Internationals Return To Leinster Line-Up
The Leinster team to face Edinburgh in Friday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 match at Murrayfield (kick-off 7.35pm) has been named.
The province have been boosted by the return from injury of Ireland and Lions trio Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney and Brian O’Driscoll ahead of the trip to the Scottish capital.
Kearney, who will make his 122nd appearance for the province, is named in a pacy-looking back three alongside Fitzgerald and Fionn Carr.
O’Driscoll will link up in midfield with Gordon D’Arcy. Eoin Reddan, who is set to make his 75th Leinster appearance, partners Jonathan Sexton at half-back.
Leo Cullen leads an all-Ireland qualified fifteen which includes the likes of Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien in the pack.
Shane Jennings has recovered from illness to take his place on the replacements bench alongside fellow Ireland internationals Michael Bent and Isaac Boss.
Speaking ahead of the round 13 fixture, flanker Kevin McLaughlin said: “It’s a really exciting time of the year. With a few of the internationals returning this week it will boost competition.
“In a squad like this you’re almost always looking over your shoulder and you know that if you miss out then you could face a longer spell on the sidelines.
“The greater the competition for places, the more intense training is and the enthusiasm all of the lads bring can only be a positive and the management have shown that they’re not afraid to mix and match things and back the depth of the squad.
“Edinburgh will pose a big challenge for us this week and we went through a phase for a number of years where we couldn’t buy a win there.
“We won a high-scoring game last year and snuck a win by the skin of our teeth earlier this season, so we’re expecting them to be gunning for us. We’ll need to bring a high level of intensity and it’ll be another tight and physical battle.”
LEINSTER (v Edinburgh): Rob Kearney; Fionn Carr, Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald; Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross, Leo Cullen (capt), Devin Toner, Kevin McLaughlin, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Aaron Dundon, Heinke van der Merwe, Michael Bent, Tom Denton, Shane Jennings, Isaac Boss, Ian Madigan, Andrew Conway.