Easterby: Cardiff no soft touch
Warren Gatland called 10 Cardiff players into his original squad for the Millennium Stadium fixture, which has been organised outside the recognised international window as ordained by the IRB, and eight have made the match day 23.
Among them are Welsh captain and openside flanker Sam Warburton, who had such a stunning World Cup campaign; Jamie Roberts, who was the British and Irish Lions player of the series in South Africa in 2009; and full-back Leigh Halfpenny.
Easterby admitted Leinster would not have been happy had the IRFU committed to a similar undertaking at this stage of the season but stressed the depth of talent and quality of players still available to the visitors at the RDS.
“I see Warren was quoted in the papers saying they were doing it to get some money for their regional sides,” said the former Irish scrum-half.
“He has probably put a bit of a spin on it there but it is obviously about revenue and getting people through the gate.
“There is the feelgood factor in Wales now and you know that they are going to be able to sell out the stadium but there are still some great players involved on both sides.
“They have got Casey Laulala, [Chris] Czekaj, Richie Rees, Dan Parks, [Ma’ama] Molitika, Xavier Rush.
“So it’s not like it is a team where you don’t know who is playing for them. They are still very strong. They have recruited very well with their foreign players and the likes of Rush and [Paul] Tito have been their last two captains really.”
That may well be but the Pro12 is a competition which has still to establish its credentials in the eyes of many fans and already has to soldier on through the Six Nations when so many big names are busy elsewhere.
Tomorrow night’s fixture in Dublin is further compromised by the intricacies of the IRFU’s player management programme, which will again result in a number of Declan Kidney’s internationals watching on from the sidelines. However, Shane Jennings would like to think the fare on view will not be compromised by their absence.
“Fortunately the game has changed from years ago when you played a Welsh side or a Scottish side and it came on an international weekend and you’d actually think of it as an opportunity because they’re not as strong. That’s not the case anymore.
“Squads throughout the Pro12 are very strong.
“We played Aironi last year when there wasn’t that many of their front-liners playing and we found it very difficult to play against them.
“Cardiff have a big squad and a lot of talent.”
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