Leinster name Kildare quartet for Stormers semi
Sam Prendergast and Jamie Osborne - two of the four Kildare men named for Leinster's URC semi-final against stormers. INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Leinster have named four Kildare players in his matchday squad for tomorrow's URC semi-final against the Stormers.
Head Coach Leo Cullen has been forced to make a handful of injury-enforced changes from the side that beat the Lions in last week's quarter-final, however, the same four Kildare men from that game have been retained.
Sam Prendergast will once again run the show from the number ten jersey, with Jamie Osborne named at inside centre beside All Black, Reiko Ioane, while Jimmy O'Brien continues on the right wing. Diarmuid Mangan is among the replacements.
Still reeling from their recent Champions Cup Final defeat - an almost annual event at this stage - Leinster will be incredibly motivated ahead of this semi-final clash.
The second South African opposition in as many weeks, Stormers will provide a far sterner test that Leinster met last week. Prendergast kicked seven conversions off the nine tries scored by Leinster against the Lions, but the Stormers, will be a much more challenging prospect.
The Cape Town side were in a battle for top spot with Glasgow throughout most of the season, a season that began with a shock 35-0 win over Leinster in Round 1 back in September. The South Africans slipped off towards the end of the regular season, however, following the passing of their team Manager Chippie Solomon.
This is an opportunity for both teams to salvage something from the season, but as it stands Leinster are massive 10/1 favourites, with the bookies seeing this as a 14-point game.
Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Rabah Slimani, Diarmuid Mangan, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Garry Ringrose.
