'IT'S A REAL PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE. I HOPE WE DO IT JUSTICE'

THE MEMORIES CAME flooding back for Leo Cullen as his Leinster team took to the pitch for today’s Captain’s Run at Croke Park.

Cullen was Leinster captain when the province beat Munster at GAA HQ back in 2009 and was also part of Ireland squads that played at Croke Park. Now he’s preparing to send a Leinster team out for a Champions Cup semi-final at the ground, with a capacity crowd due in Croke Park for tomorrow’s meeting with Northampton Saints.

The Leinster boss has made two changes from the team that started the quarter-final win over La Rochelle, with Ross Molony and Josh van der Flier starting ahead of Jason Jenkins, who drops to the bench, and Will Connors, who misses out on the matchday 23.

It’s a strong selection minus a couple of big names – with Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan both losing their battle to be fit for the game. Jimmy O’Brien does return to the squad however, and is set for his first appearance since December after overcoming a neck problem.

“Garry, he was making good progress at the start of the week and he’s not quite right,” said Cullen.

“Similarly, Hugo was never really going to be right this week. Garry’s probably the one that we thought, but he’s going to be a little bit longer.

“Jamie [Osborne] has gone really well, has a good relationship with Robbie which is good, Jimmy [O'Brien] comes back in there as well, he’s been out for a while but gives us great versatility off the bench.

“Will [Connors] is incredibly unlucky because I thought he was excellent against La Rochelle, but there’s a few moving parts. We’ve gone back to a 5/3 split, Cian [Healy] comes back in again with Mikey Milne losing out. That was a pretty close call again the previous time, Cian gets the opportunity to get back on the bench.

“We think we’ve a good group, we’re excited for the challenge. It’s amazing to be here, really, isn’t it?

“Four teams left in the competition, a lot of very, very good teams and clubs with proud traditions in the tournament.”

In the second row, Molony’s lineout nous appears to have given him the edge over the powerful Jenkins, who had a good game against La Rochelle.

“Again, pretty close calls. Ross brings good composure and leads the group well – particularly lineout-wise, I think Northampton have some good threats there and I think his game will suit the game definitely.”

With co-captains Ringrose and James Ryan both unavailable, Caelan Doris continues as captain. 

The Ballina-born backrower enjoyed some time off in Mayo after the La Rochelle win and admitted he’s been no stranger to Croke Park over the years.

“I’ve been in the stands plenty of times for some good days as well as plenty of bad ones,” Doris said.

“It’s an iconic stadium for Irish culture. We feel very fortunate as a group to have a crack there tomorrow.

“We have Declan Darcy [former Leitrim and Dublin footballer] in with us, who has been with us for the last couple of years. His message to us was it [Croke Park] magnifies your performance whether it is a good one or a bad one.

“Our plan, our prep over the last two weeks has been about getting our best performance and hopefully that will get the crowd involved, build an atmosphere and make it a special days for us. It’s been a good couple of weeks prep and we are excited for tomorrow.”

“It’s class being here, it brings back a few memories… hazy ones,” Cullen added. “It’s an amazing place and it’ll be a good occasion.

It’s a real privilege to be here, it’s a magnificent stadium. It’s iconic, not just in terms of sport but in Irish society.

“For this generation of players to get that chance, Cian being the only one that’s still there from the previous time Leinster played here 15 years ago. I hope we do it justice this week, the guys have prepared well. Not just this week, but the previous week as well.

“We talk about this point quite often, when we are at this moment, sitting in a press room somewhere and you just want to press fast forward and get on with the game. Everyone has to go through their normal rituals and get themselves ready for the action.”

2024-05-03T13:34:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd