BASKING in the glory of last weekend's remarkable triumph, the jokes have been flying around Leinster this week ahead of this evening's Magners League Grand Final clash with Munster at a sold-out Thomond Park (5.05).

One particularly cruel one involved the Drug Squad being called to Thomond Park yesterday only for the crisis to be averted when it was established that the suspicious white powder on the pitch was in fact the Leinster tryline.

The most remarkable statistic heading into this latest instalment in one of the most compelling rivalries in rugby is that Munster have not managed to cross the Leinster line in their last six meetings, failing to score a try since Denis Fogarty managed the feat back in April 2009. Not to be sniffed at.

It is rendered all the more puzzling by Munster's average of two tries per game during their regular season league campaign (44 in 22 matches) as they worked their way impressively to a record 13-point margin at the head of the table.

Leinster's defensive surety has been the bedrock upon which this season's success has been constructed, with last Saturday's three-try collapse in the first half of the Heineken Cup final against Northampton an aberration, swiftly put to bed in the second half when they did not concede a single point.

However, those events could provide a clue as to how things will unfold in Limerick a week later. Northampton profited from Leinster not being at the races in that first period, seemingly unnerved by the big-day pressure and their status as overwhelming favourites. They take to the pitch today as the stronger side seeking to become the first team to complete a Magners-Heineken double.

The question marks centre on their psychological state for, no matter how hard they try to maintain their mental focus for the final chapter of a long season, getting to the same level of intensity they had in the second half against Northampton is a major challenge. Cardiff is a hard act to follow.

For Munster, the psychological test is far simpler. Conclude the season with a trophy which recognises both their league consistency and determination to remain a major force in European rugby regardless of their Heineken and Challenge Cup disappointments this season.

It is safe to assume that, with two weeks of solitary focus behind them, Tony McGahan's men will be at full tilt this evening, just as they were when willpower drove them to victory in their April meeting with Leinster at the same venue.

The problem is that, even if Leinster are at 75pc, the visitors still have the capacity to produce spells of rugby that can leave any team clutching at air and, in keeping with his selections all season, Joe Schmidt has picked a clever side for his last outing in a stunning debut season.

Gordon D'Arcy was not available to start in any case, but Fergus McFadden's selection at inside-centre provides him with the ideal opportunity to send out a powerful message to Ireland coach Declan Kidney as the clock ticks down to the World Cup.

Similarly, Shane Jennings is rewarded for his critical contributions to Leinster's victories in the semi-final and final of the Heineken Cup and if he manages to help effect superiority at the breakdown against Ireland's incumbent No 7, David Wallace, it will give Kidney further food for thought.

Heinke van der Merwe is of no use to Kidney, but, while the South African is not as dynamic as Cian Healy in the loose, he is an accomplished scrummager and his performance could provide an insight to John Hayes' capacity to play a role at New Zealand 2011.

McGahan has stuck with the side that ground its way past the Ospreys in the semi-final, which means Danny Barnes, the two-try hero that day, suddenly finds himself marking Brian O'Driscoll, the best centre of his generation.

Barnes and Lifeimi Mafi face a massive defensive test against the Leinster midfield and the tackles need to go in hard and, in Mafi's case, low enough to prevent yellow cards.

There is talent in the Munster backline, and the back-three play since the return of Felix Jones from injury has shown what can be done with the right combination of belief and attacking brio.

However, Schmidt is among the foremost backline innovators in the game and Munster do not have his coaching equivalent, making it harder to end the try-scoring famine that has hindered them in this fixture.

If Marcus Horan and Hayes can provide a steady scrum and Damien Varley takes advantage of Munster's extra height at line-out time, then it is game on.

The Final Trial element to the clash provides extra incentive for both teams and, if McFadden and Jennings will be bulling for Leinster, then it is safe to say Wallace, James Coughlan, Donnacha Ryan, Conor Murray and Jones will be equally ferocious for the hosts.

Then there is the Ronan O'Gara factor. The out-half will have watched Jonathan Sexton's tour de force in Cardiff with a wry smile for it used to be O'Gara doing the Roy Of the Rovers bit in the Heineken Cup (he was voted the best player of the first 15 years of the competition) and garnering the plaudits afterwards.

Predictions are hazardous in the extreme. Leinster are the better side, but face the greater mental challenge, Munster have last-chance-saloon intensity and a stronger bench, but not the capacity to cope if Schmidt's men hit battle speed.

Expect a furious contest, O'Gara and Coughlan to play key roles for the home side, along with McFadden and Jennings for the guests and very little in it come the final whistle, which may just herald a narrow Leinster win.

Of course, if Munster do manage it, the joke is on Leinster's fans as their red counterparts can revel in the glory of beating the best team in Europe. We'll see.

Verdict: Leinster

- Hugh Farrelly

Irish Independent

IRELAND coach Declan Kidney was handed some good news ahead of tomorrow's preliminary Six Nations squad announcement as Ulster and Leinster allayed injury fears regarding Rory Best and Gordon D'Arcy.

D'Arcy was due to start Leinster's win over Saracens in the RDS but was withdrawn late on due to a calf injury.

However, the centre has not been ruled out of this weekend's trip to Paris to face Racing Metro and a decision on his availability, and that of No 8 Jamie Heaslip, will be made when the team is named on Thursday.

Best was forced from the field in Ulster's narrow win over Biarritz with a rib injury, but Ulster yesterday refused to rule the hooker out of this weekend's trip to Italy to face Aironi in a match that could see the province secure a spot in the last eight of the Heineken Cup for the first time since they won the competition in 1999.

Best's fitness is particularly crucial to Kidney as the luckless Jerry Flannery continues to struggle with injury, though Sean Cronin and Damien Varley provide cover while Ulster's Nigel Brady would be most likely to come into the squad should they suffer any further injuries at hooker.

Full-back is the major area of concern. Geordan Murphy ruled himself out of the Six Nations campaign with an ankle injury while Connacht's Gavin Duffy is in a race to recover in time for the opening match of the tournament in Italy on February 5.

Rob Kearney is still recovering from a knee injury picked up in the Autumn International defeat to the All Blacks.

However, Luke Fitzgerald, who picked up a similar injury to Kearney in the same match, is an option and he completed 80 minutes on the wing for Leinster on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Munster's Donnacha Ryan is a worry as he was on crutches on Sunday night in the wake of the defeat to Toulon.

Kidney will name at least 30 players in his squad tomorrow while an 'A' squad for the clash against Scotland on January 28 will also be announced.

- Donnchadh Boyle

Irish Independent

02nd November 2010 10:45

Fitzgerald: Back for Ireland

Ireland have been boosted by the return of several key players for Saturday's November Test opener against South Africa at Aviva Stadium.

The biggest change comes on the wing where British and Irish Lions' ace Luke Fitzgerald returns to the international side for the first time in 12 months.

Fitzgerald, who last played for Ireland against Australia last November, joins Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney in the back three.

Skipper Brian O'Driscoll has been passed fit to start having recovered from a hamstring injury and will be partnered in midfield by Gordon D'Arcy.

Eoin Reddan has got the nod for the number nine jersey over the vastly experienced Peter Stringer, while Rory Best starts at hooker.

Ulsterman Best missed the June tour to New Zealand and Australia with an ankle injury but he will partner props Tony Buckley and Cian Healey.

In the back row, Stephen Ferris, David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip will look to form a formidable-looking unit.

Kicking king Ronan O'Gara has to settle for a place on the bench, though, with Jonathan Sexton preferred at fly-half.

"I feel good and I'm looking forward to the team coming back to what is essentially our home," said O'Driscoll, who will play his first game in four weeks.

"We've enjoyed our time at Croke Park but now we want to make some memories at the new stadium.

"It would have been disappointing to miss the first game at the new Aviva so I'm looking forward to playing."

Ireland: 15 Robert Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tom Court, 18 Donnacha Ryan, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Keith Earls.

Date: Saturday, November 6
Venue: Aviva Stadium
Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Brice Lawrence (New Zealand), Keith Brown (New Zealand)
Television match official: Hugh Watkins (Wales)

When Eoin O'Malley and Fergus McFadden meet the media, the line of questioning tends to follow a set pattern.

The Leinster centres live their professional lives in the shadows of one of the most famous combinations in world rugby in Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll, and it is inevitable that the rigours of trying to displace Ireland's famed double act are top of the agenda.

Both Old Belvedere backs are patient young men, content to learn from the masters of the art and bide their time for snippets of game time such as this Saturday's Magners League clash with Edinburgh at the RDS.

With the November Internationals looming and the frontliners wrapped in their cotton wool, it's a chance for provincial lesser lights to shine.

O'Malley has played the full 80 minutes three times already this season and came off the bench at Treviso and Edinburgh.

However, when the glitz and glamour of the Aviva Stadium clash with Munster and Heineken Cup rugby against Racing Metro and Saracens rolled into town, the 22-year-old stepped aside.

Part of the issue for O'Malley and McFadden is that the men they shadow are institutions, two of the all-time greats who they grew up trying to mimic on the pitches at school. They may be team-mates, but they were once heroes and the impression is that that's hard to shake.

"They're all still hanging above my bed somewhere," O'Malley jokes when asked if he was an autograph-hunter in his younger days. "I'm sure I was!

"I was just delighted to play alongside these kind of guys, it's a great thing to say. The talent they have makes it a lot easier for you. It was just a big honour.

"It was a bit of a strange one when I first trained with them. I might have been only 18 at the time and I'd spent most of my school days looking up to those guys. My main goal was just to get through the session without making too many mistakes, keep my head down and not cause any stir."

So, having spent four years behind his idols, has O'Malley considered a move to England in search of game time?

Three years younger than McFadden, he believes time is on his side despite both being overlooked in favour of Luke Fitzgerald, adding another mountain to overcome. But after McFadden's Ireland call-up at the end of last season, O'Malley is happy to stay at home and wait his turn.

"Leinster's been a very good place for me to develop," he says. "There's a very good atmosphere around the place -- especially when you're young and training opposite Brian and Gordon every day. You can't get a better apprenticeship.

Frustrations

"I suppose it does have its frustrations at times, but you're constantly learning and then when you do get your chances you have to take them.

"There'll be opportunities hopefully in the next few weeks and there's young lads like myself constantly looking for them. But you can't really say a whole lot if you don't take them.

"Fergus has had a great year or so, even two years. The two of us started off the same way. His Ireland call-up and everything else is encouraging for everyone, not just for me but for other young lads watching it, and he's holding his own in those teams.

"I've played with Ferg a good bit now; even in club and 'A' games over the last few years, it's nice to be playing with each other.

"Ferg's good to play outside -- he's a lot of voice, he's a strong runner, so hopefully as the games go on we'll start to get stronger together."

- Ruaidhri O'Connor

Irish Independent

Luke Fitzgerald, Gordon D'Arcy and Jamie Heaslip in the Ireland commemorative kit to be worn against South Africa on November 6. Photo: Brendan Moran / Sportsfile

NEW ZEALAND captain Richie McCaw carries no grudge towards Jamie Heaslip ahead of next month's clash with Ireland and says he has "moved on" from the red card incident in their last Test encounter in June.

Heaslip was sent off after 15 minutes in New Plymouth for kneeing McCaw at a ruck, with the All Blacks taking advantage of their numerical superiority to romp to a 66-28 victory. The Ireland No 8 served a five-week suspension during the summer and has started the season in superb form for Leinster, captaining the province to four victories in a row in October.

McCaw is looking forward to New Zealand's Grand Slam tour, and the Ireland match at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road on November 20, and says the red card incident has been put firmly in the past.

"These things sometimes happen on the field so you just move on," said McCaw. "I definitely do not carry grudges. I can put that stuff away and get on with the game.

"The Irish game will be the first time we have played at the new stadium so that will be special. If we don't turn up with the right attitude, it will be a tough day. I've never had an easy win in Dublin."

Declan Kidney has called Luke Fitzgerald and Brett Wilkinson into his squad ahead of the November 6 clash with South Africa. South African loose-head Wilkinson, who qualifies for Ireland under the residency rule, covers for the injured Marcus Horan.

Fitzgerald was not named in the original 34-man panel but recovered sufficiently from injury to join up with the squad yesterday.

- Hugh Farrelly

Irish Independent