Leinster face tall task against Edinburgh without international contingent

URC: Leinster v Edinburgh, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 5.30pm – Live, Premier Sports 1

An experimental Leinster side will be looking to further establish the province’s URC credentials when they welcome Edinburgh to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.

Since losing out to arch rivals Munster at Croke Park on October 18th, Leo Cullen’s have registered six successive victories in the competition. Amongst that run has been four interprovincial triumphs, the most recent of which came against Connacht at the Dexcom Stadium last weekend.

While there were some frontline players missing for the trip to Galway, Leinster were able to call upon seven players included in the Ireland squad for the upcoming Six Nations. However, with that cohort now on international duty – not to mention those absent through injury - Cullen has been somewhat limited in who he can select for the visit of Sean Everitt’s side.

Eleven of Leinster’s matchday 23 have fewer than 10 caps in their respective lockers, but there will be a sprinkling of big-game experience in the form of captain Luke McGrath, Max Deegan and New Zealand international Rieko Ioane.

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Alongside McGrath at half-back, Charlie Tector will start at outhalf. The Wexford man has been seen more frequently at inside centre in recent times, but with Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne and Ciarán Frawley all away on Ireland duty, Tector gets the nod at 10.

Edinburgh are also greatly affected by international call-ups , but with Scotland internationals Duhan van der Merwe, Freddy Douglas and Magnus Bradbury set to start the visitors could prove to be tricky opponents.

LEINSTER: A Osborne; J Kenny, R Ioane, C Mangan, R Moloney; C Tector, L McGrath (capt); J Cahir, J McKee, A Sparrow; RG Snyman, B Deeny; M Deegan, S Penny, D Mangan.

Replacements: G McCarthy, A Usanov, N Smyth, C O’Tighearnaigh, J Ericson, W Connors, F Gunne, H McLaughlin.

EDINBURGH: H Paterson; M Satala, W Goosen, J Lang, D van der Merwe; R Thompson, B Vellacott; B Venter, J Blyth-Lafferty, P Hill; C Hunter-Hill, G Young; B Muncaster, F Douglas, M Bradbury (capt).

Replacements: H Morris, M Jones, O Blyth-Lafferty, T Dodd, C Boyle, C Shiel, C Scott, P O’Conor.