Cheika ready to throw Edinburgh to Leinster’s Lions

TIMING is everything. And Leinster coach Michael Cheika hopes to get it right by re-introducing some of his international stars for the Magners League clash with Edinburgh at Murrayfield tonight.

Luke Fitzgerald, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney will make their first starts of the season for the trip to the Scottish capital. Kearney is full-back in a back three which also includes Shane Horgan and Fitzgerald, with Fergus McFadden partnering Gordon D’Arcy at centre and Eoin Reddan lining up alongside Shaun Berne at half-back.

In the pack, skipper Leo Cullen starts alongside Nathan Hines with Heaslip forming a formidable back three alongside two recent Academy graduates Sean O’Brien and Kevin McLaughlin. Cian Healy continues in the front row alongside John Fogarty and Stan Wright.

Leinster face a potential banana skin in Edinburgh, who top the table after getting off to a great start.

The Heineken Cup champions would normally relish a trip to the Scottish city where they raised the European trophy in triumph last May, except that they haven’t recorded a Magners League win in Scotland in the last eight games.

Table-topping Edinburgh’s record-winning run continued at Ravenhill on Friday when they came back from behind to claim a 16-13 victory over Ulster. The Scotsmen have now won nine-in-a-row and only Leinster (two runs of 10 wins and 11 wins) and Munster (10 wins) have had longer winning runs in Magners League history.

Leinster have begun the season with three successive games against Welsh opponents and have won the last two encounters, scant enough comfort knowing their poor record up north.

McLoughlin may be inexperienced but he is looking forward to pushing for a regular place this season and so far is happy with his achievements.

“My goal at the start of the season was to play the first three games so I’m delighted to have done that, but I know that the hard work starts now. If you look at the back-row you have players like Sean O’Brien, Stephen Keogh, Shane Jennings and now Jamie Heaslip all fighting for places and that level of competition is healthy because you know that you have to perform every time you step out on to the field.

“Rocky (Elsom’s) departure certainly provided me with an opportunity and I’m enjoying every minute of it. He set a very high standard in his time here and that’s what I have to aim for when I play. Every week is a learning curve for me and last weekend was a case in point. When you come up against the likes of Marty Holah, Jerry Collins and Filo Tiatia they teach you a thing or two.

“There has been a good buzz around the camp this week with the Lions players returning and there were huge numbers in training in the early part of the week, which is good because it adds to the competition.

“I felt we played well with the ball against Scarlets but we didn’t front up physically. We had a long hard look at ourselves after that game; we knew we had to lift our physicality and we have improved in each of the victories over the Dragons and then the Ospreys.

“We know that we will have to raise our game again against the league leaders, but it’s a game we’re excited about and are going to approach in a positive frame of mind,” he said.

But Edinburgh captain Mike Blair has other ideas and is banking on what he terms as a unique spirit to help his side to a further league win.

The current squad, containing only one non-Scot, Dutchman Tim Visser, has 17 players who were born in Edinburgh – drawing parallels with football’s legendary ‘Lisbon Lions’.

LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, F McFadden, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; S Berne, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), N Hines; K McLoughlin, J Heaslip, S O’Brien.

Replacements (from): B Jackman, M Ross, D Toner, S Jennings, D Ryan, S Keogh, J Sexton, G Dempsey.