POOL FOUR/Preview: So this is it then. Leinster's most daunting challenge in Pool Four of the Heineken European Cup. Attempting to storm the fortress that is the Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin against the crack French outfit that is Montferrand. Zut alors!
Yet the backdrop to the 13,000 capacity stadium is not what you'd expect, for this will be no band-playing, sun-kissed classically French scene. Instead this industrial city in south central France, most notable for its Michelin plant, was covered in smog when Leinster's charter flight descended yesterday on a dank, dreary and shiveringly cold day.
Keith Gleeson sat out yesterday's 20-minute run-out at Montferrand's training ground, the Stade des Gravanches, giving his ankle a precautionary rest from the cloying ground, while the place-kickers declined to visit the match venue. More of the same weather is forecast for today.
It's been Leinster's misfortune that, for the most part, they've run into the crème de la crème of French clubs on their previous sorties to this country. Of their six defeats here, two each have been to Toulouse and Stade Francais. Montferrand, despite the absence of Tony Marsh and Aurelien Rougerie, have a dozen internationals in their starting line-up. They have won all their 20 previous European Cup or Shield outings, scoring almost 1,000 points at an average of over 49 per match.
Leinster, as feared, have also been hit by the loss through injury of Malcolm O'Kelly. The most likely option is to accommodate Aidan McCullen in some way, given he has played a fair bit in the second-row, and was unlucky to be omitted anyway after three excellent performances in a row.
O'Kelly is virtually irreplaceable anyhow, but even without him Leinster have 13 internationals in their line-up. And as Reggie Corrigan points out, nine of them were in the Irish team which beat the world champions three weeks ago.
Nevertheless, Leinster will struggle as much as they did in conceding six tries at Stade Français three years ago or another half-dozen to Toulouse last season if Montferrand get up a head of steam. Bristling with pace and dynamic runners, they can play with remarkable width and tempo, even for a French side, though they also have a pronounced Australian influence, and are fit and organised.
As auxiliary back, main target runner and sometime line-out supplier, the outstanding Olivier Magne is the main man. "Magne does everything but drive the bus and mark the field. He's a great player and they use him a lot," says coach Matt Williams. "They are also a great counter-attacking team. "Fifty per cent of their tries in Europe are scored by counter-attacking."
However, even for French sides, Montferrand's Jekyll-and-Hyde, home-and-away mentality is excessive, as evidence by the slightly ridiculous defeat in Bristol and again by their loss away to Biarritz last weekend.
Although a pool match, due to the competition's rules there is a two-legged element to these back-to-back fixtures. For in the event of two sides finishing level and sharing the points in their two head-to-heads, then final placings would be determined by the try tally over the two games. Hence, even if Leinster lose, they can ill-afford to let the game slip away completely.
For Leinster to top the pool and, better still, earn a cherished home quarter-final it's hard not to think that obtaining a first ever Cup win on French soil would go a helluva long way to achieving it. "It's a mammoth task for us," admits Williams, "but it's a goal we set ourselves as a team at the start of the season."
MONTFERRAND: S Viars; J Marlu, J Ngaumo, R Chanal, D Bory; G Merceron, G Sudre; S Bozzi, R Cockerill, L Tsabadze, T Jaques, O Brouzet, A Audebert, M Raynaud, O Magne. Replacements: D Ashvetia, A Castola, E Lecomte, J Machacek, D Von Hoesslin, X Sadourny, Y N Gog.
LEINSTER (possible): G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G D'Arcy; C Warner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan (Capt), S Byrne, E Byrne, L Cullen, A McCullen/A Kearney, E Miller, V Costello, K Gleeson. Replacements: P Coyle, G Hickie, A Kearney, A McCullen/D Dillon, B O'Riordan, N Spooner, D Quinlan.
Referee: P Adams (Wales).
Previous meetings: None. EC formguide: Montferrand - bt Swansea (h) 47-12; lost to Bristol (a) 19-24. Leinster - bt Bristol (h) 29-23; bt Swansea (a) 51-10. Leading try scorers: Montferrand - Olivier Magne 2. Leinster - Gordon D'Arcy 3, Brian O'Driscoll 2. Leading points scorers: Montferrand - Sebastien Viars 14. Leinster - Brian O'Meara 32.
Betting: Handicap odds = Leinster +8pts. 10/11 Montferrand, 16/1 Draw, 10/11 Leinster. Forecast: Montferrand to win.
POOL FOUR
P W D L F A T Pts
Leinster Lions ... 2 2 0 0 80 33 8 4
Montferrand ... 2 1 0 1 66 36 9 2
Bristol Shoguns ... 2 1 0 1 47 48 4 2
Swansea ... 2 0 0 2 22 98 1 0
Remaining fixtures: Today - Swansea v Bristol Shoguns. December 13th - Leinster v Montferrand. December 14th - Bristol Shoguns v Swansea. January 10th - Leinster v Swansea. January 11th - Montferrand v Bristol. January 18th - Swansea v Montferrand. January 19th - Bristol v Leinster.
