Tigers targeting a scalp as Leinster return to Welford Road

THERE’S NO AVOIDING the past when it comes to Leinster v Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup. Four European Cup meetings in the 1990s, seven more between the years 2000-2011. Four in the previous two seasons, including two across the 2023/24 campaign. That’s a lot of history between two of this competition’s most storied clubs.

On Wednesday evening Leo Cullen was walking through Dublin when he bumped into David Wallace. The encounter threw him right back to a horrible wet October day in 2006, when Cullen wore a Tigers jersey and Wallace was part of a Munster team that came to Welford Road and ended Leicester’s 26-match unbeaten home run – Ronan O’Gara kicking the decisive score from a penalty which still irks the Leinster boss.

“Nigel Owens’ decision… He actually penalised Shane Jennings for an extra 10 metres because the ball just squirted out of a ruck and it was a penalty,” Cullen remembers.

“But Nigel thought he threw the ball away, which he actually didn’t! ROG wasn’t going to kick it from, whatever, 61 metres, but he kicked it from 51 metres and it went over. It was a brutal day.”

Cullen will hope his Leinster team don’t get sucked into a similar arm wrestle when they take to the pitch at Welford Road this evening [KO 8pm, Premier Sports 1].

He’s freshened up the side that mixed good and bad in beating an understrength Harlequins in round one. For most of the 24 teams competing in this Champions Cup, seven changes would mark a significant swing in quality but such is Leinster’s depth that 22 of their matchday 23 are full internationals, the exception being 22-year-old lock Diarmuid Mangan, set to win his third Champions Cup cap off the bench.

Of the seven added to the first XV, the men wearing 10 and 13 offer the most intrigue. Despite not being part of Andy Farrell’s November squad, Harry Byrne must have been interested to see his name dropped into the out-half conversation more than once by the Ireland head coach – that felt as much a message to Byrne as he did the 10s who were in Farrell’s camp.

Byrne, 26, has had a fine start to the season and has earned a starting role in a big European game. He’s looked confident and more physical since returning from a revitalising short loan spell at Bristol and a couple of good outings over this busy Christmas period would surely push him into a Six Nations squad.

Days like these have been hard-earned for a player who has endured a desperate run with injuries. Think back to this time in 2020, when Byrne was poised to make his first Champions Cup start as a 21-year-old at home to Northampton Saints, but had to drop out minutes before kick-off after picking up a back injury in the warm-up.

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Five years on, he’s about to experience just his fifth Champions Cup start – and two of those came on loan at Bristol last year. This might not be the free-flowing, open game in which Byrne gets a licence to thrill but even that could stand to him. How Cullen (and Farrell) would love to see the out-half negotiate his way through a tight, ugly game at Welford Road, a venue Cullen feels is one of the hardest places to visit in world rugby.

The same applies to Rieko Ioane at 13. The All Black with pace to burn and a stunning skillset has been brought in to sprinkle some stardust in the Leinster backline but he might need to pick and choose his moments here. Last weekend’s second-half cameo was a nice introduction to his new club but tonight should be a more attritional welcome to northern hemisphere club rugby. It’s expected to be wet morning in Leicester but the skies are due to clear long before kick-off.

“You’re just hoping he gets on the ball and produces in terms of what he’s able to do,” Cullen says.

So the ball in space, he’s going to be incredibly dangerous because (the way) he moves, he’s an incredible athlete.

“Ideally you want to see him get ball in space but everyone else on the team will have to do a lot of work to make that happen. The forwards need to make sure to do their piece first in terms of how our half-backs control the game. And then we can try and get the ball into some space hopefully. It’s not like you can start by just going, ‘Okay, we’ll try and get the ball into this guy’s hands if there’s no space created’. So we need to create space for him first and foremost.”

Leicester are currently fourth in the Prem and unbeaten at home this season [wins v Harlequins, Bath and Sale], but are not the force of old. Although as Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde put it earlier this week, they are a club who seem to have “re-found their identity.”

“They pride themselves on being the best at anything that doesn’t require talent,” McBryde said.

So imagine the message in Tigers training this week as they prepare to host a Leinster side bursting with internationals, but yet to properly hit their stride this season.

There’s a sense out there Leinster themselves might not be the force of old, and Leicester have put a target on this game, fielding a younger selection in defeat away to La Rochelle in round one and welcoming back internationals Freddie Steward, Joe Heyes, Jamie Blamire, Tommy Reffell and Nicky Smith tonight. And yet a lengthy injury list which includes Ollie Chessum, George Martin, Hanro Liebenberg and Jack van Poortvliet may prove damaging. 

Expect the home team to go the skies and kick often. Head coach Geoff Parling has noted Leicester’s kicking game was his first point of focus when he took on the job in the summer, leaving his role as an assistant coach with Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.

Parling is no stranger to Leinster, having spent time behind the scenes with the province last season – one of many coaches across various sports to have taken a glimpse behind the curtain at Leinster HQ.

The former England international has a strong understanding of his club’s DNA. Parling won two Premiership titles in his playing days with Leicester and has not tried to overhaul the system which saw the Tigers reach last year’s Premiership final, where Michael Cheika’s men were narrowly beaten by Bath. Over the summer they lost Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Julian Montoya and Handre Pollard, but brought in Wallaby veteran James O’Connor (not involved tonight), highly-rated hooker Jamie Blamire and Argentinian flanker Joaquin Moro.

“It’s still based on strong fundamentals, isn’t it?” Cullen says of the Tigers gameplan.

“Like scrum setpiece, lineout maul. It’s been a bit of a disjointed start to the season, as we know, and there has been a bit of chopping and changing in their team as well.

“They still have the same attack coach as they had last year, so they have some continuity there. They still will kick a lot from nine, a very strong aerial game, both wingers are very quick fellas, so good in the air. We expect that aerial bombardment coming our way, so (it’s about) making sure we deal with that.”

Cullen was back on the playing books at Leinster the last time Leicester recorded a win against the province [2008]. On paper, it’s a game Leinster should win with some comfort, although the same was said before a depleted Harlequins troubled Cullen’s team last week.

LEICESTER TIGERS: Freddie Steward; Adam Radwan, Will Wand, Solomone Kata, Ollie Hassell-Collins; Billy Searle, Tom Whiteley; Nicky Smith, Jamie Blamire, Joe Heyes; Cameron Henderson, Harry Wells; James Thompson, Tommy Reffell (capt), Joaquin Moro.

Replacements: Finn Theobald-Thomas, Archie van der Flier, Will Hurd, Tom Manz, Sam Williams, Ollie Allan, Orlando Bailey, Joe Woodward.

LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien; Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Diarmuid Mangan, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Ciarán Frawley.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra).