Six Nations winners return to Leinster fold for Glasgow game

Ian Madigan starts at inside centre with Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald on the bench

Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald start on the bench for Leinster against Glasgow on Friday night. Photograph: Inpho
Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald start on the bench for Leinster against Glasgow on Friday night. Photograph: Inpho

A number of Leinster's Ireland Six Nations winners have been named in Matt O'Connor's 23-man squad to play Glasgow Warriors at the RDS on Friday night.

Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan, Marty Moore, Jordi Murphy, Sean Cronin, Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald all return for provincial duty having played a part in Ireland's 40-10 rout of Scotland at Murrayfield last Saturday.

Madigan starts at inside centre alongside Ben Te'o, who scored his first Leinster try in the 23-13 defeat away to the Scarlets, while Reddan starts at scrumhalf.

Moore joins Richardt Strauss and Michael Bent in the frontrow while Murphy takes the number six jersey.

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Healy and Fitzgerald, who were both in Joe Schmidt’s starting line-up in Edinburgh, start on the bench, as does hooker Cronin.

Zane Kirchner will make his 40th Leinster appearance against top of the table Warriors and he's flanked by Fergus McFadden and Dave Kearney in the back three.

Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding have been named in the Ulster side to face Cardiff Blues at Ravenhill on Friday (kick-off 7.35pm).

The pair suffered elbow injuries against Toulon in January and have recovered in time to be available for Ulster’s Pro 12 run-in.

They are the only changes to the starting side that lost to Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade three weeks ago.

Jackson is named at outhalf with Olding selected alongside him at inside centre.

Iain Henderson, who was part of Ireland’s Six Nations triumph last weekend, starts at blindside against the Welsh region.

Roger Wilson was unavailable for selection due to personal reasons.

LEINSTER (v Glasgow, RDS, Friday, 7.35pm) : Z Kirchner; F McFadden, B Te'o, I Madigan, D Kearney; J Gopperth, E Reddan; M Bent, R Strauss, M Moore; T Denton, M McCarthy; J Murphy, S Jennings, J Conan.

Replacements: S Cronin, C Healy, T Furlong, B Marshall, D Ryan, I Boss, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald.

GLASGOW: S Hogg; T Seymour, M Bennett, P Horne, DTH van der Merwe; F Russell, N Matawalu; A Allan, F Brown, Z Fagerson;T Swinson, A Kellock; R Harley, C Fusaro, J Strauss.

Replacements: Pat MacArthur, Jerry Yanuyanutawa, Mike Cusack, Jonny Gray, Adam Ashe, Henry Pyrgos, Connor Braid, Richie Vernon.

ULSTER (v Cardiff, Ravenhill, Friday, 7.35pm): L Ludik; C Gilroy, D Cave (Captain), S Olding, M Allen, P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Herring, W Herbst; D Tuohy, F Van der Merwe; I Henderson, C Ross, N Williams.

Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick, B Ross, R Diack, A N Other, P Marshall, I Humphreys, R Scholes.