Leinster v Munster: Key battles
With both back rows seriously stacked with talent, not to mention power, this promises to be a supercharged affair and no individual match-up points to that more than the duel between the respective Number 8s.
With Peter O’Mahony back for Munster after a year on the sidelines with a serious knee injury and looking to regain the blindside flanker role for Ireland he called his own at the 2015 World Cup, Stander may need to look elsewhere to continue his own Test career, having collected seven caps in his captain’s absence.
This afternoon’s clash with Heaslip will serve as an ideal barometer as to how much action he will see during the November internationals. Heaslip has seen pretenders to his Ireland jersey come and go during his illustrious career, but perhaps none of them is as primed as Stander to take ownership.
The Munster No. 8 favours contact before offloading when he carries whereas the Leinster veteran makes his 221st appearance in blue offering a more subtle approach than his adversary in red.
Both have been effective doing it their own way and today’s game promises a mouth-watering clash of opposites as well as at the breakdown, where Stander admits his side were outmuscled in the corresponding fixture last season.
Leinster’s Sexton was the difference between the two sides when they met at the Aviva last April, scoring all his side’s points with a try, conversion and three penalties as the home side ran out 16-13 winners, his opposite number Johnny Holland replying in kind, just one penalty less.
Alas, Holland has been forced into retirement due to a serious hamstring injury, but Munster have the ability, at last, to call on Bleyendaal, finally finding his feet in Ireland after two seasons of injury hell.
The former New Zealand U20 fly-half seems to be repaying the faith shown by his province after his move from Canterbury and his team-mates are responding, Bleyendaal at the centre of a first-half four-try blitz last weekend against Zebre.
Against Sexton, he will be coming up against the master playmaker, already showing signs of excellent form following his recent return from a lengthy shoulder injury.
While both fly-halves are confident creating space with the boot they are not fearful of running with ball in hand.
Following his summer switch from Pro12 champions Connacht, Henshaw makes his Leinster debut today and will be eager to impress having been out since injuring his shoulder on Ireland’s tour to South Africa.
In Scannell, he faces an inside centre also returning from injury, the Munster man having hurt his neck in round two of the Pro12 season, and firmly on Joe Schmidt’s radar after an impressive rookie season alongside Frankie Saili, his defensive nous helping to shackle Leinster’s creativity for the most part in last season’s clash in Dublin.
With both Saili and new-signing Sam Arnold injured, Scannell’s return to the fray is a boost for Munster to further strengthen an impressive rearguard that has been galvanised under new defence coach, Jacques Nienaber.
Like the incoming South African, the Corkman relishes defensive duties and with a Leinster backline starting to fizz, he has a big role to play today.
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