The first season of the money spinning playoffs and we have two ding dong battles but all eyes here will be on the titanic clash of Leinster V Munster at the RDS. Croker wasn't needed for this Semi final but it will still be a great occasion and the smaller packed ground will give off a great atmosphere.Munster and Leinster are both out of the Heinekein cup so this will be their only chance of silverware and expect both teams to go hell for leather for more than just local bragging rights.
Leinster won both meetings this season thrashing Munster 30-0 at the RDA and winning the Good Friday encounter 16-15 and with Sexton now back in the fold, they look worthy favourites. Munster will see this as one they can't afford to lose, maybe even more so than the final as not only did they lose twice this season, their defeat in last season's Heineken Cup Semi has to be still smarting. Keith Earls is struggling, O Connell, Ryan, Leamy are out and even Jerry Flannery, Mick O'Driscoll and Doug Howlett are all carrying knocks.
Leinster have concerns of their own with Leo Cullen out and Gordon D'arcy carrying a knock from last week, however their concerns are not as pressing and if Munster are to get a result here, they will need Ronan O Gara to kick them to glory and hope his battered troops can stop Leinster opening them up. O Gara will be keen to show Sexton, he is still first choice ahead of the summer tour.
However I can see Leinster making it FOUR IN A ROW
you could back the to win at 4/7
or back them giving up -4 at EVENS
or maybe half time full time at EVENS as well
Leinster: Kearney, Horgan, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Nacewa, Sexton, Reddan; Healy, Fogarty, Wright, Hines, O'Kelly, McLaughlin, Jennings (cpt), Heaslip.
Replacements from: Strauss, Ross, van der Linde, Hogan, Ruddock, Keogh, O'Donohoe, Berne, McFadden, Dempsey.
Munster: Warwick, Howlett, Earls, de Villiers, Mafi, O'Gara, O'Leary; Horan, Varley, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Driscoll, Quinlan, Ronan, Williams.
Replacements: Flannery, Ryan, Coughlan, Wallace, Stringer, Hurley, Deasy.
In the other match, many have the Ospreys past the post against a dogged yet a little one dimensional Glasgow. Glasgow have weapons in Max Evans( his brother Thom is still injured from that horror fall against Wales in the Six Nations). Glasgow were 16-6 up at home against Ospreys only for the Ospreys to score 20 points without reply in the second half with Tommy Bowe ripping the line to shreds. In the return leg at the Ospreys it was a stale 9-9 draw, and I'd expect Glasgow to employ spoiling tactics and rely on the boot of Dan Parks, who leaves Glasgow at the end of the season after arguably his finest season ever . Sean Lineen's men have been fantastic this season and speaking as a man who backed them outright at 40/1 i may be slightly blinkered, but I can see them winning this match. With the Irish derby match expected to be a humdinger, the winner of this more low key semi final could catch the Irish winner under par in the final
Back the unders in a stale match.
Under 39 points at 7/4
Glasgow could be value in receipt of a whopping 10 points at EVENS in shocking weather but Chris Cussiter, their first choice scrum half is a huge loss
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