
What time and TV channel is Scarlets v Leinster on in the URC today
With a six day turnaround from their visit to Llanelli to the visit of Northampton to the Aviva Stadium, the Blues boss has made nine changes from last week's defeat of Ulster as the province looks to maintain their dominant position at the top of the URC table.
However the Leinster head coach will still back his side to beat the Scarlets - who, in ninth place, are hell-bent on picking up points as the regular season races to a conclusion.
If Leinster do win they will secure a top two seeding and Cullen will be expecting that outcome after the second string's recent win over the Sharks in South Africa.
"The performance is first and foremost," said attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal. "We're preparing for a really tough challenge. The Scarlets have proven to be tough fighters in the last few weeks, on the cusp of the play-offs. It's their last home match for the year so we're expecting a tough challenge.
"We'd love to get a result and the table would take care of itself, but the performance is what we're focusing on. I just think this period after the Six Nations, a few things have clicked, and for whatever reason the big games we played had some good attack in them. It's pleasing."
The match will be played at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest rugby news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The match kicks off at 5.15pm on Saturday
It will be shown live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports, and will be streamed live on URC.tv
Scarlets to win 7/2, Leinster to win 2/9, the draw is 20/1
Rónan Kelleher captains Leinster for the first time, winger Ruben Moloney (21) is poised to make his debut off the bench and Ciarán Frawley makes his 99th appearance for the province. Ryan Baird has returned from injury.
Jamie Osborne switches from full-back to centre, where he will partner Liam Turner. Osborne's brother Andrew starts on the right wing.
Ross Byrne is at No.10 while Fintan Gunne makes his third start, coming in for Luke McGrath at scrum-half. "I'm enjoying it big time, off the bench mainly, but it was good to get that first start in South Africa, hopefully get one or two more towards the end of the season and I'll be delighted with the season," said 21-year-old Gunne.
"The intensity was up against Ulster, I was just throwing myself into a few tackles and was just looking to bring a bit of speed towards the end of the game there, try to get a couple of tries.
"We're ready when called upon, it's a testimony to all the work the academy coaches are doing and each season there's more and more academy lads putting their hands up, which is great to see."
Cian Healy returns at loosehead and is alongside Kelleher and Thomas Clarkson in the front row, while Baird is named with Brian Deeny in the second row.
Will Connors makes his injury comeback with a start at No.7, with Alex Soroka and James Culhane continuing in the back row.
Leinster: Ciarán Frawley; Andrew Osborne, Liam Turner, Jamie Osborne, Jimmy O'Brien; Ross Byrne, Fintan Gunne; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher (capt), Thomas Clarkson; Ryan Baird, Brien Deeny; Alex Soroka, Will Connors, James Culhane.
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, Diarmuid Mangan, Scott Penny, Cormac Foley, Charlie Tector, Ruben Moloney.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
URC Grand Final: Leinster v Bulls - All you need to know
After the Stormers, Munster and Glasgow Warriors all etched their names onto the BKT United Rugby Championship trophy in the last three years, there will be another new name joining them this weekend. While Leinster have won the previous iterations of this competition eight times, they haven't done so since the arrival of the big four South African franchises in 2021. For the Bulls, it's a case of third time lucky. Jake White's side beat Leinster in the semi-finals in both 2022 and 2024, only to lose in the final on each occasion. Here's everything you need to know ahead of this Saturday's final at Croke Park. RADIO There will be live commentary of Leinster v Bulls on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport. ONLINE There will be a live blog on for Leinster v Bulls, as well as match report and reaction. TV Leinster v Vodacom Bulls will be shown on TG4 and Premier Sports, with kick-off at 5pm. The game can also be streamed on WEATHER It looks like Saturday will be a day of unpredictable weather conditions, with sunshine and showers forecast at various stages during the day, and temperatures around 15C. PREVIEW/TEAMS It speaks to the competitiveness of the URC that Leinster and the Bulls lead the way for the most wins in the competition (59 and 54) across the last four seasons, and yet neither have got their hands on the trophy. While the Bulls have been to this stage twice before, this will be Leinster's first time in the final of the URC - in its current guise - having won the older versions of this championship eight times, most recently in 2021. After three finals in South Africa, this will be the first time the URC has been decided on Irish soil. Don't get too swayed by home advantage though, in two of the last three finals the away team has taken the trophy. The sides have met six times before, and the Bulls lead the head-to-head 4-2. Their regular-season meetings have been evenly split with Leinster winning both in Dublin, and the Bulls victorious twice in Pretoria. The difference has been in the play-offs, with the South Africans stunning Leinster at the RDS back in 2022, before winning at the same stage last season at Loftus Versfeld. While cross-hemisphere wins have proven difficult in the last four years, the Bulls have adapted well. In April, their 16-13 win against Munster at Thomond Park made them the first and only South African team to win away from home at all four Irish provinces, while they have also beaten each of the Irish teams this season. Their preparations this week have been aided by a better travel schedule, flying out from South Africa last Sunday to give themselves extra time to settle in Dublin. While Leinster topped the regular season and have lost just twice in this campaign, the Bulls are probably the form side in the competition. They've won eight games in a row in this competition, a run that started with their 21-20 win against Leinster in March, while they won away to both Munster and Glasgow in that period. This will be Leinster's fifth time playing at Croke Park, and they have a 100% record in their previous four visits, defeating both Munster and Harlequins at GAA HQ this season. Leo Cullen is without some key players for this weekend, with British and Irish Lions pair Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong both out injured, while captain Caelan Doris is on the long-term list. The province have been able to recall Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose after they missed the semi-final win against Glasgow. Jordie Barrett starts in the centre and will play his 15th and final game for the province as his short-term deal comes to an end. It will also be a final Leinster appearance off the bench for Gloucester-bound Ross Byrne, with the 30-year old set for his 186th game in blue. The Bulls make just one change to their side, but it's a big one, with back row Cameron Hanekon ruled out with a knee injury, as Marco van Staden comes in at flanker, and Marcell Coetzee shifts across to cover Hanekom's absence at number 8. Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Jamie Osborne. Bulls: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (capt), Marcell Coetzee. Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Alulutho Tshakweni, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Nizaam Carr, Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Devon Williams. WHAT THEY SAID Leo Cullen (Leinster head coach): "I can't speak for the players specifically, but you want to go out and do your best on any given day and not look too much at the outcome. Unfortunately, the reality is once you get closer to something that's what people tend to look at and they can quite often trip themselves up. So [ we are] making sure we focus on playing well, because that's the bit we can control, the outcome and some of the other variables, we can't control." Jake White (Bulls head coach):"One of the messages I got to the players was one of the things about this competition is that you need to play your best rugby in the last three weeks, and we haven't managed to do that in the four years. We have managed to play really well over a period of time but we haven't managed to back up three performances in a the challenge for all these teams. You got to have your best guys out, they got to be playing their best and you've got to prepare them the best they can be for those last three Saturdays." Bulls 21-20 Leinster, 22 Match 20025 (Loftus Versfeld) Bulls 25-20 Leinster, 15 June 2024 (Loftus Versfeld) Leinster 47-14 Bulls, 29 March 2024 (RDS) Bulls 62-7 Leinster, 22 April 2023 (Loftus Versfeld) Leinster 26-27 Bulls, 10 June 2022 (RDS) Leinster 31-3 Bulls, 5 September 2021 (Aviva Stadium)


Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Graham Burke 'a maverick who makes us better when he's on the pitch'
Graham has been labelled a 'maverick' who makes Shamrock Rovers a much better team when he is injury-free and on the pitch. And the Hoops ace himself feels he's in the best shape in years as he looks to keep Rovers on track to reclaim the has been crowned the SSE Airtricity / Soccer Writers Ireland 'Player of the Month for May' after scoring four goals and providing two assists in that 31-year-old has been frustrated with the stop-start nature of recent seasons as injuries and niggles took their toll on his body. And that was evident last season with Burke forced to play a bit-part role in the Hoops' historic European run, with his only start in the league phase coming against in the qualifying stages, he missed the Vikingur games completely with injury and came off the bench in the second-leg against Sparta Prague. And it was substitute roles again against Celje and PAOK, before featuring in just three of the six league phase games, starting one, with another start at home to Molde in the playoff. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Burke said yesterday: 'The last two years I've got a run of games and then got an injury, rehab, try to come back and then get up to speed again. Maybe you get back in the team and for me it just felt that every four or five games I was back with the physio.'Even around Europe last year, it was a disappointing time to get an injury. They're huge games and you want to be playing in huge games. A big game against Chelsea, I only got back training the week before it and I was thinking maybe I won't come on but hopefully I will, and lucky enough I did.' At this stage of his career, Burke understands that Rovers boss Stephen Bradley has to manage the minutes of one of the league's best attacking tonight's clash with Shelbourne, Rovers are away to Drogheda United on Monday and Burke hasn't played both games in a double game week this season. He knows it's for the best, but it doesn't mean he likes it, and nor does it sit well with Burke when Bradley takes him off in matches late Ireland international said: 'Day to day, I'm quite chilled and quite relaxed. I know myself there's certain times I can switch and have a mad 10 seconds of madness. We all have flaws at times and that's probably a little flaw I have. When I leave the football pitch, I'm quite calm. But I wouldn't want it to leave me. It's a part of me.'Shamrock Rovers boss Bradley has labelled Burke a maverick and makes no apologies for picking and choosing his games - even if it occasionally frustrates the attacker. Ahead of tonight's trip to Tolka Park, Bradley said: 'We're a better team when Graham is on the pitch and it's my job to get him to that point where he's available. At times last year we had to push certain players at certain times as we were so low on bodies, some players suffered due to that in terms of injuries.'But when we have a healthy squad, which we have, it's about trying to mind the likes of Graham to get him to the pitch in good physical condition. There's been a lot of reasons over the last few years why he has been stop-start but this year he has been excellent and that's down to him.'Bradley continued: 'He's in incredible condition but there's more detail to it, his stress load goes through his calves and you build that up over a period of time it becomes a problem, with how he plays and his running style, everything is explosive.'Graham will cover the same explosive distances as Neil Farrugia which people wouldn't think. There's a lot that goes into that and it took us a while to get to the bottom of that and understand it. He wants to play every minute of every game and it's our job to try and hold him and get him right for games and once he's right, this year he's different class.'And while Burke doesn't hide his annoyance at being subbed off late in games, Bradley would never try to tame that spikiness in one of his star added: 'That's part of Graham, part of his beauty and what he is. You have to understand and accept that Graham is on the edge all of the time. If we're winning 5-0, he's done everything and you take him off he's not happy. You're not going to change that now. It's part of what makes him. "He'll say things (to me, coming off the pitch) for sure! But you have to allow him to have that. If you try to take that away, you kill a bit of what he is. He's a bit of a maverick and you've got to allow him to be that." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.


The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Leo Cullen in rare show of anger as he snaps at media questions ahead of Leinster's URC final vs Bulls
LEO CULLEN has insisted that Leinster do not deserve to be branded as failures if they are beaten tomorrow. If the province do not 2 Cullen has shipped criticism since their Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton 2 Tomorrow will be Jordie Barrett's last game for the Blues During that time, they have lost three finals and one semi-final in the Champions Cup and three semi-finals in the URC, twice when they had finished top of the standings in the regular season. They topped the pile again this time around and Cullen does not believe his charges deserve to be automatically dismissed if they cannot get over the line again. He said: 'They're all individual games. Every play-off game is a final as such. We have played in lots, whether they come in a quarter-final, semi-final or final. 'The group is learning all the time, young players come through, you are adding layers of experience. Read More On Irish Sport 'I think the way some of the questions are leading me, it's like, 'Whoever loses is a failure'. In this game there are two good teams going at it. If you lose in a final, are you classified as a failure? 'You can play your best game in the final. So both of these teams could play their best games of the season but unfortunately one of the teams has to lose. 'So one of the teams, who has just played their best game, they are classified as losers because they have lost but are they failures? "You are guaranteed nothing. So you have to prepare the best you can with the time you have to put in your best performance. Most read in Rugby Union 'I hope the group goes out and does itself justice. It's on the day.' Many in the squad have never lifted a trophy with Leinster while even more have never done so in front of a crowd, with their last two PRO14 titles coming during the Covid-19 pandemic when restrictions were in place. 'Pierre loving retirement' - Peter O'Mahony's wife teases Ireland legend as kids run amok in cute snap But Cullen does not want his players to get sidetracked by the prospect of doing so this weekend. He added: 'Unfortunately, the reality is once you get closer to something, that's what people tend to look at and they can quite often trip themselves up. 'So making sure we focus on playing well, because that's the bit we can control . . . the outcome and some of the other variables, we can't control. Bulls will test us in lots of different ways.' But the former lock did admit that Leinster's recent tale of woe and anything else that is thrown into the mix could help in terms of adding a bit more intent to their game-plan. He said: 'Bulls, we played in the semi-final last year and lost, had to travel down to Pretoria and try to deal with some of those challenges. 'They look like they've got here OK, so, from our point of view, does it give us a slight advantage, an extra day? Then again, they've had that time together, a chance to build a bit of a siege mentality. 'Lads have trained well this week, put a good plan together, but now we've got to deliver it. 'We trained out there in very difficult conditions. If conditions are like that at the weekend, we need to make sure we are able to adapt.' CAVALRY CHARGE Leinster have been boosted by Ross Byrne is on the bench for what is his last game before he joins Gloucester but Cullen said: 'Cian, you think what he has done and achieved with the club, the contribution he made to Leinster rugby, that was probably the most difficult.' LEINSTER: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Clarkson; McCarthy, Ryan; Baird, van der Flier, Conan. Reps: Kelleher, Boyle, Slimani, Snyman, Deegan, McGrath, Byrne, Osborne.