AS EXPECTED, LEO Cullen has been forced to shuffle his deck for Friday’s Pro14 clash against Glasgow Warriors with the Leinster head coach making nine changes from last week’s win in Belfast.
Even allowing for the 14 players unavailable ahead of Ireland’s November internationals, Leinster’s resources are once again evident with Cullen naming a team containing both youth and considerable experience.
Dave Kearney, Andrew Porter, Adam Byrne and Dan Leavy are all included in the 23 for the visit to Scotstoun having been involved in the two-day camp at Carton House earlier in the week, while Conor O’Brien will make his Leinster debut.
The young centre, 21, was one of the standout performers during the province’s pre-season schedule and with Noel Reid unavailable through injury, O’Brien gets his chance alongside Rory O’Loughlin.
Jordan Larmour is also rewarded for his outstanding try-scoring performance against Ulster last week with a start at fullback while Ross Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park continue as the halfback pairing.
Up front, Cullen has made seven changes with Jordi Murphy the only forward retained. Ed Byrne, Sean Cronin and Michael Bent make up the front row with Ross Molony — named as captain — and Mick Kearney in the second row.
Scott Fardy is joined by Murphy and Max Deegan in the back row while former St Michael’s College student Josh Murphy is in line for his senior debut off the bench.
Two weeks after their impressive Champions Cup win in Glasgow, Leinster return to Scotland to conclude the first block of Pro14 fixtures before the November break.
Glasgow are the only unbeaten side in the competition with seven wins from seven and Dave Rennie has been able to call upon 11 internationals for the game.
Although the likes of Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Finn Russell are unavailable, the hosts have named a strong XV captained by Callum Gibbins.
Leinster:
15. Jordan Larmour
14. Adam Byrne
13. Rory O’Loughlin
12. Conor O’Brien
11. Dave Kearney
10. Ross Byrne
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Ed Byrne
2. Seán Cronin
3. Michael Bent
4. Ross Molony (captain)
5. Mick Kearney
6. Scott Fardy
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Max Deegan
Replacements
16. Richardt Strauss
17. Peter Dooley
18. Andrew Porter
19. Josh Murphy
20. Dan Leavy
21. Nick McCarthy
22. Cathal Marsh
23. Hugo Keenan
Glasgow Warriors:
15. Ruaridh Jackson
14. Lelia Masaga
13. Nick Grigg
12. Sam Johnson
11. Niko Matawalu
10. Peter Horne
9. George Horne
1. Jamie Bhatti
2. George Turner
3. D’Arcy Rae
4. Tim Swinson
5. Scott Cummings
6. Rob Harley
7. Callum Gibbins (captain)
8. Matt Fagerson
Replacements:
16. Pat MacArthur
17. Alex Allan
18. Adam Nicol
19. Lewis Wynne
20. Matt Smith
21. Henry Pyrgos
22. Alex Dunbar
23. Leonardo Sarto
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