Zebre fright leaves Leinster primed for Kings
Forty-four points separate Leinster and Southern Kings at the top and bottom of Conference B.
The Guinness PRO14 champions have 63 points and 13 wins from the opening 15 rounds, while the South African side have just 19 points and two wins from the same number of games. Yet, Barry Daly says Leinster must not become complacent after almost slipping up against Zebre last weekend — the side bottom of Conference A, with one point fewer than Kings.
“We can’t exactly put our finger on it but we probably got a little bit complacent,” said Daly. “We were 21-0 up after some nice easy, flowing tries and we thought we could phone it in or keep cruising along for the last 60 minutes. They obviously showed us what they can do and it took a lot to get control of the game back. There was a lot to look at and learn from. It’s better than we learn the lessons now.”
Daly will be given another chance to impress tonight, with the Dubliner starting at full back for only the second time in his 31 Leinster appearances.
“Rob [Kearney] and Jordan [Larmour] are both in Ireland camp, Dave Kearney played 15 last week, Hugo Keenan has gone back to the Ireland sevens again, it’s a bit of versatility for us for some of the challenges we face later in the season,” said Leo Cullen.
“It’s a great chance for Barry, he’s been stepping in there in training, it’s a big ask for him, but it’s a great chance for him to showcase his skills.” Fergus McFadden, recovered from a hamstring injury, will make his first appearance since October on the wing, with James Lowe on the opposite side. Noel Reid and Conor O’Brien start in midfield, with Hugh O’Sullivan partnering Ross Byrne at halfback.
Up front, Andrew Porter starts, having been released from Ireland camp, and the international tighthead will be packing down with a new face – with Rónan Kelleher making his debut at hooker.
The 21-year-old, brother of Connacht back Cian, will become the 54th Leinster player to make a senior appearance this season. Ed Byrne, Mick Kearney and captain Ross Molony complete the tight five, with Josh Murphy, Max Deegan and Caelan Doris forming the same backrow that started against Zebre.
LEINSTER: B Daly, F McFadden, C O’Brien, N Reid, J Lowe, R Byrne, H O’Sullivan, E Byrne, R Kelleher, A Porter, R Molony, M Kearney, J Murphy, M Deegan, C Doris.
Replacements: J Tracy, P Dooley, M Bent, J Dunne, S Fardy, P Patterson, J O’Brien, R O’Loughlin.
SOUTHERN KINGS: U Beyers, Y Penxe, M Rokoua, B Klaasen, B Basson, B Pretorius, Sa Pretorius, A Tshakweni, M Willemse, D Terblanche, S Greeff, D van Schalkwyk, H Brown, T Burger, R Lerm.
Replacements: A van Rooyen, S Ferreira, P Scholtz, JC Astle, A Ntsila, S Ungerer, T Kruger, M Banda.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU).
