Hooker Sean Cronin will make his first competitive start for Leinster on Friday night having been named in Joe Schmidt’s starting XV to face Edinburgh in their RaboDirect PRO12 encounter at Murrayfield (7.35pm).

Twenty-one-year-old flanker Dominic Ryan will captain Leinster ‘A’ in their interprovincial friendly against Ulster ‘A’ in Donnybrook on Friday (6pm).

MUNSTER’S new signing, Will Chambers, and scrum-half Tomas O’Leary will both see game time for the Munster A team in the Sportsground, Galway, today against Connacht (kick-off 2pm).

MANY of Leinster’s Irish Internationals intend to take out their World Cup frustrations on Edinburgh in the seventh round of the RaboDirect Pro 12 at the end of the month.

KEVIN McLAUGHLIN returns from injury to boost Leinster against Connacht in this evening’s RaboDirect Pro 12 clash at the RDS (5pm).

After a mounting injury list during the week sparked suggestions of calling up U20 players to the Connacht team to face Leinster in the RDS this Saturday (5pm) Eric Elwood will be relieved he’s only had to make three changes to his starting team.

SOUTH AFRICAN import Steven Sykes makes his Leinster debut in tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Aironi at the RDS (6pm).

Academy outhalf Noel Reid will make his senior debut for Leinster when he takes to the pitch against Aironi at the RDS on Saturday (6pm).

PREMIERSHIP club Northampton Saints gained a small measure of revenge as they won this Heineken Cup final rematch at Donnybrook last night.

THE problem with dress rehearsals is that people continually fluff their lines. That’s one reason why pre-season friendlies have to be treated with a certain amount of scepticism, especially when coaches make so many changes that at one stage last night, substituted players were coming back onto the field to replace substitutes.

Peter de Villiers has made 10 changes to his South Africa side to face the British and Irish Lions in the third Test at Ellis Park on Saturday.

IF THIS was supposed to be a step up in class, then the British & Irish Lions coped with it admirably. They met fire with fire, kept their try-line intact for the first time on tour and strode majestically forward towards next week’s first Test at the same venue.

PETER DE VILLIERS has named three uncapped players in his South African XV to face a Namibian Invitational XV in Windhoek tomorrow.