Heineken Cup team news: Brian O'Driscoll is still on course to start for Leinster in Friday's Heineken Cup game away to Castres after Michael Cheika named him in an extended 27-man squad today.
O'Driscoll was forced off during last Saturday's 33-3 win against their French opponents at the RDS but there was no serious damage to his hamstring.
A decision on whether the competition's leading try scorer (four) will start at Stade Pierre Antoine will be made later in the week.
"Drico (Brian O'Driscoll) won't be training today, but we'll see how he is tomorrow," Alan Gaffney explained at today's press briefing. "He was having a bit of physio this morning and he's very hopeful, so are we. So we'll just see how things pan out.
Felipe Contepomi (hand), Shane Jennings (knee) and Isa Nacewa (arm) all missed last weekend's Pool Two win but have been named in this week's squad. If Fijian back Nacewa is selected it will be his first appearance since September and Gaffney is confident all three will be available for selection.
"Isa and Felipe will be alright," he added. "They're in the squad and they'll come through the run today ok, we've got no doubt about that.
"Shane Jennings is available, so there are three good guys to have back to strengthen our squad, which is going to be very helpful. Looking at Shane last week, and again this week, I'd expect him to be fine."
Having struggled to produce a fluent performance at the RDS, not to mention the 18 handling errors, Gaffney is in little doubt that there is work to be done ahead of the trip to the French heartland.
"The passing last week, it was one of the worst performances that we have put in this year," he admitted. "We work on it every training session, so there's no real reason to suspect as to why it happened.
"A lot of the passing was thrown into the body, which is more a timing issue. We had chopped and changed, but that still shouldn't affect what we did at the weekend."
Castres' poor run of form in the competition, coupled with their precarious position in the French Top 14, have seen the club move to replace coach Alain Gaillard.
The Montauban duo of Laurent Travers and former France international Laurent Labit have been lined up to take charge at the end of the current campaign.
Ulster coach Matt Williams welcomes back Clinton Schifcofske from injury for Friday's trip to face the Scarlets.
Paddy Wallace, a late withdrawal from the thrilling win over the Welsh side last week, is also included but Cillian Willis will play no part having fractured a cheek bone in training yesterday.
Williams, who will whittle down his extended 27-man squad on Thursday, is now keen to kick on and build on the province's recent run of success.
"If we hadn't won on Friday night all the hard work and victories in the last number of games would have been for nothing," he said.
"We wouldn't have been back to square one, but it would have dented our confidence and that is not what this side needs."
Munster coach Tony McGahan will announce his squad for the visit of Clermont to a sold-out Thomond Park tomorrow.
Leinster squad
Forwards (15): C Healy, R McCormack, B Blaney, B Jackman, CJ van der Linde, S Wright, T Hogan, D Toner, C Jowitt, M O'Kelly, R Elsom, Stephen Keogh, S Jennings, S O'Brien, J Heaslip
Backs (12): C Keane, C Whitaker, D Holwell, J Sexton, R Kearney, Simon Keogh, F Contepomi, L Fitzgerald, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G Dempsey, I Nacewa.
Ulster squad
Forwards (15): B Young, J Fitzpatrick, R Best, N Brady, T Court, B Botha, E O'Donoghue, R Caldwell, M McCullough, K Dawson, R Diack, S Ferris, D Pollock, S Philpott, T Anderson
Backs (12): C Schifcofske, B Cunningham, D Cave, A Trimble, I Whitten, P Marshall, I Boss, P Steinmetz, I Humphreys, M McCrea, P Wallace, S Danielli
