Ulster v Leinster - Armageddon!

[Mac]

Leinster team up

LEINSTER:

15: Noel Reid
14: Andrew Conway
13: Brendan Macken
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Fergus McFadden
10: Ian Madigan
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Cian Healy
2: Sean Cronin
3: Michael Bent
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Devin Toner
6: Kevin McLaughlin
7: Sean O'Brien
8: Jamie Heaslip

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/matchcentre/10784.php

Looks like a full field of IQ starters.

[BaggyTrousers]

It would appear Leinster think Saints beat us in the pack rather the reality that we lost because we were unable to convert any of 5 line breaks and dropped 19 passes.

Frankly I am uplifted by that selection. We will be sticking out a pretty hairy ould pack too & if we can avoid boaking too much we are in with a fighting chance.

[ruckover]

They're targeting a forwards battle, the backs aren't up to much beyond 12. Bench isn't that strong either.

No team from us yet?

[bazzaj]

Thought it was alright til I started looking at the pack

I did the same!
Its their back row that is scarey so we need disrupt their front 5 to put them on the back foot.

[OneMore]

(15-9): J Payne; A Trimble, D Cave, L Marshall, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar;
(1-8): T Court, R Best, J Afoa, I Henderson, N McComb, R Diack, C Henry (c) N Williams;

[OneMore]

Replacements:
R Herring, C Black, A Macklin, A O'Connor, R Wilson, P Marshall, P Wallace, A D'Arcy.

[ruckover]

I feel they have us beaten in the scrum, but if we can get it to our backs then we'll tear them apart.

[Dave]

Relieved to see Gilroy and Cave.

[OneMore]

I feel they have us beaten in the scrum...

Have us beaten in the scrum?! No chance are we beaten there before kickoff, anything can happen. It'll be tight, and no sure thing either way. Wouldn't bank on us cutting them apart in the backs either, there's enough experience around the park for them.

I'd say we're slight favourites. But I've thought that before and we've put 40 points on the board, so here's hoping.

[Mac]

UR

Ulster Head Coach, Mark Anscombe, has made three personnel changes and two positional switches to the side that lost to Northampton Saints for Friday night's match against Leinster at Ravenhill.

Following Tommy Bowe’s knee injury, Andrew Trimble switches to the right wing, with fellow Ireland international, Craig Gilroy named on the left.

Luke Marshall starts at inside centre alongside Darren Cave with Paddy Wallace named on the bench. Paddy Jackson and Ruan Pienaar continue their half-back partnership, while full-back Jared Payne will be looking to add to his record of having scored five tries in nine games in the RaboDirect PRO12 so far this season.

Tom Court, Rory Best and John Afoa all start in an unchanged front row.

Second-row Dan Tuohy suffered a torn calf muscle against Northampton - his place is taken by Neil McComb. In the other changes to the pack, Nick Williams moves from blindside flanker to Number 8 with Roger Wilson dropping to the bench. Robbie Diack starts at 6 with captain Chris Henry continuing at openside.

Four players have been called up to the bench - Rob Herring, Adam Macklin, Alan O’Connor and Adam D’Arcy.
If he comes on, the game will be Alan O’Connor’s first appearance for Ulster. The 20 year old Dubliner joined the Hughes Insurance Ulster Academy in the summer. He played his club rugby at Skerries until he was 18, before playing for two years at UCD. He was part of the Leinster sub-academy before joining Ulster in July.

O’Connor says: “I have come up here to play rugby and hopefully I will get a chance tomorrow night. It wouldn’t phase me to line out against my home Province, I just want to perform at senior level – and playing against the European Champions is just about as competitive as it gets.

“My dad has tickets for the game and will be making the trip up from Dublin for the match. He is a proud Leinsterman, but I am not sure who he will be cheering for tomorrow night!”

Ulster Rugby would advise supporters coming to the game that gates open at 5.00pm.

[tommyblue]

Really thought ruan and big John could have been given a fortnight off.

[Mac]

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Television match official: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

[Rooster]

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Television match official: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

We are fecked then

[bazzaj]

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Television match official: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

We are fecked then

Totally.

[Setanta]

Not as fecked as that Turkey!!