Eddie’s extras to cross Borders
Denis Hickie, Rob Kearney, Guy Easterby, Jamie Heaslip and Reggie Corrigan have all been included from the start for the game against the Scottish outfit.
With only four players still on duty under Eddie O’Sullivan, Leinster at least approach this game with a far greater reserve of talent than they might have expected with the Six Nations approaching.
Out-half Felipe Contepomi, who has been the province’s talisman all season, again captains the side, while the absence of Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy and Shane Horgan behind the scrum sees Kearney return to the first XV after a back injury.
Kieran Lewis gets another chance to impress while Gary Brown and rugby league convert Johnny Hepworth have also been handed rare starts by coach Michael Cheika.
In the pack, there are three changes from the side that defeated Bath in the Heineken Cup last weekend, with Eric Miller, Emmett Byrne and Adam Byrnes in the starting line-up.
Malcolm O’Kelly is on Ireland duty while Cameron Jowitt and Will Green are the other two making way.
Leinster Academy duo out-half Jonathan Sexton and 6’10” second row Devin Toner - both Irish Under-21 internationals - are also included in the squad for the first time.
Cheika is likely to introduce more up-and-coming talent on the night, with wing forward Niall Ronan one of those towards the top of the queue for a run-out.
Ronan made his Heineken Cup debut coming on as a replacement for the injured Jowitt against Glasgow two weeks ago and is eager for another opportunity to make the step up from the “A” side a more permanent one.
“It’s been frustrating not playing but the ‘A’ games have given me game time this year. I was delighted to make my Heineken Cup debut two weeks ago. It was good to get a run and hopefully I’ll get another chance in the future.”
Gary Brown will certainly be glad of the chance to face the Borders again. Last season, the Blackrock graduate scored a hat-trick of tries in a 50-13 mauling of tonight’s visitors but he remembers too the 13-point defeat Leinster suffered in the reverse fixture some months later.
“I know from the home game last year and the away game that they certainly like to throw the ball around. They tend to drag you into a sevens game with them and that can always be a danger because that tends to open up a game. I’ve always enjoyed the games against them but this will be tough.
“They’ll be coming over knowing we don’t have a lot of our international guys playing. They might be thinking they can get one over on us. It’s up to the rest of us guys to make the step up and come through on the night.”
Cheika himself has yet to see the Borders play live but from his studies of them on tape he can see they play a very similar style to the other Scottish outfits. It’s a style that could cause Leinster problems, he believes, especially if they fall off their tackles as they did against Glasgow at the RDS a fortnight ago.
“I think the real challenge will be in terms of mental strength,” said Cheika. “We’ve got to peak, to play like we did last week. I want us to be able to play that type of football week in, week out with players from right through the squad.
“I want us to set a high standard for ourselves and not just use the soft excuse that we’re missing players.”
: D. Hickie, G. Brown, K. Lewis, J. Hepworth, R. Kearney, F. Contepomi, G. Easterby; R. Corrigan, B. Blaney, E. Byrne, A. Byrnes, B. Williams, E. Miller, K. Gleeson, J. Heaslip.
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