Rugby:Joe Schmidt's selection process ahead of Leinster's Magners League meeting with Edinburgh at the RDS on Saturday has been hampered by the absence of some frontline internationals but that has been tempered by a few welcome returns.
Flanker Dominic Ryan has recovered from the injury he sustained against Connacht last week to take his place in the backrow with Shane Jennings and Stephen Keogh, while Shaun Berne makes a welcome retrun to the bench.
The Australian has been out of action since May and offers back-up for Ian Madigan forms a young halfback partnership with scrumhalf Paul O’Donohoe, meaning Isaac Boss is left on the bench.
The only personnel change to the backline outside that pair is the introduction of Andrew Conway on the left wing instead of Rob Kearney, whose position of fullback is filled by Isa Nacewa. New signing Clint Newland may also start ahead of Mike Ross in the frontrow, but a decision on that will be made close to kick-off.
Edinburgh are in search of the their fourth successive league win and have opted to start Alex Blair at scrumhalf alongside his older brother Mike, who returns after shaking off the bug that prevented him from starting the win over Ulster on Friday.
The third Blair, David, will miss the match after “suffering a blow to the head during a midweek training session”.
Alex turned professional in the summer after impressing with Scotland A and the under-20s.
“I’ve been working hard to earn this opportunity, and I’m really grateful to the coaches for having shown this level of faith in me,” he told www.edinburghrugby.org. “Dave’s been playing really well recently, so it’s unlucky for him that he needs to miss out this weekend, but you’ve got to grasp your chances as and when they come, and I’ll certainly be aiming to make the most of this one.
“It will be good to have Mike beside me at halfback, not just because he’s my brother, but because he’s a hugely experienced player who’ll be able to give me a few pointers when he feels it’s required.
“It’s a big game to be making my debut in, but I’m relishing the thought of going to a place like the RDS and showing what we’re all about. As a team, we’re all really keen to keep this good run going and add to the momentum that’s been building.”
Connachthave made just two changes from the side that lost to Leinster for their game against Benetton Treviso at the Stadio Monigo (7.05pm).
Adrian Flavin replaces Sean Cronin who has been called up for Irish duties and Cillian Willis starts ahead of Frank Murphy.
Leinster:Isa Nacewa; Shane Horgan, Eoin O'Malley, Fergus McFadden, Andrew Conway; Ian Madigan, Paul O'Donohoe; Heinke van der Merwe, Richardt Strauss, Clint Newland/Mike Ross; Leo Cullen (capt), Nathan Hines; Dominic Ryan, Shane Jennings, Stephen Keogh. Replacements: Jason Harris-Wright, Jack McGrath, Simon Shawe, Devin Toner, Rhys Ruddock, Isaac Boss, Shaun Berne, David Kearney
Edinburgh:Chris Paterson; Jim Thompson, Alex Grove, John Houston, Tim Visser; Alex Blair, Mike Blair; Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford, Geoff Cross; Scott MacLeod, Fraser McKenzie; Netani Talei, Ross Rennie, 8 Roddy Grant (capt). Replacments:Andrew Kelly, Kyle Traynor, David Young, Esteban Lozada, Scott Newlands, Greig Laidlaw, David Bishop, Mark Robertson
Connacht: Gavin Duffy; Darragh Fanning, Niva Ta'auso, Keith Matthews, Fionn Carr; Ian Keatley, Cillian Willis; Brett Wilkinson, Adrian Flavin, Jamie Hagan; Michael Swift, Mike McCarthy; Johnny O'Connor, Ray Ofisa, John Muldoon. Replacements: Dermot Murphy, Ronan Loughney, Barry Fa'amausili, Bernie Upton, Ezra Taylor, Frank Murphy, Miah Nikora, Troy Nathan