Fired-up Leinster are on revenge mission

FOR all of the banality surrounding players and coaches alike insisting they never look beyond the upcoming game, a rare slip of the guard from Leo Cullen yesterday told you everything you needed to know about who and what has been dominating the majority of Leinster’s focus.

Since being beaten by Toulouse back in October, the champions have been gunning for revenge and, while they have since twice swatted aside the challenge of Bath, this is the one they have been building towards.

This season’s Heineken Champions Cup may have been something of a slow burner up to this point, but the sight alone of the four stars above both Leinster’s and Toulouse’s crest is enough to fully ignite Europe’s premier competition.

“For us, we have been very fixated on this game for a while,” Cullen admitted.

“I know we’ve had three big inter-pros over the course of the Christmas period but this is the one that is, not at the back of our mind, because it’s closer to the front of our minds.

“It’s an unbelievable challenge.”

That Leinster have arrived at what is effectively a pool decider without 14 of their internationals Toulouse Leinster Bath Wasps 4 4 4 4 4 3 0 0 0 0 1 1

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hampers their chances, especially considering an in-form Toulouse side have arrived in Dublin fully locked and loaded.

The French outfit are unbeaten in 12 games, including that thrilling win over Leinster at the Stade Ernest Wallon, and after recovering from an early hiccup in their pool opener against Bath in which Freddie Burns had his moment to forget, Toulouse have looked back to their best.

So much is justifiably made of Leinster’s remarkable strength in depth, yet that will be pushed to the limit today.

Their three main leaders in the back-line — Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw and Rob Kearney — will be sorely missed, but as Cullen pointed out, this is a chance for the likes of Ross Byrne and Rory O’Loughlin to stand up and be counted.

“Yeah, there’s a good few guys that are unavailable, but if you look at the names there’s still a tonne of experience there,” Cullen maintained. Finalists in two of the past three years, among the four best teams in Europe once again and with a budget to match, it is no surprise to see Racing 92 arrive in Belfast for a first time with an array of stars and big name players. Teddy Thomas, a try-scorer when these sides last met, picked up an injury last weekend but the Parisians’ back three is still incredibly potent.

Simon Zebo is a player that needs little introduction having made his name with Munster and Ireland while his opposite wing Juan Imhoff is another familiar figure given his exploits for Argentina.

At full-back Brice Dulin will be looking to make something of a statement after missing out on the France squad for the Six Nations thanks to a long run of injuries, the most serious and recent of which were damaged knee ligaments.

There has been a change at scrumhalf with Maxime Machenaud back in the nine jersey with Teddy Iribaren on the bench. The key though is Finn Russell. The Scottish flyhalf has been enjoying his time in Paris and can be inspired.

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