Castres v Leinster

The Leinster team to face Castres in Sunday afternoon's Heineken Cup Round 5 game in Stade Pierre-Antoine (KO: 1.45pm) has been named...
In total 12 players are retained from the team that lost to Northampton in December with Coach Matt O'Connor making changes at 10 and two changes in the back row.

After a strong performance off the bench last weekend against Connacht in the PRO12, Jimmy Gopperth starts at outhalf. In the back row, Rhys Ruddock has failed to recover from the calf injury suffered in the second half of the game in the Sportsground and as a result Kevin McLaughlin comes back in after a recent lay off with a thumb injury to take his place at 6. The other change sees Jordi Murphy retained at 7, with Shane Jennings on the bench.

Otherwise there is a familiar feel to the Leinster line up with Rob Kearney, Dave Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald as the back three, Fitzgerald having recovered from the illness that ruled him out of last weekend's game at short notice.

Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll are once again selected in the centre while Jimmy Gopperth will be joined at halfback by Eoin Reddan.

In the pack, it is the same front five as selected in December, with Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin and Mike Ross in the front row, with Devin Toner and Mike McCarthy packing down behind.

In the back row Jamie Heaslip will captain the side from 8, with the aforementioned Murphy and McLaughlin beside him.

Sunday's game also marks Rob Kearney's 50th Heineken Cup appearance and as a result he will be awarded an ERC Elite Award. The Louth native will be presented with a specially commissioned ERC cap after the game and joins other Leinster players like Gordon D'Arcy, Leo Cullen, Shane Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll and Malcolm O'Kelly on the list.

Gordon D'Arcy is only five appearances short of 100 Heineken Cup caps and would become the first Leinster player to achieve such a feat.

There was further good news from the Leinster camp with the news that Fergus McFadden has come through training this week unscathed and will be in contention for a place in the squad for the visit of the Ospreys in Round 6 of the Heineken Cup next Friday.

LEINSTER:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Dave Kearney
13: Brian O'Driscoll
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jimmy Gopperth
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Jack McGrath
2: Sean Cronin
3: Mike Ross
4: Devin Toner
5: Mike McCarthy
6: Kevin McLaughlin
7: Jordi Murphy
8: Jamie Heaslip CAPTAIN

REPLACEMENTS:
16: Aardon Dundon
17: Jack O'Connell
18: Martin Moore
19: Leo Cullen
20: Shane Jennings
21: Isaac Boss
22: Ian Madigan
23: Zane Kirchner

REFEREE: Nigel Owens (WRU), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Sean Brickell and Jon Mason (both WRU) CITING COMMISSIONER: Shaun Gallagher (ERU) TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU)

Good to see Owens in charge.

I saw that Tracy was added to the HEC squad, does that mean theres no injury replacement coming in for strauss? Dundons shown he can make the step up but if theres any other injuries we'd have tracy on the bench.

Bonus point win for Leinster.

15. Dulin
14. Grosso
13. Bai
12. Lamerat
11. Evans
10. Tales
9. Garcia
8. Faasalele
7. Diarra
6. Babillot
5. Samson
4. Gray
3. Wihongi
2. Rallier
1. Forestier

Replacements
Mach, Lazar, Desroche, Cabellero, Tomas, Kirkpatrick, Garvey, Peikrishvilli


Not too familiar with the Castres squad but it looks a good team to me. Away in France to a team doing well in the top 14 and still able to qualify in the heineken cup. Cant see this been an easy match.

Another blow for Madigan. I thought they should try to move the ball more because Castres are typical French with a big pack.


Jordi Murphy preferred to Jennings in SOBs absence. It'll be interesting to see how he goes.

profitius wrote:Another blow for Madigan. I thought they should try to move the ball more because Castres are typical French with a big pack.

Maybe they want to move them round with the boot like Rog would.

profitius wrote:

Jordi Murphy preferred to Jennings in SOBs absence. It'll be interesting to see how he goes.

We need a carrier with no SOB or Healy. I would not have been surprised to see Ryan on the bench either. Leo and Jeno for their nous and leadership I suspect.

We are seeing the changing of the guard this season. Jennings and Cullen are no longer critical to Leinster's first XV displays and the depth behind them is starting to pass them out.

Experience and leadership still not to be underestimated.  But I'm surprised how well the pack has transitioned those two legends out over the last 12 months.

Golden wrote:Good to see Owens in charge.

Still think it gives Rabo teams a slightly unfair advantage having Rabo ref's in European games, and no I'm not implying Owens is a cheat or anything, just that all leagues have their own styles and interpretations that Leinster & Owens will be totally familiar with it. Think it should have been a AP ref (maybe Wayne Barnes, you can keep him afterwards if you like  ). It's a hard enough ask for Castres as it is.

Not saying it will make a difference on the result, even if it was a french ref can't see it being anything other than a home win plus bonus point for the boys in blue.

B91212 wrote:
Not saying it will make a difference on the result, even if it was a french ref can't see it being anything other than a home win plus bonus point for the boys in blue.

I'm hoping we can do better than a LBP. Would take 0 3 win now.

Or is it that you think the game is in Dublin?

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:Or is it that you think the game is in Dublin?

Sh*t, sorry thought it was in Dublin for some reason. Should have known better after Saints playing at the RDS last time round. I revise me prediction, Leinster win although not so sure about a BP. Them there French teams seem to have a some pride when it comes to home games regardless of if they will proceed or not.

Still stick by my original point regarding the ref, shouldn't be a Rabo official due to familiarity.

Okay, I'll go there.  There are no Rabo referees.  All the referees are within the respective Unions.  So for a european cup game between an Irish and French team the referee is from Wales.  I'd hardly call that bias.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Owens has been involved in as many games involving Leinster in the HCup as he has games involving Leinster in the Rabo/Celtic league at this stage.

But all leagues have their own idiosyncrasies and slight deviations on how certain rules are interpreted, next to impossible not to have. You must admit that the Leinster players will be much more familiar with Owens than Castres will be.  I deliberately didn't use the word bias, because I don't think it is that. Owens is a top official and will ref it how he sees it, it's just that the interpretations will be how they are in the Rabo because that is what he (and Leinster) are used to.

An example would be a couple of years ago in the prem. In the league games we just about couldn't challenge the ruck without fear of getting pinged by the ref for this or that. Came up against the Irish in the HC with a non prem ref and got (rightly) blown away at the breakdown as our lads were all just holding onto each others backsides and not actually protecting the ball as in our domestic games the ref was doing the protecting for us!

I feel that there is no reason ref's from the same domestic league should have to do the European games involving those same teams.

Arguably the best Loose head in world rugby and allround good guy Cian Healy back to claim a bench spot.

Stream on the match thread on Leinsterfans for anyone in need.

Saints played in Lansdowne rd not RDS last time out.

Coybib.

is someone able to PM a good link to the game?

Sent goon.

Shocking Leinster defense for that Castres try.

Leinster playing into a massive wind, have to hope its theirs in the second half and doesn't die down.

Oh dodger beat me to it. Sent one to.

Losing Scrums against the head could mean a long afternooon

Great break by Reddan and then Heaslip but the support is just too slow and the ball gets pinched.

Well....that all came from a blatant in at the side at the Castres line.  Don't know how Owens didn't call that.

Yikes lovely try by Castres, but three leinster players got bounced off the castres player and he was still able to pass out to grosso

Leinster will come back. Believe.

thanks, not looking good!

Well I can only assume that Diarra has some wonderful knowledge of the breakdown because for me he is blatantly not going through the gate and coming in at the side.

That was a strange call from Owens, Castres scrum marching forward deep in the leinster half and he blows up against them.

Cronins throwing has been really good this year.

Golden wrote:That was a strange call from Owens, Castres scrum marching forward deep in the leinster half and he blows up against them.

Owens has given Leinster 3 weird calls in a row...

Goppereth over 14-7

Gopperth! Yo! Great scrum lads. Normal order is being be resumed. Do not adjust yer mindsets.

Believe.

Good man Nidge.

Leinster scum got pulverised there

MOC must sort this scrum out. May need Healy on soon. And Cullen.

Seremi Bai is having a great game at 13 for Castres.

Leinster are getting absolutely bullied, the scum, the breakdown and especially the contact area.

Devin Toner ... I just don't rate him - that was a terrible penalty to give away and I think he has a negative impact in any pack at the scrum.  The 8 can't bind properly cause Toner usually 5 inches taller than his second row partner and he his frame is not conducive to generating a lot of power for the front row.

Gopperth!

Wow two tries for goppereth. I think MOC will be delighted to go into half time now and get the wind at their back for the second.

Yesss, back in the game. We need to shore up the set piece tho.

With that strong wind at our backs I think getting Kearney and Goppereth kicking the corners and bring on leo and Healy to try boss the line out and breakdown could be the way to go

Mon Castres.

Allez mes beaux.

Croyez!

Feic off Portnoy!  :-)

Bring on the 2nd half. Need that ex-Tiger bozo to sort the scrum out and we are home and dry.

Believe.

Mon Leinster, we've taken their best and ate it up. Now lets give em ours.

If Castres and Northampton do win, it will make a semiinteresting last round at least (although I dont have much faith in the Ospreys to get any sort of result in dublin)

Castres are not going to win Wolf.

That was an absolutely brilliant turnover by Gopperth close to the line.

Think Jennings needs to come on. McLoughlin has been quiet.

Cant believe they went for the scum?   

Scum? We eat Chateaubriand for brekkie roysh.

Jennnnnnnnno !

Good call Golden. Its always my call. They will get phhokall at the breakdown now.

Great turnover on their own line again. But the tackling has been poor

Desperate turnovers on the line for Leinster. What on earth is going on with Leinsters defence?