Leinster bring back big guns as Munster call up O'Donoghue

Leo Cullen has rung the changes for Friday night's Guinness PRO14 semi-final against Munster 

Leinster have restored their big guns to the starting line-up for Friday night’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final showdown with a Munster side showing just three changes from the starting XV which hammered Connacht last weekend.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen sent out a completely different side to face Ulster last Saturday from the XV which saw off Munster 27-25 in the PRO14 restart game seven days previously and still saw his selection hammer the northern province 28-10. Yet there are just three survivors from that win which stretched Leinster’s winning run to 21 games this season in all competitions with wing Hugo Keenan retaining the 14 jersey in the continued absence of hamstring victim Dave Kearney, Devin Toner back in at lock, while Will Connors hangs onto the openside flanker role. Connors will start in a back row also featuring Caelan Doris and Jack Conan as Cullen seeks a way to negate the turnover threats of Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue and CJ Stander, the last of whom was in destructive form in the first meeting between the provinces on August 22. Connors’ selection comes at the expense of Josh van der Flier who must settle for a place among the replacements while O’Donoghue wins the battle for the Munster number seven jersey having returned off the bench last from a concussion and the Waterford man replaces Chris Cloete who drops to the bench.