Leinster closed out last season with a five-try win away to Edinburgh, and they will be hoping for more of same when they meet the Scottish side tonight in Leo Cullen’s first competitive game in charge.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, September 4
EDINBURGH v LEINSTER, Meggetland, 7.35pm (live TG4/BBC ALBA)
Team News: 40 players were given the chance to stake a claim over the last two weekends in pre-season friendlies against Ulster and Moseley and on the back of those two games, new Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has selected eleven internationals in his matchday squad (including rugby league international Ben Te’o), while also including three potential debutants on the bench.
Cullen is also able to call upon the services of four players released from the Ireland Rugby World Cup training squad earlier this week.
The front row consists of loosehead prop Michael Bent, Aaron Dundon at hooker and Jamie Hagan at tighthead, with Tom Denton and Mike McCarthy locking down behind to complete the tight five.
Kevin McLaughlin captains the side from blindside flanker for his 115th appearance in blue after an injury-disrupted season last year where he only played five times. His last competitive appearance was against Connacht in December.
Dan Leavy makes his first start for the province from openside. The UCD clubman made three appearances last season off the bench while still in the Leinster Academy. Jack Conan completes the pack from number 8.
Luke McGrath and Cathal Marsh get another opportunity to shine having started both pre-season games at half-back. Marsh will also be making his first start for Leinster. Last year’s joint top try scorer, Darragh Fanning, starts on the left wing, with Fergus McFadden on the right, while Noel Reid and Te’o start in the centre.
On the replacements bench, one of Royce Burke Flynn, Ross Byrne or Garry Ringrose will become Leinster player number 1235 if they make an appearance off the bench as all three are in line to win their first cap in Scotland.
Burke Flynn was signed from Clontarf during pre-season having previously been a part of the Leinster Academy, while Byrne and Ringrose are both still members of the Leinster Academy. The round 1 game will be broadcast live on TG4.
Meanwhile, following two pre-season wins over Romania and Ulster, Edinburgh are fired up to start this season’s PRO12 campaign against Leinster at Meggetland – the home of Boroughmuir RFC.
With nine squad members selected for the Rugby World Cup – eight with Scotland and Tonga’s Will Helu – the selection offers opportunities for some younger and less experienced players to put their hand up over the tournament period.
Rory Sutherland, Neil Cochrane and John Andress start at loosehead prop, hooker and tighthead respectively, while Anton Bresler and Ben Toolis make up the second row. Cornell du Preez at blindside flanker, captain Roddy Grant at openside and number 8 Nasi Manu, making his first competitive start for the club, complete the pack.
Phil Burleigh and Nathan Fowles resume their half-back partnership from last week’s 23-10 victory over Ulster, while Chris Dean and Sam Beard are at outside and inside centre respectively.
Damien Hoyland, a product of the Boroughmuir club where tonight’s game is being held, and Dougie Fife take the left and right wing berths respectively and birthday boy Jack Cuthbert, who turned 28 on Thursday, is in at full-back.
EDINBURGH: Jack Cuthbert; Dougie Fife, Chris Dean, Sam Beard, Damien Hoyland; Phil Burleigh, Nathan Fowles; Rory Sutherland, Neil Cochrane, John Andress, Anton Bresler, Ben Toolis, Cornell du Preez, Roddy Grant (capt), Nasi Manu.
Replacements: George Turner, Allan Dell, Simon Berghan, Fraser McKenzie, Hamish Watson, Sean Kennedy, Greig Tonks, James Johnstone.
LEINSTER: Isa Nacewa; Fergus McFadden, Ben Te’o, Noel Reid, Darragh Fanning; Cathal Marsh, Luke McGrath; Michael Bent, Aaron Dundon, Jamie Hagan, Tom Denton, Mike McCarthy, Kevin McLaughlin (capt), Dan Leavy, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Peter Dooley, Royce Burke-Flynn, Ross Molony, Dominic Ryan, Isaac Boss, Ross Byrne, Garry Ringrose.
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Sam Grove-White, Mike Adamson (both Scotland)
Television Match Official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Edinburgh to win: 4/6; Draw: 14/1; Leinster to win: 6/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Isa Nacewa (Leinster) – “It’s important we get off to a good start. The current group of players that we’ve got, we’ve worked hard for this first game. We’ve built nicely over this whole pre-season.
“But it is important to get off to a good start, definitely through the World Cup period. There is no better way than going away from home to do that. We’re just building for Edinburgh. We have to take it a week at a time.
“That’s the beauty of what Leo (Cullen) has done in the last two months. The shape of the season isn’t in the front of our minds. It’s about Edinburgh, and that’s how we need to prepare.
“Combinations grow and we’ve only had two weeks to get those. It’s about worrying about the next week. We’ll deal with the break (in fixtures) when it comes.”
Alan Solomons (Edinburgh) – “Despite the challenges presented by the upcoming Rugby World Cup, we have had a good pre-season and everyone is looking forward to the start of the PRO12. Leinster, despite World Cup commitments, have a strong side and we still need to be at our very best on Friday night.”
Top Scorers – 2014/15 GUINNESS PRO12: Edinburgh – Points: Tom Heathcote 103; Tries: Tim Visser 6; Leinster – Points: Ian Madigan 140; Tries: Ian Madigan, Dominic Ryan, Ben Te’o, Luke McGrath 4 each
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, September 22, 2012 – Leinster 22 Edinburgh 16, the RDS
Friday, January 4, 2013 – Edinburgh 16 Leinster 31, Murrayfield
Friday, December 20, 2013 – Edinburgh 11 Leinster 6, Murrayfield
Saturday, May 10, 2014 – Leinster 15 Edinburgh 13, the RDS
Friday, October 31, 2014 – Leinster 33 Edinburgh 8, the RDS
Saturday, May 16, 2015 – Edinburgh 23 Leinster 36, BT Murrayfield
MATCH FACTS:
– Edinburgh’s only win in the final four rounds of last season’s GUINNESS PRO12 was 37-0 at home to Zebre in round 20
– Meggetland hosts its fourth PRO12 encounter, the other three all being in the 2013/14 season where the Scotsmen’s only victory in those games was 31-25 over the Dragons in February that year
– Leinster have perhaps surprisingly only won in round 1 once in the last seven years: 42-19 at the Scarlets in 2013
– The Leinstermen concluded last season’s campaign with a pair of victories, at home to Benetton Treviso and away to Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield, and have not won three in-a-row in the league since the end of the 2013/14 campaign
– Edinburgh have won just one of their last nine encounters with Leinster since 2010: 11-6 at Murrayfield in December 2013
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