Schmidt gets first chance to check out combinations

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).

With Leinster’s contingent of internationals on a separate pre-season conditioning programme, the majority of the province’s frontline players will not be seen in action until the RaboDirect Pro12 season is well under way, while others such as Luke Fitzgerald, Sean O’Brien, Rhys Ruddock, Dave Kearney and Eoin O’Malley will not be back on the field until at least November, with Fitzgerald out until the end of the year and possibly January.

Shane Jennings leads a side that includes new signing Tom Denton at lock alongside Damian Browne and a fly-half combination in John Cooney and Ian Madigan that may well see plenty of league action in the absence of Isaac Boss, Eoin Reddan and Jonny Sexton, whose playing time will be restricted under the IRFU’s player management programme.