Injured Duo Return For Leinster While O’Connell And Earls Forced Out Through Injury!

Munster and Leinster have both named their teams for Friday nights big clash in Thomond Park.

Gordon D’Arcy starts at inside centre and will partner Fergus McFadden in the only change in the backline to the side that defeated Connacht last weekend. Rob Kearney continues at full-back with Girvan Dempsey and Isa Nacewa on the wings, while Eoin Reddan continues at half-back alongside Jonathan Sexton.

Jamie Heaslip is also named in the starting line up for Friday’s interprovincial derby and the number eight is named in a back-row which also includes fellow Ireland back-row forward Shane Jennings and Scotland’s Nathan Hines.

Leo Cullen leads the side and starts at second row alongside Devin Toner. Cian Healy joins fellow Ireland internationals Bernard Jackman and Malcolm O’Kelly on the bench.

Meanwhile,

Jerry Flannery returns to competitive action for the first time since being suspended for an incident in the RBS Six Nations game against France He is one of four international players making a return to Magners League action. However, two players named in the extended squad on Tuesday, captain Paul O’Connell and Keith Earls have both been forced to withdraw, both suffering from groin strain.

In relation to their availability for the Heineken Cup game in a week’s time team manager Shaun Payne said that neither had been ruled out at this stage. 18 of Friday’s match day 22 were involved when the sides last met in the RDS back in October. From that game, that Leinster won 30-0, Denis Leamy and Denis Hurley are now joined on the injury list by O’Connell and Earls. In the absence of O’Connell, Munster will be led by Ronan O’Gara who is set to win his 180th Munster cap.

LEINSTER:

R Kearney, G Dempsey, F McFadden, G D’Arcy I Nacewa, J Sexton E Reddan

S Wright, J Fogarty, CJ van der Linde, L Cullen CAPTAIN, D Toner, NHines,S ennings

J Heaslip REPLACEMENTS: B Jackman, C Healy, M O’Kelly, S Keogh, P O’Donohoe, S Berne, E O’Malley

MUNSTER:

P Warwick; D Howlett, L Mafi, J de Villiers, I Dowling; R O’Gara capt, T O’Leary; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes; D O’Callaghan, M O’Driscoll; A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Wallace. Replacements: D Fogarty, T Buckley, N Williams, J Coughlan, P Stringer, T Gleeson, S Deasy.

REFEREE: Romain Poite (FFR), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Colin Stanley (IRFU), Richard Kerr (IRFU), TMO: Brian Fitzgerald (IRFU)

Daniel "Pitchside" Pitcher Twitter: @DanFM104Sport About: Dan "Pitchside" Pitcher provides insight and commentary as the chief soccer and rugby correspondent for Sportspeak.