Leinster have only retained two players from their starting XV that defeated Ulster last weekend for their clash with Benetton Treviso in the RDS on Saturday at 19 45.
The two players retained are second-row Scott Fardy and scrum-half Luke McGrath, who also captains the side.
Leinster will be looking to stretch their lead at the top of Conference B having already sealed a home semi-final and have decided to switch things up in order to get the job done.
In the front-row Ulster-bound Jack McGrath comes in alongside James Tracy and Andrew Porter, with Mick Kearney pairing up with Fardy behind them in the second-row.
The young trio of Josh Murphy, Max Deegan and Caelan Doris start in the back-row at six, seven and eight respectively.
McGrath continues at nine and is joined in the half-backs by Noel Reid at 10. Joe Tomane and youngster Conor O’Brien begin the game in the centre.
James Lowe returns to the side on the left-wing, with Fergus McFadden on the right and Barry Daly coming in at full-back.
It is a youthful bench as well with the likes of Jack Dunne, Hugh O’Sullivan, Ciaran Frawley and Jimmy O’Brien joining Scott Penny, who makes his first appearance since winning the Grand Slam with the Irish under 20s.
Here’s your #LeinsterRugby team to face @BenettonRugby tomorrow at the RDS Arena (KO 7.45pm). ⬇️ #JoinTheRoar: https://t.co/PSeSNH3mr4#LEIvBEN pic.twitter.com/ovM8zK6d0X
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) April 5, 2024
Head coach Leo Cullen has called on his players to use this opportunity to stake a claim for places in the teams that will play in the big games coming up.
“It’s a great chance for guys to lay down a marker and put their hands up and say ‘pick me, pick me for the team’ for the big games. That semi-final in a couple of weeks that everyone wants to play in. That’s the message,” he said.
The Italian side head to the RDS on the back of what has been a sensational season so far and have a host of their national players in the team.
Nicola Quaglio, Luca Bigi and Marco Riccioni make up the front-three, as Irne Herbsy and Federico Ruzza start in the engine room.
There is a strong back-three to finish up the pack with Sebastian Negri, Braam Steyn and Toa Halafihi all set to start.
Dewaldt Duvenage partners Tommaso Allan in the half-backs with Luca Morisi at 12 and Marco Zanon at 13.
Monty Ioane and Iliesa Ratuva on the wings and Jayden Hayward covering the full-back role.
With players like Simone Ferrari and Tito Tebaldi to call on from the reserves, Leinster will have to be wary of the visitors in the closing stages.
As mentioned above Leinster already certain to finish top of Conference B but will want to head into the knock-out stages on a high. While Benetton currently sit third in the conference, three-points ahead of Edinburgh and a win away here could be vital if they are to claim a play-off spot.
