The Saturday evening slot on a busy day of Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals will see provincial rivals Leinster and Ulster meet for only the second time in Europe’s top tier tournament. They famously clashed in the 2012 final at Twickenham where Leinster triumphed 42-14.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL: Saturday, March 30
LEINSTER (1st, Pool 1) v ULSTER (2nd, Pool 4), Aviva Stadium, 5.45pm (live BT Sport 3/beIN Sports/Newstalk/BBC Radio Ulster/highlights Virgin Media One)
Team News: With a leg muscle injury ruling out Jonathan Sexton, Rhys Ruddock will captain Leinster in Saturday’s sold-out Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium.
Sexton’s absence will see 23-year-old out-half Ross Byrne step up to play his first European knockout match, while Jordan Larmour is preferred to Rob Kearney at full-back. There are four changes to the side that won 37-19 at Wasps last time out in the tournament, including Rory O’Loughlin’s inclusion at inside centre for the injured Robbie Henshaw.
Devin Toner and Josh van der Flier, who are also currently on the injury list, make way for Scott Fardy and Jack Conan respectively, with Sean O’Brien shifting from number 8 to openside flanker. In addition, scrum half Luke McGrath comes in for his first Champions Cup appearance since suffering a knee ligament injury against Toulouse in January.
McGrath returned against Edinburgh last week in the GUINNESS PRO14 and continues at half-back alongside Byrne, who started the province’s last two pool games and kicked 19 points. Centre Garry Ringrose and wingers Dave Kearney and Adam Byrne, who scored two tries in last three European games, complete the back-line.
Fardy is joined by Ireland internationals Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan in the tight five – hooker Cronin is hoping to add to his superb six-try haul from Leinster’s pool campaign – and the hosts can bank on a powerful trio of loose forwards in skipper Ruddock, O’Brien and Conan.
Returning to full fitness, flanker Dan Leavy boosts the defending champions’ bench options, while fellow forwards Mick Kearney and Andrew Porter are in line to play their 50th games for Leinster. It would be Clontarf clubman Kearney’s first Champions Cup appearance since he started against Montpellier back in October 2016.
Meanwhile, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has finalised his team for the interprovincial derby in Dublin, making four changes to the side that won 14-13 at Leicester Tigers last time out in Europe.
Injuries to Louis Ludik (knee) and Will Addison (back) prompt the inclusion of the 20-year-old Michael Lowry at full-back and Darren Cave, the province’s second most-capped player of all-time (224 caps), who starts at outside centre.
In an injury boost, Luke Marshall is selected in the matchday squad for the first time this season, after overcoming an ACL injury sustained against the Ospreys last May. Marshall is joined among the replacements by Sean Reidy, who is fully fit again after a leg injury and is set to make his 100th Ulster appearance in Dublin.
Rory Best will captain the Ulstermen in what will be his 75th European game, packing down alongside Dublin-born props Eric O’Sullivan and Martin Moore in the front row. The visitors will also be lifted by the presence of Iain Henderson in the engine room, the Ireland international shrugging off a knee injury to partner Kieran Treadwell in the second row.
Notably, Jordi Murphy will play against his former team for the first time since his move to Ulster last summer, featuring at openside flanker in a back row completed by Nick Timoney and Marcell Coetzee, who made a try-scoring return at number 8 during last Saturday’s 33-19 GUINNESS PRO14 win over the Isuzu Southern Kings.
Billy Burns and John Cooney will continue their half-back partnership that has been so pivotal in Europe this season, with the former having contributed five try assists so far. Cave and Stuart McCloskey resume their centre pairing from last week, while Jacob Stockdale, who scored six tries during the pool stages, is joined in the back-three by Academy talents Lowry and Robert Baloucoune.
Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Wiehahn Herbst, Alan O’Connor, David Shanahan and Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winner Angus Kernohan join the fit-again Marshall and Reidy on the bench. The eagerly-awaited all-Irish encounter is sold out and between 13,000 and 15,000 Ulster fans are expected to be in attendance.
LEINSTER: Jordan Larmour; Adam Byrne, Garry Ringrose, Rory O’Loughlin, Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Fardy, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock (capt), Sean O’Brien, Jack Conan.
Replacements: James Tracy, Ed Byrne, Andrew Porter, Mick Kearney, Dan Leavy, Jamison Gibson-Park, Noel Reid, Rob Kearney.
ULSTER: Michael Lowry; Robert Baloucoune, Darren Cave, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rory Best (capt), Martin Moore, Iain Henderson, Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney, Jordi Murphy, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Wiehahn Herbst, Alan O’Connor, Sean Reidy, David Shanahan, Luke Marshall, Angus Kernohan.
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset, Vincent Blasco Baqué (both France)
Television Match Official: Denis Grenouillet (France)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Leinster to win: 1/8; Draw: 25/1; Ulster to win: 11/2
Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “Johnny just had a bit of tightness this week. He played a lot of games in the Six Nations. He’s okay. Ross has gone well in some of the games he has played this year as well. We didn’t take any chances there but Johnny should be okay soon. It’s a little niggle. It’s a muscle on his leg.
“This selection is always very difficult for us. You come off the pool stages and then the squad are away for a long time from January. Then we come back together 10 weeks later and you’re trying to make calls based on what you’ve seen. All across the team, we have really, really tight calls.
“We’ve used 55 players in the PRO14 and Europe this season and it’s a huge group and they’ve already gotten us to a PRO14 semi-final. Our philosophy is everyone needs to be ready to step in. You hear so many coaches complaining about injuries unravelling their team and we don’t want to use that as an excuse ever.
“We’re trying to invest in our players all the time and it’s something that we’ll continue to do. The group is very, very competitive. There are lots of tight calls. People miss out on big days because of injuries or whatever else and there are some very, very tight calls on a week-to-week basis that we try as coaches to explain to the players as best as possible.
“You’re trying to weigh up what you see in the Six Nations. Jordan (Larmour) played against France here (at the Aviva Stadium) and I thought he did well in that game. The Toulouse game he played in round five, I’ve thought he’s gone okay in the games.
“He’s exciting at 15, Jordan. It’s just about getting the ball in a bit of space for some of the rest of the guys in the team. Because he’s dangerous, he’s a constant threat, when he has the ball. And yeah, we think he’s suited to the challenge of the type of game we think it might be.”
Dan McFarland (Ulster) – “There’s been a little bit of up and down in terms of prepping them but the medical and athletic performance staff have done a really good job in terms of getting these guys ready and ready to play. It’s great to have the players available. It’s great for Lukey (Marshall), in particular.
“Last time he played was against the Ospreys last May, running across the pitch to make a try-saving tackle with three other Ulster players that was absolutely crucial at the time. It sums up who he is as a player, his willingness to give everything he has for the team. It’s really good to see him back and ready to play.
“Nowadays the professional players, certainly the ones with experience…Lukey’s done a lot of training, he’s up to the kind of speed that there will be in the game. He may not be used to the physical intensity and collisions and impacts that go on, but in terms of the speed of our training and the uncertainty of our training, he’s done a lot of that. So he’s ready to go.
“If we are reliant on feeling good because they do not have something, that is totally the wrong attitude. We want to go out there and put our best game on that is the bottom line. I think there would have been a lot of interest around that (Leinster team selection), particularly around Johnny not playing.
“But, from my point of view, Ross Byrne played well in rounds five and six of the tournament. (He) steered them to comfortable victories away to Wasps and at home to Toulouse, he’s an excellent player with some great facets to his game.”
Current Form – Leinster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 33-32 v Cardiff Blues (away), Lost 23-21 v Scarlets (away), Won 52-10 v Dragons (home), Won 31-7 v Edinburgh (home), Won 20-3 v Connacht (away), Won 30-22 v Munster (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 52-3 v Wasps (home), Lost 28-27 v Toulouse (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 31-3 v Benetton Rugby (away), Won 38-31 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), Won 52-7 v Ospreys (home), Won 59-10 v Dragons (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 17-10 v Bath (away), Won 42-15 v Bath (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 33-29 v Connacht (home), Lost 26-17 v Munster (away), Won 40-7 v Ulster (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 29-13 v Toulouse (home), Won 37-19 v Wasps; (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 22-17 v Scarlets (home), Won 40-24 v Zebre (away), Won 59-19 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home), Won 19-7 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), Lost 28-11 v Edinburgh (away)
Ulster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 15-13 v Scarlets (home), Won 30-29 v Edinburgh (home), Won 28-7 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), Drew 39-39 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), Lost 64-7 v Munster (away), Lost 22-15 v Connacht (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 24-10 v Leicester Tigers (home), Lost 44-12 v Racing 92 (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 36-18 v Dragons (home), Won 15-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), Lost 29-12 v Scarlets (away), Won 16-12 v Cardiff Blues (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 25-24 v Scarlets (away), Won 30-15 v Scarlets (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 19-12 v Munster (home), Lost 21-12 v Connacht (away), Lost 40-7 v Leinster (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 26-22 v Racing 92 (home), Won 14-13 v Leicester Tigers (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Drew 17-17 v Benetton Rugby (home), Won 8-0 v Ospreys (away), Won 54-7 v Zebre (home), Won 28-15 v Dragons (away), Won 33-19 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home)
Top Scorers – 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup: Leinster – Points: Jonathan Sexton 36; Tries: Sean Cronin 6; Ulster – Points: John Cooney 33; Tries: Jacob Stockdale 6
Previous European Meetings: 1
Saturday, May 19, 2012 – Final – Leinster 42 Ulster 14, Twickenham
Match Facts –
– Leinster and Ulster have met just once before in Europe’s top flight – the 2012 final in which Leinster were runaway 42-14 winners at Twickenham
– Ulster have come up against Irish opposition twice in the tournament. The defeat to Leinster in the 2012 decider, as well as a famous away quarter-final win over Munster at Thomond Park in the same season
– Holders Leinster have won seven of their last eight quarter-finals and have not lost a home game at this stage since 2005 when they were defeated by Leicester Tigers, winning all six home ties since at the quarter-final stage
– Ulster’s last two appearances in the knockout rounds saw them eliminated by Saracens in 2013, and by Sarries again the following season
– Leinster scored the most points (204) and tries (27) during the pool stages this season
– Ulster were the most disciplined side in the pool stages, conceding a competition-low 38 penalties, while Leinster conceded the second fewest (41)
– Jonathan Sexton landed 17 of his 18 kicks at goal during Leinster’s table-topping Pool 1 campaign, and his success rate of 94% is the best of any player to take more than 10 attempts
– Of the 249 players to make 25-plus carries in the pool stages, Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale had the best average gain per carry (10.6 metres)
– Leinster and Ulster have the joint top two try scorers this season with Sean Cronin and Stockdale both crossing six times during the pool stages
– Ulster out-half Billy Burns provided five try assists during the province’s Pool 4 run, the joint-most of any player, with three of those coming from kick passes
European Cup Records:
Leinster –
2017/18: Champions
2016/17: Reached the semi-finals
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2014/15: Reached the semi-finals
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2011/12: Champions
2010/11: Champions
2009/10: Reached the semi-finals
2008/09: Champions
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2006/07: Reached the quarter-finals
2005/06: Reached the semi-finals
2004/05: Reached the quarter-finals
2003/04: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2002/03: Reached the semi-finals
2001/02: Reached the quarter-finals
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1998/99: Failed to qualify from Pool A
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool A
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool B
1995/96: Reached the semi-finals
Ulster –
2017/18: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Reached the quarter-finals
2011/12: Runners-up
2010/11: Reached the quarter-finals
2009/10: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2008/09: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2005/06: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2004/05: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2003/04: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2002/03: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1998/99: Champions
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool B
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool C
1995/96: Failed to qualify from Pool B