The Limecat was indisposed so he asked me to post it up
LONDON WASPS v LEINSTER
Twickenham, Saturday, 17-1-09 - 5.35 Kick-off
Television: Live – Sky Sports 2, Highlights RTE2: 21.15
This is the big one!
Leinster meet Wasps this Saturday in Twickenham in a make-or-break match. Win and Leinster are through as group winners, simple as that! Lose and……well it gets kinda complicated at that stage with a myriad of scenarios regarding bonus points and head to head records, so let’s just think about the win. It’s predicted that Leinster will bring with them their largest ever travelling support, with estimates between seven and eight thousand fans making the trip. This should be bolstered by ex-pats living in London so hopefully the Blue Army can make it a home game in terms of atmosphere and noise.
It’s going to be a tough, tense match. Wasps will no doubt be out for revenge after the 41-11 hammering back in October and will come out all guns blazing. Leinster’s form hasn’t been great overall in the last two months, although they’ve still been digging out wins. Much of the credit for this has to go to the defensive coach Kurt McQuilkin, who has seen his side concede only 3 tries in the last seven games. In fact they’ve only conceded ten tries in fourteen games overall this season, a massive improvement on recent years (at the same point last season, they’d conceded twenty three tries in fourteen games). Admittedly, last season’s start was disrupted by World Cup and that will affect the stats but there’s no doubt that Leinster have become a much harder team to break down.
Last week was a perfect example of this as Leinster were often camped in their twenty two under immense pressure from Cardiff but the tackles kept coming in. Their line was breeched once but even that was a highly dubious try. It’s a known fact in rugby that defense wins championships. This may seem a negative notion but it’s simply a statement of reality. This is because the defense is always your base from which you start. The offensive game may fire or it may not, but as long as your defense is tight, you’re always in with a chance of snatching a win. Leinster’s recent run is testament to this.
Leinster’s defense will have to be resolute once again this weekend. Wasps present a massive physical challenge and it’s easy to forget that even in the wake of the thirty-point win in October Leinster paid a high price in terms of causalities. Brian O’Driscoll and captain Leo Cullen had to go off injured in the first half and plenty of other players limped off the field as Leinster emptied their bench. Facing down the physical challenge was the founding stone of that victory and Leinster will have to front up to the same level to win on Saturday.
Wasps came into this match on the back of far better results than they did in October. Like Leinster, they’ve won five of their last six matches. As with Leinster, the performances have been less than stellar, but they’ve been grinding out results. With Wasps we’ve almost come to expect their second half of the season charge that has earned them so many titles in the last seven seasons. This season though, they’ve really left themselves a lot to do to get into contention for a semi-final spot in the Guinness Premiership, lying ninth in the table, fourteen points off the top four. As they’re out of the EDF cup, they may view the Heineken Cup as their last realistic chance of silverware this season.
So Wasps won’t be lacking in motivation but they are somewhat hampered by injuries. They’re carrying a number of knocks and Tom Palmer, Raphael Ibanez and Tom Rees are big losses. However they can still put out a very strong team with twelve full internationals. In place of Palmer and Ibanez, Richard Birkett and Rob Webber start and they have an excellent replacement for Rees in the hugely experienced Serge Betsen. They’re captained by prop Phil Vickery and England internationals Tim Payne, Simon Shaw, Joe Worsley and James Haskell complete a pack to be reckoned with.
Danny Cipriani starts at ten and he’ll be under pressure in the wake of some recent poor form and speculation about his future. Ireland’s Eoin Reddan partners him and he’ll be looking to put in a big performance to impress the watching Declan Kidney. Dominic Waldouck partners Riki Flutey in the centre and Paul Sackey, Mark Van Gisbergen and Josh Lewsey make up a hugely experienced back three.
For Leinster the big news is that Isa Nacewa retains the number ten jersey. After being withdrawn early last week, there was heavy speculation that Felipe Contepomi would move back to fly-half but Michael Chieka has kept faith with the Fijian. The only change to the Leinster backline is Luke Fitzgerald’s return on the left wing in place of Gordon D’Arcy who drops to the bench. Rob Kearney’s recent excellent form sees him retain the full-back slot with Girvan Dempsey staying on the bench.
The pack shows three changes from the one that started against Cardiff last week. Hooker Bernard Jackman makes a welcome return after knee surgery and he makes up the provisional front row with Stan Wright and CJ van der Linde, although both props are bracketed with Cian Healy and Ollie Le Roux so it remains to be seen how they’ll start. In the second row Malcolm O’Kelly gets the nod to start alongside Leo Cullen. Big Mal has been used sparingly in recent weeks and should be up for a big performance. With his suspension over-turned yesterday, Shane Jennings comes back at openside flanker with Sean O’Brien dropping to the bench. The other two back-rows, Rocky Elsom and Jamie Heaslip, will need to lead from the front in terms of hard yards and big hits.
Both sets of fans will be living on their nerves for this one as the implications of defeat for both clubs’ seasons are massive. Leinster can win but they’ll need to produce their most complete performance of the season to do it. The kicking from hand will need to be accurate and the chasing relentless. They’ll have to approach the breakdown like a warzone with bodies put on the line from the start. They’ll have to improve massively on their handling and make sure that any chances that come their way are finished off ruthlessly. And finally, they’ll have to tackle with the ferocity to drive Wasps back in the tackle.
Do all that for the full eighty minutes and the win will be theirs!!
Jim O’Connor ©
LEINSTER:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Shane Horgan
13: Brian O’Driscoll
12: Felipe Contepomi
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Isa Nacewa
9: Chris Whitaker
1: Stan Wright / Cian Healy
2: Bernard Jackman
3: CJ van der Linde / Ollie le Roux
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Malcolm O’Kelly
6: Rocky Elsom
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip
REPLACEMENTS:
16: John Fogarty
17: Cian Healy / Ollie le Roux
18: Trevor Hogan
19: Sean O’Brien
20: Chris Keane
21: Gordon D’Arcy
22: Girvan Dempsey
NOT CONSIDERED DUE TO INJURY: Stephen Knoop (Neck)
LONDON WASPS
15. Mark Van Gisbergen
14. Paul Sackey
13. Dominic Waldouck
12. Riki Flutey
11. Josh Lewsey
10. Danny Cipriani
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Tim Payne
2. Rob Webber
3. Phil Vickery (C)
4. Simon Shaw
5. Richard Birkett
6. Joe Worsley
7. Serge Betsen
8. James Haskell
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Joe Ward
17. Tom French
18. George Skivington
19. Dan Leo
20. Joe Simpson
21. Dave Walder
22. Tom Voyce
REFEREE: Christophe Berdos (F), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Jean Luc Rebollal (F), Patrick Bellet (F), 4th OFFICIAL: Stuart Terheege, 5th OFFICIAL: Malcolm Sinclair, TMO: Daniel Gillet (F)
Wasps Leinster Match Preview
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