Leinster play Munster
Leinster will host Munster in the Magners League this Saturday in what will be a fiercely contested derby match at the RDS.
Leinster have beaten Munster in recent seasons both in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup, but the Lions have been in poor form in their past couple of matches.
This may give the edge to Munster, who top the league on 18 points. Leinster who finished in first place last season have only picked up six points from their opening four games.
Munster go into this match brim full of confidence having beaten Glasgow 43-29 away from home in their last match. O’Gara’s placing kick was crucial and the tries came from Denis Leamy, Niall Ronan and two from Johne Murphy.
They also beat the Magners League Champions, the Ospreys, 22-10 at Thomond Park. Ronan O’Gara scored 17 points in the win and New Zealander Doug Howlett scored a try. Munster beat Edinburgh 16-13 away from home and in the opening game of the season they
won convincingly at home to Italian side Aironi Rugby.
Ominously, for Leinster they have won their opening games without key players like Paul O’Connell, Keith Earls and Jerry Flannery.
Tony Buckley has been crucial to Munster’s success this season and has added some needed bulk to the pack. He has also provided cover for veteran John Hayes. The strength and depth in the Munster squad may well be the difference and O’Gara has been the form
kicker in the league so far.
The back-row will be one of the many interesting battles on the field but with the likes of Niall Ronan, Alan Quinlan and Captain Denis Leamy, Munster will expect to compete with Leinster’s Jamie Heaslip and Shane Jennings.
Munster will expect to dominate the lineout with the experience of Donnacha O’Callaghan. Leinster’s Devon Toner will have to at his best if he is to match the British and Irish Lion.
Munster will hope to gain an advantage in the forwards, but they will be aware that with backs of the calibre of Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Shane Horgan they will need to dominate possession and give the Leinster backs no platform
to attack.
Leinster have had a poor start to the season and they lost 24-32 to Edinburgh over the weekend. The Lions' tries came from Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney while Isa Nacewa kicked three penalties and one conversion.
Leinster had a poor performance against Benetton Treviso, which they lost 29-13 in Italy. The Irish side were expected to pick up maximum points on their visit to Italy, but were on the receiving end of a tough physical Treviso team who won by a 16 point
margin.
Leinster have only managed to beat the Cardiff Blues in a 34 -23 points victory at the RDS, but lost narrowly to the Glasgow Warriors on the opening game of the season.
New manager Joe Schmidt will not be happy with the team’s performance, but will be hoping his side can bounce back in the derby match against Munster
This match may be difficult to call. Leinster will have home advantage, but Munster are the form side in the Magners League and are due a win against their arch rivals. The odds will be slightly in Munster’s favour.
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