Leinster banking on Jonathan Sexton as they bid to ground Ospreys

Leinster will hope that a seasonal debut for Jonathan Sexton can inspire a more consistent 80-minute performance tonight as they welcome Guinness PRO12 table-toppers Ospreys to the RDS.

One of six changes to the side that secured a second win in three outings when seeing off Edinburgh last weekend, Sexton takes over from the impressive but inexperienced Joey Carbery at out-half, having recovered from shoulder surgery.

The province has blown hot and cold. A failure to claim a bonus point on opening day against Benetton Treviso was compounded a week later when they left Glasgow with nothing to show for efforts that included three first-half tries. Even last week’s 33-20 win in Edinburgh was lopsided, with a quartet of first-half tries followed by a prolonged defensive stint before the victory was secured with another, late, five-pointer.