Healy shaken, but may still be stirred into action

CIAN HEALY faced an anxious overnight wait before getting the nod to take his place in Leinster’s Magners League final squad to face the Ospreys at the RDS tonight (6.30pm).

Healy was forced to give up his loose-head prop starting position to Stan Wright as CJ van der Linde faces into his last Leinster appearance on the other side of the front row in advance of his return to South Africa.

Healy has been bracketed with Mike Ross in the list of replacements announced yesterday by Michael Cheika, the coach noting: “Cian Healy has had a bit of an illness over the last seven to 10 days and only got back into training yesterday.

“We have named him in the squad for now, but we will wait and see how he feels before making a decision on whether he can take his place in the 22.”

Things are looking better for the Ospreys and visiting team coach Sean Holley, who expressed relief his squad were given a clean bill of health as they go in search of the last title of the year.

“It’s great,” he said, “to have the guys fit, ready and in good form, allowing us to come here in good spirits. We have had all the usual issues in trying to pick the right team, but we were lucky in that we had a clean bill of health and the extra week (without a game) helped. We have picked a team with a desire to win. I hope so at least, because otherwise we’ve picked the wrong team.

“Like all finals, it’s going to be difficult, anything can happen, but we’re certainly happy to be here.”

Leinster, stripped of a European crown, will be desperate to finish the season on a high, particularly given the squad will be losing some important players and virtually the entire coaching team.

Cheika has named a starting team full of big-name stars for this eagerly awaited Irish-Welsh showdown.

There are no less than 14 internationals in his starting line-up, the only exception being hooker John Fogarty.

Club captain Leo Cullen misses out through injury so open side Shane Jennings leads the side in the absence of his former Leicester team-mate.

For those who might think this is a done Leinster deal, the Welsh region arrive flush with eight British and Irish Lions in a starting side of 15 full internationals.

Two former All Blacks play, with Ireland wing Tommy Bowe joining 12 Welsh internationals in the side.

Coaching director Scott Johnson has named James Hook at inside centre and Dan Biggar at fly-half in a backline that also includes former IRB World Player of the Year Shane Williams and current Irish and Wales Players’ Player of the Year, Bowe.

Wales skipper Ryan Jones captains the side from the middle of the back row alongside New Zealanders Jerry Collins and Marty Holah.

Adam Jones, Huw Bennett and Paul James make up an all-Welsh front row, while fellow Wales caps Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Thomas form an athletic lock partnership.

Andrew Bishop joins Hook in midfield and Lee Byrne is named alongside Lions team-mates Bowe and Williams in the back three.

Filo Tiatia will make his final appearance for the region if he comes off the bench and the visiting fans in Dublin, reckoned to be about 2,000 strong, will revel in that possibility.

Of all the imports to this fledging Welsh region, Tiatia has arguably made the biggest impression and he will hope to do so on one last occasion tonight.

Leinster will be waiting to ambush though. They have more than one long-term servant seeking a similarly successful farewell and, in any event, the Irish province should, all things considered, be good enough to get over the finish line to collect another trophy.