Recent Leinster signing Andrew Goodman will make his Heineken Cup debut when he lines out at inside centre against Clermont in Sunday’s crucial Pool 5 meeting at the Stade Marcel Michelin (3pm Irish time).

The Leinster medical team report no major injury concerns after Saturday night’s bonus point victory over Zebre ahead of Sunday afternoon's Round 3 Heineken Cup clash away to ASM Clermont Auvergne in Stade Marcel Michelin (4pm local time).

Leinster welcome back a number of players from international duty as the face Zebre in Saturday evening's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in the RDS (6pm).

Joe Schmidt has had to ring the changes for Leinster as they go in search of their first victory at the Liberty Stadium since September 2009.

With several of his senior players involved in Ireland’s training camp and others on the injury list, Joe Schmidt has named a youthful Leinster side to face the Ospreys in Sunday's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in the Liberty Stadium (4pm).

The Leinster squad trained in UCD todayahead of their final RaboDirect PRO12 game before the November break away to the Ospreys in the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon (KO: 4pm).

Leinster 59 Cardiff 22

Rob Kearney has not recovered from a back injury in time for Leinster’s visit to the Scarlets on Saturday but Godron D’Arcy has been named in the starting XV for the Heienekn Cup Round 2 showdown.

Leinster fullback Rob Kearney hasn’t recovered from a back injury in time to feature in the province’s opening Heineken Cup game against the Exeter Chiefs in the RDS on Saturday afternoon (3.40pm).

Leinster are about to start a Heineken Cup campaign that could conceivably end with them becoming the first team to win it three times in a row — and in their own back yard — but all Joe Schmidt wanted to talk about yesterday was Exeter.

If reports from New Zealand this week are accurate, then 38-year-old Brad Thorn will be following up his three-month stint with Leinster earlier this year with a swansong of a season back on home soil with the Highlanders.

Four Leinster players are being sent for scans today to assess injuries they picked up in their RaboDirect Pro12 win over Munster on Saturday.

Joe Schmidt has made 11 changes for tomorrow night’s RaboDirect PRO12 interprovincial meeting with Munster at the Aviva Stadium (6.30pm) as he welcomes back Brian O’Driscoll.

Today, at the RDS, it will be Tom Denton’s turn.

Jamie Heaslip, Brian O’Driscoll and Jonathan Sexton are among the Irish internationals returning to Leinster’s starting XV to face Benetton Treviso in Saturday night's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in the Stadio di Monigo (6.05pm).

Second row Quinn Roux and academy back-row forward Ben Marshall will make their home debuts for Leinster after been named in Joe Schmidt’s starting XV for Saturday evening's RaboDirect PRO12 encounter with the Dragons in the RDS (6.15pm).

Leinster captain Leo Cullen is backing fellow lock Devin Toner to make more giant strides in his game over the coming season as the European champions open their RaboDirect Pro12 campaign at Scarlets today (6.30pm).

Shane Jennings will captain Leinster against the Scarlets in Saturday evening's opening game of the RaboDirect PRO12 in Parc y Scarlets (6.30pm).

Joe Schmidt gets his first chance today to run the rule over the Leinster fringe players who will steer him through the early stages of the RaboDirect Pro12 campaign when they meet Gloucester in a friendly at Tallaght Stadium (5pm).

Luke Fitzgerald has finally signed a deal to keep him at Heineken Cup champions Leinster despite not having his contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union renewed.

Dragons 20 Leinster 22

With top seed secured ahead of next weekend's PRO12 play off in the RDS, there is a fresh look to the Leinster team to face the Newport Gwent Dragons in Saturday night's clash in Rodney Parade (7.30pm).

With Brad Thorn recently arrived, Leo Cullen fully recovered from surgery and Devin Toner likely to be named as first reserve, it is unlikely Damian Browne will get to register his ninth Heineken Cup appearance this weekend.

Jamie Heaslip is one of three survivors in the starting XV from last weekend's Heineken Cup quarter final and the Naas man will skipper the Leinster team to face Edinburgh in Friday night's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in the RDS (KO: 7.45pm).

Barry O’Mahony has been plucked from the relative obscurity of club rugby to fill the number seven position for Munster A in the British and Irish Cup semi-final clash with Leinster at the RDS this evening (6pm).

Reigning European champions Leinster have announced the signing of New Zealand World Cup winner Brad Thorn on a three-month contract.

Luke Fitzgerald returns to the Leinster team for their RaboDirect PRO12 meeting with Aironi in the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella tomorrow (6pm).

Shane Jennings will lead a Leinster team with plenty of youth behind the scrum against the Glasgow Warriors in Saturday evening's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in Firhill (6pm).

Sean Cronin, David Kearney, Fergus McFadden and Eoin Reddan return to the Leinster starting line-up to face the Scarlets in Friday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash in the RDS (7.35pm).

Leinster will be without backline duo Luke Fitzgerald and Andrew Conway when they take on the Scarlets at the RDS in the RaboDirect PRO12 on Friday (7.35pm).

Dubliner Colm O’Shea will make his debut for Leinster in Thursday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Benetton Treviso in the RDS. (KO: 7.05pm)

Leinster should know within a matter of days whether they have been successful in their attempt to secure the signature of former All Black and World Cup winner Brad Thorn on an emergency short-term contract.

FEW would have foreseen a scenario whereby Leinster — and Munster — would be hoping to emulate Brive when the Heineken Cup started last November but such is the rather strange way of things as the pool stages fade into memory.

MUNSTER were handed a home run to the Heineken Cup final in May last night but champions Leinster face an away semi-final following the last-four draw by organisers ERC.

Leinster 25 Montpellier 3

Leo Cullen will captain the Leinster team to face Montpellier Hérault in tomorrow's Heineken Cup Round 6 sell out clash in the RDS (1.30pm).

A number of players are set to return to the Leinster panel for Sunday’s Round 5 Heineken Cup encounter against Glasgow Warriors in Firhill (kick off: 12.45pm) after missing the 23-19 victory in Cardiff on Saturday.

The Leinster team to face Connacht in Sunday’s RaboDirect PRO12 derby against Connacht in the Sportsground Galway (5pm) has been named.

JOE SCHMIDT has expressed his confidence in Sean O’Brien, whose form this season has been steady rather than spectacular.

Ireland internationals Sean Cronin, Cian Healy, Shane Jennings, Eoin Reddan and Devin Toner have all been named on a strong bench for Leinster’s Heineken Cup Pool 3 Round 3 encounter in The Recreation Ground (12.45pm) on Sunday.

Leinster have named their team to face Cardiff Blues in Friday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash at the RDS (KO: 8.05pm).

Shane Jennings leads the Leinster side against Benetton Treviso in tomorrow’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash in Stadio Comunale di Monigo (KO: 2pm).

The Leinster management are optimistic that Fergus McFadden will come back into contention for a starting place for Saturday's trip to play Benetton Treviso in the RaboDirect PRO12 (2pm) after missing Sunday’s 38-13 victory over Glasgow Warriors in the RDS.

FERGUS McFADDEN must be one frustrated guy this week.