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Cheika Confirms His First Leinster Squad

Cheika Confirms His First Leinster Squad

New Leinster coach Michael Cheika has confirmed his squad for the province’s opening pre-season friendly against Overmach Parma at Naas RFC on Saturday (kick-off 3.00pm).

Michael Cheika

New Leinster coach Michael Cheika has confirmed his squad for the province’s opening pre-season friendly against Overmach Parma at Naas RFC on Saturday (kick-off 3.00pm).

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With the majority of Leinster’s Irish internationals otherwise engaged, new signings Will Green, Adam Byrnes, Ronan McCormack and Naas product Jamie Heaslip will be given a chance to impress against the Italians.

While the 30-man panel is backboned by regulars such as Felipe Contepomi, Guy Easterby, Emmett Byrne, Ben Gissing and Christian Warner, Australian Cheika will also cast an eye over the province’s young and emerging talent.

UCD fly-half Eoghan Hickey will be out to put down a marker for the season ahead, so too Ireland Under-19 captain and full-back Robert Kearney, as well as Greystones’ try-scoring flanker Rob Connolly, a hero of the Wicklow side’s back-to-back AIB League Division Three final wins.

Leinster’s second and final pre-season friendly will see Cheika’s men take on the Northampton Saints on Donnybrook’s newly-relaid pitch on Friday week (kick-off 7.30pm).

LEINSTER Squad: Forwards: Emmett Byrne, Will Green, John Lyne, John Wickham, Ronan McCormack, Keith Tait, David Blaney, Conor Geoghegan, Adam Byrnes, Ben Gissing, Niall Ronan, Jamie Heaslip, Ciaran Potts, Stephen Bradshaw, Rob Connolly Simon Crawford.

Backs: Guy Easterby, Brian O’Meara, Brian O’Roirdan, Christian Warner, David McAllister, Felipe Contepomi, Eoghan Hickey, James Norton, Gary Brown, Brendan Burke, Robert Kearney, Ross McCarron, Greg Stafford, Dermot O’Sullivan.

PARMA Squad: Michael Barbieri, Robert Barbieri, Tommaso Besio, Sebastien Busato, Alejandro Canale, Alessandro Chillon, Marco Coletti, Sergio Cortesi, Paul Emerick, German Fontana, Marco Frati, Ezio Galon, Michele Garulli, Giovanni Ghidini, Alessandro Giacon, Fabio Gumiero, Bruno Masetti, Francesco Mazzariol, Nicola Mazzucato, Federico Minello, Gianmario Mori, Andrea Orsi, Bruno Pani, Liviu Pascu, Jose Pellicena, Pablo Sciarretta, Juan Martin Soffredini, Fabio Staibano, Luke Tait, Albert Tuipulotu, Manoa Vosawai.

Referee: Donal Courtney (IRFU)