Cheika to reshuffle battle-scarred troops for Ospreys clash

LEINSTER return to Magners League duty against the Ospreys on Friday, having received mixed news concerning the injury worries picked up during Sunday’s Heineken Cup defeat in Toulouse.

As expected, Chris Whitaker has been ruled out for the remainder of the European group stages, with his 10-week recovery period coming to an end seven days after the final Pool Six game away to the Leicester Tigers in January.

It remains to be seen how long Girvan Dempsey (knee ligaments) will be spending alongside him in the treatment room. The Irish full-back will undergo further medical assessment later this week.

On the plus side, Gordon D’Arcy has been included in the squad for the trip to Wales despite his hip injury sustained in the Stade Ernest Wallon, although the centre is also due for further medical consultations in the days ahead.

“At this stage it’s difficult to say for definite who will or will not be available,” said coach Michael Cheika.

“We know that Chris is out injured for a few weeks, so while injuries are unfortunate they’re part and parcel of the game.”

Injuries or no injuries, Cheika was already intent on juggling his resources for this week’s trip to Wales. With a journey to Munster and back-to-back Heineken Cup dates with Edinburgh to follow, it can’t be any other way.

“It would have been our intention to freshen things up this week with the five-day turnaround from the Toulouse game to another big challenge against the Ospreys on Friday night. This year I’m much happier with the squad’s ability to rotate and we will need to be at our best on Friday.”

With Whitaker out, Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winning scrum-half Paul O’Donohoe joins the extended senior squad.

He is joined by fellow Grand Slam winner and prop Cian Healy, while another number nine, Chris Keane, could also be considered after injury.

The Ospreys are also missing key stars. Nine of their number are concentrating on Wales’ Saturday Test against South Africa while Shane Williams is also out with an injured thigh.

“The Ospreys have a brilliant squad,” Cheika said.

“They have great depth and, even though they are likely to be without some of their Welsh internationals, they have great experience in Marty Holah, Justin Marshall and Filo Tiatia.

“The 7, 8, 9 and 10 axis is very strong and with the likes of Nikki Walker out wide and Ian Gough, they have experience throughout the squad.”

Magners League champions last year, the Ospreys lie midway down the table at present, 10 points behind leaders Cardiff Blues. However, a win at the Liberty Stadium on Friday would see them overtake Leinster who lie in third.

The performance is as important as the result for Leinster, however. Like their hosts, Leinster have blown hot and cold as is evidenced by their last two fixtures against Welsh opposition — a superb win in Cardiff followed by a comprehensive home defeat to the Scarlets.

“Sunday night was disappointing and in an away game environment, you can’t afford to make mistakes. We have to keep our composure a bit more and play a bit smarter, especially as we are up against a very intelligent team.

“It’s not like we’re in a losing streak. Our last two performances in the Magners League before the win against Leicester had been good, away to Ulster and at home to Connacht. We’re third in the league and we want to be as competitive as we possibly can be.”

LEINSTER (squad): Forwards: C Healy, O le Roux, B Blaney, B Jackman, J Gomez, S Wright, L Cullen, C Jowitt, M O’Kelly, D Toner, K Gleeson, S Jennings, K McLaughlin; Backs: C Keane, P O’Donohoe, C Willis, F Contepomi, J Sexton, C Warner, R Kearney, M Berne, G D’Arcy, B O’Driscoll, G Brown, S Horgan, L Fitzgerald.