EXETER v LEINSTER TOM 5.30PM
LEO HAS NO FEAR ABOUT RING RUST
By DAIRE WALSH
LEINSTER head coach Leo Cullen is confident that Ireland centre Garry Ringrose will be ready to take on Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Sunday – despite having just 71 minutes of rugby under his belt this season.
Ringrose made a try-scoring return from injury in last weekend’s PRO14 victory over Benetton Treviso.
Explaining his decision to select him in the Leinster midfield alongside Robbie Henshaw, Cullen said: “It is probably the exposure to big games he’s had over the last 18 months, two years. What gives us the confidence? Just seeing him training over the last couple of weeks. He was dropped back in for that game. We probably could have pushed for the week before as well.”
“But we were cautious with knowing what big games we had coming up. He has trained well and it is based off what he’s done in training and the game he did play. He looks ready to go.”
Cullen has gone for an experienced back three of Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden and Isa Nacewa for the trip to the reigning Aviva Premiership champions.
However, Academy star Jordan Larmour has been included among the replacements and is in line to make his European debut if he is called into action.
Larmour announced his arrival on the professional scene with a superb performance against Ulster back in October, and with three tries from eight appearances in the PRO14, Cullen feels the 20-year-old can bring a different dimension to the Leinster play.
He added: “When Noel Reid got injured, we made a very good decision to bring him on two minutes into the Ulster game. He made an immediate impact, and he is a ball of energy.
“He provides real impact off the bench, we hope. He gives us good variety, because he has played at 15, on the left wing and in the centre as well. So that gave him the edge over a few other lads.”
Cullen was joined in UCD by Rob Kearney, who is hoping to carry his form with Ireland during the recent Guinness Series into club level.
He previously encountered Exeter in the 2012/13 Heineken Cup and has kept a keen eye on their development in the intervening years.
“They are a team that we have admired over the last few years. Winning the Premiership last year was very impressive and the manner in which they did it,” Kearney said.
“When you win the league the year before, a competitive and ambitious team will automatically look towards Europe. So we know that they are really eyeing up these two games in particular.”
LEINSTER: R Kearney; F McFadden, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, I Nacewa; J Sexton, L McGrath; C Healy, S Cronin, T Furlong; D Toner, S Fardy; R Ruddock, S O’Brien, J Conan.
Replacements: J Tracy, J McGrath, M Bent, J Ryan, J van der Flier, J Gibson-Park, R Byrne, J Larmour.