Leinster face Glasgow Warriors on Friday night at Scotstoun Stadium in Round 5 of the United Rugby Championship.
Glasgow host the defending champions on the back of three wins on the trot and having just lost once in eight across the Rainbow Cup and URC.
However, they will need to buck a poor record against Irish provinces which has yielded just one win in 11 fixtures – a 15-12 home success over Leinster in the Rainbow Cup in June.
Leinster are one of only three teams – Ulster and Munster the others – to have won all four games this season.
Three bonus point wins and a poor display against the Dragons have showcased a Leinster team that are growing into the season.
The side’s loss to the Warriors in the summer was their only defeat on their travels in the championship since April 2019 but they have been beaten six times in 10 visits to Scotstoun in all competitions.
The Irish provincial outfit have a lot of positive news on the injury front heading into their clash with the one-time league winners.
Caelan Doris (calf) and Ciarán Frawley (dead leg) both came through the win over Scarlets with no issues and will train as normal this week.
Jack Dunne (ankle) and Scott Penny (dead leg) have both returned to full training, with Dunne lining out at the weekend with Dublin University in the Energia All-Ireland League.
Harry Byrne and Dave Kearney are back in training this week after hip and ankle injuries respectively while Johnny Sexton will be monitored throughout the week after his hip injury.
Jimmy O’Brien missed out last week through illness and will be further assessed this week before a decision is made, as will Rory O’Loughlin (shoulder).
James Ryan has entered the Graduated Return to Play Protocols while Robbie Henshaw will be unavailable for selection this week but in positive news, he will take some part in training this week as the medics continue to monitor his progress.
There are no further updates on Michael Milne (calf), Will Connors (knee) and Thomas Clarkson (hamstring).
Lions duo Zander Fagerson and Ali Price return for the Warriors but seven players remain unavailable.
Teams
Leinster
15. Hugo Keenan (33)
14. Adam Byrne (58)
13. Garry Ringrose (89)
12. Ciarán Frawley (39)
11. James Lowe (54)
10. Ross Byrne (107)
9. Luke McGrath (154) CAPTAIN
1. Cian Healy (235)
2. Rónan Kelleher (27)
3. Tadhg Furlong (115)
4. Ross Molony (120)
5. Ryan Baird (31)
6. Caelan Doris (42)
7. Dan Leavy (74)
8. Jack Conan (106)
Replacements:
16. Dan Sheehan (16)
17. Ed Byrne (73)
18. Michael Ala’alatoa (4)
19. Devin Toner (267)
20. Rhys Ruddock (192)
21. Jamison Gibson-Park (104)
22. Jamie Osborne (8)
23. Josh van der Flier (101)
Glasgow Warriors
1. Jamie Bhatti (51)
2. Johnny Matthews (14)
3. Zander Fagerson (101)
4. Rob Harley (254)
5. Richie Gray (65)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (196)
7. Rory Darge (7)
8. Jack Dempsey (3)
9. Ali Price (97)
10. Duncan Weir (110)
11. Rufus McLean (13)
12. Sam Johnson (76)
13. Sione Tuipulotu (4)
14. Kyle Steyn (34)
15. Ross Thompson (18)
16. George Turner (63)
17. Oli Kebble (59)
18. Enrique Pieretto (21)
19. Lewis Bean (9)
20. Matt Fagerson (72)
21. George Horne (70)
22. Nick Grigg (93)
23. Cole Forbes (10)
Odds
Glasgow Warriors 7/2
Draw 25/1
Leinster 1/5
Where To Watch
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 7:35 pm and will be shown live on Premier Sports, URC TV and TG4.
