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Leinster name 5 returning Ireland players in XV for Dragons
By Ian Cameron
Leinster are set to field a formidable lineup against the Dragons RFC in Round 4 of the BKT United Rugby Championship on Sunday at Rodney Parade, with head coach Leo Cullen naming five returning Ireland Rugby World Cup players in the squad.
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Dan Sheehan will lead the team for the first time, anchoring a side featuring the firepower of Andy Farrell’s World Cup squad.
Ciarán Frawley assumes the full-back position, while Tommy O’Brien and Jimmy O’Brien, both veterans of the recent Rugby World Cup Quarter-Final, take their places on the wings.
In the midfield, Jamie Osborne and Charlie Ngatai provide stability, with the experienced Ross Byrne returning at fly-half. The scrum-half duties will be handled by Leinster Academy’s Ben Murphy, making his starting debut.
Up front, the front row is composed of Jack Boyle, Sheehan, and Thomas Clarkson. Sheehan, a Lansdowne FC club man, captains the side, marking his first appearance in Leinster blue this season.
The second row sees the return of Joe McCarthy and Jason Jenkins and they’re joined in the back row by Ryan Baird, Will Connors and James Culhane.
On the bench, Samoa captain Michael Ala’alatoa eyes his 50th Leinster cap as a replacement.
LEINSTER TEAM:
15. Ciarán Frawley
14. Tommy O’Brien
13. Jamie Osborne
12. Charlie Ngatai
11. Jimmy O’Brien
10. Ross Byrne
9. Ben Murphy
1. Jack Boyle
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Thomas Clarkson
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Jason Jenkins
6. Ryan Baird
7. Will Connors
8. James Culhane
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REPLACEMENTS:
16. Lee Barron
17. Paddy McCarthy
18. Michael Ala’alatoa
19. Max Deegan
20. Scott Penny
21. Cormac Foley
22. Harry Byrne
23. Rob Russell
Latest Comments
The weather was dreadful but the playing surface was great so there is no real excuse for such another poor standard of play from both sides. Dragons just the better team. But, what a shocking decision by the TMO not to award the Fifita try. This pretty much sums up Welsh rugby with poor teams and poor officials. The WRU have a lot of work to do and it needs to be done quickly to avoid rugby being lost to our future generations.
Go to commentsNo chance of Borthwick selecting any young talent. He announced his selection policy from the outset with naming a poor OF as Captain, retaining an equally poor Youngs and Vunipola brothers when there were many better EQP in the Premiership. SB revival of Leicester was based on SA muscle and a terrific Welsh flanker he has generally ignored young English talent.
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