Jennings Leads Reinforced Leinster Side
The Leinster team to face the Cardiff Blues in Saturday’s Magners League encounter at the RDS (kick-off 6.30pm) has been named.
Returning flanker Shane Jennings leads the Leinster team, which includes fellow Ireland internationals Brian O’Driscoll and Jonathan Sexton, for the visit of the Welsh side.
Isaac Boss, who made a try-scoring debut in Glasgow last weekend, links up with Sexton at half-back, with Fergus McFadden partnering O’Driscoll at centre.
Mike Ross has recovered from a calf injury to take his place in the front row alongside Richardt Strauss and Heinke van der Merwe, while Jennings joins Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien in an all-international back row unit.
Cian Healy and Eoin Reddan, two more Ireland internationals, have also been included on the replacements bench for the first time this season.
There will be ‘Family Day’ activities and a host of other events in and around the ground, starting from 5pm on matchday.
Over 15,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s league tie and tickets are still available here, as well as from Spar (Donnybrook), the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook) and Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.
LEINSTER (v Cardiff Blues): Luke Fitzgerald; Shane Horgan, Brian O’Driscoll, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa; Jonathan Sexton, Isaac Boss; Heinke van der Merwe, Richardt Strauss, Mike Ross, Nathan Hines, Ed O’Donoghue, Sean O’Brien, Shane Jennings (capt), Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: John Fogarty, Cian Healy, Simon Shawe, Mariano Galarza, Dominic Ryan, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Eoin O’Malley.