Rugby

Connacht face tough Leinster test in first ever PRO12 final

Devon Toner (middle) will miss Saturday's Guinness PRO12 final against Connacht for personal reasons
Devon Toner (middle) will miss Saturday's Guinness PRO12 final against Connacht for personal reasons Devon Toner (middle) will miss Saturday's Guinness PRO12 final against Connacht for personal reasons

CONNACHT take on Leinster in this weekend’s all-Irish Guinness PRO12 final at Murrayfield, but can Ireland’s forgotten side beat the European giants?

Connacht will feature in their first ever PRO12 final on Saturday, while 2014 runners-up Leinster will appear in their fifth in the last six years. The odds seem stacked against the men in green, but previous honours will count for nothing at Murrayfield at half-past five.

Connacht, who’s previous highest league finish was seventh, have been in excellent form all season and ended the campaign as the league’s second-highest point scorers.

They do, however, go into this fixture in somewhat indifferent form, having lost three of their last six games, but did see off reigning champions Glasgow 16-10 in last Saturday’s semi-final.

Leinster, by contrast, have won four of their last five, including an impressive 30-18 victory over Ulster at the RDS Arena last week to book their place in the final and go into the fixture as heavy favourites.

Connacht won’t be phased by their underdog status though. They have current bragging rights over the four-time champions, beating them 7-6 at the Sportsground back in March, Kieran Marmion's try the difference that day.

Leinster, who finished top of the league on points-difference over Connacht, will be hoping to secure their fifth PRO12 title since the competition began in 2001, but will be without captain Isa Nacewa. The 33 year-old full back “has been ruled out with an arm injury suffered in the game against Ulster,” a club statement said.

“While that injury came back clear from the initial x-ray, a subsequent scan on Monday showed damage had been done to an older injury and, in particular, to one of the screws that he has in the plate in his arm, which affected his ability to grip.”

Vice-captain and experienced Irish international Jamie Heaslip will now lead out the three-time European champions in Edinburgh. Rob Kearney will be a welcome return and a direct replacement for the New Zealand born Nacewa, while Ireland international Devon Toner will be absent for personal reasons in the second-row, so Ross Molony and Mick Kearney will make up an inexperienced second-row pairing.

Connacht name an unchanged match day squad for the first time this season ahead of the biggest game in the club’s history. Centre Robbie Henshaw is named in the starting XV and will play his final game for the province before pulling on a blue jersey for Saturday’s opponents next season.

Captain, John Muldoon will play his 275th appearance for the side, while United States international AJ MacGinty has been named at fly-half and could prove vital to Connacht with the boot.

Connacht boss Pat Lam has expressed his delight at being able to name an unchanged squad: “It's exciting that this is the first time in 31 games that we've been able to name the same match-day squad from one week to the next," he said.

"These 23 players are the fortunate ones who have earned the opportunity to wear the jersey and represent their team-mates and the whole of Connacht in our first final.

"Preparation continues to be our big focus this week. We know how tough it will be against Leinster, who have a huge amount of experience in finals rugby. But we know that, if we stick to our structures and systems and channel all the emotion and physicality into our performance, we have a real chance of making history."