Leinster Make Ten Changes
The Leinster team to face the Glasgow Warriors in Saturday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 encounter at the RDS (kick-off 8.30pm) has been named.
There are ten changes in personnel to Matt O’Connor’s selection from the team selected for last week’s trip to Cardiff.
There are players released from the Ireland set-up once again included from the start, while another two are named among the replacements.
O’Connor has again shuffled the pack and selected a completely new set of forwards – and an experienced one at that.
Captain Leo Cullen, Mike McCarthy and Shane Jennings will all feature from the start, with the likes of Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross available from the bench.
Elsewhere in the pack, front rowers Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin and Martin Moore are back in Leinster colours but renewing their international combination of late.
In the back row, Rhys Ruddock at blindside flanker and number 8 Jordi Murphy will be hoping to keep up their recent good form against the Scottish side.
In the backs Fergus McFadden makes a welcome return to the starting line-up and is selected at outside centre with Noel Reid wearing the number 12 jersey again. Darragh Fanning continues on the right wing with Luke Fitzgerald selected on the left.
Zane Kirchner, the 28-times capped South African, continues at full-back for his 15th Leinster appearance and he will be hoping to add to his two tries to date.
Ian Madigan starts for the 99th time as he returns at out-half, while Eoin Reddan is getting ever closer to his own century of Leinster caps with Saturday’s game being the Limerick man’s 96th appearance for the province.
The Warriors were 12-6 winners when the two sides met at Scotstoun Stadium in round 3 of the PRO12 and are going for a first ever season’s double over Leinster.
LEINSTER (v Glasgow Warriors): Zane Kirchner; Darragh Fanning, Fergus McFadden, Noel Reid, Luke Fitzgerald; Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Martin Moore, Leo Cullen (capt), Mike McCarthy, Rhys Ruddock, Shane Jennings, Jordi Murphy.
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Michael Bent, Mike Ross, Tom Denton, Dominic Ryan, Isaac Boss, Jimmy Gopperth, Darren Hudson.