Leinster v Cardiff Blues: Leinster return to the comforts of home as they seek to kickstart their Magners League campaign after last week's tardy and predictable opening loss away to Edinburgh. They had something of a nomadic existence last season but for all the success of last season's switch to RDS, or the way their galacticos revel in the wide spaces of Lansdowne Road, Donnybrook remains something of a spiritual home.
Leinster have consistently maintained one of the best home records in this league and they come into this game on the back of a seven-game winning sequence at the end of last season in all competitions. Cardiff tend not to be renowned travellers and haven't won in Ireland since an 18-8 victory over Connacht at the Sportsground in January 2005.
The galacticos don't return in force for another fortnight, although Denis Hickie's pre-season has been cut a couple of weeks short to facilitate his first game of the season while Adam Byrnes replaces Trevor Hogan who has an ankle injury. Keith Gleeson has been named on a relatively strong-looking bench.
Thanks to the Welsh teams' involvement in the Anglo-Welsh Cup at the end of the month, a couple of derbies were re-arranged for during the week and although Cardiff's toll is not as heavy as the Ospreys or the Scarlets, they are feeling the effects of Wednesday's bruising 18-16 defeat to the Ospreys.
Head coach David Young has been obliged to make 10 changes to his starting line-up. This sees their one-time All Black fullback Ben Blair makes his debut while another new signing, Canadian backrower Ed Fairhurst, is on the bench. Michael Cheika had singled out scrumhalf Mike Phillips as a prime threat: "He will terrorise you around the fringes." So presumably he won't be too disappointed that Phillips isn't playing this evening due to a groin strain; one of six casualties from Wednesday.
Cheika points out that touring sides can often put together good Wednesday-Saturday performances, "because they get on a bit of a run"; added to which Cardiff did have last weekend off. "There's definitely going to be a factor involved in that but if we don't play in a certain manner we're not going to get a benefit from that. We've got to make sure of taking advantage of that."
To that end, Cheika knows that Leinster need to be cleverer and more accurate in applying more control over the game, specifically in translating setpiece ball into territory or phased possession.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; L Fitzgerald, K Lewis, M Berne, D Hickie; F Contepomi (capt), C Whitaker; R McCormack, H Vermaas, W Green, A Byrnes, O Finegan, S Keogh, N Ronan, J Heaslip. Replacements: R Corrigan, B Jackman, D Toner, K Gleeson, G Easterby, C Warner, G Brown.
CARDIFF BLUES: B Blair; C Czekaj, T Riley, M Stcherbina, M Luveitasau; N Macleod, W Evans; J Yapp, G Williams, G Powell, B Davies, J Goode, M Lewis, M Williams, X Rush (capt). Replacements: T Felise, R Johnson, R Sidoli, S Morgan, E Fairhurst, D Flanagan, T Shanklin, D Hewitt.
Referee: Andy MacPherson (SRU).
Formguide: Leinster 14-20 v Edinburgh (a). Cardiff 22-13 v Munster (h); 16-18 v Ospreys (a).
Previous meetings: (03-04) Cardiff 22 Leinster 3; Leinster 18 Cardiff 22; (04-05) Leinster 9 Cardiff 9; Cardiff 6 Leinster 15; (05-06) Leinster 34 Cardiff 15; Cardiff 40 Leinster 31.
Leading points scorers: Leinster - Felipe Contepomi 9. Cardiff - Nick Robinson 28.
Leading try scorers: Leinster - Ronnie McCormack 1. Cardiff - Robinson, Chris Czekaj, Scott Morgan 1 each.
Forecast: Leinster to win.
