21 - 18

Leinster roll out 6'10, 138kg giant against Sharks but 2 superstars missing

102 days ago

Leinster players Fintan Gunne, left, and Alan Spicer arrive for squad training at UCD in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster have left Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman out of their matchday 23 for Saturday’s clash with the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban – but they won’t lack for size in Kings Park.

Towering second row Alan Spicer, who measures 6ft 10in and weighs in at 138kg, is set to make his Leinster debut off the bench and is one of the few athletes playing the game larger than Bok teammate RG Snyman, who is missing from the 23.

The 20-year-old, a first-year Academy player, is among the replacements named by Leo Cullen as the province looks to bounce back from defeat to the Bulls.

Boks Office select a Southern Hemisphere XV | RPTV

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Boks Office select a Southern Hemisphere XV | RPTV

Boks Office is back as the guys select a Southern Hemisphere XV, amongst other things. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV now

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Spicer’s selection marks a significant moment for the former Belvedere College student. He was part of this year’s Ireland U20 Six Nations squad but missed the tournament through injury. A product of Malahide Minis and now playing with UCD in the AIL, his inclusion signals Leinster’s continued faith in youth.

Barrett, who joined Leinster on a short-term deal in April, and World Cup-winning Springbok RG Snyman are both notable omissions. Neither features in the matchday squad, with Cullen opting for Diarmuid Mangan and Brian Deeny in the second row.

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Sharks

7 - 10

Full-time

Leinster

All Stats and Data

There are eight changes to the starting XV from last weekend’s loss in Pretoria. Max Deegan captains the side from number eight, while scrum-half Fintan Gunne is handed his first senior start after 11 appearances off the bench. He partners Ciarán Frawley in the half-backs.

The back three of Andrew Osborne, Tommy O’Brien and Jimmy O’Brien remains unchanged. Charlie Tector and Liam Turner form the midfield.

Up front, Cian Healy, John McKee and Thomas Clarkson start in the front row. Will Connors retains the seven jersey following his Player of the Match display at Loftus Versfeld. He is joined in the back row by Deegan and Alex Soroka.

Ross Byrne, Scott Penny, and Academy pair Oliver Coffey and Henry McErlean offer experience and energy from the bench.

LEINSTER:
15. Jimmy O’Brien
14. Tommy O’Brien
13. Liam Turner
12. Charlie Tector
11. Andrew Osborne
10. Ciarán Frawley
9. Fintan Gunne
1. Cian Healy
2. John McKee
3. Thomas Clarkson
4. Diarmuid Mangan
5. Brian Deeny
6. Alex Soroka
7. Will Connors
8. Max Deegan CAPTAIN

REPLACEMENTS
16. Lee Barron
17. Michael Milne
18. Rory McGuire
19. Alan Spicer
20. Scott Penny
21. Oliver Coffey
22. Ross Byrne
23. Henry McErlean

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Comments

1 Comment

IkeaBoy 102 days ago

Epic!

Join free and tell us what you really think!

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Comments on RugbyPass

NH 9 minutes ago

All eyes on the Brumbies' power as Racing-bound Taniela Tupou's Lion dream fades

tbh I’d still have nella off the bench and just really try and simplify his game. Anchor the scrum (don’t need to win a penatly), make your tackles, pick and gos in 22 zone, and clean otherwise. But, he is somewhat the antithesis of the workrate player Schmidt likes and nongorr has been good in this regard this season (scrum wobbles aside). Curious to see what Schmidt does at 10, I think noah is a bigger loss than alot of people might give credit to. I thought the wallabies shape and decision making was largely quite good in the 1st half against fiji and I liked the diverse kicking. I personally have no confidence in donno or lynagh, they are just too green, but JOC seems on the outer. Very little game management present across the team. Need as much as we can get now from the 9, 12, 15 and even wings to help out whoever the 10 is. Guys like kellaway, white, wright, ikitau, hunter all the more important to take some load.

17 Go to comments

AM 15 minutes ago

Six selection questions for Joe Schmidt as Lions loom large

Find this an odd one. AAA is a terrible scrummager and was shown up badly in the RwC and European games. He should not start. The front row should be Bell, Latu and Thor or Jordan U at hooker. Latu played well for La Rochelle and JU played well for MP. The French comp is the best in the world. Ainsley is a better scrummager than AAA and played well for Lyon. He should be on the bench. At loose Scott Sio played well for Exeter and is better than slipper. The young no 1 at the Tahs is also solid. Nongoor and Robertson are worse than AAA in the scrum and not international level.

Harry Wilson shouldn’t be in the squad. He cannot break tackles and has poor ball skills. Samu was great for UBB who won the European club championship. Back three should be Booby V, Tizano and Leota with Gleeson and Samu off the bench. McRight has not played well against bigger teams and gets blown off the ball. Utilise the wingers more for support play.

Starting locks should be frost and Skelton. Off the bench Amatosero and Williams or Philip. There is your balance point.

The biggest issue we have the back line is that wright has a poor kicking game and not as big a boot as the back 3 of the lions. He also makes a lot of mistakes. Wallabies should have developed hodge at 15 as that big boot of his takes a lot of pressure off. That is what is going to kill them.

1 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 22 minutes ago

Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

If you applied your logic to country and not club, then you're on to something!

It’s not a big happy family. It's not south American soccer when you get scouted at 8 and join a club with lads you've grown up with. It was a pay cheque. And I suspected it wouldn't last long.

I did my bit, they did theirs. At times it was great fun. I got a Friday night at the Cardiff arms park which was my only bucket list. Not more than 1500 in attendance and we got pumped by 22 PTS but special memories.

The pitch was utter shyte though.

I mean this sincerely but the fans in the stands are often the more passionate. Professional players, to a degree, are conditioned to deal with losses. On to the next game. Pragmatism.

The players were starting to get too big so I don't miss the on field stuff and I've literally never held a ball since. I wouldn’t let either of my young cubs near a rugby ball at the moment as the game stands but I've never enjoyed watching the game more than now.

Two teams go to war but nobody dies. It's a lovely antidote to the confusing and overwhelming real world we live in. Some times your best is enough, some times it's not.

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Andrew Nichols 1 hour ago

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JT 1 hour ago

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One big yawn…. Non performers keeps getting rewarded. Those who actually do perform and are exciting prospects get sidelined. Compare this attitude to the French, the springboks, England and even Australia and you get your answer as to why the ABs have stagnated.

4 Go to comments

takata 1 hour ago

Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

Sure a break is better than no break at all - but to use the same analogy as before, it’s like refilling a car with gas but not giving it a good service.

But, here, I’m just answering what it’s so hard for you to see, as you wrote above: “Overall, it is very hard to see what France is gaining in the player welfare equation. It is simply replacing one set of overworked players with another.”

And for me, the gain in the player welfare equation is certainly obvious and I wonder how you could have missed it. Or maybe you’re more a Polemist than a real Analyst?

The third Test is 19 July, round one of Top 14 2025-26 first weekend of September. Probably a month of pre-season in August with three warm-up games. Where is the off-season for players to recover properly?

In the NFL they have 7 months.

Yeah right!

The NFL is also distributing contracts worth $210.000.000+ for 4 years… In Top 14, Dupont was paid a yearly €480.000 (brut) by Toulouse while F. Russell was offered £1.000.000 with Bath. Consequently, I really fail to see how anything NFL is relevant with rugby, but you already know that.

Beside, La Section Paloise already started its pre-season (today) and the number of warm-up games would range from 0 - 2 (mostly 1). For the bulk, after five weeks, the restart is next week as their last game was on 7 June. The break is shorter than 6 weeks for their staff and those players who were not involved in their last game.

Last season ranking. Club -> date restart (break weeks)

08. Pau (SP) -> 9 July (~ 4w)

00. Montauban (USM Sapiac) -> 14 July (> Pro D2)

07. La Rochelle (SR) -> 14 July (~ 5w)

12. Paris (SF) -> 15 July (~ 5w)

11. Lyon (LOU) -> 15 July (~ 5w)

10. Racing 92 -> 15 July (~ 5w)

13. Perpignan (USAP) -> 16 July (~ 5w)

09. Montpellier (MHR) -> 16 July (~ 5w)

06. Clermont (ASM) -> 21 July (~ 5w)

05. Castres (CO) -> 21 July (~ 5w)

04. Bayonne (AB) -> 28 July (~ 5w)

03. Toulon (RCT) -> 28 July (~ 5w)

02. Bordeaux (UBB) -> 6 August (~ 5w)

01. Toulouse (ST) -> 4-11 August (~ 5-6w)

If Attissogbe (from Pau) is also playing the 19 July test (very doubtful), he will be back from holliday on 1 September (6 weeks later). No matter what, he is going to miss several rounds of Top 14.

(…) three-Test series in NZ is not ‘friendly’. It is a serious opportunity to prove you can beat one of the best nations in history in their own backyard.

You can also repeat it a million time but it won’t change the fact that those summer tests are the lowest priority on the FFR agenda. It’s a shame, it’s not going to change - even if they rename the window something else, but it’s for good reasons in my humble opinion.

161 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

And yet no club affiliation. Tough to think of a more compelling reason to support a club than growing up beside them, being nurtured and coached by them and then being granted the honour of going on to represent them on the pitch, or don’t you think? And yet no, that’s not the case here. I wonder what went wrong…

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Andrew Nichols 2 hours ago

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Sure but it wont happen. DMac is a vital.part of that team. I think Love is a fabulous footy player who will take Barretts place sooner rather than later and take over DMacs bench spot (covering 10/15 while DMac becomes the starting 10 again. That is what WILL happen. They wont drop DMac.

67 Go to comments

SadersMan 2 hours ago

Scott Robertson weighs in on Will Jordan's possible position switch

I’m not “proposing” anything. Follow the thread. SC proposed Reiko 11 Love 14 Jordan 15. I said for Love to be considered it's more likely to be on the bench for DMac. Pretty simple to follow??? Or not.