O’Driscoll set to make 100th appearance on Leinster return

SIX weeks of injury frustration will end in some style for Brian O’Driscoll tonight when he returns to the Leinster line-up for his 100th provincial cap.

Sidelined with a hamstring problem since the Six Nations game against Wales at Croke Park, the Ireland captain will feature alongside Felipe Contepomi in the centre with Luke Fitzgerald shifting to the wing in place of an ill Shane Horgan.

There are two further changes in the pack with Trevor Hogan replacing Malcolm O’Kelly in the second row while Stephen Keogh assumes Keith Gleeson’s slot alongside Jamie Heaslip and Shane Jennings in the back row.

Leinster cannot claim the Magners League title tonight but a bonus-point win would leave Munster needing an identical result against the Ospreys tomorrow in order to prolong what already seems to be a forlorn chase as the last handful of games are contested.

For O’Driscoll, it will be a proud moment and one he claims he could never have envisaged when he ran out to make his senior provincial debut against Munster in a 30-21 loss at Temple Hill back in 1999.

“I remember that we lost the match and my memory was chasing John Kelly up the length of the pitch and not quite getting to him as he went in to score. My provincial debut came after my international debut, which was weird at the time, but looking back on my Leinster career it is a big thing for me.

“I look at friends who have reached the milestone before me and I don’t know what is says about my fitness over the years that it has taken so many seasons of being a regular starter to accumulate 100 caps.”

At one point, when he appeared to be giving serious thought to a move to the south of France, it looked like O’Driscoll would not come within an asses roar of making the century but, though Leinster have continued to fall short of their European ambitions, he is still able to look back at some memorable occasions in the province’s jersey.

“Highlights? The big wins in the big games like beating Toulouse away from home in the Heineken Cup, beating Leicester twice at home andMontferrand away. Games like that are extremely special.

“Winning the Celtic League in its inaugural year was something I’ll treasure. Unfortunately, any specific highlights that I have would be over individual games rather than as something tangible.

“But, we know that when we’re playing well we are a tough team to beat. As we approach these last few games it’s important that we don’t think about where we are and treat every game on its own merit. The position in the table shouldn’t affect our mind-set or how we approach games.”

If the term ‘one game at a time’ is a cliche in sports then Leinster have taken its use to new heights but such tunnel vision has served them well since tonight’s opponents called time on their Heineken Cup quarter-final ambitions at Murrayfield back in January.

That game marked the Irish side’s third successive defeat in the Scottish capital, a run that has incorporated European Cup and Celtic League fixtures. Their last successful visit was back in May of 2006 when they ran out convincing 23-point winners.

“I know our recent record in Edinburgh hasn’t been too good,” said Girvan Dempsey, “but people forget that they play very well at home. They’re a good side and they don’t get the respect they deserve. They’re a very strong outfit, they chase you down and never give up. They’re not afraid to throw the ball about and we know that they will fight to the very end.”

With the stuttering Newport Dragons to follow home and away in their last two games, Leinster’s scope for error is wide enough to cater for one wobble between now and the season’s end but coach Michael Cheika will be eager to use the tail end of this campaign as a launching pad for the one to follow.

The league title aside, the campaign has been a huge success in terms of the ever burgeoning role youth has enjoyed. Jamie Heaslip and Cian Healy have made encouraging inroads up front while the trio of Jonathan Sexton, Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald have mirrored such gains behind the scrum.

“I look across the back-line now and the really encouraging thing is that we have such a young panel,” said Dempsey. “People forget that Luke (Fitzgerald) is only in his second season, Rob is only in his third and then you have someone like Jonathan Sexton calling the shots and really producing top class performances. He’s well able to boss a game and he, like many others, is showing great leadership and maturity.

“Great credit has to go to their work ethic and their mind-set because I know how hard it can be trying to establish yourself. They’re all a breath of fresh air and there are a lot more talented players also coming up from the Academy. It’s an exciting time to be with Leinster and it’s good for everyone that the level of competition is so strong.”

LEINSTER (v Edinburgh): G Dempsey; L Fitzgerald, B O’Driscoll, F Contepomi, R Kearney; J Sexton, C Whitaker; O le Roux, B Jackman, S Wright; L Cullen, T Hogan; S Keogh, S Jennings, J Heaslip.