Leinster coach Leo Cullen has made three changes to the team that beat Montpellier 57-3 for Friday night's Champions Cup match against Castres Olympique at the Stade Pierre Antoine.
Richardt Strauss and Cian Healy come into the frontrow for James Tracy and Jack McGrath; the latter pair drops to the bench. Ross Molony replaces the suspended Hayden Triggs, who received a three-week ban for making contact with the eye area of Montpellier scrumhalf Nic White.
Cullen said: “Hayden has been going, really, really well. He’s put his hands up and said that he shouldn’t have pushed Nic White in the face basically. There was not intent on his part but players realise that you can’t do that. It was an unfortunate incident, he has been through his hearing yesterday and we move on now.
Mike McCarthy joins the replacements. Despite having already qualified for the quarterfinals, Leinster need to win their final match to ensure that they guarantee a home game for the first of the knockout fixtures.
Sean O’Brien’s calf injury is still an issue so he misses out for a second week. The medical prognosis is that he will be available the Six Nations Championship and was reasonable close to being available for the Castres match.
Cullen explained: “Sean (O’Brien) in the Zebre game didn’t feel an incident but reported it when we came back in training that week about a bit of awareness (with regard) to his calf. We actually though he would be okay to play the Montpellier game at the start of the week but it just hasn’t settled as quickly as we thought it would.
“It is just a mild strain/tear of his calf. Usually you turn those around quite quickly but it has been quite slow. That is why he misses out again this week. It’s low grade one, minor.”
On O’Brien’s availability for the Six Nations, Cullen continued: “Those (injuries) would not normally (last this long) but (then) I thought he would have been available this week; it’s been a bit slower than we would have thought.
“I would have thought he would have turned it around for this week. It’s been a little bit slower. There is always a chance with guys coming back for complications with injuries even if they are very, very minor.
“I would imagine he would be fine for the start of the Six Nations. He was not a million miles off for this week but he’s not good enough to go this week.”
Cullen confirmed that Jonathan Sexton had no lingering problems with the heavy hit he received from Francois Steyn that saw the South African sent off and had passed the relevant protocols demanded.
“He (Sexton) went through full array, HIA 1; he was fine. He completed the rest of his steps and his impact test here. No he [didn’t need to see neurologist].”
Leinster have found Friday’s opponents Castres sticky in the past and have previously lost at the Stade Pierre Antoine. Cullen said: “Castres are a proud club, they don’t have the same resources or budgets as some of the other Top 14 teams but you can see year after year that they have always punched above their weight.
“When they play at home they are very strong. There are other clubs in the Top 14 who have much bigger budgets but they (Castres) always stay in and around the top six (in the table).
“They won the Top 14 four or five years ago, reached another final as well. They have a reasonably new coaching group under Christophe Urios, went through a sticky patch but have come out the other side of it.
“They are a well-coached team, comfortable playing a non structured game. They don’t have the same size and power as some of the other Top 14 teams so they have adjusted their game slightly. They have had wins over Toulon, Racing and Montpellier this year at home. It is going to be a tough challenge for us.”
Leinster team and replacements to play Castres, European Champions Cup, Pool 4, Stade Pierre Antoine, Friday January 20th (kick off: 7.45pm) – live on Sky Sports 2:
I Nacewa (capt); A Byrne, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, R O’Loughlin; J Sexton, L McGrath; C Healy, R Strauss, T Furlong; D Toner, R Molony; J Conan, J van der Flier, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Tracy, J McGrath, M Bent, M McCarthy, D Leavy, J Gibson Park, R Byrne, R Kearney.
