Dragons v Leinster
Rodney Parade, Newport, Wales (Sunday, 1.15pm, RTÉ, Premier Sports)
Leinster welcome back a handful of their Ireland World Cup contingent for their trip to Rodney Parade as Jimmy O’Brien, Ross Byrne, Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy and Ryan Baird are named in the starting team.
Jimmy O’Brien joins a backline in which his namesake Tommy O’Brien, last week’s man of the match, Jamie Osborne and Charlie Ngatai have been excellent individually and collectively. Ross Byrne takes over in the 10 jersey from his brother Harry, who drops to the bench.
Sunday’s game represents a first start for Ben Murphy, son of Ireland Under-20 head coach Richie, his previous five appearances coming off the bench since making his debut against Munster in May of last year. The former Pres Bray pupil is a former underage international and plays AIL Division 1A rugby with Clontarf.
Hooker Sheehan enjoys the milestone of captaining his province for the first time, while there is another potential landmark for the frontrow union with tight head prop Michael Ala’alatoa due to win his 50th cap off the bench.
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Dragons coach Dai Flanagan makes nine changes to the side that were hammered by Munster in Cork last weekend, including naming four players who featured for Wales in the World Cup: hooker Elliot Dee, flanker Dan Lydiate, number eight Aaron Wainwright, and wing Rio Dyer.
The Welsh club have lost all three of their opening matches, but Flanagan expects a more resolute effort from his team in front of their home supporters. “Our team on paper is a pretty good team. It is not acceptable just to say how good Leinster are and we have nothing to lose.
“It’s about time we turn a corner and say we are a pretty good team; we must start believing that and performing. We have some fresh juice with the internationals all back together and there is a spring in their step. They make a huge difference.”
Leinster will need to be mentally and physically tuned in, particularly at the set piece where they struggled last week, both in conceding scrum penalties and turning over half a dozen lineouts. Leo Cullen will be counting on the internationals to seamlessly integrate into the team patterns, and if they provide that quality then the visitors will triumph.
DRAGONS: C Evans; R Dyer, S Hughes (capt), A Owen, J Rosser; W Reed, R Williams; R Jones, E Dee, L Fairbrother; M Screech, G Nott; D Lydiate, T Basham, A Wainwright.
Replacements: J Benjamin, A Seiuli, L Yendle, S Lonsdale, R Woodman, D Blacker, J Dixon, E Rosser.
LEINSTER: C Frawley; T O’Brien, J Osborne, C Ngatai, J O’Brien; R Byrne, B Murphy; J Boyle, D Sheehan (capt), T Clarkson; J Jenkins, J McCarthy; R Baird, W Connors, J Culhane.
Replacements: L Barron, P McCarthy, M Ala’alatoa, M Deegan, S Penny, C Foley, H Byrne, R Russell.
Referee: G Gnecchi (Italy)
