Arch-rivals Leinster and Munster will lock horns once again for the Guinness Pro14 2021 final in Dublin on March 27. It will be Munster's first appearance in the final in four seasons, having clinched first place in Conference B with a hard-fought 20-17 win against Connacht. For Leinster, it's an opportunity to clinch four Pro14 titles in a row, having eased their way to the final and top spot in Conference A by strolling past an Ulster side that finished the game with 14 men.
Pro14's league organisers confirmed that the final would be staged at the “home venue of the highest-ranked team”. Given that Conference A winners Leinster racked up an impressive 65 points compared with Munster's 54 points in Conference B, the final will likely be hosted in Dublin. Unfortunately for both sets of supporters, the season finale could be something of a damp squib with both squads likely to be missing key players.
The Pro14 final will be sandwiched between Six Nations and Champions Cup showdowns
Tight scheduling issues for the Pro14 final mean that the contest sits between Six Nations and Champions Cup fixtures. Ireland's final Six Nations fixture against England is scheduled just seven days prior to the Pro14 final. Meanwhile, Leinster and Munster both have last 16 ties to negotiate in the Heineken Champions Cup just seven days after the Pro14 final too.
This means that the 15-men squads for Leinster and Munster are unlikely to be at full strength for the Pro14 final. Leo Cullen, head coach of Leinster, admitted he and his staff will have to “make some calls” on fringe players coming into the equation whilst watching the Irish camp “very closely”. Cullen appears to be philosophical about the upcoming fixture congestion, describing this month as an “exciting block of games” for players and fans alike.
Although Cullen intimated that it was likely some of his senior troops would be doubtful for the Pro14 final, he confirmed that he'd spoken one-to-one with all of Leinster's players in the Ireland squad and felt confident that they are in “good shape” and could be able to handle a tight turnaround having overcome a “six-day turnaround” between their Six Nations fixtures with Scotland and England.
Cullen also sought to allay supporters' fears by insisting that the same issues would apply to the Munster squad in the coming weeks. He said “certain key players” will be busy in Six Nations action, which could leave Munster short if fitness and injury problems rear their ugly head. This danger is one of the main reasons why Leinster are heavily odds-on to make it four Pro14 titles on the spin. They are priced as short as -333 with FOX Bet, which is one of the few licensed US sports betting operators to cover the Pro14 from stateside.
Cullen's fellow senior coach Stuart Lancaster has also been bullish about Leinster's Pro14 final prospects later this month, insisting that the team “sees it as a positive” to be able to “give people opportunities” in the absence of first-choice stars. Leinster have certainly hit on a proven formula when it comes to team selection in recent years. Rarely do they opt for their first-choice 15 in the Pro14, with Johnny Sexton a case in point. The Leinster hierarchy have shown time and again that they aren't afraid of resting the likes of Sexton before big fixtures, with Ross Byrne proving a more than able deputy. Their 38-19 success over 14-man Ulster contained plenty of changes to their first-choice starting side, which should give Leinster more wriggle room than their bitter rivals to keep things fresh.
Munster's underdog odds for the upcoming Pro14 final are also founded upon their inability to dine at the top table of Pro14 rugby in a decade. In the last three seasons, Munster have come up short against Leinster at the semi-final stage, with those wounds still far from healed. However, a final victory over their nemesis in 2021 would surely make up for those bitter disappointments.
