Leinster

Leinster coach Matt Williams was able to pick from a full-strength squad for the first time this season when he named his team for tomorrow night's pivotal Pool One opener away to Edinburgh Reivers in Myreside. Williams had used 28 players in five matches without being able to name the same side for two games running so, when asked if the squad would be wrapped in cotton wool between now and kick-off, he said: "Mate, we're actually going via Lourdes."

Eddie Hekenui thus becomes their 29th player of the season after recovering from a strained calf to partner Kevin Putt, who has recovered from the same injury, while Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie also return to the threequarter line.

Neither Hekenui, Horgan nor Hickie were flat out in yesterday's session at Anglesea Road and Williams said that Simon Keogh and Nathan Turner would be travelling to Scotland in addition to the named squad of 22 as cover. Nevertheless, Williams said: "We've sort of got our dream team here if you like."

Leinster weren't able to play the wide game Williams desired because of the constant changes with Leinster's inside backs.

Saying that Reivers have "probably the biggest pack we've faced this year," Williams noted their unbeaten home record this season and Leinster's crucial away defeat to Glasgow in the pool stages last season.

Admitting that Leinster hadn't been mentally prepared for that game, "we allowed the adversity of travel to upset our mental preparation", Williams wanted a demanding pre-season tour to England and Wales. "I wanted to get guys prepared for this European Cup and my experience of the Super 12s is that you have to learn how to travel and play as a professional." This will be their seventh away game out of nine this season.

Following the regular contributions of Roly Meates to Leinster's scrummaging practice, and the two-day co-opting of Dave Alred for both place-kicking and goalkicking coaching last week, Williams' old friend Willie Anderson contributed to yesterday's forward practice.

Leinster (v Edinburgh Reivers): G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G D'Arcy; E Hekenui, K Putt; R Corrigan, S Byrne, E Byrne, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, E Miller, V Costello, L Toland. Replacements: B O'Meara, M McHugh, P McKenna, T Brennan, B Casey, G Halpin, P Smyth.

Leinster Under-21s (v Exiles): F Baynes (Greystones); C McPhillips (St Mary's), G Brown (Blackrock), K Lewis (Trinity), A Cahill (B lackrock); B Lynn (UCD), S O'Riordan (UCD); S Brophy (Trinity), G Hickey (St Mary's), N Treston (Blackrock) capt, P McCarthy (UCD), E Gormley (St Mary's), N Breslin (UCD), D Dillon (UCD), T Carter (UCD). Replacements: I Wallace (Old Wesley), J Montgomery (UCD), G Cleary (Greystones), L Bourke (UCD), P Drew (Blackrock), D Crotty (Trinity), C McNaughton (Greystones).

Ulster

As befits the most settled of the Irish teams this season, Ulster make just one change to the side which lost to Munster last Friday in recalling the fit-again Tyrone Howe, with Shane Stewart reverting to the bench for their opening European Cup game against Cardiff at Ravenhill tomorrow night.

For their sixth competitive game of the season, Harry Williams has thus employed just 17 players in his starting line-ups, and only 20 players so far.

Such is the attraction of this fixture against Cardiff's star-studded line-up, who were runaway winners of the Welsh/Scottish League last season and are currently joint top, that the game is expected to be a 12,500 sell-out.

Ulster (v Cardiff): G Henderson; J Topping, R Constable, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys capt, B Free; J Fitzpatrick, R Weir, S Best, P Johns, G Longwell, R Nelson, T McWhirter, A Ward. Replacements: S Bell, N Malone, S Stewart, C Boyd, P Shields, M Blair, D Topping.

Munster

John Langford returns for his first game in a month for Munster's clash against Newport in Thomond Park on Saturday. This is the only change from the side which clinched their third interprovincial title in a row last Friday.

The former Wallaby lock had missed three games since damaging medial ligaments in his foot against Leinster on September 8th. As part of the ripple effect, Mick O'Driscoll reverts to the bench and Donnacha O'Callaghan unluckily drops out of the 22. Manager Jerry Holland admitted that Langford "lacks match fitness but he has taken a full part in training in the past week and we're delighted to have him back in the side."

Holland watched Castres last weekend while Declan Kidney ran the rule over Newport, with whom he was "very impressed, particularly with their strength in the scrums and line-outs, areas they use all the time to launch attacks and from any part of the field."

One man Munster won't have to face is Wales international loose-head prop Peter Rogers who has moved from Newport to Cardiff in time to be included among Cardiff's four extra front-row forwards.

Munster (v Newport): D Crotty; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; P Clohessy, F Sheahan, J Hayes, M Galwey capt, J Langford, A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Replacements: M Horan, J Blaney, M O'Driscoll, C McMahon, T Tierney, J Staunton, K Keane.

Munster Under-21s (v Connacht): D O'Riordan (Midleton); K Barry (Midleton), C O'Sullivan (UCC), M Lawlor (Shannon) capt, R Desmond (UL Bohemians); D Delaney (Shannon), P McCarthy (Dolphin); S O'Neill (UL Bohemians), C Tucker (Shannon), R Flanagan (Bruff), P Griffin (Garryowen), T Hayes (Shannon), P Malone (Bruff), A Hickey (Dolphin), C Hartigan (Garryowen). Replacements: R McGrath (Cork Con), B Kidd (UCC), D O'Connell (Garryowen), J O'Sullivan (Garryowen), E Reddan (Old Crescent), J Davis (Shannon), J Lynch (Shannon).

Connacht

Connacht will be without their recent midfield recruit Shane Stephens (shin splints) for their opening European Shield match against Beziers at the Sportsground on Saturday. Michael Smyth thus returns to the side, while fit-again Rob Lee is included on the bench, though flanker Ian Dillon is still unavailable.

Beziers, newly promoted in the French championship, are backed by millionaire owner Olivier Nicollan, who flies in for the game in his private jet. Their side contains two French internationals in centre Richard Dourthe and flanker Richard Castel, and two Australian internationals in Andrew Heath and Warrick Waugh. They also have four South Africans - lock Steve Hall, flanker Anthony Hill and props Leonard Leirenberg and Neil McIlroy, as well as an Argentinian flanker, Frederic Martinez.

The game has been brought forward to 1.0 to avoid clashing with the All-Ireland football final replay, for which Connacht have wished Galway every success.

Their under-21s, buoyed by their contribution to an unprecedented treble at interprovincial, under-21 and junior levels over Leinster, recall Ger Brady to left-wing and promote Martin McPhail to right-wing, with Justin Meagher switching to full-back.

Connacht (v Beziers): W Munn; P Duignan, M Smyth, T Allnutt, N Carolan; E Elwood, B Shelbourne; D McFarland, M Uijs, J Screene, R Frost, D Browne, J Charlie, C Rigney, J O'Connor. Replacements: M Cahill, J McVeigh, G Schoeman, M Swift, D Yapp, R Lee, J Ferris.

Connacht Under-21s (v Munster): J Meagher (Buccaneers); M McPhail (Corinthians), G Duffy (Galwegians), M O'Mahony (UCG), G Brady (Galwegians); C Glynn (Buccaneers), P Jennings (Westport); K Ward (Galwegians), H Bourke (Old Belvedere), J Noone (Monivea), A Maher (Trinity), C Murphy (Clontarf), JP Walsh (Westport) capt, A Conboy (Corinthians), W Wallace (Old Belvedere). Replacements: AN Other, F Cloonan (Monivea), J Walsh (OLBC), A Nash (Buccaneers), T Bowles (UCG), D Boyd (UCG), B McCann (Corinthians).