Lions and Bulls get a boost as Leinster reveals travelling squad

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: An inexperienced Leinster squad will depart Dublin on Tuesday for their final two games in the regular season of the United Rugby Championship.

Leinster will play the Lions on Saturday at Ellis Park and a week later will play the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

With top spot in the URC standings already secured and a Champions Cup semifinal scheduled for the end of the month, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has decided to leave his international stars at home.

None of the players that started in Leinster’s Champions Cup quarterfinal win over Leicester will be heading to South Africa.

Springbok lock Jason Jenkins has been included in the travelling squad. He was on Leinster’s bench in that quarterfinal.

The squad of 30 has four uncapped players included who were all part of the recent Ireland U-20s Grand Salm winning squad.

Sam Prendergast is already in the Leinster Academy, while Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Liam Molony and Fintan Gunne have all been training in the Ken Wall Centre of Excellence down as part of the age grade programme at Leinster Rugby.

Leinster squad:

Forwards: Jack Boyle, Ed Byrne, Michael Milne, Lee Barron, Tadgh McElroy, Vakhtang Abdaladze, Thomas Clarkson, Temi Lasisi, Brian Deeny, Alex Soroka, Jason Jenkins, Conor O’Tighearnaigh*, Liam Molony*, Rhys Ruddock, Will Connors, James Culhane, Max Deegan.

Backs: Fintan Gunne*, Nick McCarthy, Ben Murphy, Sam Prendergast*, Charlie Tector, Dave Kearney, Aitzol King, Ben Brownlee, Liam Turner, Tommy O’Brien, Rob Russell, Chris Cosgrave, Max O’Reilly.

* Denotes uncapped player