Leinster team to face Glasgow Warriors

leinsterThe Leinster team to face the Glasgow Warriors in Saturday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 Play Off in the RDS (KO: 7.35pm) has been named.

Isa Nacewa will make his 100th appearance for the province as the two sides shape up for their fifth meeting this season.

Nacewa, 29, has to date scored 358 career points for Leinster and he starts at full-back in a back three which features Fergus McFadden – who replaces the injured Luke Fitzgerald – and David Kearney who lines up on the wing.

Rob Kearney (back) and Brian O’Driscoll (knee) picked up niggles in training this week and have been ruled out for this weekend’s game. The Ireland duo will be further assessed by the Leinster medical team over the coming days

Gordon D’Arcy – capped 204 times for the province to date – partners the fit again Eoin O’Malley at centre, with Eoin Reddan linking up at half back alongside Jonathan Sexton.

Jamie Heaslip leads the team and the Naas man is named in an all-Irish back-row alongside Shane Jennings and Sean O’Brien who makes his 70th appearance for the province. Devin Toner forms a second row partnership with All Black Brad Thorn.

Leo Cullen is named amongst a strong replacements bench.

Over 14,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s game and tickets are still on sale from www.leinsterrugby.ie, the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook), Spar (Donnybrook) as well as Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. There will also be tickets on sale on the day on both Simmonscourt Road and Anglesea Road from 4pm.

Meanwhile, with a number of events taking place in and around the RDS on Saturday, supporters are advised to use Public Transport. Gates open at 6pm.

LEINSTER:

15: Isa Nacewa

14: Fergus McFadden

13: Eoin O’Malley

12: Gordon D’Arcy

11: David Kearney

10: Jonathan Sexton

9: Eoin Reddan

1: Cian Healy

2: Richardt Strauss

3: Mike Ross

4: Brad Thorn

5: Devin Toner

6: Sean O’Brien

7: Shane Jennings

8: Jamie Heaslip CAPTAIN

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Sean Cronin

17: Heinke van der Merwe

18: Nathan White

19: Leo Cullen

20: Kevin McLaughlin

21: Isaac Boss

22: Ian Madigan

23: Andrew Conway

REFEREE: George Clancy (IRFU), ASSISTANT REFEREES: John Lacey (IRFU), Leo Colgan (IRFU), 4th OFFICIAL: Mark Patton (IRFU), 5th OFFICIAL: Richard Kerr (IRFU), TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU)

Leinster squad takes shape for 2012/13

http://www.universityobserver.ie/wp-content/uploads/leinster.gifLeinster Rugby have announced details of 18 contract extensions and two new signings as the squad for the 2012/13 season takes shape.

With a lot of renewals completed last year, the province have tied up a number of the front-line and future contracts for next season and – in a number of cases – beyond.

Isa Nacewa, who has been a stand-out performer and double Heineken Cup winner for the province since his arrival in the summer of 2008, has signed a one-year extension to his deal until the end of the 2013/14 season.

Ireland international Kevin McLaughlin has signed a three-year deal while there are two-year extensions for fellow internationals Isaac Boss, Gordon D’Arcy, Eoin Reddan and Rhys Ruddock.

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Ireland announce team

Ireland Coach Declan Kidney has named the team to play France in the second game of the RBS 6 Nations Championship in Paris on Saturday. Keith Earls has been selected on the left wing in place of Andrew Trimble.  Donncha O’Callaghan has not recovered from the injury that ruled him out of the opening game. Leo Cullen has been named to start in the second row.

A vacancy has been left blindside flanker pending confirmation of the fitness of Stephen Ferris. Both players took part in training with the Ireland team today but a final decision will be made on Thursday. The seven replacements will also be finalised on Thursday from the possible nine players named today.
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Ireland make eight changes for Fiji game

There are eight changes to the Ireland team that drew 20-20 with Australia to the side that will take on Fiji this weekend in the second game of the 2009 Guinness Series.

The game, which will be the first ever international to take place in the Royal Dublin Society grounds, sees five changes to the backline and three in the pack.

Keith Earls, who replaced the injured Luke Fitzgerald against Australia, retains his place on the left wing with Shane Horgan coming in on the right wing for Tommy Bowe.

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