O’Driscoll all-clear as Schmidt names unchanged Leinster side

THERE was relief for Leinster yesterday as Brian O’Driscoll came through his fitness test, dispelling doubts about the severity of the injury to his right knee.

The Ireland captain had suffered the knock during last Friday night’s Magners League semi-final win over Ulster at the RDS and left the field at half-time to raise concerns he might not be able to start this evening’s Heineken Cup final against Northampton.

O’Driscoll, though, saw the swelling around the injury recede and resumed training on Wednesday and although Leinster travelled to Cardiff with an extra squad member as cover, the talismanic centre was named in Joe Schmidt’s starting 15 at noon yesterday for this evening’s Millennium Stadium showdown.

Leo Cullen will lead out an unchanged side from the team which beat Toulouse in the Heineken Cup semi-final on April 30, sticking with Luke Fitzgerald on the wing despite the form shown by Fergus McFadden, preferring Eoin Reddan to Isaac Boss at scrum-half and Kevin McLaughlin to the claims of Shane Jennings in the back row alongside Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip.

And organisers European Rugby Cup Ltd confirmed that the Millennium Stadium’s retractable roof would remain shut for the final, which was last night heading for a 74,500 sell-out.