Reddan takes over from the injured Boss at scrum half where he partners Jonathan Sexton, who scored three penalties against Toulon last Sunday.

In the pack, Jack McGrath starts at loosehead prop in place of Cian Healy who is free to play until the outcome of his appeal against two-week suspension. Hooker Richardt Strauss and tighthead Mike Ross complete the front row.

In the second row Devin Toner and Mike McCarthy (pictured above) are once again selected. This will be McCarthy’s 300th senior club appearance since his debut for Wasps in the 2001/02 season against Sale Sharks.

There is no change either in the back row with Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier and Jamie Heaslip continuing in their roles. Ruddock also has reason to celebrate as Saturday’s fixture will mark his 100th Leinster appearance since his debut in December 2009 against the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Nick McCarthy is in line to make his Leinster senior debut from the bench. The 20-year-old UCD scrum half, who is a member of the Leinster Academy and was registered for the Champions Cup only this week in the absence of the injured Luke McGrath, was captain of the Ireland Under-20s last season.

Meanwhile, Toulon boss Bernard Laporte has made two changes to the team that carved out a 24-9 victory over Cullen’s side less than a week ago.

Powerful forwards Jocelino Suta and Juan Smith are promoted from the bench to start in the second row and back row respectively, taking over from Samu Manoa and the benched Mamuka Gorgodze. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe has recovered from injury to be listed among the replacements.

LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Dave Kearney, Ben Te’o, Luke Fitzgerald, Isa Nacewa (capt); Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath, Richardt Strauss, Mike Ross, Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Sean Cronin, Cian Healy, Martin Moore, Tom Denton, Jordi Murphy, Nick McCarthy, Ian Madigan, Zane Kirchner.

TOULON: Delon Armitage; Bryan Habana, Mathieu Bastareaud, Ma’a Nonu, Drew Mitchell; Matt Giteau (capt), Eric Escande; Florian Fresia, Guilhem Guirado, Matt Stevens, Jocelino Suta, Romain Taofifenua, Juan Smith, Steffon Armitage, Duane Vermeulen.

Replacements: Anthony Etrillard, Xavier Chiocci, Levan Chilachava, Mamuka Gorgodze, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Tom Taylor, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Konstantine Mikautadze.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Tim Wigglesworth, Paul Dix (both England)
Television Match Official: Graham Hughes (England)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 2/1; Draw: 16/1; Toulon to win: 4/9

Pre-Match Quotes: Devin Toner (Leinster) – “When you break it down, we did a lot of things well against a very good Toulon team (last Sunday). But then again look at the breakdown and how we controlled that area. Our discipline. Massive area.

“Look at their two tries – from two lineout mauls that we conceded off penalties. I’m not dancing around the issue here either, I was a culprit and was one of those to get a yellow card. I think in the whole of the season to date we have picked up three yellows so to get three in one game, is something we have to look at.

“But again I am looking at that and saying, we can control that. We can do that better. It’s within our control. The breakdown is just something that they do very well and it’s on us to try to negate that this weekend.

“We have to get there quicker. We have to support the ball carrier that bit quicker and not provide any space for the Toulon back row to attack. We win and lose as a team but it is no secret that we, as a pack, did a lot of soul searching after Bath and we managed to get a lot of things right against Ulster and then again against Toulon. But again there are areas to work on this weekend.

“Again I go back to discipline and our lineout functioned quite well in the Stade Mayol, but I think we ran three or four lineouts with players in the sin-bin. And then off the other four lineouts we only managed to play off two.

“Primary possession was a bit messy and if we are to kick on we have to ensure that we are providing full lineout options and then that we are providing clean ball and a good platform to our backs. They can only do so much with sloppy ball but if we can deliver and give them good ball, we have the talent to punish Toulon.”

Current Form – Leinster – (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 16-9 away to Edinburgh; Won 23-15 at home to Cardiff Blues; Won 37-13 at home to Newport Gwent Dragons; Lost 25-14 away to the Scarlets; Won 23-18 at home to Glasgow Warriors; Won 27-3 away to Benetton Treviso; Won 19-15 at home to the Scarlets; (European Champions Cup): Lost 33-6 away to Wasps; Lost 19-16 away to Bath; (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 8-3 at home to Ulster; (European Champions Cup): Lost 24-9 away to Toulon

Toulon – (Top 14 Championship): Lost 27-22 at home to Racing 92; Lost 24-9 away to Castres Olympique; Won 20-13 away to Stade Francais; Won 45-24 at home to La Rochelle; Lost 29-26 away to Brive; Won 61-3 at home to Oyonnax; Lost 33-29 away to Grenoble; Won 52-8 at home to Montpellier; (European Champions Cup): Lost 32-6 away to Wasps; (Top 14 Championship): Won 35-9 away to Clermont Auvergne; Won 53-23 at home to Agen; (European Champions Cup): Won 24-9 at home to Leinster

Top Scorers – 2015/16 European Champions Cup: Leinster – Points: Jonathan Sexton 26; Tries: Josh van der Flier 1; Toulon – Points: Eric Escande 14; Tries: Steffon Armitage 2

Previous European Meetings: 3

Sunday, December 13, 2015 – Pool 5 – Toulon 24 Leinster 9, Stade Félix Mayol
Sunday, April 19, 2015 – Semi-final – Toulon 25 Leinster 20 (aet), Stade Vélodrome
Sunday, April 6, 2014 – Quarter-final – Toulon 29 Leinster 14, Stade Félix Mayol

Match Facts –

– Toulon are undefeated (W3) against Leinster in the European Cup, including wins against them in the knockout stages of each of the last two tournaments

– Leinster are now enduring their worst losing streak (4 matches) in their 139-match European Cup history

– Leinster have never lost back to back home games in the same season of a Champions Cup campaign

– Toulon have won 16 of their last 18 Champions Cup matches, though both of the losses have come on the road.

European Cup Records:

Leinster –
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