Strictly business as O’Driscoll’s Lions on final hunt

AS Leinster prepare for the Battle of Ireland on Saturday, Brian O’Driscoll has suspended cordial relations with his Triple Crown winning Munster colleagues.

“I’m sure friendships will be resumed come Monday morning, but you have to get into a zone, and that’s the way it has been with myself and my Munster friends,” he said.

Leinster named a panel of 23 in Dublin yesterday, a squad containing no startling news, as coach Michael Cheika revealed there are no injury problems.

Leinster will likely start with the team that beat Llanelli in last week’s Celtic League, with both Shane Horgan and Malcolm O’Kelly set to make their 100th appearance for the province.

Cheika is delighted at being able to choose from “a full deck”.

“We’re pretty close to picking a team; it pretty much comes down to making a call between Ronan McCormack and Emmet Byrne for a place on the bench.”

Cheika recognises that not much can be written into the events of last weekend - when Leinster came from behind to beat Llanelli, and Munster shrugged off the stern challenge from Edinburgh to record Celtic League victories.

“Llanelli caught us on the hop in the first half, playing split pods with the forwards; we hadn’t really prepared for that, so we had to try and adjust on the field. It took us a bit of time to get our heads around that approach, but we got ourselves sorted out in the second half. Once we got on top of that, we were able to give our backs the room to create the chances and we got the win,” he said.

He praised Munster for reacting to a similar challenge at Thomond Park: “I thought Munster played pretty good. Edinburgh did the same thing as Llanelli; they came out, went from side to side, and that type of play will catch any coach unawares.”

O’Driscoll expects a different approach from the quarter-final win over Toulouse: “I think both teams will find it different; inter-provincial games are always keenly contested because we know one another so well. There is so much at stake; the pride in each province, whether you’re playing in the Celtic League or the European Cup. I guess it comes down to bragging rights as well.

“Everything about it heightens the occasion,” he said.

O’Driscoll warned against expectations of a classic encounter:

“Sometimes, those games can become a stalemate because you know the guys you’re playing against so well, but there is always something new that can be created and you have to work within those parameters.

“In this type of game, as a player you know what you’re going to get; you’re going to have a very physical, very keenly-contested, body-on-the-line, type of game. Sometimes, you’re going to need a spark from a couple of players to make the difference.”

There has been a lot of hype that this could come down to a battle between the Munster pack and the Leinster backs. O’Driscoll does not buy this.

He pointed out that Munster had strike power in the backs that could hurt Leinster, as much as Leinster have the capability of putting it up to Munster in the battle of the packs.

“If we went out thinking that the likes of Ronan O’Gara and Peter Stringer, amongst others, are incapable of changing the pace of the game and turning a game, we would be fools.”

Yet, he did admit that the forwards, on either side, could have the biggest influence. “Generally, games are not won in the backs; they’re won in the packs, and I think the Leinster pack has had to deal with an awful lot of adverse publicity. Yet, time and time again this year, they have fronted up against very good teams.

“It’s not even a case of our boys looking for parity; we want to go out and dominate the Munster pack as much as we want to dominate the Munster back line.

“Our forwards reckon they can match up to any opposition on their day and, I suppose, the Munster backs will see us as targets as well, because they might feel they’re the underdogs. It makes for a very interesting game.”

LEINSTER (from): Backs: G. Dempsey, D. Hickie, B. O’Driscoll, G. D’Arcy, S. Horgan, K. Lewis, R. Kearney, F. Contepomi, G. Easterby, B. O’Riordan.

Forwards: R. Corrigan, B. Blaney, W. Green, M. O’Kelly, B. Williams, C. Jowitt, J. Heaslip, K. Gleeson, R. McCormack, E. Byrne, D. Blaney, N. Ronan, E. Miller.