Leinster star Horgan ‘excited’ by knockout system

PREVIEW: Leinster v Edinburgh, tomorrow 6.15pm (RDS)

The competition has operated as a straight first-past-the-post entity for the last six years and, were that still the case, the Irish province would be perfectly positioned to wrap matters up at the RDS tomorrow night.

Instead, Michael Cheika’s side will have to negotiate a semi-final and final if they are to claim their third league title but, if anything, the new knockout system has been met with a resounding thumbs-up in the capital.

“It has been exciting this year,” said Shane Horgan. “I will say that. Ask me in a few weeks and I’ll tell you what I really think of it but if you look at how many teams are potentially involved with these matches left it is exciting.

“It gives fans the chance to invest in the competition. The worst thing you could possibly have is a competition that is over three or four weeks before the end. You would have a lot of dead rubbers and that doesn’t benefit anyone.

“If you are on top of the league you are maybe thinking a different way but I don’t think so. The idea of a final and showcase is quite important for the brand ‘Magners League’ as well.”

The new pathway in the Magners league could hardly have been laid at a more opportune time for Leinster who seem grateful to have something solid to get their teeth into after the Heineken Cup exit in Toulouse.

With both Glasgow and the Ospreys winning last night, the scene has been set for a another Leinster v Munster showdown next weekend in the RDS, in the event of Leinster defeating Edinburgh and Munster holding up their half of the deal in Cardiff.

“That’s the benefit of having an important competition like the Magners,” said Horgan who has been a member of two league-winning sides, in 2002 and again in 2008. “That shows with the teams we have picked for it and the performances we have given this year. We have prioritised it.

“Of course there is a huge disappointment in losing the title of European champions and there is nothing that makes up for that but this is an excellent bunch of players and coaching staff and it would do a disservice if we didn’t produce the type of rugby that could win us this competition.”

Horgan is part of a backline that is unchanged from the Toulouse tie which means that Shaun Berne will deputise yet again for Jonathan Sexton who had wires removed from his cracked jaw earlier this week.

The only change is on the back row where Gonzaga College wing-forward Dominic Ryan replaces the injured Shane Jennings while Sean O’Brien is on the bench for the first time since breaking a leg in February.

The new format has had a trickle-down effect that will play its part in Ballsbridge tomorrow. Though they lie in sixth place, the visitors are still, mathematically, capable of claiming a place in the play-offs.

To do that they need to claim five points and hope that the game in Cardiff results in a loss for Munster and neither side gaining an extra bonus point. Highly unlikely then, but it adds to the mix.

As Horgan says, the calculations will only remove the shackles from the Scottish side who will have nothing to lose and Leinster have been bitten by Edinburgh too many times before to approach them with anything but undue care.

“We are pretty familiar with the type of rugby that Edinburgh play. They have caused us a lot of difficulties over the years. They certainly play a softer defence than we are used to with some of the other teams.

“They also play much wider patterns so it is a unique set of challenges that Edinburgh bring and we have been training specifically for them this week and analysing them in detail. They are a tricky opponent.”