Leinster rest main men ahead of Champions Cup semi with Saints

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

For so many teams, this is the time of year to be busting a gut. 

Maybe there’s a playoff spot still within tantalising reach. Or it could be that one more win could be enough to bump you up a rung or two on the ladder and make the knockouts that bit more manageable.

For Leinster, today’s visit to Wales is very different. Already nine points clear at the top of the URC table with three games to go, Leo Cullen’s side looks primed to stay there come the end of the regular season regardless of events here.

There is also next week’s Champions Cup semi-final concern against Northampton Saints to factor into the equation, so the province has basically gone and aped their approach for the round of 16 tie against Harlequins some weeks ago and rested the bulk of their big boys.

Eighteen frontline internationals will sit out this 80 minutes at Parc Y Scarlets. That includes their three imports – RG Snyman, Jordie Barrett and Rabah Slimani – and that worked out pretty well against 'Quins who were hammered 62-0 at Croke Park.

It speaks volumes for Leinster’s riches that they can still field nine Irish internationals against a Scarlets team that is ninth in the ladder and in with a shout of making it inside the tent before the zip shuts on those URC knockout stages.

Ronan Kelleher captains the club for the first time and is supported on both sides of the front row by Cian Healy and Tom Clarkson, while Ryan Baird and Will Connors add further experience to the starting pack.

Ross Byrne takes the No.10 shirt with Ciaran Frawley moving to 15. Jamie Osborne and Jimmy O’Brien bring their own touch of class while young Ruben Moloney will make his senior debut if he gets the call off the bench.

This is the Scarlets’ last home game of the season and they have chosen a superheroes theme for the occasion. Not a tribute to Leinster, obviously, but it could be on the basis of the club’s form this year regardless of personnel.

Scarlets: B Murray; T Rogers, J Roberts, J Williams, E Mee; S Costelow, G Davies; A Hepburn, R Elias, H Thomas; A Craig, S Lousi; V Fifita, J Macleod, T Plumtree.

Leinster: C Frawley; A Osborne, L Turner, J Osborne, J O’Brien; R Byrne, F Gunne; C Healy, R Kelleher, T Clarkson; R Baird, B Deeny; A Soroka, W Connors, J Culhane.

Referee: M Adamson (SRU).