Four Kildare men involved as Leinster take on Munster in Croke Park
Jamie Osborne will be back in the Leinster 15 jersey in Croke Park. Photo: ©INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon
The eyes of the rugby world will be fixed on Croke Park this Saturday, as one of the sport's biggest games takes place.
There aren't too many rugby fixtures that can attract over 50,000 fans, let alone a club game, let alone a regular-season club game.
But this is no ordinary game. This is a game widely considered to be the biggest derby in club rugby anywhere in the world.
Nothing will be won, lost or decided on Saturday, yet the very fact that Leinster are playing Munster makes this game one of rugby's premier occasions.
Leinster began the URC with back-to-back defeats in South Africa, falling to the Stormers and then the Bulls - the first time since 2003 that the province have opened their season with consecutive losses in the competition.
But Leo Cullen began to steer the ship back on course at the Aviva last week with a 31-5 win over another South African side, the Sharks.
Munster, conversely, have made a brilliant start to their season, winning all three games under new Head Coach Clayton McMillan as they beat Scarlets, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
There will be significant Kildare interest in the game, with Sam Prendergast and Jamie Osborne both named on the Leinster starting XV, while Eadestown's Tadhg Beirne will captain Munster in his first game since being named Player of the Series in the British and Irish Lions' triumph over Australia during the summer.
Osborne, fresh off his excursion with the Lions, made his first appearance of the season at full back last week and will once again wear the number 15 jersey in Croke Park.
Prendergast is also set to line out for the second time this season, with the fly half having played in the defeat away to the Bulls.
Kildare’s Jimmy O'Brien and Diarmuid Mangan were ever-present for Leinster's first three games, but both have been left out of Cullen's 23-man squad for Croker.
Beirne will take up his role as Munster captain for the first time this season when he lines out in the back row on Saturday and will be eager to bring his Lions form into the URC when he dons a different red jersey at Croke Park.
There is a fourth Kildare man involved, with Athy prop Jeremy Loughman named among the Munster replacements.
Despite their opposing starts to the season, Leinster go into the game as massive 12/1 favourites, while Munster are available at 7/1.
Leinster won both meetings of these two sides last season, and the season before, with Munster's last win over the blues coming in the 2023 URC semi-finals.
That was one of only two Munster wins in the last 16 meetings of these two proud teams, with Leinster dominating in recent years.
Live coverage and buildup of the game begins on TG4 at 4.30pm and on Premier Sports at 5pm.
Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; Alex Soroka, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (C).
Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Ciarán Frawley.
Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Tom Farrell, Dan Kelly, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Ethan Coughlan; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (C), Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson.
Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Ronan Foxe, Jean Kleyn, Gavin Coombes, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Alex Nankivell.
