Jennings and Sexton return to face leaders Glasgow

BACK in the Leinster fold after a 12-week absence, Shane Jennings has been rewarded with the captaincy of a team that also includes Jonathan Sexton for the Magners League clash with Glasgow Warriors at the RDS tonight (8pm), weather permitting.

Following a pitch inspection yesterday morning, the game is due to proceed as planned, although the situation regarding the playing surface/supporter accommodation will continue to be monitored in the build-up to the game.

A Leinster statement said yesterday: “The health & safety officer Eamonn O’Boyle & is drawing up a plan regarding proposed new access routes into the ground for supporters because of the recent adverse weather.”

Given the proximity of the game against the league leaders to Leinster’s fifth Heineken Cup tie, a vital home game against Brive tomorrow week, coach Michael Cheika has made an interesting selection. He has chosen a stronger looking side than he has immediately before some other big European games in the last 12 months.

He has, however, decided to rest team captain Leo Cullen and another absentee from the pack is the injured CJ van der Linde. Gordon D’Arcy and Shane Horgan are the front-line backs excluded this week and Rob Kearney takes one of the wing positions to allow Girvan Dempsey a run at full back.

Fergus McFadden takes over from D’Arcy in the centre, while Devin Toner gets the nod to replace Cullen and will partner Nathan Hines in the second row, behind a strong front row that, considering the injury to the South African World Cup winner, seems increasingly likely to start against Brive.

But Leinster fans will be more interested in assessing the form of two of their favourite players, Sexton and Jennings, whose return to action after injury and suspension respectively could hardly have been better timed.

It is a night when Glasgow also welcome back a couple of long-term absentees in James Eddie and Rob Dewey; both players have been named on the bench. Eddie, the 24-year-old back-rower, and Dewey, the Scotland international centre, have been sidelined due to shoulder and ankle injuries respectively.

Warriors head coach Sean Lineen said: “Competition for places is already very intense at Glasgow and the return of James and Rob will fuel that even further. Everyone is challenging each other at training so it’s great to have two quality players back and available for selection.”

Glasgow come armed with a strong team and a particularly formidable back division; alongside scoring machine Dan Parks at half back is Chris Cusiter and both Thom and Max Evans are included in the three-quarter line, Max in the centre and Thom in his usual left wing slot.

Leinster have won their last 10 Magners League games at the RDS but if there is a team capable of halting that winning run it is Glasgow, who have won their last four matches against Irish opposition and who find themselves top of the table with a five-point advantage over third-placed Leinster.

With a competitive pack, a back division that doesn’t leak too many tries and a scoring machine in Parks, they are coming to Dublin to win. They might not quite get there but they will also take some beating.

* London Irish’s Heineken Cup game against holders Leinster on January 23 has been switched to Twickenham.

The move from Reading’s Madejski Stadium is due to a possible fixture clash with the soccer club.