Casey up for Leinster challenge

London Irish captain Bob Casey is relishing the prospect of tackling Heineken Cup holders Leinster in Dublin tonight.

London Irish, the outstanding Guinness Premiership team on current form, head to Dublin where they will face a side invigorated by their 30-0 demolition of Munster last weekend.

For towering lock Casey, the Pool Six opener takes him back to a city where he spent much of his early rugby career.

He said: “It’s great for me to go back and play against my old team in my home town.

“But it is also brilliant for the club to not only draw a top Irish province, but also the Heineken Cup holders.

“Leinster thoroughly deserved to win the tournament last season, and they will be a big challenge for us.”

The Exiles, Heineken semi-finalists in 2008, failed to qualify for the competition last season, and Casey admitted: “It was an absolute killer for us.

“It is the premier competition in European club rugby and, put it this way, we most certainly did not like watching it.

“We are delighted to be back in, and we feel we are in good shape to compete.”

The club shows five changes from the side that edged out Premiership opponents Sale Sharks a week ago, with starts for wing Tom Homer, a front row of Clarke Dermody, David Paice and Faan Rautenbach, plus flanker Declan Danaher.

Leinster, meanwhile, include five of this summer’s British and Irish Lions tourists in their line-up, and a sixth – full-back star Rob Kearney – on the bench.

Elsewhere tonight, Gloucester and Bath both face testing openers, tackling Newport Gwent Dragons and Ulster respectively.

The Dragons head to Kingsholm, where Gloucester will welcome back captain Gareth Delve from suspension but have lost hooker Olivier Azam and his fellow forward Adam Eustace to suspensions.

Injuries sideline key backs Mike Tindall, Olly Morgan and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, suggesting an in-form Dragons side has every chance to claim only a third win from their last 13 Heineken Cup away games.

“We need to go into this game buzzing,” said Gloucester head coach Redpath.

“It’s a Wales-England game and a derby kind of match, as they are only an hour down the road. If anyone needs motivating for this game then they shouldn’t be playing rugby.”

Bath head to Belfast in Pool Four after some patchy Premiership performances - three defeats, a draw and just one win so far this season – and head coach Steve Meehan admitted: “Friday night at Ravenhill will always be difficult.

“We are going to be faced with challenges against Ulster, so it doesn’t get any easier. But it is nice to have a new focus and drive.”

Tomorrow’s focus moves to Wales, where Harlequins play their first Heineken Cup game since the ’Bloodgate’ fake injury scandal at Cardiff.

Northampton host Munster at Franklin’s Gardens, the province having been Heineken Cup winners twice during the past four seasons.