Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster says they’re using recent European disappointments as fuel for their Heineken Champions Cup campaign.
They welcome Toulon to the RDS this evening, for the first of this weekend’s last-16 ties with kick-off at 5.30 pm.
Carlow man Ed Byrne is on the bench for the game that kicks off is at 5.30 pm.
All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu has been banned for three weeks for his strike of an opponent on the head with his elbow in France’s Top 14 competition.
He has now been suspended for three weeks, so will miss the game.
Speaking to scoreline.ie’s rugby podcast “The Knock On”, former Leinster captain Chris Pimm says Toulon are not the team they were a few years ago but he would be wary of them.
“I’d be confident enough we should do a job, they’re not going well in the league which in many ways is probably a bad thing for us because they’re not really in relegation trouble and they’re not really in championship trouble so they may well focus this as their only chance of any silverware,” said Chris.
“So I’d imagine they’ll be all guns blazing in the first twenty minutes” he added.
At 8 o’clock, Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle is at Kingsholm to face Gloucester.
Meanwhile, Munster will name their team this afternoon for tomorrow’s clash with Toulouse at Thomond Park.
Listen to this week’s “The Knock On” podcast to preview the game and also review Leinster V Munster.
We have live commentary of the game on-air and online from 5.30 pm with thanks to Clever Agri Components.
