Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has announced his squad for his side’s PRO14 match against Zebre at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi at 18 15 tomorrow.
The biggest change to the team is the inclusion of Cian Kelleher, who makes his first start for the boys in blue since his return to the club after a spell with Connacht. Kelleher comes in on the left-wing, while Adam Byrne comes in on the right.
While in the pack James Tracy and Ross Molony are noticeable inclusions.
Tracy is joined in the front-row by Peter Dooley and Michael Bent, while Molony links up with captain Scott Fardy in the second-row.
Josh Murphy starts at blindside-flanker, with Scott Penny at openside, while Max Deegan is set to win his 50th cap for the province when he lines-up at No 8.
Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne continue their half-back partnership after an impressive start to the season, with Byrne making his 75th appearance, while Joe Tomane and Rory O’Loughlin once again line-up outside them in the centre following an equally impressive start to the campaign.
As mentioned above Kelleher opens on the left-wing, with Adam Byrne on the right, while Hugo Keenan remains at full-back.
On the bench Bryan Byrne and Ryan Baird are in line to make their first involvements of the season.
Speaking ahead of the game Cullen noted that despite players coming back from the World Cup, his objective was trying to get through this game following a week off and heading into a gruelling set of fixtures.
“For us this week it’s just trying to prepare as much as we possibly can and get back into performance mode,” he said.
Leinster are hoping to continue their perfect start to the season when they head to Italy having claimed three bonus-point wins from three so far this season. While for some of the younger players in the squad this is another chance to stake a claim for a spot among the first team even as bigger name players make their way back.
Check Out the Full 23-Man Squad Below.
Starting XV:
15. Hugo Keenan (8)
14. Adam Byrne (53)
13. Rory O’Loughlin (64)
12. Joe Tomane (16)
11. Cian Kelleher (7)
10. Ross Byrne (74)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (73)
1. Peter Dooley (64)
2. James Tracy (95)
3. Michael Bent (127)
4. Ross Molony (85)
5. Scott Fardy (46) (C)
6. Josh Murphy (24)
7. Scott Penny (7)
8. Max Deegan (49)
Replacements:
16. Bryan Byrne (42)
17. Michael Milne (3)
18. Vakh Abdaladze (10)
19. Ryan Baird (1)
20. Caelan Doris (19)
21. Hugh O’Sullivan (15)
22. Harry Byrne (3)
23. Jimmy O’Brien (9)
