Edinburgh v Leinster 20/9/24

Ripped Entry or Ripped Apart

Ripped entry is a phrase I learned watching the diving events during the Olympics. It means you have made a smooth entry into the water and there was little or no splash. Less splash means more points.

In simple terms, get more of your job right and you will be more likely to succeed. This has to be our aim this weekend against an opponent that we have a woeful record against.

It all started so well too. The first time Edinburgh played Leinster was in the Heineken Cup in October 2000. Our opening fixture in that years competition. Edinburgh hadn’t been at their best in the run up to the game having lost 3 of their preceding 4 league matches but ran out 29-21 winners at Myreside. Edinburgh coach Frank Hadden praised the defence in particular for the win.

Later that season in the same competition we drew 34-34 against them at Donnybrook.

Our next two fixtures against Leinster were also successful.

So by end of season 2003-2004 our record v Leinster was played 4, won 3, drawn 1. By end of 2010 we still had a 57% win rate against them in all competitions. Now, the overall win rate is 34% and we haven’t sniffed victory since 2019. The least amount of points Leinster have scored against us in that time in any one game is 26.

So me telling you that this is as tough as an opening day fixture gets is pretty redundant. There is no getting away from that however you dress it up.

This is the third time we have played our 1st league fixture against Leinster. The first was in September 2007 and we lost to them in Ireland. The next time was at Meggetland in 2015 and we won that. We’ll concentrate on that for two reasons. Firstly because it was a win and secondly because it was the recently departed (and tonights’s match ball deliverer) Chris Dean’s debut so it seems fitting to have a wee look back.

Dean was the last survivor from the 15 that started that day and only Hamish Watson from the 23 is still here 9 years later.

Dean’s continued presence until recently and his status as our most capped centre is very apt. He was a marginally above average player and that is how Edinburgh could also be described over the years.

Deano was probably at his peak around the time he played a lot with James Johnstone and no Edinburgh supporter will ever forget his quick thinking when he scored the match winner in the corner in that 1872 cup match. I hope he gets another gig but wherever that might be it’s not likely to come back and haunt us.

Leinster have strengthened their stable, obviously aware that they had us first up. RG Snyman, (last seen in Edinburgh in Munster colours roughing up Ben Healy which ultimately cost us a try) and Rabah Slimani have joined. They have also obtained the not inconsiderable talents of Jordie Barrett, but he’s coming by pedalo so won’t be available until December. Three from their academy have also stepped up including 2 who played the last time we met, - Jack Boyle and Paddy Mccarthy.

Michael Alaalatoa, Ross Molony, Ed Byrne and Rhys Ruddock are the Dublin sides notable departures.

Leinsters pre-season consisted of two games. the first was in France v Bordeaux on 30/8/24 which they lost 40-28 and the other was against Northampton on 7/9/24 which they won 26-54.

At first glance the side that Edinburgh have selected for this game made me think that Sean Everitt was just determined to show that the first half team from last week wasn’t the first XV but on closer inspection there are still 10 from that selection starting this week.

The changes in the forwards, Cherry for Ashman and Muncaster for Bradbury don’t give any cause for concern. In fact it’s encouraging to see Muncaster get the nod at the start of the season. Magnus Bradbury is on the bench and can cover across the back row and the second row if required.

The selection of Ali Price and Ross Thompson together did raise an eyebrow especially as the half back combos last week seemed like a more natural fit but Price and Thompson have played together before for Glasgow. Back in season 21-22 they started at least 12 games together. Hopefully their last start together against Leinster which came that season (76-14 for Leinster) won’t be at the forefront of their thoughts.

It’s not Matt Currie’s first outing at 12 for Edinburgh having started 9 games there for us last year. However it is Mosese Tuipulotu’s first cap for Edinburgh and in a position that he’s not played a lot. He did have a good half against Gloucester though but, and I can’t prove it, but this has to be the youngest 10,12,13 combo we’ve ever fielded at an average age of just under 24 years. If not it’s definitely the one with the least number of Edinburgh caps between them - 40, 0 & 0.

The back 3 is as we’d all expect and with Boff on the bench covering those positions and maybe even centre we are well provisioned.

As a wee aside did anyone else see the injury list and note what has befallen Harry Paterson?

It reminded me that Spanish International goalkeeper Santiago Canizares was all set to play in the 2002 world cup when he dropped a bottle of after-shave on his foot which resulted in a torn tendon on his big toe and a seat on the sidelines. Hopefully Harry’s injury isn’t as sauvage.

Leinster follow Edinburgh’s lead by not selecting their (newly appointed) captain Caelan Doris in their XV. They go one further though. He’s not selected in the 23 so think yourself lucky Ben Vellacott. The list of who joins him on the sidelines is as long as it’s impressive. To name but a few - Tadgh Furlong, Josh van der Flier, James Lowe, Robbie Henshaw, Andrew Porter and the aforementioned R.G. Snyman. Some of these are injury absences of course.

They do name 3 academy players in their starting XV - 2nd row Conor O’Tighearnaigh, hooker Gus McCarthy and centre Charlie Tector. Balancing that out their front row replacements include Cian Healy who will make his 280th appearance for them and the debutant Rabah Slimani.

Rising star Sam Prendergast is preferred at 10 to Ross Byrne who has to be content to earn his 163rd cap from the bench if required.

The win against Gloucester in pre-season was welcome. The manner of it perhaps even more so and there were plenty of positive talking points to come out of it. No-one, supporter, player or coaching staff will be getting carried away though because the hard work starts now.

That’s not to dismiss the weeks of graft the players have put in to get to this juncture but the reality is that what happens now plays out in front of the world and as hard a start as we’ve been given the results of this opening batch of games will go a long way to either ‘praising or burying caesar’ even if the fixture list is out of our control.

So what do we think is either an acceptable or good number of points in this first 3 games? Or is it more about how we play?

For reference the least number of points we’ve had after the opening 3 league games is 1 (2010) and our best total was 12 points (2015). If you’ve been paying attention as you read this column you’ll know why that could be an omen.