Leinster had 52 points to spare when Zebre visited the RDS a fortnight ago, but Leo Cullen is bracing his players for a much stiffer challenge away to the Italian side on Sunday afternoon.
GUINNESS PRO12: Sunday, February 28
ZEBRE (11th) v LEINSTER (2nd), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 4pm local time/3pm Irish time (live Sky Sports 3 HD/Rai Sport)
Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made eight changes to the team that accounted for Cardiff Blues last time out, with five of those switches coming in the pack.
Peter Dooley comes in at loosehead prop to start his third game of the season, while James Tracy gets the nod at hooker and Ireland international Tadhg Furlong continues at tighthead.
Ross Molony returns to the second row to partner Clontarf’s Mick Kearney who made his Leinster debut at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park last weekend.
There are two alterations in the back row with Dominic Ryan starting at blindside flanker to win his 99th cap in blue, while Dan Leavy features at openside for his eighth game of the season. Last weekend’s man-of-the-match, Jack Conan, will once again pack down at number 8.
Zane Kirchner lines out at full-back with Adam Byrne on the left wing. Byrne scored his first Leinster try against Zebre two weeks ago at the RDS. Isa Nacewa, who ran in the province’s only try last weekend in the 14-13 win in Cardiff, will captain the team from the right wing.
St. Michael’s College past pupils, Luke McGrath and Cathal Marsh, come in at half-back with Ben Te’o and Garry Ringrose once again selected together in the centre.
* In a late change announced this morning, Jack Conan was ruled out of the game with an ankle issue which arose during training yesterday.
Cullen also confirmed that it was not a serious injury and that he expects Conan to be back available for next weekend’s clash with the Ospreys at the RDS.
With Jordi Murphy promoted from the bench to start at number 8, Peadar Timmins will now take Murphy’s spot among the replacements. Leinster ‘A’ captain Timmins made his debut against the Newport Gwent Dragons last month.
Meanwhile, Dubliner Ian McKinley will line out against his native province when he partners Fabio Semenzato at half-back for Zebre.
A Leinster Academy graduate who made six league appearances for the Blues, McKinley suffered a severe eye injury in 2010 and was forced to retire from the game. But he is back playing in Italy for both Rugby Viadana 1970 and Zebre, with the aid of specially-made Raleri goggles.
Zebre, who lost 52-0 in Dublin a fortnight ago, are missing eight players due to international duty, but flanker Jacopo Sarto has been released from the Italy squad and lock Quintin Geldenhuys is back from his December surgery.
Head coach Gianluca Guidi has made seven personnel changes and one positional switch to the side that started last week’s 51-34 defeat to Connacht at the same Parma venue.
Centre Tommaso Boni and half-backs McKinley and Semenzato come into the back-line, while prop Guillermo Roan, Geldenhuys and back rowers Sarto and Federico Ruzza have been introduced up front with South African Johan Meyer moving to number 8.
ZEBRE: Mils Muliaina; Giulio Toniolatti, Tommaso Boni, Matteo Pratichetti, Kayle van Zyl; Ian McKinley, Fabio Semenzato; Bruno Postiglioni, Oliviero Fabiani, Guillermo Roan, Quintin Geldenhuys, Marco Bortolami (capt), Jacopo Sarto, Federico Ruzza, Johan Meyer.
Replacements: Gabriele Morelli, Andrea de Marchi, Pietro Ceccarelli, Gideon Koegelenberg, Emiliano Caffini, Luke Burgess, Maicol Azzolini, Ulrich Beyers.
LEINSTER: Zane Kirchner; Adam Byrne, Garry Ringrose, Ben Te’o, Isa Nacewa (capt); Cathal Marsh, Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Tadhg Furlong, Ross Molony, Mick Kearney, Dominic Ryan, Dan Leavy, Jordi Murphy.
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Bent, Hayden Triggs, Peadar Timmins, Nick McCarthy, Noel Reid, Cian Kelleher.
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Matteo Liperini, Ricardo Angelucci (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Zebre to win: 7/2; Draw: 22/1; Leinster to win: 1/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Kurt McQuilkin (Leinster) – “Zebre will be fired up in front of their home crowd. It seems the coaches give them a little more scope when they’re at home. They can read things and have a crack. We’re expecting a pretty tough encounter.
“When we’ve seen them away, they play quite a conservative game and if things don’t come off, they go into their shells. At home they tend to fling it around a bit more.
“To win (in Cardiff) in those (wet and windy) conditions gives you a lot of confidence, but we can’t get too carried away either. It’s good to know that we can go to some pretty dark places and come out the other side of it. It just shows everyone that they can go to those places and come out with a positive result.”
Isa Nacewa (Leinster) – “Zebre are a different beast at home and have taken two big scalps in Edinburgh and Cardiff in the PRO12 already this season. They have also gone well in the Challenge Cup with three wins from six so have a new sense of urgency to them this season, as they seek to gain qualification to the Champions Cup.
“This will be their third Irish side in four weeks and their second time against us. A few weeks back they were within four points of Munster. Last weekend they played Connacht to Parma in a classic encounter but came up short. They did so having scored 34 points and gaining a try bonus against the team at the top of the table.
“That will set them up nicely for us and they’ll feel that if they can tighten their defence that their attack can cause damage. So it just goes to show you what type of battle we have on our hands this week.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 47; Tries: Dries van Schalkwyk 6; Leinster – Points: Isa Nacewa 65; Tries: Isa Nacewa 7
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Sunday, April 21, 2013 – Zebre 22 Leinster 41, Stadio Citta del Tricolore
Sunday, February 9, 2014 – Zebre 8 Leinster 31, Stadio XXV Aprile
Friday, March 21, 2014 – Leinster 27 Zebre 0, the RDS
Saturday, October 11, 2014 – Zebre 3 Leinster 20, Stadio XXV Aprile
Friday, February 20, 2015 – Leinster 29 Zebre 8, the RDS
Friday, February 12, 2016 – Leinster 52 Zebre 0, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– Zebre have slipped to three successive defeats in the GUINNESS PRO12 but at least gained their first try-scoring bonus point since October during the loss to Connacht last Saturday
– Zebre’s record against Irish provinces is won one, lost 31
– Leinster are the best team in the PRO12 on current form having picked up 21 league points from their last six matches
– Their only reversal in the last ten rounds was 23-13 at the Newport Gwent Dragons on January 29
– The two sides have met on seven previous occasions with Leinster easily winning all the games
– Zebre have scored just one try and only 11 points in their last four encounters with the Irishmen
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