Leinster spreading in the load in Johnny Sexton's absence

STEPPING UP: James Ryan speaks to Ross Molony during a Leinster Rugby captain's run at the RDS Arena in Dublin. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Filling Johnny Sexton’s shoes was always going to be an impossible task so it’s not a shock to find that Leinster have gone about divvying up that particular load as they come to terms with life after one of Irish rugby’s true greats.

It’s there to be seen on the teamsheet for today’s visit of the Scarlets to the RDS where Ross Byrne will back up young Sam Prendergast - the latter making a first start at No.10 in the RDS - and in the choice of co-captains.

James Ryan and Garry Ringrose have both taken turns at ‘leading’ the team out in the past but this will be a shared leadership, even if Ryan’s greater proximity to the hustle and bustle will likely see him converse more with referee Hollie Davidson.

“I definitely think in the modern game, in sharing that load, it’s an important piece,” said Leo Cullen. “Well, we feel it will be a useful piece. All the great teams, if you look back over the years, it’s a shared leadership and you’re relying on different guys at different points.

“The two guys have both been exceptional. They live and breathe what it is to be a top-end professional player on and off the field. They’re hugely respected within the group and hopefully it will elevate both their games to the next level as well.” 

Leinster’s attempt to keep evolving that senior group saw Scott Penny captain the side through the opening three rounds of the URC. Dan Sheehan was handed the honour for the first time on his return from World Cup duties last week.

Sheehan was superb in that comfortable victory away to Dragons and he was joined that Sunday afternoon in Rodney Parade by fellow Ireland internationals Byrne, Jimmy O’Brien and Joe McCarthy.

Another nine of Andy Farrell’s 33-man French collective return for this weekend’s business with Ryan and Ringrose joined by Hugo Keenan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris in the starting XV.

Tadhg Furlong gets a gentler introduction off the bench.

All of which should stand to young Prendergast as last year’s star Ireland U20s out-half is offered the opportunity to direct a team packed with such experience on what will be his sixth senior competitive run.

Fintan Gunne, his half-back partner in that hugely successful 20s team last term, is even greener. With Luke McGrath and Cormac Foley currently absent, Leinster have selected Gunne as reserve scrum-half for a likely debut.

“So you've got the experience of Jamison at nine, Sam at ten and then on the flipside of that we have the experience of Ross on the bench with Fintan Gunne,” said Cullen. “So we're keen to split those guys up and build those combinations in terms of experience and youth.” 

All told, Leinster are in decent nick ahead of next week’s meeting with provincial rivals and URC BKT title holders Munster at the Aviva Stadium, even if McGrath, Cian Healy, Tommy O’Brien and Ed Byrne are all out injured for the foreseeable.

Harry Byrne is another unavailable this weekend but Cullen is confident that the younger of the Byrne brothers, who started at ten for the first three games and came on as a replacement last week, will be in the mix for the interpro.

Leinster: H Keenan, J Larmour, G Ringrose (co-capt), J Osborne, J O’Brien, S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park, A Porter, R Kelleher, T Clarkson, J McCarthy, J Ryan (co-capt), M Deegan, J van der Flier, C Doris.

Replacements: D Sheehan, J Boyle, T Furlong, R Molony, S Penny, F Gunne, R Byrne, C Frawley.

Scarlets: T Rogers, T Lewis, J Davies (capt), J Williams, R Conbeer, C Titcombe, K Hardy, W Jones, S Evans, H O’Connor, A Craig, J Price, B Williams, T Leatherbarrow, C Tuipulotu.

Replacements: R Elias, S Thomas, S Wainwright, M Jones, I Shenton, A Hughes, I Nicholas, S Williams.

Referee: H Davidson (SRU).