Leinster

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Australia prop Angus Bell will make his first Ulster start in Friday's United Rugby Championship game against Leinster at Aviva Stadium (19:45 GMT).

Short-term signing Bell, who came off the bench in the Challenge Cup fixtures against Racing 92 and Cardiff, starts at loose-head with Ireland internationals Tom O'Toole and Tom Stewart completing the front row.

Centre Stuart McCloskey returns from the groin injury he sustained on Ireland duty last month. He is joined in midfield by Jude Postlethwaite, who missed last weekend's defeat by Cardiff because of concussion.

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has recalled several players after rotating his squad for the Cardiff game, with Nick Timoney and Juarno Augustus returning to the back row.

Jacob Stockdale is restored at full-back, while Rob Baloucoune - who has scored five tries this season - returns to the right wing. The first-choice half-back pairing of Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy are also recalled.

Ethan McIlroy is set for his first appearance since January from the bench after recovering from a knee injury.

Ireland forward James Ryan will earn his 100th Leinster cap in Friday's interprovincial derby.

URC holders Leinster will be captained by Jack Conan, who came through graduated return to play protocols, with Caelan Doris not named in the squad.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made 11 changes from last weekend's Investec Champions Cup win at Leicester.

New Zealand international Rieko Ioane will play his first URC game after a couple of Champions Cup appearances, while Sam Prendergast is restored at fly-half after Harry Byrne was preferred for the Leicester game.

Ulster have won four out of five URC games this season while Leinster have three wins and three defeats from six. Leinster won both meetings last season, including a comprehensive 41-17 win at Aviva Stadium in April.

Leinster: Frawley; Kenny, Ioane, Tector, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Boyle, G McCarthy, Slimani, Deeny, Ryan, Soroka, Penny, Conan (capt).

Replacements: Sheehan, P McCarthy, Furlong, J McCarthy, Deegan, Gunne, Byrne, Moloney.

Ulster: Stockdale; Baloucoune, Postlethwaite, McCloskey, Kok; Murphy, Doak; Bell, Stewart, O'Toole, Sheridan, Irvine, McCann, Timoney (capt), Augustus.

Replacements: Andrew, Crean, Wilson, Hopes, B Ward, McKee, Flannery, McIlroy.

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Centres Stuart McCloskey and Jude Postlethwaite are set to feature when Ulster travel to Leinster on Friday night.

The United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture at the Aviva Stadium (19:45 GMT) will be Richie Murphy's side's first interprovincial derby of the 2025-26 season.

Ulster, who are fourth in the URC table with four wins from five games, will also welcome back Ethan McIlroy for what would be his first game in 11 months after an ACL injury.

McCloskey started twice for Ireland during the autumn series, against the All Blacks and Australia, but left both games with a groin problem.

Fellow centre Postlethwaite, who has been in impressive form for northern province this season, missed the European Challenge Cup defeat by Cardiff through concussion but has returned to full team training.

Loose-head prop Callum Reid also missed that reverse in the Arms Park through illness but is "expected" to be available in Dublin.

Tight-head Rory Maguire, however, sustained an ankle injury in the game and joins the likes of Iain Henderson (back), Matthew Dalton (knee), Rob Herring (knee), James McNabney (knee) and Michael Lowry (ankle) on the injured list.

Leinster have confirmed that Ireland number eight Jack Conan is fit to return against Ulster, while the availability of Tadhg Furlong, Will Connors and Jimmy O'Brien will be assessed as the week progresses.

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Ireland back row Jack Conan will be available for selection when Leinster welcome Ulster to Dublin on Friday night.

The return to United Rugby Championship (URC) action after the two-week break for European competitions sees Ulster visit the Aviva Stadium (19:45 GMT) for their first interprovincial derby of the 2025-26 campaign.

Conan, 33, started Leinster's 23-15 Champions Cup victory over Leicester on Friday night but was taken off after an early collision with Tigers full-back Freddie Steward.

Leinster said the number eight has "come through the graduated return to play protocols", while the availability of Tadhg Furlong, Will Connors and Jimmy O'Brien will be assessed as the week progresses.

Leo Cullen's side offered no updates on the respective injuries of Hugo Keenan, Jamie Osborne, Jordan Larmour, Ryan Baird, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose and RG Snyman.

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Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has recalled Harry Byrne at fly-half in one of seven changes for Friday's Investec Champions Cup trip to Leicester (20:00 GMT).

While Sam Prendergast started last week's opening pool win over Harlequins, Byrne is given the chance to impress on the European stage after catching the eye in three United Rugby Championship starts this season.

Coincidentally, Byrne's last Champions Cup start for Leinster was a 27-10 away win over Leicester in January 2024.

The 26-year-old, who spent part of last season on loan at Bristol, last started a Champions Cup game for Leinster in January 2024

Joining Byrne in the backline is All Blacks star Rieko Ioane, who is handed his first Leinster start after making his debut off the bench against Quins.

Ioane is partnered by the returning Robbie Henshaw in midfield, while James Lowe is fit to start on the left wing after recovering from a calf injury.

James Ryan is named in the second row after serving his suspension following a red card in Ireland's November defeat by South Africa, while there are two front-row changes as Tadhg Furlong and Ronan Kelleher replace Thomas Clarkson and Dan Sheehan at tight-head prop and hooker.

Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ioane, Henshaw, Lowe; Byrne, Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, Kelleher, Furlong, J McCarthy, Ryan, Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Sheehan, Boyle, Clarkson, Mangan, Deegan, McGrath, Prendergast, Frawley.

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Ireland wing James Lowe has been passed fit for Leinster's Investec Champions Cup pool 3 match at Leicester Tigers on Friday (20:00 GMT), but Jordan Larmour has been ruled out.

Lowe missed Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins at Aviva Stadium with a calf problem, paving the way for Larmour to score two tries in a man-of-the-match display.

Second row RG Snyman (shoulder) and centre Garry Ringrose (cramp) are doubts for the trip to Welford Road, while back row Will Connors could return after recovering from an arm injury.

With Ringrose's availability uncertain, Rieko Ioane could make his first Leinster start after having replaced the Ireland international in the second half against Harlequins.

New Zealand international Ioane, who has joined on a short-term deal until the end of the season, marked his first appearance in blue with a try assist for Jimmy O'Brien.

Leinster said there were no further updates on Cormac Foley, Hugo Keenan, James Culhane, Jamie Osborne, Ryan Baird and Andrew Porter.

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Leinster captain Caelan Doris says his side must raise their performance levels after they held off Harlequins to win Saturday's Investec Champions Cup opener at Aviva Stadium.

The four-time champions scored seven tries, but it was not all plain sailing as they were forced to finish strongly after a penalty try left the visitors just 24-21 down after 50 minutes.

"It's a bonus-point win, but performance-wise we're going to have to improve quite a bit going into Leicester away and as we get deeper into the tournament," Doris told Premier Sports.

"[There were a] few moving parts, not to make that an excuse, but we're going to need to improve as we go on."

Leinster's strong finish featured a try assist for New Zealand star Rieko Ioane, who made his debut for the Irish province after joining on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Ioane was previously unpopular in Irish rugby circles because of a spat with former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, but Doris says the 28-year-old has slotted smoothly into the Leinster environment.

"He's been great so far, he's fitted in pretty quickly," added Doris, who led Leinster in his first appearance for the province since May because of injury.

"It's tricky coming in and learning a new language in terms of all the play-calling and whatnot, but he's done a good job and he's one of us already."

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New Zealand international Rieko Ioane is set to make his Leinster debut off the bench in Saturday's Investec Champions Cup opener against Harlequins at Aviva Stadium (17:30 GMT).

The 88-cap All Black - a two-time World Rugby Player of the Year nominee - has joined the Irish province from the Blues until the end of the season.

Ioane - who can cover outside centre and the left wing - is part of a strong Leinster matchday squad as head coach Leo Cullen recalls his Ireland internationals after the autumn break.

Caelan Doris captains the side in his first Leinster appearance since May, having returned from a shoulder injury for Ireland last month. Jack Conan also makes his first Leinster appearance this season in a strong back row completed by former World Rugby player of the year Josh van der Flier.

Lock Joe McCarthy returns from a foot injury to partner South Africa international RG Snyman in the second row.

Ireland trio Thomas Clarkson, Dan Sheehan and Paddy McCarthy are named in the front row, with the latter making his Champions Cup debut.

Sam Prendergast and Jamison Gibson-Park are paired in the half-backs, while Jordan Larmour, Tommy O'Brien and Jimmy O'Brien make up the back three.

Andrew Porter (arm), James Lowe (calf) and Robbie Henshaw (hamstring) are not included.

Leinster have won four Champions Cup titles, the last of which came in 2018, while they lost three successive finals between 2022 and 2024.

Cullen's side thrashed Harlequins 62-0 at Croke Park in the round of 16 last season. Harlequins are currently eighth in the 10-team Prem.

Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Frawley, Larmour; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, Sheehan, Clarkson, Snyman, J McCarthy, Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Kelleher, Boyle, Furlong, Mangan, Deegan, McGrath, Byrne, Ioane.

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Jacques Nienaber insists he is enjoying his time as Leinster senior coach as he clarified comments he made in an interview last month.

Nienaber joined the Irish province in 2023 after leading the Springboks' triumphant Rugby World Cup campaign as head coach and recently extended his contract with the United Rugby Championship holders to the end of the 2026-27 season.

Speaking to SuperSport in the build-up to South Africa's November win over Ireland in Dublin, the 53-year-old said he is happy at Leinster, but misses working with the Springboks when asked about his longer term plans.

But speaking on Monday before Leinster's Investec Champions Cup opener against Harlequins, Nienaber said his comments were taken out of context.

"The whole interview was actually about my time in Leinster and my last two years here and I was very complimentary of Leinster. If you do the due diligence and do yourself the trouble of listening to the whole interview, you'll see the whole context," he said.

"The question was 'how's the job, how's your life in Dublin and I said we really enjoy Dublin. I'm starting my third year. I said at the start of your first year, you start to making friends with your neighbours and making friends in Ireland that you actually go on holiday with."

On life in Ireland, he added: "We really enjoy it. My daughter is over on holidays from South Africa and my son's got one more subject (exam) on 5 December and then he's joining us.

"We're getting the family together over Christmas time and we're really enjoying Dublin. We enjoy the club, I enjoy working with the players. There's a lot of stimulation."

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Pressed on his quotes being taken out of context, Nienaber added: "I said my contract with Leinster is until the end of the 2027 season, so that's when my contract finishes.

"I think it's common knowledge, it's in the public domain, everybody knows that."

Nienaber also explained that Anthony Foley's death in 2016 taught him that plans can quickly change.

Nienaber was working alongside current South Africa boss Rassie Erasmus at Munster when head coach Foley passed away at the age of 42. Nienaber and Erasmus returned to South Africa in 2017.

"Then the question was 'what then?' and that's where the Anthony story come up," he added.

"I said 'I don't know, I can't tell you what happens then'. That is what I said. I can't tell you what's going to happen after that."

Nienaber says any decision about his future will be made with his family in mind as he explained his wife is not currently working as a physiotherapist in Ireland.

"I know that I'm the sole provider of my family.

"So if my contract with expires with Leinster, which I enjoy working with, which I love, which is why I extended my contract...if my contract finishes in June or July 2027, whatever is the best for me to provide for my family and that suits my family, I will definitely look at that because I have to provide for my family."

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Next five fixtures: Dragons (A), Harlequins (H, Champions Cup), Leicester (A, Champions Cup), Ulster (H), Munster (A)

Perhaps the big Leinster push is upon us. After a stuttering start to the season that yielded defeats by the Stormers, Bulls and Munster, the URC holders are tasked with reversing their fortunes with another Investec Champions Cup campaign beckoning.

And a growing injury list is not what Leo Cullen needed before Friday's contest with the Dragons at Rodney Parade (19:45 GMT).

Already without scrum-half Cormac Foley and Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan, Leinster confirmed long-term injuries for Ryan Baird and Jamie Osborne earlier this week, both of whom are doubts for the start of the Six Nations.

James Culhane is also out "for the next few months" with a knee issue while Will Connors is recovering from an arm injury, while Tommy O'Brien and Robbie Henshaw are also currently out.

Joe McCarthy looks set to be fit next week's Champions Cup opener against Harlequins, which will be the lock's first action of the season.

And there is naturally a great deal of intrigue over Rieko Ioane's arrival. The hugely experienced All Blacks star has joined the province until the end of the season and hopes to replicate his fellow countryman Jordie Barrett's impact for the Blues during the 2024-25 campaign.

It is an unexpected new chapter for Ioane, who cemented himself as one of the most unpopular figures in Irish rugby after clashing with Johnny Sexton.

If he can go one better than Barrett and propel Leinster to their first Champions Cup title since 2018, it would complete a remarkable turnaround for the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year nominee.

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Leinster are without their frontline Ireland internationals for Friday's United Rugby Championship game against Dragons at Rodney Parade (19:45 GMT), but Josh Ericson is set to make his debut from the bench.

Back row Ericson, who joined the Leinster academy earlier this month, has been named as a replacement for tomorrow night's game.

Head coach Leo Cullen has made 12 changes to the side from their URC win over Zebre last month, with only fly-half Harry Byrne, centre Hugh Cooney and wing Joshua Kenny retained.

RG Snyman, who won his 50th international cap for the Springboks against Ireland last week, is named among the replacements alongside the uncapped Ericson.

Max Deegan will captain the side from number eight, with Alex Soroka and Scott Penny named on the flanks.

Leinster are without Tommy O'Brien, Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne, Ryan Baird, Will Connors, James Culhane, Joe McCarthy, Cormac Foley and Hugo Keenan because of injury.

Ireland captain Caelan Doris, fly-half Sam Prendergast and first-choice props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong are among the players rested after the Test window.

Leinster are also without the suspended James Ryan.

The URC holders have lost three of their opening five games, while Friday's opponents are without a win so far this season.

Leinster: O'Brien; Kenney, Cooney, Frawley, Larmour; Byrne, Gunne; Boyle, McCarthy, Clarkson, Deeny, Mangan, Soroka, Penny, Deegan (capt).

Replacements: McKee, Cahir, Slimani, Snyman, Ericson, McGrath, Tector, Moloney