Leinster

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Hooker Dan Sheehan will captain Leinster for their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against Sale Sharks at Aviva Stadium on Saturday with Caelan Doris ruled out of the game.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen makes three changes in total from the team which started last week's 49-31 last-16 victory over Edinburgh.

With Andrew Porter also out, 20-year-old academy prop Alex Usanov will make his first start in the Champions Cup after coming on for Porter at half-time on Sunday.

James Ryan returns from a calf injury to play in the second row alongside Joe McCarthy while Garry Ringrose is also back and partners Jamie Osborne at centre.

As a result, Rieko Ioane, who started at centre against Edinburgh, shifts to left wing, while Ryan Baird moves to lock and Jack Conan switches from blindside flanker to number eight in the absence of Doris.

On the bench, Ronan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir and Scott Penny are recalled to the matchday squad.

Leinster: Keenan: T O'Brien, Ringrose, Osborne, Ioane; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Usanov, Sheehan (capt), Furlong; McCarthy, Ryan; Baird, van der Flier, Conan.

Replacements: Kelleher, Cahir, Clarkson, Deegan, Penny, McGrath, Frawley, Henshaw.

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Leinster have named Harry Byrne at fly-half for Sunday's Investec Champions Cup last-16 game against Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium (17:30 BST) as Ireland number 10 Sam Prendergast is not named in the matchday 23.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen makes four changes in total from the team which started last week's 36-19 United Rugby Championship win over Scarlets.

Ryan Baird is selected in the second row as he makes his first appearance since October after recovering from a broken leg, while Jack Conan comes in at blind-side flanker.

Rieko Ioane is selected at centre as he replaces the injured Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan's return to full-back sees Jimmy O'Brien move to the left wing, with Joshua Kenny dropping out.

James Ryan continues to be unavailable because of a calf issue.

Alex Usanov is in line to make his Champions Cup debut off the bench, while scrum-half Luke McGrath will make his 250th appearance for the Irish province if he is called into action from the replacements.

Ciaran Frawley and Robbie Henshaw are among the other options available to Cullen among the substitutes.

Leinster: Keenan; T O'Brien, Ioane, Osborne, J O'Brien; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; J McCarthy, Baird; Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: G McCarthy, Usanov, Clarkson, Deeny, Deegan, McGrath, Frawley, Henshaw.

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Fit-again prop Andrew Porter is set to make his return for Leinster in Friday's United Rugby Championship (URC) game against Scarlets (19:45 GMT).

Ireland loose-head Porter has been sidelined with a calf problem since January, which forced him to miss the Six Nations.

Porter, 30, has only played seven times this season - three for Leinster and all four of Ireland's November fixtures - since featuring in the British and Irish Lions' Test series against Australia last summer.

In a squad update on Monday, Leinster also said Ryan Baird is due to return to full training this week after four months out.

Back-five forward Baird suffered a fractured tibia in Ireland's defeat by South Africa in November.

Second row James Ryan is a doubt because of the calf problem that ruled him out of Ireland's Six Nations win over Scotland earlier this month.

South Africa international RG Snyman (unspecified) will also be assessed before head coach Leo Cullen names his team to face Scarlets at Aviva Stadium.

There are no further updates on Jack Boyle, Hugh Cooney, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Diarmuid Mangan and Paddy McCarthy.

Leinster sit fourth in the URC table after last weekend's 38-17 defeat by leaders Glasgow at Scotstoun Stadium.

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Bundee Aki has returned to the Ireland squad for Friday's Six Nations game against Wales in Dublin (20:10 GMT), while Leinster pair Jimmy O'Brien and Robbie Henshaw are also back in contention.

Aki was handed a four-match ban in January for "verbal abuse and disrespect" towards match officials in Connacht's United Rugby Championship (URC) loss to Leinster in January.

That kept the 35-year-old out of his province's URC game against Leinster and Ireland's first three games in the Six Nations, but is now back with the squad.

O'Brien has also linked up with the squad and Henshaw is expected to return early this week after they both played the full 80 minutes in Leinster's 8-7 URC defeat by Cardiff on Friday.

Both were left out of Andy Farrell's initial 37-man squad for the Six Nations because of injury, but their return will bolster Ireland's options with James Lowe ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a groin injury.

Fly-half Harry Byrne suffered a concussion in Leinster's defeat on Friday and is out, while Cormac Izuchukwu continues his graduated return to play protocols and will join the squad alongside the other nine players who have also returned to camp.

Farrell will name his team on Wednesday afternoon.

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Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park says the bonds built on last summer's British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia has forged a "brotherly rivalry" between the Irish and English camps.

The sides meet in their latest Six Nations encounter at Twickenham on Saturday (14:10 GMT) and both sets of players will know one another only too well with 18 Irish and 15 English on the same Lions squad last summer.

While Test matches between the nations are always dominated by an age-old rivalry, Gibson-Park feels that has only grown stronger and now has something of a family feel between these groups of players.

"I think there was a bit of 'mateship' created between us and to me, that adds to a rivalry," the 33-year-old told reporters at this week's news conference.

"When I think of the inter-pros in Ireland, they are my favourite games to play because you know the lads. I've spoken on it before that it's a brotherly kind of rivalry.

"We played with these guys for two months over the summer and got to know them pretty well, some great fellas. To me, that adds to the challenge and the rivalry."

Gibson-Park had to content himself with a place on the replacements bench for Ireland's victory over Italy in Dublin last weekend with Munster's Craig Casey getting the nod to start.

Naturally, the Leinster clubman is keen to earn his 49th Ireland cap as a starter this week but was happy to "bring energy" as a replacement last week.

Ireland have gone with a bench split of six forwards and two backs in their opening Six Nations games and with that, Gibson-Park feels it is imperative for all players to be a little more versatile, even suggesting with a smile he'd be open to a different role in the backs.

"It's something we have to be over the detail and be ready to do," he added.

"It's part and parcel of playing 6-2 but I'd love to get a run on the wing.

"I enjoy it and it's something I do a little bit of in training. The weeks I'm not playing with Leinster I try and get a run at full-back because ultimately, it can aid your game and give you more of an understanding, and I find it enjoyable."

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All Black Reiko Ioane returns to start in a much-changed Leinster side for their United Rugby Championship game against Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Leo Cullen is without a host of Ireland internationals and makes 12 changes in total to the side that beat Connacht last weekend, a result that moved them up to third in the URC table.

Only Joshua Kenny, RG Snyman and Charlie Tector retain their places, with Tector switching to fly-half as Luke McGrath comes in to captain the side from scrum-half.

Ciaran Mangan and Andrew Sparrow will make their first starts for Leinster while Ruben Moloney, John McKee and Jerry Cahir come into the side.

Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny and Diarmuid Mangan are also included as Niall Smyth, Gus McCarthy, Will Connors and Fintan Gunne all drop to the bench.

Leinster: A Osborne; J Kenny, R Ioane, C Mangan, R Moloney; C Tector, L McGrath (capt); J Cahir, J McKee, A Sparrow; RG Snyman, B Deeney; M Deegan, S Penny, D Mangan.

Replacements: G McCarthy, A Usanov, N Smyth, C O'Tighearnaigh, J Eriscon, W Connors, F Gunne, H McLaughlin.

Five switches for Connacht for Zebre game

Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster has made five changes for their trip to Parma take on Zebre on Saturday.

Darragh Murray, Billy Bohan, and captain Cian Prendergast, who started in last week's defeat to Leinster, all miss out with the latter pair away with Ireland at their Six Nations training camp in Portugal.

They are replaced by Niall Murray, Jordan Duggan and Sean O'Brien.

Jack Aungier comes in for the injured Sam Illo at tight-head prop while Chay Mullins starts in place of Finn Treacy on the left wing.

Oisin McCormack is amongst the replacements as he is named in the matchday squad for the first time this season.

Bundee Aki is not in the squad as he begins a four-game ban for "verbal abuse and disrespect" towards match official.

Connacht: S Gilbert; S Jennings; H West, C Forde; C Mullins, J Ioane; C Blade; J Duggan, D Tierney-Martin, J Aungier; J Murphy, J Joyce; P Boyle, S O'Brien, S Jansen.

Replacements: M Victory, P Dooley, F Barrett, D O'Connor, N Murray, B Murphy, S Naughton, O McCormack.