Heineken Cup: Leinster team draft in Brennan

Celtic League champions Leinster have drafted in Trevor Brennan to their back row for Saturday evening’s Heineken Cup match at Newcastle.

Brennan replaces Eric Miller at number six following Miller’s dismissal in the Celtic League final victory over Munster at Lansdowne Road last month. Miller received a five-week suspension and will not be available again until the quarter-finals on the weekend of January 25-27, for which Leinster have already qualified.

Otherwise coach Matt Williams has named an unchanged team from that which beat Irish rivals Munster on December 15 as his side aims to secure a home quarter-final tie.

Leinster are the only side who have already qualified for the knock-out stages but they need to win both their remaining games, the other is in France against Toulouse, to be sure of home advantage in the next phase of the competition.

Former Saracens, Ireland and Lions prop Paul Wallace continues in the front row in place of Emmett Byrne who is still recovering from a rotator cuff injury to his shoulder, sustained after coming on against the All Blacks in November.

The only doubt is on the bench where Liam Toland stands by as cover for lock Bob Casey, who is still recovering from knee surgery.

Leinster team: G Dempsey, D Hickie, S Horgan , B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, N Spooner, B O’Meara; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, P Wallace, M O’Kelly, L Cullen, T Brennan, K Gleeson, V Costello.

Replacements: P Coyle, G Hickie, L Toland or B Casey, A McCullen, , B Willis, A Magro, P McKenna.