Coming off their fourth European Cup title, Leinster now aim to complete an elusive double by winning the GUINNESS PRO14, while Munster are desperate to claim their first silverware since 2011 having lost two domestic finals in the past four years.
GUINNESS PRO14 SEMI-FINAL: Saturday, May 19
LEINSTER (1st, Con B) v MUNSTER (2nd, Con A), the RDS, 3.15pm (live TG4/Sky Sports Action/RTÉ Radio 1)
Team News: Nine players who started Leinster’s Champions Cup final win are retained in the starting XV for today’s GUINNESS PRO14 semi-final clash with provincial rivals Munster.
For the sold-out interprovincial derby, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has recalled a number players to the matchday 23, while the sidelined Robbie Henshaw (knee) and Jonathan Sexton (calf) miss out for the newly-crowned European champions.
Joey Carbery will start at full-back with Jordan Larmour and New Zealander James Lowe on either wing. Leinster will be captained for the last time at the RDS by Isa Nacewa, who has overcome a calf problem. He will be partnered by Garry Ringrose who was included on the list of senior contracts signed ahead of next season.
Ross Byrne takes over from Sexton at out-half, the 23-year-old having kicked 12 points in Leinster’s most recent meeting with Munster – last December’s 34-24 bonus point victory at Thomond Park. Luke McGrath continues in the number 9 jersey.
In the pack, Jack McGrath comes in for Cian Healy at loosehead prop, featuring alongside Sean Croninand Tadhg Furlong, They are backed up by Devin Toner and James Ryan, the Champions Cup final man-of-the-match, while Rhys Ruddock and Jack Conan are reintroduced in a freshened-up back row.
Ruddock, who is back to full fitness after a hamstring injury, is looking to end an injury-ruined season on a high, while Jordi Murphy switches from number 8 to openside for his final appearance in blue at the RDS ahead of his move to Ulster.
Meanwhile, there is one change to the Munster team that defeated Edinburgh in the semi-final qualifier at Thomond Park two weeks ago, as Ireland international John Ryan slots back in at tighthead prop. He replaces Stephen Archer who has sustained a pec muscle injury.
Hooker Rhys Marshall, a try scorer in the hard-fought 20-16 win over the Scots, is set to make his 50th appearance for Munster in Dublin, while the Paris-bound Simon Zebo starts at full-back with Andrew Conway and Keith Earls, the newly-crowned Zurich Irish Rugby Players’ Player of the Year, on the flanks.
Rory Scannell is partnered by Sam Arnold in the centre with the half-back pairing of JJ Hanrahan, who kicked the match-winning penalty in the Edinburgh game, and Conor Murray also unchanged.
Ryan, who has recovered from a back injury, joins James Cronin and Marshall in the front row, and Jean Kleyn and Billy Holland team up once again in the engine room. Captain Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue and CJ Stander continue together in a settled back row trio.
Niall Scannell returns from an AC joint injury to take his place on the bench alongside fellow forwards Dave Kilcoyne, Ciaran Parker, Gerbrandt Grobler and Robin Copeland. Duncan Williams, Ian Keatley and Darren Sweetnam are the back-line replacements
LEINSTER: Joey Carbery; Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Isa Nacewa (capt), James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock, Jordi Murphy, Jack Conan.
Replacements: James Tracy, Cian Healy, Andrew Porter, Scott Fardy, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Rory O’Loughlin, Barry Daly.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Sam Arnold, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; JJ Hanrahan, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Rhys Marshall, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Ciaran Parker, Gerbrandt Grobler, Robin Copeland, Duncan Williams, Ian Keatley, Darren Sweetnam.
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse, Craig Evans (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 1/4; Draw: 19/1; Munster to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “Johnny (Sexton) just has a bit of tightness in his calf. All the signs are that he should be okay next week, if there is a next week. We named him on the bench at the start of the week so we thought he’d be okay but he went to run yesterday (Thursday) and he wasn’t 100% so we had to call it.
“We named Ross (Byrne) at the start of the week to start at 10, so there wasn’t a huge amount of disruption from out part. Guys have trained well this week and it’s been a tight turn around after (the Champions Cup final) last week.
“(Robbie Henshaw) has done a little bit of damage to his knee. It is nothing too major, a few weeks. I talked to him in the gym today, He’s making quick progress. It is too just soon for him this week.
“Munster are a week-and-a-half in front of us in terms of the preparation, with us only starting on Tuesday. That’s a real challenge for us this week. They have had a better opportunity to prepare well for this game so we’re fully understanding of that and it feels like we’re playing catch-up all week.
“I’ve watched Munster the way they’ve evolved this season. It was a tough challenge for them when Rassie (Erasmus) decided to go back to South Africa and leaves during the middle of the season. It’s difficult for a coach to come in at that stage of the season, so Johann van Graan has done incredibly well to keep them moving forward.
“You can see different tweaks in their play, the little tricks they have as well…it definitely adds a different dimension to their play, so we’re expecting a full-on Leinster-Munster game on Saturday afternoon. They’re special occasions.”
Johann van Graan (Munster) – “We have a saying, ‘if you want to be king, you have got to go and beat the king in his castle’. Leinster are the kings at this stage so as I say this is a good opportunity to go and measure ourselves against the best.
“Leinster beat Montpellier twice, and they ended up at the top of the Top 14. They beat Exeter twice and they ended up at the top of the Premiership. They’ve beaten Saracens, the (European) champions, and they’ve beaten the Scarlets, the champions of the PRO14, so deservedly, they are champions.
“That’s not something we can control. All we can control is our preparation this week and I’ll say it again, we can’t wait for the opportunity to play them on Saturday. We believe we can do it, that is the only thing we can control. I’ve only coached against Leinster once and they had a very good first half and we had a very good second half.
“You can’t deny the fact that over the last nine years, they’ve won the Champions Cup the most but going back to the PRO14, one point separated the two sides throughout the whole season, we’ve played the same amount of games.
“They’ve had some really good games and some average games, so have we. My belief in rugby is that every week is different. This is a whole new ball game. Obviously they’re the favourites playing at home and champions of Europe, but that’s the beauty of sport and the beauty of the human spirit – it’s a new game, new ball, new referee, new teams, and looking forward to it very much.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 110; Tries: Barry Daly 12; Munster – Points: Ian Keatley 98; Tries: Alex Wootton 8
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Leinster – Played 21, Won 14, Drawn 1, Lost 6, 70 Points; W 39-16 v Dragons (away), W 37-9 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 31-10 v Southern Kings (away), L 38-19 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), W 21-13 v Edinburgh (home), W 23-17 v Munster (home), W 25-10 v Ulster (away), L 31-21 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 54-10 v Dragons (home), W 36-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 34-24 v Munster (away), W 21-18 v Connacht (home), W 38-7 v Ulster (home), L 29-24 v Edinburgh (away), W 20-13 v Scarlets (home), W 64-7 v Southern Kings (home), D 10-10 v Scarlets (away), L 32-18 v Ospreys (away), W 41-6 v Zebre (home), L 17-15 v Benetton Rugby (home), L 47-10 v Connacht (away); Munster – Played 22, Won 14, Drawn 1, Lost 7, 69 Points; W 34-3 v Benetton Rugby (home), W 51-18 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 21-16 v Ospreys (away), L 37-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 39-16 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 23-17 v Leinster (away), L 20-16 v Connacht (away), W 49-6 v Dragons (home), W 36-19 v Zebre (away), W 36-10 v Ospreys (home), L 34-24 v Leinster (home), L 24-17 v Ulster (away), W 39-13 v Connacht (home), W 33-5 v Zebre (home), L 25-18 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 21-10 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 12-6 v Edinburgh (away), W 19-7 v Scarlets (home), W 39-22 v Southern Kings (away), W 19-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), D 24-24 v Ulster (home), Semi-final qualifier: W 20-16 v Edinburgh (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Sunday, December 27, 2015 – Munster 7 Leinster 24, Thomond Park
Saturday, April 2, 2016 – Leinster 16 Munster 13, Aviva Stadium
Saturday, October 8, 2016 – Leinster 25 Munster 14, Aviva Stadium
Monday, December 26, 2016 – Munster 29 Leinster 17, Thomond Park
Saturday, October 7, 2017 – Leinster 23 Munster 17, Aviva Stadium
Tuesday, December 26, 2017 – Munster 24 Leinster 34, Thomond Park
MATCH FACTS:
– Following Leinster’s impressive victory in the Champions Cup final last weekend, they are still on target to become the first side to achieve a GUINNESS PRO14/European Cup double in the same season
– Leinster have played in eight previous Celtic League/PRO Rugby semi-finals with their only defeat being last season to the Scarlets
– Leinster’s only victory in the last five rounds of the PRO14 was 41-6 at home to Zebre in round 19
– The Leinstermen lost 17-15 to Benetton Rugby at the RDS in round 20, their first home defeat in the Championship since last season’s semi-final, while they have never lost successive games at the venue
– Leinster have lost only twice at the RDS to a fellow Irish province, to Munster in September 2008 and Ulster in March 2013
– Munster have played in eight previous Championship semi-finals, winning five and losing three, the three defeats all being in their only three away semi-finals
– Munster have not been defeated in the PRO14 since they visited Edinburgh on March 16
– The two provinces have met on 153 occasions since their first fixture in March 1877, with Leinster having the edge by 95 to 47 with eleven games drawn
– Leinster have won both PRO14 encounters this season
– Munster’s only previous victory at the RDS was 18-0 on September 28, 2008, while their only victory over Leinster since then in Dublin was 34-23 at the Aviva Stadium in October 2014
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