Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made six changes and a positional switch to the starting team for Friday night’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors (8pm) at the Aviva Stadium from the side that beat Harlequins.
Tommy O’Brien replaces Jamie Osborne on the right wing, Jordie Barrett starts in the centre alongside Garry Ringrose as Robbie Henshaw drops to the bench. Cullen has opted for a new frontrow with Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, fit again after a neck injury, and Tadhg Furlong coming into the starting team.
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Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter and Rabah Slimani are named among the replacements. Max Deegan earns a promotion to blindside flanker with Jack Conan – taking over the captaincy – shifting to number eight in place of Caelan Doris; the latter is on the bench, as is Diarmuid Mangan, who replaces Ryan Baird in the matchday 23.
It’s a milestone day for Henshaw, who is set to earn his 100th Leinster cap off the bench. The centre has scored 22 tries in blue and won four Pro14/URC titles as well as a Champions Cup since making his debut for the province in October 2016.
Mangan will make his European debut if he is introduced from the bench and his inclusion means for the 20th straight game this season, there is at least one Academy player named in the Leinster matchday 23.
Cullen said: “James [Ryan] is not available, Ryan [Baird] as well, he has a minor enough little niggle, so he’s unavailable. The rest are okay, a bit of freshness on a six-day turnaround but (to) have proper impact as well.
“It’s very competitive, which is good, few changes with Cian [Healy], Ronan [Kelleher] coming into the front row, Tadhg [Furlong] starts, some of the guys that were on the bench ... we’ve done different things with all of those individuals across the season and that’s just the way the game is now because that impact is so important.”
Leinster: H Keenan: T O’Brien, G Ringrose, J Barrett, J Lowe: S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; C Healy, R Kelleher, T Furlong; J McCarthy, RG Snyman; M Deegan, J van der Flier, J Conan (capt). Replacements: D Sheehan, A Porter, R Slimani, D Mangan, C Doris, L McGrath, R Byrne, R Henshaw.
