Baptism of fire for Ulster newbies

WHEN Leinster coach Joe Schmidt announced his team for the St Stephen’s Day showdown with Ulster, Isaac Boss was surely disappointed, but probably not all that surprised.

These days he seems to be only handed a starting jersey when Leinster are away from home, whereas Eoin Reddan is favoured when the province play in from of a home crowd.

The reasoning seems to be that the more physically abrasive Boss is better suited to the rigours of a tough away encounter whereas Reddan is the man tasked with helping direct a more expansive game on Irish soil.

“If you look at way the last couple of months have gone, it probably does look like that,” admits Boss.

“The away matches have been a bit tougher and that’s when I’ve played most. It would be nice to play a lot more 80 minutes playing expansive rugby, but obviously I’m happy any time I get on the pitch.”

If Ulster really front up physically on St Stephen’s Day and make things tough for the home team at ruck-time then Boss is likely to receive an early call to arms.

He’s convinced too that Ulster will arrive with a chip on their shoulders.

“Anytime you are playing an Irish province they always have a grudge when they come to Dublin.

“I was a big part of that for a few years with Ulster and I know full well they will be champing at the bit.

“They have a good squad all around and they are really able to have a crack. We know they’re going to come at us.”

You can be sure the ever meticulous Joe Schmidt will pick Boss’s brain about the threats his former team-mates pose, but these days there are very few surprises in store when the provinces play one another.

“Obviously we play them quite a bit and there are different areas where I come in. When we see their team I might have a little more input.”

He’ll surely have given Schmidt the low-down on his opposite number, Paul Marshall, who really caught the eye when he deputised for the then injured Ruan Pienaar earlier this season.

“Marshall is good player, strong passer, strong kicker and a good runner for the ball as well,” says Boss. “His energy is amazing around the pitch as well. He’ll be out to prove a point because he dropped out for the last two Heineken Cup games.”

Marshall is just one of many greenhorns that Ulster will field against Leinster, as their coach Brian McLaughlin has handed competitive debuts to five players for the match.

Three debutants start in the back-line — centre Chris Farrell and Michael Allen and full-back Peter Nelson — while in the pack Callum Black gets his first start at prop and Ali Birch comes in at openside flanker.

Leinster have named a far more experienced and potent looking team as Gordon D’Arcy and Cian Healy return to the starting XV after missing out against Bath last weekend.

McLaughlin, for his part, makes no excuses in parading a virtual second string side.

With the majority of the starters having played in the British and Irish Cup with the Ravens, Ulster’s task against a very strong Leinster line-up is an onerous one.

The only players of note are Simon Danielli and Paul Marshall behind the scrum and Robbie Diack and skipper Nigel Brady up front. However, McLaughlin says that with a four-day turnaround in fixtures with Munster next up on Friday, it was necessary to rest players.

“Whenever you go to Leinster you know what you are in for no matter team they pick. It is a big challenge for this young side and one that they are looking forward to. With the sharp turnaround we’ve got, we want to utilise our squad to the maximum and give some of the young guys a chance. Our thoughts on this were that the Ravens have been going exceptionally well, and we wanted in the main to keep them together. It gives them a big opportunity to see what they are capable of doing. The key thing regarding the four-day turnaround is that on advice from our conditioning and medical staff our concerns are for the players.

“There are a few experienced campaigners up front like Neil McComb and Nigel (Brady) and Robbie Diack, but we believe we have a very talented back-line on parade, particularly Chris Farrell who has been outstanding this season.

“Yes, it is a bit of a gamble, but we will be looking for huge energy from people who want to impress.”

LEINSTER: L Fitzgerald; D Kearney, F McFadden, G D’Arcy, F Carr; I Madigan, E Reddan; C Healy, S Cronin, M Ross; D Browne, D Toner; K McLaughlin, S Jennings, L Auva’a.

Replacements: R Strauss, J McGrath, J Hagan, S Sykes, R Ruddock, I Boss, E O’Malley, A Conway.

ULSTER: P Nelson; C Cochrane, M Allen, C Farrell, S Danielli; J McKinney, P Marshall; C Black, N Brady, A Macklin; T Barker, L Stevenson; N McComb, A Birch, R Diack.

Replacements: N Annett, J Cronin, T Court, J Simpson, C Joyce, I Porter, S Olding, C Gaston.