Leinster v Northampton preview: Supercharged Irish outfit to drown Saints in Croke Park ‘sea of blue’

Dylan Coetzee
Split with Leinster's Caelan Doris and Northampton Saints' Courtney Lawes.

Split with Leinster's Caelan Doris and Northampton Saints' Courtney Lawes.

Then there were four remaining in the quest for European glory as Premiership leaders Northampton Saints travel to one of the Champions Cup favourites Leinster for a mouth-watering semi-final.

Leinster have long been an extremely powerful side but have lacked the silverware to verify that over the last couple of seasons, with their last title coming in the last edition of the PRO14. The Irish giants are desperate to change that at a packed-out Croke Park, which is expecting more than 82,000 fans.

The province consists almost completely of Ireland Six Nations winners and for a team of their obvious quality only the title in hand is good enough, especially after finally beating La Rochelle in the quarter-finals after losing to Ronan O’Gara’s team in the last two finals of the tournament.

Standing in Leinster’s way is a growing Saints side that are looking better and better as the season ages. The Premiership side may be written off by many ahead of the clash but the Courtney Lawes-inspired side certainly has what it takes to rattle their opponents even at such a big ground like Croke Park.

The balance in the Saints side is rather impressive with tried and tested combinations that can be relied on but the hurdle they face to keep their silverware double alive is massive.

Whichever way the ball might bounce at the weekend it is going to be a massive occasion and an advert for the game.

Team news

Leinster have brought back all of their starters after resting them over the last two weeks while a younger squad travelled South Africa. Caelan Doris skippers the side that includes seven Ireland internationals including the front-row of Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter.

In the backline, Jamie Osborne gets the nod alongside Robbie Henshaw while the rest of the positions essentially pick themselves. Head coach Leo Cullen has gone for a 5-3 split on the bench.

For Saints, recent hero George Hendy gets a start on the wing in an exciting-looking backline that will be run by Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell who are the half-backs on the day.

Lawes captains the side as they become the first English team to play at Croke Park with Alex Moon and Alex Coles as the second-rows. The front-row of Alex Waller, Curtis Langdon and Trevor Davison will have to be on their toes.

Northampton have also gone for a regular 5-3 split on their bench.

Where the game will be won

Leinster are extremely well drilled and execute the fundamentals of the game very well whether it is clever exits from their own territory or that meticulous multi-phase attack that relentlessly sends runners at the defence. If the Irish side settles into a rhythm and hoards possession then their quality will eventually break down the Saints defence regardless of how committed the side is.

Ultimately, Smith, amongst others needs to take the flow of the game away from Leinster and not all the Irish side to dominate possession. That brings in the rush defence of Leinster that has improved but is still not flawless and a clever Saints attack might be able to exploit any bad decision-making. For all of this to happen, the Northampton forwards will have to achieve at least parity in the collision and set-piece, or the game could be over before it starts.

Frankly speaking Leinster are the favourites for this clash and if allowed to play their own game in front of a loaded cathedral they will run away with it, but if Saints can ruffle the feathers and create a seed of doubt then Leinster’s finals hoodoo could get the better of them.

Last time they met

What they said

Hooker Sheehan touched on Leinster falling short over the last couple of seasons while also underlining the squad is raring to go after most of the key player being rested for their South Africa tour.

“We have been good this year at making sure we are not getting ahead of ourselves. We have been in the past where we have come up short, probably looking too far ahead maybe or getting a bit too complacent in either URC or Champions Cup,” he said.

“It was nice to have the two weeks here to really hone in on Northampton, who we haven’t seen in a couple of years. We are not as familiar with them as the likes of La Rochelle who come up three/four years on the trot, so it was nice to get a good week’s prep last week to just focus on Northampton.”

Meanwhile for the Saints, head coach Vesty wants his players to go out there with freedom to make errors and learn.

“As a player, I had coaches who wanted to play with freedom and then as soon as there was a mistake, they screamed, ‘Don’t do that, look after the ball’,” said Vesty.

“Learning is not a drill and it doesn’t look pretty or amazing. If it does, you’re not learning anything because the pressure isn’t high enough.

“The higher pressure you live under, the better you will be.”

Players to watch

James Lowe has become absolutely vital for Ireland and Leinster over the last couple of seasons primarily as an ultra aware attacking winger who will assist almost as many tries as he scores. Outside of executing his primary roles extremely well the wing’s value is enhanced through his canon of a left boot that is often used for exits and his physicality on defence. His complete skill-set will be imperative for Leinster.

Arguably, the most important player in blue is scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, who has stepped up and masterfully softened the blow of Johnny Sexton’s retirement. The superstar makes such clean decisions on attack, picking his runners carefully as he orchestrates the attack. His ability to read the game is right up there with the best in the world and Gibson-Park always seems to have the skills required to exploit opportunities.

Back-row Caelan Doris has one of the biggest engines in the game as he has proved so many times for club and country. The Irishman has supreme ability in the carry and on defence showcasing his value on both sides of the ball. Perhaps what typifies Doris most is his very impressive consistency making him a coach’s dream.

Veteran and Saints legend Courtney Lawes will want to end his time with the club by securing a memorable double, but for that to happen, they need the former England man to shine as he has all season. Since retiring from Test rugby the hard-hitting star has been playing some of his best rugby and his experience radiates calm as his teammates often draw from that to find their best. Northampton need absolutely everything Lawes can offer from a playing and a leadership perspective.

Another star who will need to support Lawes in the physicality department is number eight Juarno Augustus. The South African declared his dream to play for the Springboks in an interview with Planet Rugby and if he is to come close to his goal then big performances in games like this count. Time for Augustus to stand up and prove his Test credentials.

A Champions Cup Player of the Year nomination does not happen for free and shows how good fly-half Fin Smith has been for Saints. The rising star has shown impressive development but now his mettle will truly be tested on one of the biggest stages in club rugby. He will need to take control of the game and keep the power away from the likes of Gibson-Park and Lowe.

Prediction

Northampton Saints are a magnificent team but they are certainly up against in what will likely be a sea of blue in the sell-out Croke Park. The game lies in the hands of Leinster who not only have the quality but also come off a period of rest. Ultimately the hosts will prove too strong, Leinster by 10.

The teams

Leinster: 15 Ciarán Frawley, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Jimmy O’Brien

Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank, 14 James Ramm, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 George Hendy, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Sam Graham, 6 Courtney Lawes (c), 5 Alex Coles, 4 Alex Moon, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Alex Walle
Replacements: 16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Emmanuel Iyogun, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Tom James, 22 Tom Litchfield, 23 Tom Seabrook

Date: Saturday, May 4
Venue: Croke Park, Dublin
Kick-off: 17:30 BST
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra)
Assistant Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra), Luc Ramos (Fra)
TMO: Thomas Charabas (Fra)

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Champions Cup