The Leinster team sheet has just arrived and Joe Schmidt will send out what looks like his strongest possible XV to face Clermont on Sunday.
Arguably Europe’s two best sides (sorry, Ulster fans) will meet in Bordeaux on Sunday in what promises to be an epic Heineken Cup semi-final. Two-time champs Leinster face a Clermont side desperate to add some European gloss to their already gleaming squad.
But if the French side are to prevail, they are going to have beat a seriously tough, and experienced, Leinster side. Joe Schmidt has been blessed with an injury-free squad to choose from and as a result, his XV is packed with exactly the sort of player you want in a game like this.
Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy team up at centre, with Fergus McFadden on the bench. The remainder of the back three picks itself with Rob Kearney, Isa Nacewa and Luke Fitzgerald all lining up. Isaac Boss gets the nod ahead of Eoin Reddan at nine but we fully expect to see Reddan make an appearance later in the game.
Up front, Cian Healy makes his 36th appearance in Europe for Leinster, with Richardt Straus and Mike Ross lining up with him. Leo Cullen captains the side from the second row with Brad Thorn while a trio of Irish internationals, Sean O’Brien, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip, complete the pack.
So Leinster play their full hand, and with options like McFadden and Reddan on the replacements bench, the Irish side have a menacing look to them. Can they do it on French soil? We will know by 5pm on Sunday.
Leinster team: R Kearney; I Nacewa, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross; L Cullen, B Thorn; S O’Brien, S Jennings, J Heaslip.
Replacements: S Cronin , H Van Der Merwe, N White, D Toner, K McLaughlin, E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden.
