Celtic League: The first Leinster team selection since Declan Kidney departed has a strong look about it with Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy starting together in the centre positions for their Celtic League match against Glasgow in Hugheden on Saturday. Shane Horgan, Denis Hickie and Malcolm O'Kelly are not included because of injuries, which are not believed to be serious.
With Gerry Murphy, Paul McNaughton, Roly Meates and Bobby Byrne looking after the running of things, Leinster, save keeping their Lions ticking over, have little to play for until their first game of the Celtic Cup competition.
Victor Costello is back at number eight while both Kieran Lewis and Gary Brown are also in the starting line-up. UCD secondrow Simon Crawford comes on to the bench while Ciarán Potts is not included.
Meanwhile, Leinster announced yesterday that over €500,000 will be spent on improving the main and back pitches at Donnybrook and the new surface will be ready in time for the start of the next season.
In Ulster, Mark McCall has kept faith in the side that lost to Cardiff last week when he named an unchanged line-up to face Llanelli in Friday night's final Celtic League match at Ravenhill Road. The outcome will decide whether Ulster finish in the top eight and claim a place in the end-of-season Celtic Cup competition. Leinster and Munster have already booked their places while Connacht also play a must-win game against Gwent Dragons.
Ulster's only change in the squad is Rory Best, coming in as hooker cover ahead of Nigel Brady as they hope to extend their winning streak at home to eight games.
McCall will be bidding farewell to outhalf Ian Humphreys, who will join Leicester at the end of the season.
Humphreys is currently a sports science student at Loughborough University and turned down a development contract with Ulster to sign for the English side. The 22-year-old recently captained the Irish Sevens side at the World Cup in Hong Kong.
Part of Humphreys' decision to leave Ulster centres around the international experiences of Leicester coach Pat Howard as well as Leicester having a full-time kicking coach. His older brother, David, as well as Paddy Wallace, remain ahead of him in the Ulster select for the outhalf position.
Connacht have named a 24-man squad for their match against the Dragons at Rodney Parade. John Fogarty and Brendan O'Connor both await fitness tests, while it has been confirmed that John Muldoon will miss the remainder of the season with a thumb injury.
LEINSTER (v Glasgow): G Dempsey; G Brown, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, K Lewis; D Holwell, G Easterby; R Corrigan, S Byrne, R Nebbet; B Gissing, L Cullen; D Dillon, K Gleeson, V Costello. Replacements: E Byrne, D Blaney, S Crawford, S Jennings, B O'Meara, F Contepomi, D Quinlan.
ULSTER (v Llanelli): B Cunningham; T Bowe, K Maggs, P Steinmetz, S Young; P Wallace, K Campbell; S Best, P Shields, R Moore; G Longwell, M McCullough; A Ward, G Pfister, R Wilson. Replacements: R Best, R McCormack, R Frost, C Feather, N Doak, A Larkin, A Mazwell.
CONNACHT (Squad v Dragons): Forwards - P Bracken, A Clarke, M Carroll, A Farley, J Fogarty, R Hogan, B Jackman, S Knoop, M Lacey, P Neville, B O'Connor, J O'Sullivan, C Short, M Swift. Backs - J Downey, E Elwood, C Keane, M McHugh, C McPhillips, M Mostyn, D Slemen, M Walls, P Warwick, D Yapp.
