O’Driscoll to start for Blues

Brian O’Driscoll be unleashed by Leinster when they welcome Munster to the RDS on Saturday night (k.o: 6.30pm).

The Ireland Grand Slam winning captain has not played since his heroics in South Africa with the Lions but was included in the squad announced by Michael Cheika yesterday.

The Australian coach has already said that O’Driscoll will start on Saturday.

“He has enough experience to play these games fresh from a long break,” said Cheika.

“He’ll have some rustiness, so we don’t expect him to go out and win the game on his own, but he’ll get a good run out against some quality opposition.”

O’Driscoll will come face-to-face with one of his tormentors in South Africa with Munster’s newest signing, Jean de Villiers expected to start for the second time.

With Keith Earls expected to be named at full-back, de Villiers and Lifeimi Mafi will form Munster’s centre pairing for a clash with O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy.

Apart from casualties Barry Murphy and Ciaran O’Boyle Munster have a worry over Alan Quinlan (neck) but that should be the extent of their absentees for Saturday night’s game.

Article courtesy of The Evening Echo newspaper.