Leinster v Treviso:AN INTERESTING move by Leinster coach Joe Schmidt places Kevin McLaughlin in as team captain instead of Shane Jennings, who is also included in this week's backrow. McLaughlin is just back from injury and the decision to appoint him captain for the first time may be the shape of things to come or a move that sees some stability in the side's captaincy during the Six Nations.
Jennings may at some point be called up by Declan Kidney whereas McLaughlin is likely to be a more constant presence in the provincial team as he plays his way back, with Cullen also sidelined and Rhys Ruddock on the 32-man-Irish squad.
That aside, a shadow Leinster team faces an equally thinned-out Treviso.
The Italians have 22 listed players who have been capped for Italy but only four, winger Benjamin De Jager, centre Enzio Galon, flanker Gonzalo Padro and captain and lock Valerio Bernabo, make their way to the RDS.
Many of the other players are with the Italian team to face England this weekend.
For Leinster, Clontarf’s Colm O’Shea makes his debut. The 21-year-old former Belvedere College centre forms a midfield partnership with Brendan Macken, while the more experienced Isaac Boss links up with Ian Madigan at half-back.
Fionn Carr forms a pacy back three alongside Darren Hudson and the ever present Isa Nacewa.
Heinke van der Merwe makes his 49th appearance for the province, with Richardt Strauss and Nathan White providing the overseas glamour in a front- row Jamie Hagan is still struggling to get into.
“The three times they won away was pretty much the team they’ll bring on Thursday,” promised Schmidt this week. “Away to Ulster, away to Glasgow and away to Connacht they were deprived of their starting line-up players and they proved very much to be a formidable opposition, particularly the game against Ulster. They very much bring a physicality.”
Leinster are still without Luke Fitzgerald, Dominic Ryan and Andrew Conway, who are hoping to be fit enough to face the Llanelli Scarlets next week. Physical or not these league points are as important as when Leinster play Ospreys or Munster with a full complement of players. Good enough reason for a win tonight.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; D Hudson, B Macken, C O'Shea, F Carr; I Madigan, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, N White, D Browne, D Toner, K McLaughlin (capt), S Jennings, L Auva'a. Replacememnts: T Sexton, J McGrath, J Hagan, M Flanagan, J Murphy, J Cooney, N Reid, A Boyle.
TREVISO: L Nitoglia; B De Jager, E Galon, A Pratichetti, B Williams; A Di Bernardo, A Chillon; M Muccignat, E Ceccato, I Rouyet, F Minto, V Bernabo (capt), G Padro, B Vermaak, M Filippucci. Replacements: D Vidal, C Fazzari, P Di Santo, M Fuser, E Pavenello, S Picone, G Garcia, T Iannone Referee: L Hodges (WRU).
