GUINNESS PRO12 Preview: Leinster v Scarlets

The RDS will play host to the match of the round in the GUINNESS PRO12 as Leinster look to extend their winning home run against the Scarlets whose confidence is sky high after last week’s victory at Thomond Park.

GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, March 4

LEINSTER (2nd) v SCARLETS (4th), the RDS, 7.35pm (live TG4/S4C)

Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made three changes to the team that won at Rodney Parade last Friday and further changes on the bench. Joey Carbery starts at full-back for the second week in a row, with Adam Byrne and Fergus McFadden on the right and left wing respectively.

It is as you were in the centre also with Noel Reid and Zane Kirchner donning the number 12 and 13 jerseys. The first change is in the half-backs where Luke McGrath comes in to partner Ross Byrne.

Ireland international Richardt Strauss will captain Leinster for the first time at the RDS as he gets the nod at hooker, with Peter Dooley and Michael Bent continuing either side of him in the front row.

Ross Molony is retained in the second row but Hayden Triggs comes in from the start this week having scored off the bench against the Dragons. Dan Leavy is selected at openside flanker having been Ireland’s 24th man last weekend against France, while Rhys Ruddock and Jack Conan, a two-try man-of-the-match in Newport, continue at blindside and number 8 respectively.

Bryan Byrne comes onto the bench where he will be joined by his twin brother Ed who made his first appearance in 28 months last weekend away to the Dragons. Should he get an opportunity off the bench on Saturday, it will be the young prop’s first run-out at the RDS since October 2014. Fellow Carlow man Tom Daly is also back from a knee injury to take his place on the bench.

Leinster v Scarlets tickets are still on sale online here, or they can be bought this evening from the ticket office located inside the Anglesea Road gate from 6pm. Please note that traffic restrictions will be in place and parking limited due to a number of other events on in the RDS over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac has unsurprisingly named an unchanged starting line-up, keeping faith with the side that secured the region’s first victory in 14 years at Munster’s Thomond Park last Friday.

Reserve scrum half Declan Smith is the only change to the matchday 23 that headed to Limerick. He has been released from the Wales Under-20 camp for this top four clash, with fellow scrum half Aled Davies back in Wales camp.

The Scarlets pack includes Kildare man and former Leinster player Tadhg Beirne who, having graduated from the province’s Academy, made four senior appearances off the bench during the 2015/16 season. He joined the Scarlets last June.

LEINSTER: Joey Carbery; Adam Byrne, Zane Kirchner, Noel Reid, Fergus McFadden; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, Richardt Strauss (capt), Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Hayden Triggs, Rhys Ruddock, Dan Leavy, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Mike Ross, Mike McCarthy, Max Deegan, Jamison Gibson Park, Tom Daly, Barry Daly.

SCARLETS: Johnny Mcnicholl; Tom Williams, Steff Hughes, Hadleigh Parkes (capt), DTH van der Merwe; Dan Jones, Jonathan Evans; Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Werner Kruger, Tom Price, Tadhg Beirne, Aaron Shingler, James Davies, Will Boyde.

Replacements: Dafydd Hughes, Luke Garrett, Nicky Thomas, Rynier Bernardo, Morgan Allen, Declan Smith, Aled Thomas, Ioan Nicholas.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Jonathan Peak (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 1/6; Draw: 19/1; Scarlets to win: 7/2

Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “The Scarlets are a very dangerous team on a very good run of form – they have 12 wins from their last 13. It’s a very settled team they have as well with this group. Similar to ourselves, they miss a chunk of players (to the national team).

“This group has come through really well together and there’s very few changes if you notice from that group as well. They have a lot of threats, they go very hard at the ruck, and they push the boundaries at times – I think they’re top of the yellow card charts of the teams in the PRO12 – they have a lot of pace and they’re a very settled team.

“If you look at the table, how tight it is, any slip and suddenly you’re out of the top two, potentially, after this weekend. That’s good enough motivation. There’s good competition for places as well. Players are pushing each other hard, they realise there’s a lot of big games coming down the line.

“The knock-on consequences of playing well or not playing well for Leinster and how it effects selections, whether that’s nationally or big games later on in the season. There’s plenty at stake for our guys, but they’ve worked hard during this block. We want to make sure we finish out this block well.

“We had a break after quite a long run of games, came back in during this period and had a really good training week which led us into the three previous games. It’s going to be a huge step up in terms of the quality of the opposition and the form that the Scarlets are in.”

Wayne Pivac (Scarlets) – “For us it’s really important to maximise the opportunities in these two away Irish games. There are points on offer and we want to get as many as we can. That was a really big result for us against Munster and we’ve got another big challenge this weekend against Leinster.

“The result last weekend (at Thomond Park) was huge for us. We don’t really want to be leaving it down to that last weekend because there’s enough riding on that game as it is without top four riding on it as well! There’s a long way still go but it’ll be feet on the ground this week and prepare as normal.

“These boys have got a proud record. They’re three from three at the moment – they’re desperate to go four from four in this phase. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. If we can do that it sets us up nicely for the run home. We really want to go there (to the RDS) and try and get the points.”

2016/17 TEAM FORM: Leinster – Played 16, Won 13, Lost 3, 61 Points; W 20-8 v Benetton Treviso (home), L 33-25 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 33-20 v Edinburgh (away), W 31-19 v Ospreys (home), W 16-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 25-14 v Munster (home), W 24-13 v Connacht (home), W 33-10 v Zebre (away), L 38-29 v Scarlets (away), W 28-15 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), L 29-17 v Munster (away), W 22-7 v Ulster (home), W 70-6 v Zebre (home), W 40-14 v Benetton Treviso (away), W 39-10 v Edinburgh (home), W 54-22 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away); Scarlets – Played 16, Won 12, Lost 4, 53 Points; L 23-13 v Munster (home), L 20-9 v Edinburgh (away), L 19-8 v Ulster (away), W 17-8 v Connacht (home), W 22-6 v Benetton Treviso (away), W 31-27 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), W 26-15 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 27-3 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 38-29 v Leinster (home), W 31-24 v Zebre (away), L 19-9 v Ospreys (away), W 15-10 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 16-13 v Ulster (home), W 26-14 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 42-7 v Zebre (home), W 30-21 v Munster (away)

RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:

Saturday, November 30, 2013 – Leinster 36 Scarlets 19, the RDS
Saturday, September 13, 2014 – Leinster 42 Scarlets 12, the RDS
Sunday, March 7, 2015 – Scarlets 23 Leinster 13, Parc y Scarlets
Friday, October 16, 2015 – Scarlets 25 Leinster 14, Parc y Scarlets
Friday, November 6, 2015 – Leinster 19 Scarlets 15, the RDS
Friday, November 25, 2016 – Scarlets 38 Leinster 29, Parc y Scarlets

MATCH FACTS:

– Leinster’s run of four successive bonus point victories in the GUINNESS PRO12 has taken them to the top of the table for the first time since November

– The Leinstermen have won their last 21 home games in the PRO12 since drawing 34-all with Glasgow Warriors at the RDS on March 27, 2015, while their most recent home defeat in the Championship was to the Newport Gwent Dragons at the RDS in February 2015

– The Scarlets have won their last five PRO12 matches, while their only defeat in the last 13 rounds was 19-9 at the Ospreys on December 27

– The Scarlets have won their last four encounters with Irish provinces, their best such run for over a decade

– The sides’ last six meetings have all gone in favour of the home team

– The Scarlets’ only previous victory over Leinster in Dublin was 52-23 at the RDS in October 2007