It is the clash of European champions as the Challenge Cup winners host the Champions Cup holders in the heart of the Welsh capital, with Leinster looking to extend a seven-year unbeaten run against Cardiff Blues.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, August 31
CARDIFF BLUES v LEINSTER, Cardiff Arms Park, 7.35pm (live eir Sport 1 & 2/Premier Sports/TG4)
Team News: Leinster give a debut to new signing Joe Tomane, the 17-times capped Australia international, while recent Ireland Under-20 captain Caelan Doris will make his first senior start having won his first cap away to Connacht last season off the bench.
Elsewhere, the back-three consists of Dave Kearney, Adam Byrne and last season’s GUINNESS PRO14 top try scorer, Barry Daly. Championship debutant Tomane is joined in the centre by Ireland international Rory O’Loughlin, and Luke McGrath is partnered by Ross Byrne who wins his 50th cap for the province.
The selected front row consists of Peter Dooley, James Tracy and Michael Bent, with Ross Molony and Scott Fardy, who is starting the second season of his two-year deal, in behind. The 23-year-old Josh Murphy and captain Rhys Ruddock start on the flanks with Doris, who turned 20 in April, stationed at number 8.
Tickets for the defending PRO14 champions’ first home game of the new season against another of the Welsh sides, Bernard Jackman’s Dragons, are on sale now from €;25 at ticketmaster.ie.
Meanwhile, Ellis Jenkins returns to captain Cardiff as they kick off their 2018/19 campaign against Leo Cullen’s side. The highly-rated 25-year-old back rower captained Wales for the first time against South Africa in their June Test in Washington.
Jenkins, who was named Cardiff captain last month, is one of four players to come straight back into competitive action with Rey Lee-Lo, Kristian Dacey and Nick Williams also handing the Blues a boost with their first appearances of the season.
Jason Harries, who has signed from Edinburgh, and former Ospreys forwards Rory Thornton and Dmitri Arhip all make their PRO14 debuts for the Welsh region following their summer moves to Cardiff Arms Park. This is Australian John Mulvihill’s first competitive match in charge of the Blues, having taken over from Danny Wilson.
CARDIFF BLUES: Matthew Morgan; Jason Harries, Willis Halaholo, Rey Lee-Lo, Owen Lane; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Brad Thyer, Kristian Dacey, Dmitri Arhip, Seb Davies, Rory Thornton, Josh Turnbull, Ellis Jenkins (capt), Nick Williams.
Replacements: Rhys Gill, Ethan Lewis, Scott Andrews, George Earle, Olly Robinson, Tomos Williams, Steve Shingler, Garyn Smith.
LEINSTER: Dave Kearney; Adam Byrne, Rory O’Loughlin, Joe Tomane, Barry Daly; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Scott Fardy, Josh Murphy, Rhys Ruddock (capt), Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Andrew Porter, Mick Kearney, Max Deegan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Noel Reid, Fergus McFadden.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse, Gwyn Morris (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Jon Mason (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Cardiff Blues to win: 13/10; Draw: 16/1; Leinster to win: 4/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Ross Molony (Leinster) – “We got straight into work (in pre-season) with dreaded bronco tests and DXA scans. To be fair to the lads, the majority seemed to come back in good shape and that helps, so we got to work preparing for another season as a group.
“Again this pre-season it was split into two chunks of time. A short break in June, back in for a blast, off again, and back in again to ramp up the preparations. Your downtime is also well managed and everyone has a programme to keep them tapping away.
“While pre-season is never pleasant, at least the days of letting all the good work go are gone. As I said, the majority came back ready to train physically and the break up of the pre-season block meant that staying mentally fresh was also easier.
“Having also finished last season on a high by winning the Challenge Cup, Cardiff will be full of confidence. They will present a huge physical challenge for us. Nick Williams and Olly Robinson will want to cause us disruption at ruck time, while Matthew Morgan, Halaholo and Lee-Lo are massive threats with ball in hand. This is the sort of analysis we would have looked at throughout the week, along with opportunities in which we feel we can exploit them.
“Games like these are won in the physical confrontation and contact area. We have to learn from some of last year’s away matches and front up. Ultimately we are the PRO14 and European champions and there is a target on our backs. Now it’s all about how we react to that.”
John Mulvihill (Cardiff Blues) – “It is a great way for us to kick-off the season – the European Challenge Cup champions against the PRO14 and Champions Cup winners. It promises to be an awesome occasion in Cardiff and we cannot wait to get started.
“You have to play the best and it will be a massive challenge but if you saw the way these boys finished last season, they love a challenge and that will certainly be coming at us on Friday night.
“We’ve had two solid pre-season games (against Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs) without being outstanding so it’s about us learning from those two experiences and making sure we get things right on Friday. It’s good to get some of our more experienced players back and the boys have trained really well this week.
“Our bread and butter is the PRO14 and we didn’t make the finals last year. You have to be top three to make the play-offs and we want to play finals rugby in this competition so we need to start well. I could give you our three-year plan or our five-year plan but we also have a one-week plan, and if we keep looking at it that way round then we will get to where we want to be.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Cardiff Blues – Points: Jarrod Evans 127; Tries: Owen Lane, Willis Halaholo 6 each; Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 116; Tries: Barry Daly 12
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, January 10, 2015 – Cardiff Blues 13 Leinster 22, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park
Saturday, September 12, 2015 – Leinster 23 Cardiff Blues 15, the RDS
Saturday, February 20, 2016 – Cardiff Blues 13 Leinster 14, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park
Saturday, October 1, 2016 – Cardiff Blues 13 Leinster 16, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park
Saturday, March 25, 2017 – Leinster 22 Cardiff Blues 21, the RDS
Friday, September 8, 2017 – Leinster 37 Cardiff Blues 9, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– Cardiff Blues’ home defeat to Edinburgh in round 1 last season was their only opening weekend defeat in the Championship since 2013
– The Blues, who were European Challenge Cup winners last season, finished their GUINNESS PRO14 campaign with two defeats in the last three games
– The Welshmen have won their last three fixtures against Irish opponents
– Defending PRO14 champions Leinster won their final three matches of the 2017/18 campaign, including two finals, the Champions Cup and PRO14 deciders
– The Leinstermen were winless in their last four away Championship fixtures since beating Munster at Thomond Park last Christmas
– The Blues’ only win over Leinster since 2007 was at the Cardiff City Stadium in February 2011
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