Cheika: Euro places up for grabs

LEINSTER look set to revert back to their early-season rotation policy for Sunday’s Magners League game with Connacht at the Sportsground having started with what was arguably their first 15 against Munster last weekend.

The province kicks off its Heineken Cup campaign away to Edinburgh the following weekend, and coach Michael Cheika suggested yesterday that places were still available for anyone able to make an impression in this their second interprovincial in succession.

“It’s a very important game for us in terms of how we are going to manage these next four weeks. We’re going to look to use our whole squad and we’ll have to make sure that everyone makes a contribution to the team.

“Some guys are going to get an opportunity to get selected for Europe so it’s a big game, in all respects for us, because we know how tough it is to win down there. They’ll be looking to bounce back from getting beaten away from home last weekend (against Cardiff).”

To that end, Stephen Keogh, Gary Brown, summer signing Simon Keogh, Felix Jones and Fergus McFadden are all included in the Leinster squad after a series of impressive outings for the Leinster ‘A’ side recently.

It has been a difficult opening month to the campaign for the westerners but, as usual, they have been far more competitive at home and Leinster have rarely found things too easy in this fixture, home or away.

That said, Connacht have lost their last 13 meetings with the three other Irish sides, stretching back to a win over Ulster in late 2005 while Leinster have won the previous eight encounters between these two.

The growing cross-pollination of players between the provinces will add to the spice with Ian Keatley and Fionn Carr looking to impress against their former province while Bernard Jackman, John Fogarty and Ronan McCormack will also be meeting old friends.

“The conditions were difficult last year and, over the last three years, we have got better against them down there,” said Cheika. “The Sportsground is a tough place to play, no matter what the weather is like.

“We will take nothing for granted. We will tackle each game on its own merits and make sure that we play a good, structured, smart game against Connacht.”

Meanwhile, Academy star Ian Whitten could find himself thrust into the front line as Ulster go in search of their first Magners League win of the season with the visit of Edinburgh tomorrow night.

The 21-year-old Queen’s University student is one of three players added to the squad that was thumped 43-0 by the Ospreys last Saturday and it sees the return of skipper Rory Best from injury, along with scrum-half Cillian Willis.

Whitten could start ahead of Rob Dewey or Timoci Nagusa, with Whitten impressing coach Matt Williams in training and in the recent A games.

Williams said the gloves came off following Saturday’s dismal display.

“For a start we missed 23 tackles in the first half. That is not acceptable. I always say that if you miss 10, you lose the game. It was not that our system fell apart, it is just we fluffed first-up tackles, and no defensive system can sustain that.

“I had some harsh words with the squad on Monday, but what is said between us will stay between us. What we did last week was not acceptable.

“The talking has to stop now. We can’t talk our way out of it tomorrow night, we have to act our way out of the present malaise.”

LEINSTER squad (v Connacht): Forwards: C Healy, S Wright, B Blaney, J Fogarty, CJ Van Der Linde, L Cullen, T Hogan, C Jowitt, D Toner, R Elsom, S O’Brien, Stephen Keogh. Backs: C Keane, C Whitaker, F Contepomi, J Sexton, Simon Keogh, F Mc Fadden, L Fitzgerald, G Brown, S Horgan, F Jones, R Kearney.

ULSTER squad (v Edinburgh) Forwards: J Fitzpatrick; N Brady, T Court, R Best, B Botha, C Del Fava, E O’Donoghue, R Caldwell, M McCullough, K Dawson, R Diack, S Ferris, D Pollock, T Anderson. Backs: N O’Connor; B Cunningham, T Nagusa, D Cave, A Trimble, C Schifcofske, C Willis, I Boss, P Steinmetz, I Humphreys, I Whitten.