Leinster play safe

Team news: Leinster have moved their final home game of the season against Gwent Dragons on Friday week, May 14th, to Lansdowne Road because of "the state of the pitch" at Donnybrook, which the CEO of the Irish Rugby Union Players Association, Niall Woods, has blamed for a recent spate of injuries.

After a relentless succession of schools and junior matches since February, Donnybrook has become a grassless surface that no amount of attention can compensate for.

"You can't have professional players playing on a sand-pit," said Woods. "Three players got injured there last week, Girvan Dempsey in training the day before, Brian O'Driscoll in the warm-up and Gordon D'Arcy did his shoulder during the match.

"The number of injuries Leinster have had this season has been horrendous and I'd have to question if that is partially down to the (Donnybrook) pitch. It's been like that since March and you don't see major pitches in such a state in France or England, or even in Connacht, Ulster or Munster for that matter."

Woods, who has voiced his concerns to the union, added: "The whole aspect of player safety needs to be addressed and it's something that the IRFU are going to have to look at next season."

Leinster, like Connacht, have delayed selection until tomorrow for this weekend's penultimate round of Celtic League matches but Munster make eight changes to the side that shipped 60 points against Cardiff last week for their final home game of the season, against Connacht, at Thomond Park on Friday night.

John Kelly and Anthony Horgan return to the wings, Shaun Payne and Jason Holland move to midfield and Jeremy Staunton comes in at outhalf. Up front Marcus Horan returns at loosehead, Paul O'Connell returns in the second row, and Alan Quinlan, Anthony Foley and David Wallace form the back row instead of Stephen Keogh, Peter Malone and Jim Williams, whose knee injury may mean he has, sadly, played his last game for Munster.

UL Bohemians, who meet Trinity in the AIL Division Two final on Saturday, are resigned to being without their scrumhalf Aidan Rees as well as their under-21 World Cup centre Keith Matthews. The latter is ruled out with a damaged groin. Rees recently made a comeback following a shoulder injury, but damaged a leg in an under-20 cup game.

MUNSTER: (v Connacht, Friday, Thomond Park 7.35): C Cullen; J Kelly, S Payne, J Holland, A Horgan, J Staunton, E Reddan; M Horan, J Flannery, G McIlwham, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Replacements: S Kerr, F Roche, D Pusey, S Keogh, M Prendergast, M Mullins, M Lawlor.

UL BOHEMIANS (v Dublin University, Saturday, Lansdowne Road 2.00): C Garvey; B O'Donnell, C Finn, M McPhail, B Murphy; P Treacy, L O'Connell; M Harty, G Ryan, K Flanagan, R Hartigan, A Hartigan, A O'Gorman (capt), J O'Neill, P van Esbeck. Replacements: I Costello, B Leahy, B Murphy, J Danagher, B Madigan, S Ryan.