Adam Byrne will make his European debut, Devin Toner will earn his 50th European cap and Sean O’Brien has recovered from his hip flexor injury to line out against Northampton on Friday in Franklin’s Gardens.
O'Brien's return alongside Jamie Heaslip and Josh van der Flier in the backrow with Joey Carbery at outhalf marks the continuing changing face of Leinster. While Carbery is far from the finished article, he has shown an appetite for the big game as Johnny Sexton continues to undergo medical assessments.
Byrne comes onto the wing having been sniffing out tries (five) in recent games for Leinster with Robbie Henshaw teaming up with the burgeoning Garry Ringrose in the centre, a partnership that could ultimately transfer to the Irish set up.
Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin and Tadhg Furlong make up the frontrow with Cian Healy confined to the bench for the start of the crucial third round European match against Northampton.
"Guys have come back in well, excited to be back here and they've trained well this week," said Leo Cullen. "We're delighted to have them back.
“Seventeen Leinster players played for Ireland during November, five guys made their debuts,” added Cullen.
“You can see the way they are, the way they conduct themselves they’ve just got this greater sense of confidence. Hopefully we’ll see some of that confidence in a positive way tomorrow night.”
There continues to be some doubt surrounding the Irish outhalf and Cullen is unsure if Sexton will be available for the return match next week in Aviva Stadium.
Devin Toner, however, continues to perform and has forced his way into a competitive secondrow. Cullen has opted not to have a lock on the bench but is confident that Jack Conan, who has played there before, can step in if required.
“It is an ongoing question. Johnny is making good progress,” explained Cullen. “We’ve a few players injured at the moment that we’re continuing to monitor. Johnny’s done a good week out in Santry. We’ll see how he finishes out the week.
“Very similar to last week. And at the end we’ll make some assessments once this week finishes and make a plan for the weeks ahead. I’ll hold off judgement just now. We’ll see how this week has gone and we’ll be more accurate next week.”
Hayden Triggs has been rewarded for showing form and partners Toner for his 50th European cap.
“He’s working hard again,” said Cullen of Toner. “He’s growing in a leadership role and putting his own stamp on the way he wants to do things. I think he’s a key figure for Ireland.
“What we want is for lads to go away from Leinster into Ireland for November and we want them to bring back what they’ve learned against world class opponents. Dev performed really well during November and hopefully he can add some of those learnings to help us improve as well.”
Josh van der Flier continues his real breakout year by slotting in beside O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip. It is van der Flier’s 33rd game for Leinster yet he has already found favour with Joe Schmidt and Ireland. Again he forces his way into a highly competitive back row, Conan and Rhys Ruddock starting on the bench. Confidence seems to be siding with Leinster, a far remove from this time last year.
“There is,” said O’Brien. “There’s a lot of belief in the side now. We’re playing a nice brand of rugby and hopefully we can show some of that this weekend.”
Leinster: Rob Kearney, Adam Byrne, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Isa Nacewa, Joey Carbery, Luke McGrath, Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, Hayden Triggs, Sean O'Brien, Josh van der Flier, Jamie Heaslip. Replacements: James Tracy, Cian Healy, Michael Bent, Rhys Ruddock, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Ross Byrne, Rory O'Loughlin.
Northampton Saints: Ben Foden; Ken Pisi, Luther Burrell, JJ Hanrahan, Jamie Elliott; Steve Myler, Nic Groom; Alex Waller, Mikey Haywood, Paul Hill, Michael Paterson, Courtney Lawes, Jamie Gibson, Tom Wood (c), Louis Picamoles. Replacements: Dylan Hartley, Ethan Waller, Gareth Denman, Api Ratuniyarawa, Teimana Harrison, Tom Kessell, George Pisi, Ahsee Tuala
