Leinster v Wasps

[An Tarbh]

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Leinster v Wasps
Date: Saturday 18 October 2008
Venue: RDS
Kickoff - 17:30, Live Sky Sports/Sky Italia</div>

So the champions of the Magners League taking on the Champions of the Premiership in what should be one of the ties of the weekend. Leinster got a monkey off their back last week by finally get a Heineken Cup win at Murrayfield while Wasps did their campaign no harm with last week's win at home to Castres although they may rue not getting that bonus point.

It'll certainly take a huge effort from Leinster to get this win as you get the impression that Wasps will be more than up for this game. The positives for Leinster were the form of the backs but that should be tempered by what was a porous Edinburgh defence and you can't imagine more of the same from Wasps. As for the downsides there certainly needs to be an improvement in the lineout.

You'd slightly favour Leinster to take this being at home but it really is a 50/50 game.

 

[shazbooger]

I'm going on Saturday but I'll be nervous as ****. Big question marks over both sides. Wasps with only one win in the premiership, and Leinster have been pish poor at times themselves. There is little to convince me that Leinster will win this game apart from the fact that Wasps themselves have been so inconsistent. If they had any run of form coming onto the game I'd go for Wasps, but as it stands I think home advantage could make the difference.

Leinster to win by 8, no bonus points for either sides.

 

[An Tarbh]

I'd certainly take that.

 

[Prestwick]

I would bet on Leinster having the edge. Nervous yes but at least they can claim a more consistent win record than Wasps can.

Yet can Wasps bog the game down enough to affect an outcome or will they try and come out all guns blazing like they did against Castres (a much needed morale boosting win).

 

[stevemagoo]

Just picked up a ticket there - Looking forward to it.
Reckon Leinster can do the job - just hope Count-the-ponies has a good game at OH and his "1 intercept per game" doesn't have major consequences!!

 

[An Tarbh]

Team news for this one sees Leinster making one change with Malcolm O'Kelly coming in for Devon Toner. Wasps for their part are unchanged from the side which beat Castres.

Leinster: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, L Fitzgerald, R Kearney; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; S Wright, B Jackman; CJ van der Linde; L Cullen, M O'Kelly; R Elsom, S Jennings, J Heaslip.
Replacements: J Fogarty; C Healy; D Toner, S Keogh, C Keane, J Sexton, G Brown.

Wasps: J Staunton; P Sackey, J Lewsey, R Flutey, T Voyce; D Cipriani, E Reddan; T Payne, R Ibanez ©, P Vickery; S Shaw, T Palmer; J Haskell, T Rees, J Wersley.
Replacements: R Webber; P Barnard; R Birkett; S Betsen; M Robinson; M Van Gisbergen; J Hart

 

[Vambo]

Hopefully Wasps will come out of this one with at least a bonus point.

 

[monkeypigeon]

Kearney v Sackey and Horgan v Voyce. Could be fun.
I figure with Bod having lost a stone and put on a bit of pace and with Fitzgerald inside him there could be a fair bitto danger in centre. And while Lewsey's strong in defence I don't think of much of him in attack from centre.

 

[Sir Speedy]

This game should be a cracker. The games surely can't get worse as they go along, can they?

 

[An Tarbh]

Well neither team has been setting the scene alight this season so yeah it could be a shite match.

 

[Sir Speedy]

Spoke too soon Tarbh. Sackey almost stunned Leinster in 30 seconds... Granted Contepomi was always going to get that ball.

 

[An Tarbh]

I'm so ****** off now, found feeds for all the other games but can't get anything for the game that counts.

 

[Sir Speedy]

TRY O'DRISCOLL... Maybe...
Video ref now; it certainly looks like he got that. Yep, the video confirms it looks ok... Ol' Nige' gives it! 5 - 0
Make that 7 - 0.

 

[An Tarbh]

Nice start, what was the issue with the try?

 

[Sir Speedy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Oct 18 2008, 05:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nice start, what was the issue with the try?[/b]

Dempsey grubber kicked the ball infield, Staunton went to gather and fumbled it. O'Driscoll picked it up, juggled it, spun around and put it down.
Very eventful indeed...
Penalty to Wasps. Should be an easy one for Cipriani. Uh-huh! 7 - 3.

 

[Sir Speedy]

Try 2 for BOD. O_O

 

[An Tarbh]

f*** sake RTÉ enough with the ad breaks and more of the rugby.

 

[An Tarbh]

Good to see the crowd influencing the touch judge by the sounds of it.

 

[An Tarbh]

thought I'd found a stream and the gimp goes and changes to speedway, **** sake.

 

[An Tarbh]

Right cmon Leinster, take advantage of this sin binning.