Internationals Back In Contention For Leinster : Irish Rugby

The Leinster squad trained at UCD on Monday afternoon with a number of their Ireland internationals set to rejoin the panel for the visit of the Ospreys to the RDS on Friday.

Luke Fitzgerald has stepped up his rehabilitation from the knee injury he sustained during the GUINNESS Series in November. A decision on his availability will be made on Thursday when the team to face the Ospreys is announced.

Kevin McLaughlin played the full 80 minutes against Connacht last Saturday, in his first outing for Leinster since last May. He was joined by the returning Eoin O'Malley, who had missed the province's recent victories over Clermont Auvergne and Ulster.

A number of the Ireland internationals who were unavailable for the last two fixtures as part of the IRFU Player Welfare programme - including Gordon D'Arcy, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip and Jonathan Sexton - are in contention to play against the Ospreys on Friday.

So too are the likes of Leinster Academy graduates David Kearney, Fergus McFadden and Niall Morris, who were all try scorers in the bonus point victory over Connacht last weekend.

Leinster lie in third place in the Magners League table, a point ahead of the Ospreys, who won the grand final at the RDS last May.

Friday's game marks Leinster's 50th competitive fixture at the RDS and looks set to be played in front of another big crowd.

Ticket sales are fast approaching the 15,000 mark and are available to purchase online here, and from Spar (Donnybrook), the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook), Champion Sports (Grafton Street) as well as Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

The Ireland Under-18 and Under-19 squads had a busy Easter period with seven matches played in Ashbourne, Cardiff, Llanelli, Caerphilly and Bordeaux. Check out some of the tries scored. Full match reports are available on www.irishrugby.ie.

Speaking to RTE Radio rugby correspondent Michael Corcoran, Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was asked about prioritising players playing in Ireland when it comes to national selection over those who are based overseas.