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Leinster players in training on Tuesday. Ben Brady/INPHO
Game on

Five players set for European debut as Leinster fire ahead with plans to travel to Montpellier

There were doubts yesterday about whether the fixture would go ahead.

LAST UPDATE | Dec 16th 2021, 12:21 PM

LEINSTER ARE FIRING ahead with their plans to travel to France tomorrow for their Champions Cup match against Montpellier.

With Covid striking both clubs, doubts about the fixture’s viability were high and even now, they have not completely disappeared. But as things stand, the game is scheduled to take place as planned, with Leo Cullen naming a much changed team for tomorrow’s game (kick off 8pm, BT Sport).

Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose, Rhys Ruddock, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Ross Molony and Tadhg Furlong all drop out of the side who defeated Bath so comfortably last week.

They join Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw on the absentee list. However their replacements in the pack, Cian Healy – Andrew Porter switches back to tighthead to replace Furlong – James Ryan, Dan Leavy, Max Deegan and Jack Conan are experienced operators.

In the backs, only two players, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe, can be considered first-choice players. However, full-back Jimmy O’Brien, wing Adam Byrne, centres Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne aren’t shy of first-team experience. Out-half, Ross Byrne, plays more regularly for Leinster than Sexton in any case.

Leinster postponed their scheduled training session on Tuesday after a number of positive Covid-19 cases had been confirmed in their camp. However, after a full round of antigen and PCR testing at its UCD base, as well as advice from the IRFU and ECPR, they were cleared to travel.

It is not clear whether the changes were injury-related, as a result of illness or made for tactical reasons.

Vakh Abdaladze, Jack Dunne, Academy scrum-half Cormac Foley and Scott Penny, are all in line to play their first games in the Heineken Champions Cup should they be introduced at GGL Stadium. Osborne, the starting centre, is guaranteed his debut.

The Leinster Rugby squad and staff will leave Dublin airport tomorrow morning.

Leinster Rugby (caps in brackets):

15. Jimmy O’Brien (38)
14. Adam Byrne (60)
13. Jamie Osborne (9)
12. Ciarán Frawley (42)
11. James Lowe (57)
10. Ross Byrne (111)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (106)

1. Cian Healy (238)
2. Rónan Kelleher (30)
3. Andrew Porter (82)
4. Ryan Baird (34)
5. James Ryan (53) CAPTAIN
6. Max Deegan (71)
7. Dan Leavy (76)
8. Jack Conan (107)

Replacements:

16. Dan Sheehan (19)
17. Ed Byrne (75)
18. Vakh Abdaladze (14)
19. Devin Toner (271)
20. Jack Dunne (15)
21. Cormac Foley (1)
22. Tommy O’Brien (13)
23. Scott Penny (31)

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

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