Table-topping Leinster pay their first visit to Viadana’s Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in seven years as they resume their GUINNESS PRO14 campaign against Michael Bradley’s Zebre side, who are bottom of the Conference A standings.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, February 16
ZEBRE (7th, Con A) v LEINSTER (1st, Con B), Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana, 3.30pm local time/2.30pm Irish time (live Premier Sports 2/eir Sport 1/DAZN/highlights TG4)
Team News: Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made seven personnel changes and two positional switches to his team to play Zebre at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Viadana this afternoon.
The defending champions have not played since overcoming the Scarlets 22-17 at the RDS three weeks ago. Zebre were last in action on the same weekend when they lost 61-28 away to the Toyota Cheetahs. The first two of Leinster’s changes are in the back-three where Dave Kearney slots in at full-back and Adam Byrne resumes on the right wing.
Barry Daly, who produced a try-scoring performance against the Scarlets, switches to the left wing, with the selected back-line also containing centres Rory O’Loughlin and Conor O’Brien, and Ciaran Frawley and Hugh O’Sullivan make way for Ross Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park respectively at half-back.
In the forwards it is an all-international front row with Jack McGrath, hooker James Tracy and Andrew Porter joining forces. Tighthead Porter came on for Ireland in the final quarter against both England and Scotland, while loosehead McGrath missed out on selection for the opening two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations.
Australian international Scott Fardy captains the province from the second row alongside Ross Molony, and Josh Murphy gets the nod at blindside flanker with Max Deegan moving to fill the openside berth vacated by current Ireland Under-20 international Scott Penny. Caelan Doris wins his 10th Leinster cap at number 8.
Having been an unused replacement in the hard-fought home win over the Scarlets, Academy forward Jack Dunne, who plays his club rugby with Dublin University, is again named in the matchday 23 and is poised to make his Leinster senior debut in Lombardy.
Meanwhile, former Ireland international Michael Bradley has made five personnel changes to the Zebre side that conceded nine tries in a 61-28 defeat to the Toyota Cheetahs three weeks ago. The Bloemfontein game saw George Biagi make his 100th club appearance and the experienced lock’s achievement will be recognised today in Viadana, where he previously played with Aironi.
Giulio Bisegni returns at outside centre with former England Under-20 player Jamie Elliott shifting to the left wing, while Fijian Paula Balekana drops to the bench. Bradley has included four members of Italy’s extended squad named ahead of next week’s Ireland match – Bisegni, out-half Carlo Canna and back rowers Maxime Mbanda and Jimmy Tuivaiti.
Hooker Oliviero Fabiani, who comes back into the front row along with 22-year-old tighthead Giosue Zilocchi, has recovered from the injury he sustained in the first of the Christmas derbies against Benetton Rugby. The Italians’ bench includes prop Danilo Fischetti, a permit player from Calvisano, and three Fijian recruits – Balekana, Apisai Tauyavuca, their joint-top try scorer in the Championship with three tries, and flanker James Brown.
ZEBRE: Francois Brummer; Gabriele di Giulio, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso Boni, Jamie Elliott; Carlo Canna, Joshua Renton; Daniele Rimpelli, Oliviero Fabiani, Giosue Zilocchi, Samuele Ortis, George Biagi (capt), Maxime Mbanda, Jimmy Tuivaiti, Giovanni Licata.
Replacements: Luhandre Luus, Danilo Fischetti, Dario Chistolini, Apisai Tauyavuca, James Brown, Riccardo Raffaele, Paula Balekana, Nicolas de Battista.
LEINSTER: Dave Kearney; Adam Byrne, Rory O’Loughlin, Conor O’Brien, Barry Daly; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jack McGrath, James Tracy, Andrew Porter, Ross Molony, Scott Fardy (capt), Josh Murphy, Max Deegan, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Bryan Byrne, Peter Dooley, Michael Bent, Mick Kearney, Jack Dunne, Hugh O’Sullivan, Noel Reid, Jimmy O’Brien.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Marius Mitrea (Italy), Jason Morris (Wales)
Television Match Official: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Zebre to win: 15/2; Draw: 40/1; Leinster to win: 1/16
Pre-Match Quotes: Stuart Lancaster (Leinster) –
Zebre will be difficult to break down. They’re big, strong, physical, well-coached and they’re prepared to play out. We need to be at our best. We can’t just afford to just turn up there and expect to win. There’s plenty of focus on that this week and then we’ll turn the page to our two home games (against the South African sides).
“It’s a great window for the younger players or the players that are just on the fringes of the Ireland team. You’ve got people like Ross Byrne and Jack McGrath who are hungry to prove a point. And then you’ve this whole raft of young players who should come back and put a marker down again. The likes of Max Deegan and Caelan Doris. It’s great for them.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 74; Tries: Apisai Tauyavuca, Carlo Canna 3 each; Leinster – Points: Ross Byrne 53; Tries: Bryan Byrne, Sean Cronin, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe 5 each
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Zebre – Played 14, Won 3, Lost 11, 17 Points; W 32-16 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home), L 32-13 v Connacht (away), W 26-24 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 16-5 v Dragons (away), L 22-8 v Ospreys (home), L 36-8 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 34-16 v Edinburgh (home), L 37-0 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 32-7 v Munster (home), L 43-0 v Ospreys (away), L 10-8 v Benetton Rugby (home), L 28-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), L 27-12 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 61-28 v Toyota Cheetahs (away); Leinster – Played 14, Won 12, Lost 2, 58 Points; W 33-32 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 23-21 v Scarlets (away), W 52-10 v Dragons (home), W 31-7 v Edinburgh (home), W 20-3 v Connacht (away), W 30-22 v Munster (home), W 31-3 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 38-31 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 52-7 v Ospreys (home), W 59-10 v Dragons (away), W 33-29 v Connacht (home), L 26-17 v Munster (away), W 40-7 v Ulster (home), W 22-17 v Scarlets (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, February 20, 2015 – Leinster 29 Zebre 8, the RDS
Friday, February 12, 2016 – Leinster 52 Zebre 0, the RDS
Sunday, February 28, 2016 – Zebre 10 Leinster 27, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Saturday, November 5, 2016 – Zebre 10 Leinster 33, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Friday, January 6, 2017 – Leinster 70 Zebre 6, the RDS
Saturday, April 7, 2018 – Leinster 41 Zebre 6, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– Zebre take their first home game away from Parma to Viadana, with Stadio Luigi Zaffanella having hosted its most recent GUINNESS PRO14 fixture in May 2012 when Aironi lost to the Ospreys there
– Zebre have not won since beating Enisei-STM home and away in the European Challenge Cup in December, while their most recent victory in the PRO14 was at home to Edinburgh at the end of October
– Leinster’s only defeat in any competition since October was 26-17 to Munster in Limerick on December 29
– Leinster have lost only once to an Italian side since September 2010: 17-15 at home to Benetton Rugby last April
– The two sides have met on eleven previous occasions with Leinster winning them all
– Leinster have played twice before in Viadana, beating Aironi there 20-8 in April 2011 and 22-6 in March 2012