Reds look to banish the blues on Black
Saturday
Jersey will be looking to bounce back from their most disappointing
display of the season when British & Irish Cup holders Leinster
'A' visit the Island this weekend.
Last weekend's B&I clash with Plymouth Albion was the
first-ever night match at St Peter, but the Islanders
underperformed, particularly in the first quarter when a 0-20
deficit put the game beyond reach (the final score was
14-23).
Now, back to the standard Saturday afternoon kick-off, Jersey face
the huge challenge of the team who have won the B&I for both of
the last two seasons. The two sides faced each other on
back-to-back weekends in December 2012; the Irish province,
featuring players such as Jack McGrath and Rhys Ruddock - now
members of the Ireland side - won both, following up a narrow 12-16 triumph at St Peter
with a 44-15 dismantling of
Jersey on their Donnybrook home patch in Dublin. [click scorelines
for match reports]
Leinster know that a win is virtually certain to seal victory in
pool 5 and qualification to the knock-out stages of the competition
for the fifth successive season, but Jersey still harbour hopes of
progression themselves, with a win offering the chance to cut the
current leaders' margin - currently five match points.
Carmarthen Quins and Plymouth, the other teams in pool 5, meet at
Brickfields and still have theoretical chances of qualification
ahead of the final round of matches, which will see Leinster 'A'
entertain Albion and Carmarthen - who have been represented by a
Scarlets' 'A' selection - playing host to Jersey at the ground of
local rivals Llandovery.
Jersey Head Coach Harvey Biljon has adjusted key units of his
starting XV for this weekend's game, with a total of six changes.
In the backs, centres Drew Locke and Lewis Robling return at the
expense of David Bishop and Tobias Hoskins.
In the pack, hooker Martin Garcia-Veiga and skipper Alex Rae come
into the front and second rows respectively, replacing Gareth
Harris and Dave Markham, who both switch to the bench. The other
changes are the two flankers, with Ryan Hodson and Nick Haining
restored to the line-up in place of Joe Buckle and Mick
Noone.
The host club will be putting on a special theme for the day, with
Irish roast dinners available in the new marquee, local band
Fiddler's Green, a Gaelic Football demonstration at half-time and
Guinness on special offer - 'Black Saturday', as it's been dubbed.
Admission for non-members is available for the reduced rate of £10
(normally £15) for Irish passport holders, members of the Jersey
Irish Society or anyone with an Irish rugby shirt.
Jersey squad v Leinster 'A' - British & Irish Cup, Pool
5, Saturday December 6th, St Peter - k-o 3pm - [see the
squad in video form HERE]
Backs (15-9)
Ross Jones-Davies
Grant Pointer
Drew Locke
Lewis Robling
Mark McCrea
Aaron Penberthy
Ryan Glynn
Forwards (1-8)
Ignacio Lancuba
Martin Garcia-Veiga
Nick Selway
Nick Campbell
Alex Rae (capt)
Nick Haining
Ryan Hodson
Paula Kaho
Replacements
Gareth Harris
Danny Herriott
Dave Markham
Michael Noone
Joel Dudley
Mark Foster
Jack Burroughs
Looks familiar
Although he now has a humungous auburn beard, Jersey fans should
recognise former player Sean McCarthy, who left to join Leinster in
the summer of 2014. The prop (and also a hooker for Leinster this
season), who will be 24 this coming Friday, was a virtually
ever-present member of the Jersey squad during two seasons on the
Island, albeit jostling for the starting berth at loose-head in his
first season with Richard Barrington, now at Saracens. He made a
total of 55 competitive appearances for Jersey in the Championship,
B&I and Siam Cups.
Leinster 'A' B&I Cup history
Leinster 'A' have competed in all six versions of the British &
Irish Cup since its inception in 2009/10.
Although they have had a very strong record throughout - a total of
just seven losses from 39 games - it took Leinster a while to
register tangible success. In the first season they were squeezed
out of pool qualification by a point by Worcester, and progression
to the knock-out stage the following season was ended with a 50-15
thumping at Bedford. A year later, and Leinster reached the
semi-final, but were beaten 29-36 at the RDS in Dublin by Munster
'A'.
In 2012/13 Leinster qualified through a pool including Jersey
(games as described above), Pontypridd and Leeds Carnegie. They
then achieved a stunning trio of narrow away wins in the knock-out
stages: 26-30 at Bristol, 15-17 in Limerick against Munster, and
finally 17-18 at Kingston Park against Newcastle to lift the
trophy.
Last season Leinster won all six of their group matches and then
walloped Munster 47-15 in the quarter-final. The semi-final at
Sardis Road, Pontypridd was a far closer affair: the Irishmen and
Ponty could not be separated, even after extra time (22-22), but
the away side were deemed the winners on try-count, and Leinster
then went on to easily defeat Leeds Carnegie by 44-17 in the final,
which was played at Donnybrook in Dublin. Jersey's Jonny Bentley
was among the Leeds' side in that game.
In this season's B&I, Leinster had a wobbly start, only just
beating Plymouth Albion at Brickfield by 24-31 in their opening
fixture. Jersey visited Donnybrook the following Friday and were
beaten 26-6 in wet and windy conditions. Scrum-half Luke McGrath
scored two tries while his half-back partner Ross Byrne kicked 13
points and Cathal Marsh added another penalty. Jersey managed just
two penalties: a kick apiece by Bentley and Lewis Robling.
Most recently Leinster 'A' had a pair of games against the
'Carmarthen Scarlets'. The Welsh edged the first game 26-24 thanks
to a late try by Ben Leung, converted by Fraser Climo, but last
weekend at Donnybrook the home side gained revenge in fine style,
winning 67-12.
Leinster 'A' are coached by the province's Academy Manager
Girvan Dempsey, the former Irish full-back who retired in 2010
after a career that included 82 national caps and 175 appearances
for his province. The 39-year-old became an Elite Player
Development Officer for Leinster after hanging up his boots and
moved to his current role in 2012, although he was not in charge of
the 'A' team in 2012/13.
History of Leinster Rugby
The first Interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and
Munster were held in 1875, with Connacht joining the fold in
1885.
Before the days of professional rugby union, there was a greater
emphasis on Irish club rugby as opposed to the provincial game.
During these times the provincial sides were purely representative
sides and games were far less frequent. When rugby union was
declared 'open' in 1995, the four teams became professional teams
run by the Irish Rugby Football Union.
The Heineken Cup began in 1995 and Leinster reached the
semi-finals, one of six seasons in which the province reached the
knock-out stages in the first 13 seasons of the European
competition, without ever making the final.
Finally in 2008/09 Leinster beat Harlequins in the 'Bloodgate'
quarter-final match, and then Munster to reach their first final,
which they won against Leicester 19-16. The following season saw a
semi-final loss against Toulouse, but Leinster then won two more
European crowns with back-to-back successes in 2011 and 2012,
overcoming Northampton and Ulster in the finals. Only Toulouse
(four) have won more Heineken titles. During the last two seasons,
Leinster suffered a rare pool elimination in 2012/13 and then last
season were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by eventual
winners Toulon.
Leinster have won the Rabo Direct Pro 12 (Celtic) League, formerly
sponsored by Magners, on four occasions: 2002, 2008, 2013 and most
recently last season, beating Glasgow Warriors in what was Brian
O'Driscoll's final appearance. 'BOD' lifted the trophy although
injury forced him from the field during the first 10 minutes.
The British & Irish Cup this weekend
Four unbeaten sides top pools 1 to 4 and know that wins this
weekend will seal their qualification as group winners with a round
to spare. And if Bristol, Worcester, Rotherham and Doncaster do
win, they are likely to get home ties with only Leinster able to
stop them. See full preview HERE
And Finally
There is another game on Saturday with Jersey Buccaneers hosting
Guernsey 2nds at 12noon. The venue depends on availability of
changing rooms and will either be at St Peter or Les Quennevais -
keep an eye on Twitter. And on Sunday Jersey Ladies travel to
Bournemouth to take on Old Oakmedians.
An Irish rugby legend is due to be in the house this weekend - Phil
Orr is among the officials supporting the Irish visitors. The
63-year-old prop won 58 caps for his country (the fourth
most-capped Irish player of the amateur era after Gibson, McBride
and Slattery) plus one for the Lions in New Zealand in 1977, when
he packed down alongside Bobby Windsor and Graham Price. He also
played in the infamous 'mud-bath' game in Wellington (pictured
below, he was the Lions player in focus!).
Orr's started and ended his 12-season international career in
high-octane encounters. In 1976 he was among an Irish side
captained by Mike Gibson and including the likes of Moss Keane,
Wille Duggan and Barry McGann, facing a French team featuring two
of the great pack trios (they sound best if you imagine Bill
Mclaren reeling off their names) - Cholley, Paco and Paperemborde
in the front row, and Rives, Skrela and Bastiat at the back of the
scrum. And his last match was the quarter-final of the inaugural
World Cup in 1987, when the team skippered by Donal Lenihan had to
yield to an Aussie team featuring (a.o.) Campese, Lynagh and
Poidevin.
Phil emerges from the shower
Since retiring, Orr's attention has been focused more firmly on
Old Wesley, the club based at the Donnybrook ground who he has
represented as player and administrator for some 40 years. It's
great to be welcoming him to St Peter.
Enjoy your weekend's rugby!
Tom Innes
