Carlow man Ed Byrne has been named on the bench for Leinsters Heineken Cup game against Lyon tomorrow.
There are a number of changes from the team that picked up a bonus point win at the RDS Arena last weekend against Benetton Rugby, while Kildare man James Tracy is in line to make his 100th appearance for the club off the bench.
Rob Kearney makes his first start for Leinster since returning from the Rugby World Cup, with Jordan Larmour moving to the right wing and James Lowe continuing on the left.
Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose are paired together for the first time this season in the centre from the start, with Luke McGrath and captain Johnny Sexton continuing as the half back pairing.
In the pack Cian Healy and Rónan Kelleher are retained from the starting XV last week, with Tadhg Furlong returning from a back injury to start at tighthead.
James Ryan is again selected in the second row, with Scott Fardy winning his 50th cap as his partner for the trip to France.
In the back row it’s the same two on the flanks, with Rhys Ruddock at blindside and Josh van der Flier at openside winning his 75th cap, with Max Deegan making his first European start from number eight.
Amongst the replacements the aformentioned James Tracy is in line to win his 100th cap should he be introduced. The 28-year-old Irish international, a former student at Newbridge College, made his Leinster debut off the bench in November 2012 against the Ospreys and has since won two Guinness PRO14 titles and a Heineken Champions Cup medal in 2018. The Kill native has six Ireland caps to his name to date.
Finally, Josh Murphy is in line to make his European debut off the bench. The Wexford man has 26 caps to his name already in the Guinness PRO14 but the game tomorrow is his first involvement in a European match day squad.
Leinster Rugby (caps in brackets):
15. Rob Kearney (211)
14. Jordan Larmour (40)
13. Garry Ringrose (66)
12. Robbie Henshaw (38)
11. James Lowe (35)
10. Johnny Sexton (161) CAPTAIN
9. Luke McGrath (115)
1. Cian Healy (210)
2. Rónan Kelleher (8)
3. Tadhg Furlong (102)
4. Scott Fardy (49)
5. James Ryan (32)
6. Rhys Ruddock (163)
7. Josh van der Flier (74)
8. Max Deegan (53)
16. James Tracy (99)
17. Ed Byrne (46)
18. Andrew Porter (55)
19. Devin Toner (237)
20. Josh Murphy (26)
21. Jamison Gibson-Park (77)
22. Ross Byrne (77)
23. Dave Kearney (140)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
