Team News:Gordon D'Arcy is the only starter from last weekend's Grand Slam win in Cardiff who will take the field from the off this weekend, when Leinster host Ulster in the Magners League at the RDS on Sunday (5.30pm). Fellow Ireland squad members Paddy Wallace, Tom Court and Rory Best will start for Ulster.
D’Arcy’s return from injury could not have gone better thus far and the centre sidestepped the option taken by the rest of the XV that took to the field at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, to increase his game time and push for inclusion in Ian McGeechan’s Lions squad.
He will partner Fergus McFadded in the centre on Sunday, with Girvan Dempsey, Shane Horgan and Isa Nacewa comprising the back three.
Felipe Contepomi, who departs these shores for Toulon at the end of the season, forms the halfback partnership with Chris Whaitaker.
Captain Leo Cullen is back from injury and joins Malcolm O’Kelly in the secondrow.
Malcolm O’Kelly, who was left out of all but the first Six Nations squad, joins
thirst for competitive action will see continue his successful return from injury against
Wallace and Best came off the bench for Ireland in Cardiff, while Court was an unused substitute.
Wallace will start in his now customary position of inside centre alongside Darren Cave, while captain Best comes back into the frontrow where he joins BJ Botha and Court.
Prop Court replaces Justin Fitzpatrick and Wallace’s return shunts Ian Whitten to the bench.
Stephen Ferris is unavailable to Matt Williams after he dislocated a finger against Wales.
Williams is not expecting any favours from the defending champions at the RDS, with the homeside eager to impress on their first appearance at the Dublin venue since the January 25th win over Edinburgh.
“I think it's going to be a hard sell, Leinster haven't had a home game for a long time, just after the Grand Slam a lot of people want to see some rugby,” said the former Leinster coach.
"It will be a great day, it's a day you want to play and a day you want to coach. There will be no shortage of passion or excitement."
"Just to get everyone back has been a great week for us, we want to go down and play for each other and play for the jersey, as will Leinster and when you get two teams that are passionate for it, you'll get a great game."
"I have asked the guys to make sure they turn up this week, if you don't turn up against a side like Leinster they'll kill you.
"They play beautiful rugby and are very structured, they have a lot of systems they use and they are a very complex team which means they are hard to predict, and if a team is hard to predict it's hard to defend.
"We're a side that is going forward and they don't necessarily like playing us, so we have to turn up and make it awkward for them."
"I've only played Leinster once since being here and I was very unhappy with the way we turned up that day, we weren't as passionate and committed as we should have been" continued Williams.
Number eight Robbie Diack is also returning for Ulster after four games out but must wait his turn on the bench as Chris Henry starts at the back of the scrum.
Leinster: Dempsey; S Horgan, F McFadden, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; F Contepomi, C Whitaker, C Healy, B Jackman, S Wright; L Cullen (capt), M O'Kelly; C Jowitt, S Jennings, R Elsom. Replacements: J Fogarty, CJ van der Linde, R McCormack, T Hogan, D Toner, S O'Brien, P O'Donohoe, J Sexton, S Keogh
Ulster: C Schifcofske; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humphreys, I Boss; T Court, R Best (capt), BJ Botha; E O'Donoghue, R Caldwell; M McCullough, D Pollock, C Henry. Replacements: N Brady, B Young, C Del Fava, R Diack, C Willis, I Whitten, T Nagusa
