Ulster Rugby v Leinster

ARTICLE BY ROD NAWN FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND SPORTS ENTHUSIAST @RODNAWN1

the Kiss-Gibbes demands for greater accuracy and defensive concentration were clearly correct. Those arguments will have been made again very forcefully this week as attention very seriously turned to the arrival of Leinster to Kingspan Stadium for what will be the penultimate round of league games before the autumn internationals. The sides on the pitch this evening include the cream of Ireland’s talent pool, and individuals would be less than human if they weren’t aware of how important their form and that of their team will be as Joe Schmidt ponders his squad for the games with South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. And while Ulster can rightly boast of its strong core of locally-bred talent, Leinster has the remarkable claim of having on its senior books no fewer than 45 players, all but four qualified for Ireland. The RDS operation has a flourishing academy and recruitment system, its senior management is overwhelmingly Irish, so it is more understandable these days that the Irish supremo includes so many Lions in the international group. Ulster will be more than merely heartened by Rory Best’s return to the fold after injury, and Andrew Trimble’s record-breaking appearance in La Rochelle. That intelligent centre Darren Cave’s return in France demonstrates the quality and depth Ulster has in midfield, and perhaps Kiss and Jono Gibbes will feel emboldened to be less elastic in selection each week as fans do, sometimes, question changes to the starting line-up and the timing of replacements during matches. Mind you, we all do well to accept that these are professional rugby people with coaching and management insights which are not always clear to the supporter or, indeed, the professional observer! What is definitely being pursued is a squad, healthy and in-form, ready for the very considerable challenge of the late autumn and winter months. The focus on Leinster will be fierce, and history adds to the normal competitive ‘edge’ of these encounters, so it promises to be a compelling occasion for spectators. It will be attritional at times, it will be collision-heavy, but

with Iain Henderson finding the form to match his well-deserved reputation, Best back in harness and John Cooney, Stuart McCloskey, Stockdale and Piutau just part of the backline firepower Ulster is well-equipped. Leinster will hope to have a healthy squad from which to select, so Jonny Sexton will want to bring his steely demeanour and considerable gifts into play, while Joey Carberry, Robbie Henshaw, Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner and Rhys Ruddock hint at the armoury available to Cullen. Ulster-Leinster clashes have a special cachet, there is something cherished about coming out on top in these games, and while they are more frequent now than in days of wintry yore they are possessed still of a capacity to give the winning side and fans a warm satisfaction. Tonight’s contest will be furious and committed in rugby intent, and it is such an essentially Irish match that it will generate quite an atmosphere inside the Kingspan arena. An atmosphere quite unlike any other, so savour it.

ROD NAWN

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