Ruddock To Captain Leinster Against Treviso

The Leinster team to face Benetton Treviso in Saturday evening’s RaboDirect PRO12 encounter at the RDS (kick-off 5pm) has been named.

Rhys Ruddock will captain the home side in his 50th provincial outing, linking up with fellow Academy graduates Dominic Ryan and Jordi Murphy in the back row.

Murphy continues at number 8 after scoring a try in last weekend’s 26-11 victory over the Cardiff Blues, which was his 18th appearance for the province.

Leinster can also welcome back several players who were involved with the Ireland squad in recent weeks.

Amongst them is hooker Sean Cronin while fellow Limerick man Eoin Reddan will make his 78th Leinster appearance in a half-back partnership with Ian Madigan.

Normally, Cian Healy would not have played this weekend but, given the circumstances, a run-out would have been welcomed.

However it has been stated that he is suspended and is therefore unavailable for selection and unable to play against the Italian side.

Fergus McFadden joins full-back Luke Fitzgerald and David Kearney in an exciting back-three, with Eoin O’Malley,  fresh from making his seasonal bow in the league last Friday, named in the centre alongside Andrew Goodman.

In total 12 of the starting fifteen are graduates of the Leinster Academy, demonstrating the province’s commitment to developing local talent.

It is ‘Ladies Night’ at the RDS on Saturday and all lady supporters at this game will be treated with goodies such as flowers, cupcakes and more while also having the chance to win some great prizes.

Come along and enjoy the live music around the grounds and keep an eye out for our goodie bag locations to pick up yours with some great treats inside.

Look out for Cupid who will be roaming the grounds looking to escort some lucky ladies to their seats. While enjoying the match, the fabulous Blue Crew will be surprising some ladies in the crowd with spot prizes so keep watch. Gates open at 3.30pm.

Ticket sales for Saturday’s game have passed the 16,000 mark and are on sale online here. They are also available from the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook), Spar (Donnybrook) and Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

LEINSTER (v Benetton Treviso): Luke Fitzgerald; David Kearney, Eoin O’Malley, Andrew Goodman, Fergus McFadden; Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan, Ben Marshall, Devin Toner, Rhys Ruddock (capt), Dominic Ryan, Jordi Murphy.

Replacements: Aaron Dundon, Jack O’Connell, Michael Bent, Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings, Isaac Boss, Noel Reid, Fionn Carr.