Cullen keeps focus on Sale amid Snyman rumours

EYE ON THE GAME:Leinster’s meeting with Sale Sharks today bears all the hallmarks of another Anglo disaster in Dublin. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Forget the surprisingly robust efforts of the eight English sides in the Champions Cup opening weekend. Leinster’s meeting with Sale Sharks today bears all the hallmarks of another Anglo disaster in Dublin.

It’s six years this month since the province was last put to the pin of its collar by Premiership opposition in the competition’s initial stages in the city. That was the day they turned around an early 14-point deficit to beat Exeter Chiefs by five but without a try bonus.

Four clubs have made the hop across the Irish Sea for a pool game since then with Wasps, Bath (twice), Northampton (twice) and Gloucester all put in their place in jig time. Leinster’s average score for and against in those games was 40 points to 11.

Sale started their European campaign with an impressive win at home to Stade Francais last week but now follow it up with a weaker side that, for all coach Alex Sanderson’s talk of attacking this game, is suggestive of a circling of the wagons at the RDS.

There is no Manu Tuilagi or George Ford. Loosehead prop Simon McIntyre, back row Dan du Preez and winger Tom O’Flaherty are injured. In all, only four of those who started in Paris last time out do so again at the RDS. All of it leaves Leinster unbackable.

Leo Cullen has done his best to stir the blood. He spoke yesterday of the fact that teams are competing with every club in the competition at this stage, and not just those in their own six-team pool, as everyone vies for high seedings come the knockout rounds.

“The way they play the game is still the way they’ll play the game,” he said of Sale. “It’s based on a philosophy of the way they have of playing. A lot of guys in this 23 have played plenty of games for them this season. That’s the first thing we’ve to be very conscious of.

“When you see changes in the 23, players who are not there, our minds can race ahead. You always want to guard against any level of complacency there might be but for us, regardless of who we’re playing against … there’s a responsibility to put on a performance.” 

All of that is true. No question. None of it changes the imbalance in the lineups with Leinster making just four changes from the side that saw off La Rochelle in France six days ago and one of the men to come in being the 2022 world player of the year.

Josh van der Flier replaces Will Connors, who was sick earlier in the week, Jason Jenkins comes in for Joe McCarthy, while Thomas Clarkson will make his ‘European’ debut at tighthead prop in the absence of Tadhg Furlong.

Confirmation that Michael Ala’alatoa is moving on to Clermont Auvergne next summer makes Clarkson’s bow all the more interesting and he is part of a long line of tightheads to have learned the ropes under Seamus Dooley at Blackrock.

Among the others are Jeremy Loughman and Oli Jager, both now Munster players, as well as Rory Maguire who is a member of the Leinster academy and a player many believe is the next big thing rolling off that particular part of the production line.

Harry Byrne’s unavailability due to a head injury picked up in La Rochelle leaves the way clear for Ciaran Frawley to start a Champions Cup game for the first time and Sam Prendergast will make the same step if introduced off the bench.

This feels like an ideal game for both to sink their teeth into the role and it’s hard to imagine James Ryan having such a fraught relationship with the referee as was the case last Sunday when Matthew Carley refused to speak with him after a tense opening quarter.

Leo Cullen sees that as a freakish sort of one-off situation in the context of what was an especially tense and physical affair rather than something to make Leinster think twice about their policy of fielding co-captains in Ryan and Garry Ringrose.

“I don't know what you saw in terms of your own view of the game but some of the stuff that goes on… So you can understand why James was frustrated because there's some of the stuff going on in the game, there's a sort of lawlessness to it.” 

If Ryan has to learn how to bite his lip then Cullen is much further down that road having batted away reports that the province is more or less set to roll out the welcome mat for Munster lock RG Snyman next summer.

“That’s not where our minds are at the moment,” he said. “We’re focusing on this weekend. It’s a short turnaround if you think we’re coming from La Rochelle, travel back, and that’s all I’m really thinking about at the moment.”