Leinster Rugby Head Coach Leo Cullen has named his match day 23 for the Round 6 Champions Cup game against Castres tomorrow evening in Stade Pierre-Antoine.
Leinster are already assured of top spot in Pool 4 and a place in the quarter-finals, but a win tomorrow evening would guarantee a home quarter-final in the Aviva Stadium on the weekend of the 31st March 2017.
Cullen has made three changes in total with all of those changes coming in the pack.
As a result it’s as you were in the backs with this season’s Champions Cup top try scorer (six tries in five games) Isa Nacewa again captaining the side. Nacewa is also the top points scorer with 75 to his name.
In the number 11 and 14 jerseys once again are former St Michael’s man Rory O’Loughlin and former Naas RFC man Adam Byrne with O’Loughlin due to celebrate his 23rd birthday on Saturday.
In the centre Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose will again line out alongside each other, with Luke McGrath and Johnny Sexton completing the backline selection for Cullen. Sexton went past the 500 points mark last weekend against Montpellier in Heineken Cup/Champions Cup rugby.
Cian Healy and Richardt Strauss come in from the start this week to join Wexford’s Tadhg Furlong in the front row.
There is another change in the second row with Ross Molony making only his second European start beside Devin Toner. Molony also featured against Castres in Round 1 coming off the bench in the RDS.
The back row is as you were with three try Heineken Man of the Match from last weekend Jack Conan selected at blind side, Josh van der Flier at open side and Jamie Heaslip at number eight.
Kick Off Tomorrow is at 8.45pm
LEINSTER: (caps in brackets)
15. Isa Nacewa CAPTAIN (163)
14. Adam Byrne (13)
13. Garry Ringrose (34)
12. Robbie Henshaw (8)
11. Rory O’Loughlin (13)
10. Johnny Sexton (132)
9. Luke McGrath (64)
1. Cian Healy (166)
2. Richardt Strauss (137)
3. Tadhg Furlong (61)
4. Ross Molony (33)
5. Devin Toner (192)
6. Jack Conan (41)
7. Josh van der Flier (36)
8. Jamie Heaslip (228)
16. James Tracy (32)
17. Jack McGrath (106)
18. Michael Bent (76)
19. Mike McCarthy (71)
20. Dan Leavy (28)
21. Jamison Gibson-Park (17)
22. Ross Byrne (13)
23. Rob Kearney (184)
