Youth takes back seat as big guns line-up for battle

SHANE JENNINGS took exception to the suggestion when it was put to him earlier in the week that the season really only starts tonight for Leinster and Munster but there is more than a grain of truth in such a line of thinking.

The understudies in both provinces have done everything asked of them. Ireland’s World Cup contingent have returned to domestic duties with both sides having won five and lost two games in the Rabobank PRO12 and hovering near the summit of the table.

Up-and-comers like Ian Keatley, Mike Sherry, Stephen Archer, Peter O’Mahony as well as Fionn Carr, Eoin O’Malley, Dave Kearney, Rhys Ruddock and Leo Auva’a have kept the flags flying while banking crucial game time.

The future takes a back seat from here on in. With the Heineken Cup one week away and a derby against the nearest and dearest on the agenda, Joe Schmidt and Tony McGahan have made their priorities clear with the sides named yesterday afternoon.

Only four players survive in each team sheet from their respective round six assignments a month ago – games which marked the last time both sides were forced to enter combat without the men plucked away by Declan Kidney.

Rhys Ruddock and Peter O’Mahony, young forwards who have captained their provinces with some success in the opening two months, find themselves on the bench this evening.

That says it all. Youth has had its fling. For now, anyhow.

And yet, not all the big guns are cocked and ready to fire.

Brian O’Driscoll has been omitted from the Leinster lineup on account of the stinger injury which gave him trouble in New Zealand and that must make him a major doubt to feature in next week’s European opener away to Montpellier.

Schmidt has still been able to field a 15 with 13 Irish internationals as well as Isa Nacewa who moves to the wing to cater for Rob Kearney’s recent return and Richardt Strauss who is nearing the three-year residency mark required to play for Ireland.

Leinster’s Kiwi coach has had to reintegrate six more internationals than his Australian counterpart in recent weeks and, in all, he has seen fit to make seven changes from the side which defeated Edinburgh in Murrayfield last week.

Tony McGahan has made just three changes in personnel while also indulging in some positional switches in the second and back rows. Lifeimi Mafi, Donncha O’Callaghan and Niall Ronan all come in. Danny Barnes, Peter O’Mahony and James Coughlan make way.

Recent performances are rarely the most reliable of indicators approaching a derby, all the more so this time given the musical chairs in recent weeks, but the teams’ defensive records are worthy of a mention.

Only Benetton Treviso have conceded more tries among the PRO12’s top nine teams than Leinster thus far far while Munster have allowed their line to be breached just four times, the first coming 284 minutes into the season.

That is more than twice as mean as the league’s next best – the Ospreys have leaked nine — but Munster will remember that they clocked in at the Aviva 13 months ago on a roll against a struggling Leinster side and still came out second best.

Leinster appeared to be disappearing over the horizon after that win, their fifth in a row against the southern province, but Munster reeled them back in with a pair of victories at Thomond Park in the season’s second half.

“There has been some highs and lows over the years,” said Jennings.

“It is pretty finely balanced. We have had a good run of it and they certainly had a good run of it.

“They have the edge on us for a good number of years. We looked on them with envy when they were winning Heineken Cups. We didn’t really like it too much and I’m sure it was the same with them when we won them.”