Leinster Monitor McFadden Ahead Of Treviso Trip

The Leinster management are optimistic that Fergus McFadden will come back into contention after missing last Sunday’s 38-13 Heineken Cup victory over Glasgow Warriors at the RDS.

Lock Damian Browne (shoulder) could also come back into the selection mix, though a decision on his availability will be confirmed at Friday’s team announcement.

Mat Berquist (knee) has stepped up his rehabilitation in recent weeks and it is hoped that he will be available over the Christmas period, while it is thought that Dominic Ryan, who recently captained the province’s ‘A’ side away against Esher, will be out for between four and six weeks after sustaining an ankle injury.

With Leinster ‘A’ recording their second successive bonus point victory in the British & Irish Cup (a 42-20 win over Melrose at Donnybrook last Saturday), a number of other players could force their way into the squad for the league trip to Treviso.

Eoin O’Malley’s brace of tries against Glasgow brought his tournament tally to three in three matches, while Jonathan Sexton has now kicked 66 points in four provincial appearances so far this season.

Sean O’Brien’s next appearance will be his 60th in Leinster colours, while Eoin Reddan is in line to become Leinster’s latest half centurion. He made his 47th appearance on his 31st birthday last Sunday.

Meanwhile, with over 2,000 tickets having been purchased in the hours after the Glasgow game, ticket sales for the round 4 Heineken Cup clash with Bath at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, December 17 (kick-off 6pm) have now passed the 27,200 mark. They are available to purchase online here and from from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.