Kildare quartet line out for Leinster in surprise defeat to Cardiff

There were four Kildare men involved for Leinster in this afternoon's surprise defeat to Cardiff, as the Welsh side ran in five tries to win 31-10. 

Will Connors, Andrew Osborne and the Mangan brothers of Diarmuid and Ciaran all played 40 minutes of the pre-season friendly at 

Dublin's Tallaght Stadium, home of League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers. 

With so many Leinster stars making the slow recovery from their exploits in Australia with the British and Irish Lions, this early part of the season provides a major opportunity for the fringe players in the squad to put their hands up for selection later in the year. 

Three of the four Kildare men started the game - Connors, Osborne and Diarmuid Mangan - with all three replaced at half time. 

29-year-old flanker Connors had a quiet enough outing, although he was able to show off his trademark low-tackling style as the 

Donadea man tried to make life as difficult as possible for the visitors with the some good work on the ground.

Sallins native Diarmuid Mangan made a big impression last season and was a focal point here for the Leinster lineout. The 22-year-old made some big defensive carries and produced a massive drive in the build-up to Charlie Tector's try just before the interval. 

Away from the pack, Osborne, younger brother of Leinster teammate Jamie, had a tough day of it on the Leinster wing as Cardiff looked to run it from absolutely anywhere. The 22-year-old Naas man was good under the high ball and will hope his efforts in defence will be enough to keep him in Leo Cullen's thoughts for the season ahead. 

Osborne also made way at half time to be replaced by the fourth Kildare name on the team sheet, with Ireland U20 star Ciaran Mangan coming on to the wing for the second half, even wearing Osborne's number 11 jersey. 

The younger Mangan was a bright spark for Leinster when he came on, particularly in the third quarter when the hosts had their tails up.

A youthful Leinster side were simply outclassed by a much more experienced Cardiff outfit, but Cullen and his coaching staff will take plenty of positives from today's performance. 

Leinster begin the defence of their United Rugby Championship title with a trip to South Africa to take on 2022 champions the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, September 26.

They travel Pretoria the following week to play the side they beat in last year's final, the Bulls, in Loftus Versfeld.

Leinster's first home game of the campaign will also be against South African opposition when they welcome the Sharks to Aviva Stadium on Saturday, October 11.

Then comes the first Irish derby of the season when Leinster face Munster in a mouthwatering clash at Croke Park on Saturday, October 18.