Leinster recruit heavy artillery for Ospreys clash

Rewind a few weeks and there wasn’t a whole lot to sell tonight’s game.

Ireland were still in the midst of their Six Nations campaign, there was no word on when Brian O’Driscoll or Leo Cullen would return from injury and Brad Thorn had yet to sign on the dotted line.

Now? Now all three are starting for Joe Schmidt’s side this evening against the third-placed Ospreys and over 17,000 have already bought tickets as the focus shifts with haste from the faltering national side to our flagship provinces.

Leinster turn into the season’s final straight 11 points clear of Munster at the top of the Pro12 table, as one of the last eight sides in the Heineken Cup and unbeaten in 20 games in both competitions but determined, it seems, not to rest on their laurels.

Their place in the Pro12 play-offs is a given but they would go one step closer to securing a home semi-final with a win tonight before turning their attention to a trip to Limerick next weekend and that Aviva date with Cardiff seven days later.

“Home advantage is huge and with us we have a huge crowd and we feel that it’s massive benefit for us when we go out and perform,” said Rhys Ruddock. “We want to do the same in the next couple of league games to get the home draw in the Rabo as well.”

Ruddock forms an inexperienced back row with Dominic Ryan and Leo Auva’a but there is a strong and capable spine to the team named despite the absence of the eight Irish internationals who started in London last weekend.

Cullen and Thorn make for an impressive combination at second row, Heinke van der Merwe and Richardt Strauss start in the front row while O’Driscoll joins the likes of Isa Nacewa, Fergus McFadden, Luke Fitzgerald and Isaac Boss out back.

It’s the usual story for the provinces this time of year — a juggling act between the reintegration of the returning internationals and the maintenance of balance and momentum in their absence.

“Different players have played different amounts in the last few weeks so it’s about bringing them back in,” said Ruddock. “We’ve always found the internationals have massively added to the panel even though they’ve been fatigued sometimes or not played for a few weeks.”

Ospreys will no doubt find something similar with a sprinkling of their eleven Grand Slammers primed for duty. Among them is Alun Wyn Jones is back to captain the side and forms a second-row partnership with Ryan Jones.

Leinster: I Nacewa; D Kearney, B O’Driscoll, F McFadden, L Fitzgerald; I Madigan, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, N White; L Cullen, B Thorn; R Ruddock, D Ryan, L Auva’a.

Ospreys: R Fussell; H Dirksen, A Bishop, A Beck, E Walker; D Biggar, K Fotuali’I; P James, R Hibbard, A Jarvis; R Jones, AW Jones; T Smith, J Tipuric, G Stowers.

Referee: P Fitzgibbon (IRFU).