Three weeks have passed since these sides last took to the field in the Guinness PRO14, and while Leinster will be itching to return to action at the RDS Arena and keep up their chase of Scarlets, the Dragons will be revitalised from beating the Llanelli outfit in the Anglo-Welsh Cup last weekend. What’s at stake? With Scarlets opening up a lead in Conference B, Leinster cannot afford to slip up and allow them to pull further clear – particularly with provincial rivals Ulster also one point ahead of them in the race for the top three spots. After three league wins on the spin Edinburgh are within striking distance of Leo Cullen’s men, while Ulster will be confident of beating Benetton at home, meaning victory is vital for Leinster. The Dragons meanwhile have a relatively comfortable eight-point gap between themselves and bottom-side Southern Kings, and so will be looking up the Conference B standings towards Benetton Rugby in fifth. And despite making some improvements before the break, head coach Bernard Jackman will be desperate to arrest a run of three league defeats in a row for the Dragons. Team news (Leinster): Captain Isa Nacewa returns from injury for the Boys in Blue to win his 175th cap, with a raft of Ireland internationals also coming back amongst their ranks. Jordan Larmour starts at full back with fit-again Fergus McFadden selected on the right wing, and Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne are the half-backs. Josh Murphy makes his first senior start in the back row having made his debut against Glasgow Warriors, and should he be introduced off the bench Richardt Strauss will win his 150th cap for Leinster. Team news (Dragons): Ashton Hewitt returns on the wing and joins Jared Rosser and full-back Angus O’Brien, while Jack Dixon comes into the midfield. The front row sees 20-year-old hooker Ellis Shipp make his first start for the region, whilst prop Sam Hobbs also makes his first start of the season after returning from injury and youngsters Dan Babos and Connor Edwards are set for their Guinness PRO14 debuts off the bench. Talking points: Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster is hoping a break will have benefitted his charges going into this weekend. “We’ve had two weeks off – a week off and then a training week,” he said. “Dragons continued to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, they had a win at the weekend. They’ve got confidence and cohesion, buoyed by the victory over Scarlets, whereas we’ve had the two weeks off. “From my point of view, you win a bit by having a couple of weeks off, you freshen people up physically and mentally, but you lose a bit by losing a bit of cohesion and match sharpness. We’ll see how it plays out Friday.” While Dragons centre Adam Warren is adamant there is no pressure on his side away from home. He said: “It’s a big challenge and there will be patches when we have to ride the storm. They always raise their intensity when at home. “Leinster don’t have weak links individually but we just have to take our tactical game plan to them and be positive. There’s not much pressure on us as they are favourites. “We’ve had a big patch of away games but have five home games in December when we really want to put a marker down and show everyone in the championship that we are changing and improving. We want to build momentum.” Key Battle: Gavin Henson v Ross Byrne The RDS Arena clash will see youth take on experience in the opposing No.10 shirts. Byrne has impressed in the jersey for Leinster this term, playing a role in all eight games and starting six in the league, but Henson has been around the block and will be itching to make his knowledge count on Saturday. Both men have been exceptional from the tee so far this term, with Henson edging out Byrne so far in terms of points scored, 60 to 53. But this game will likely hinge on how well the youngster is able to pull the strings in a relatively makeshift Leinster backline. Key Stat: Dragons have lost their last 28 away games, an unwanted Championship record, since beating Treviso in March 2015. Did you know? Honours have been almost even in the last seven encounters between the two sides, with Leinster prevailing by four wins to three – however the Irishmen have won the last three in a row. Leinster: J Larmour, F McFadden, R O’Loughlin, N Reid, I Nacewa, R Byrne, J Gibson-Park, E Byrne, S Cronin, M Bent, R Molony, S Fardy, J Murphy, J Murphy, M Deegan Replacements: R Strauss, P Dooley, A Porter, I Nagle, J Conan, N McCarthy, C Marsh, C O’Brien Dragons: A O’Brien, J Rosser, A Warren, J Dixon, A Hewitt, G Henson, S Pretorius, S Hobbs, E Shipp, L Fairbrother, J Davies, M Screech, A Wainwright, O Griffiths, J Benjamin Replacements: G Ellis, L Garrett, B Harris, R Landman, B Roach, D Babos, A Robson, C Edwards TV: TG4, 7.35pm Match officials – Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, competition debut), AR1: Dunx McClement (SRU), AR2: Bob Nevins (SRU), TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU) Guinness PRO14 Final 2018 Ticket Information: Fans can save up to 20% on selected tickets, and prices start at just €30 for adults and €5 for children, and can be booked via www.ticketmaster.ie
