Saturday 26 May 2012

Leinster Lose O'Brien for Osprey Final


Leinster are without injured flanker Sean O'Brien for Sunday's RaboDirect Pro12 Grand Final against Ospreys.

Shane Jennings starts at seven, Heinke van der Merwe and Sean Cronin come into the front row, and Devin Toner replaces the benched Brad Thorn at lock.

Scrum-half Isaac Boss has failed to shake off a muscle injury, while prop Cian Healy will face a late fitness test on his dead leg.

Ospreys have no new injury concerns but start with Rhys Webb at scrum-half.

That sees Kahn Fotuali'i drop to the bench at the Royal Dublin Society Showground as Ospreys try to stop Heineken Cup champions Leinster claiming a trophy double.

Wales record try scorer Shane Williams will play his last game in an Ospreys shirt before retirement, while prop Paul James will depart to play his rugby for Bath after this game.

"It's a huge game, a massive occasion for Ospreys rugby, and everybody is really excited about Sunday," said Ospreys coach Steve Tandy.

"Leinster are a great team. What they've achieved in Europe over the last four years speaks for itself, and the nature of their win against Ulster last weekend means that they'll be full of confidence.

"Playing at home in front of their own fans is another bonus for them and will make the task even more difficult for us.

For Leinster Brian O'Driscoll and Rob Kearney were fitness doubts before the European decider against Ulster last week, but came through unscathed and line up in an unchanged backline.

Jack McGrath is on standby to replace Healy on the bench if the prop fails to recover in time, while open-side flanker O'Brien lost his battle to recover from a knee injury.

Sunday's game will mark the final appearance of short-term signing, All Black World Cup winner Thorn while it will also be Nathan White's last involvement for Leinster before his summer move to Connacht.

Last year Leinster won the Heineken Cup against Northampton Saints, but went on to lose the league final against Munster.

The Ospreys have won their last six Pro12 encounters including a 23-22 victory against Leinster at the Royal Dublin Showground - the scene of the final. They also had a stunning 45-10 home victory in the Pro12 semi-final over Munster.

"Previous games won't count for a thing on Sunday, it's all about the day and who handles the pressure the best," added Tandy.

"We know that we have to improve in certain areas, we were guilty of putting ourselves under unnecessary pressure in the Munster match and that meant we had to rely too heavily on our defence.

"We don't want to have to do that on Sunday, we want to try and be more composed and look to dictate territory better."

Leinster: Rob Kearney; Fergus McFadden, Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Isa Nacewa; Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Heinke van der Merwe, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross, Leo Cullen (capt), Devin Toner, Kevin McLaughlin, Shane Jennings, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Cian Healy/Jack McGrath, Nathan White, Brad Thorn, Dominic Ryan, John Cooney, Ian Madigan, David Kearney.

Ospreys: Richard Fussell; Hanno Dirksen, Andrew Bishop, Ashley Beck, Shane Williams; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Ian Evans, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Joe Bearman.
Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Ryan Bevington, Aaron Jarvis, James King, Tom Smith, Kahn Fotuali'i, Matthew Morgan, Tom Isaacs.

Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Neil Paterson (Scotland)

Citing Commissioner: Denis Templeton (Ireland)

TMO: Giulio de Santis (Italy)


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