CIARAN FRAWLEY WILL make his first European start at out-half in Leinster’s sold-out clash with Sale Sharks on Saturday [5.30pm, RTÉ 2], with Sam Prendergast in line to make his Champions Cup debut from the bench.
Frawley stole the show when replacing the injured Harry Byrne against defending champions La Rochelle last weekend, sealing the visitors’ hard-earned win with a monster penalty at the death.
And with Byrne unavailable this week as he completes the return to play protocols, head coach Leo Cullen turns to Frawley as one of four changes for the RDS clash.
Up front, there is a European debut for Thomas Clarkson at tighthead, with Michael Ala’alatoa dropping to the bench, while Jason Jenkins and Josh van der Flier return in place of Joe McCarthy and Will Connors.
Leinster Rugby (v Sale Sharks)
- 15. Hugo Keenan
- 14. Jordan Larmour
- 13. Garry Ringrose (co-captain)
- 12. Robbie Henshaw
- 11. Jimmy O’Brien
- 10. Ciarán Frawley
- 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
- 1. Andrew Porter
- 2. Dan Sheehan
- 3. Thomas Clarkson
- 4. Jason Jenkins
- 5. James Ryan (co-captain)
- 6. Ryan Baird
- 7. Josh van der Flier
- 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements:
- 16. Rónan Kelleher
- 17. Cian Healy
- 18. Michael Ala’alatoa
- 19. Joe McCarthy
- 20. Jack Conan
- 21. Ben Murphy
- 22. Sam Prendergast
- 23. Charlie Ngatai
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
