Saints alive now but Leinster will kill their European hopes by 3pm
Leo Cullen’s side will see off their English challengers today to move a step closer to the Champions Cup quarters. By Garry Doyle Saturday 19 Dec 2020, 8:08 AM Dec 19th 2020, 8:08 AM 7,224 Views 14 Comments
Harry Byrne makes his first European start.
Image: Robbie Stephenson/INPHO
Image: Robbie Stephenson/INPHO
THE YEARS CHANGE, the script doesn’t. Season after season, Leo Cullen drops in a European debutant or two but after all the fuss that stemmed from the five greenhorns he selected against Bath back in January 2016, we’ve almost reached the stage where we don’t even notice the new guys come along.
Leinster set to keep the foot down as Saints make maiden RDS trip Leo Cullen brings in six Irish internationals but warns against complacency
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 06:00
Leinster v Northampton Saints, RDS, Saturday, 1pm – Live on Virgin Media/Channel 4/BT Sport
Already atop Pool A as one of only two sides to obtain a five-point haul in that half of the draw last weekend, an imposing-looking Leinster side have the chance to maintain their push for a place in the knock-out stages and, potentially, something more than that.
Although it’s early days yet, by close of business on Sunday evening we will be halfway through the pool stages, and the prize for topping Pool A would not only ensure playing the second leg of the quarter-finals at home, but would have the additional carrot of home country advantage in the semi-final stages.
THE PARTS CHANGE all the time, but the Leinster machine keeps whirring away.
It might splutter and chug and groan while the maintenance is under way, that’s to be expected even against a much-changed Northampton. But it takes an elite outfit to pick them apart even when they are patching themselves up on the go.
A starting line-up already re-jigged after Caelan Doris withdrew with a calf issue faced a last-minute disruption after the new school out-half Harry Byrne was put through that old school concept, a pre-match fitness test.
The younger Byrne was last to enter the dressing room after a back issue flared in the warm-up and when the players re-emerged, big brother Ross had swiped the number 10 shirt and Cian Kelleher was among the replacements.
Big guns holstered as Leinster begin another European assault
Leo Cullen’s pack won’t use a complicated set of calls in Montpellier as they bring 11 Ireland internationals back in the side. By Sean Farrell Saturday 12 Dec 2020, 8:30 AM Dec 12th 2020, 8:30 AM 9,574 Views 10 Comments
Captain Rhys Ruddock and Luke McGrath in action against Cardiff last month.
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Coaches can regularly be found bemoaning – or just plain moaning about – the strains of a
six-day turnaround between big matches. It usually amounts to the loss of a training session, not to mention 24 fewer hours for each body to recover.