Heineken Cup final:Michael Cheika has named his most important squad to date as Leinster coach and mercifully for the Australian there are no major concerns. The 26-man squad for Saturday's Heineken Cup final against Leicester at Murrayfield (5pm) does not included CJ van der Linde but his absence has been budgeted for.
The form of Cian Healy and Stan Wright goes some way to offsetting that loss, while Rob Kearney’s return to action last weekend came just in time for an inclusion in the matchday squad bound for Edinburgh.
Kearney has until Saturday to prove he is worthy of replacing Isa Nacewa at fullback after the latter shone in the semi-final win over Munster on May 2nd.
Shane Horgan was another to impress at Croke Park and is named with Barbarian Gordon D'Arcy and Lions squad members Luke Fitzgerald and Jamie Heaslip.
Like Kearney, Fitzgerald's role is in doubt because of Horgan's excellent game against Munster and it may be the case that both Lions start on the bench.
Captain Leo Cullen, the irrepressible Rocky Elsom and Brian O’Driscoll also return after being given a rest last week.
Cheika was happy to see his fellow Australian emerge from training unscathed and, perhaps hinting at Kearney and Fitzgerald's fate, highlighted the strength in depth he has at his disposal.
"Rocky (Elsom) is back. He did contact work today and everyone's good," he said. "We've got a lot of options, and one thing I do know is that whatever way we start we will have the ability to change the game from the bench.
"They'll have a pretty strong bench as well, as they have done over the last few weeks. So both teams will have the ability to change the course of the game.
Cheika has stressed the need for a low key approach to Saturday, when they will meet one of the most experienced cup teams in Europe in the uncharted waters of a final.
"We probably had a bit more lead time in preparing for the opposition, but not getting too buried in it either in thinking about our own game, so we've been pretty relaxed about it," he said.
"We believe in ourselves. The only guarantee that you can get in this game is that we try to go out and give everything that we've got in the final. We know that it's our first time here and that Leicester are very experienced so we understand where we are. We've got to prepare our mental state so that we give them a real run for their money.
"I don't know if their record in this competition will intimidate our players, but it's a big confidence booster for their own players. We've got our own team culture that we believe in and we're obviously pretty true to that," he added.
"Our mission is to go on and win the game, but we're not getting to get anxious by that. We've got to stay calm and understand how we're going to achieve that mission against what is a formidable enemy.
"The more you look at them in the scrum, in the lineout, in their power play and in their counter attack where Geordan Murphy is a very explosive player, you're talking about a formidable opponent."
Leinster squad to face Leicester Tigers
Forwards (14):Cian Healy, Ronan McCormack, John Fogarty, Bernard Jackman, Stephen Knoop, Stan Wright, Leo Cullen, Trevor Hogan, Malcolm O'Kelly, Devin Toner, Rocky Elsom, Shane Jennings, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip
Backs (12):Chris Keane, Simon Keogh, Chris Whitaker, Jonathan Sexton, Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney, Gordon D'Arcy, Fergus McFadden, Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Girvan Dempsey, Isa Nacewa
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
