Six changes to Leinster team for Ospreys trip

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made six changes to his team for the Guinness Pro12 game against the Ospreys on Friday night in the Liberty Stadium.

There are three changes in the pack and a further three in the backs following the win over Connacht last time out in the RDS.

Having been called into an Ireland mini-camp on Monday and subsequently having missed the early part of the week’s preparation, youngsters Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier drop out of the match-day 23.

In the halfbacks Luke McGrath has recovered from the foot infection that ruled him out of that victory and he will be joined by Johnny Sexton who has shaken off a knee injury that forced him to leave the pitch early last week.

There is a positional switch at centre with Ben Te’o moving to outside and Luke Fitzgerald coming into the starting XV at inside centre.

In the pack Jack McGrath and Richardt Strauss start again and are joined at tighthead prop by Tadhg Furlong. Devin Toner – for his 175th Leinster cap – and Mike McCarthy start again in the secondrow.

In the backrow last week’s captain Rhys Ruddock is joined by fellow internationals Seán O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip.

On the bench Noel Reid is back involved in a match-day squad for the first time since recovering from an ankle injury and is in line to win his 50th cap for the province.

LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Isa Nacewa (captain), Ben Te'o, Luke Fitzgerald, Dave Kearney; Johnny Sexton, Luke McGrath; Jack McGrath, Richardt Strauss, Tadhg Furlong; Devin Toner, Mike McCarthy; Rhys Ruddock, Seán O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Seán Cronin, Peter Dooley, Marty Moore, Tom Denton, Dominic Ryan, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Noel Reid.