Seven Kildare rugby players in European action this weekend
Kildare's Diarmaid Mangan and Sam Prendergast have both been named in the Leinster squad for their Champions Cup game against Harlequins. Photo: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
A total of seven Kildare players will feature this weekend as European Rugby makes its bow for the season.
Ulster kick-start the weekend tonight (Friday, Dec 5th) against Racing, but are the only Irish province without a Kildare player on their books.
Leo Cullen has named three Leinster men in his match-day 23 for the visit of English side Harlequins to Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Suncroft's Sam Prendergast will start at fly half as he continues to try to cement his place as Leinster (and Ireland's) first choice number 10.
After a disappointing November Series where he played just 15 minutes across four games for Ireland, Eadestown's Jimmy O'Brien is in from the start again in Leinster blue. The injuries to both Hugo Keenan and Naas man Jamie Osborne means that O'Brien is front and centre for the Leinster 15 jersey and he'll want to make the most of it while he can.
Completing the Kildare trio is Sallins lock Diarmuid Mangan who has been named among the replacements. Mangan benefits from James Ryan's suspension and will hope to make a big impact off the bench.
Regardless of who he replaces, Mangan will be coming on for a genuinely world class player as Leinster have named an incredibly strong team with a loose five of Caelan Doris, Josh Van Der Flier, Jack Conan, the returning Joe McCarthy and the double World Cup winner, RG Snyman.
Cullen has also named Dan Sheehan, Gary Ringrose and Jamison Gibson-Park in his team, with New Zealand's Reiko Ioane set to make his debut in blue off the bench.
London club Harlequins have been well off their usual standards this season and sit third from bottom in the Gallagher Premiership having lost their last three games on the spin.
Clayton McMillan will still be reeling from Munster's defeat to the Stormers last week in the URC as the southern province face another massive challenge, this time away to the champions of England.
Like Leinster, Munster also have two Kildare men in the starting XV and another on the bench.
Ireland’s iron man Tadhg Beirne will start his sixth consecutive game as he captains Munster from the back row.
Another Eadestown man in from the start in Diarmuid Kilgallen who continues on the wing for Munster in the absence of Irish international Calvin Nash.
Loose head prop Jeremy Loughman is named on the bench as the Athy man completes Munster's Kildare trio.
Bath are the reigning English champions and currently sit top of The Prem and come into this game on the back of a win away at Saracens last week.
Stuart Lancaster's Connacht head to Wales on the back of an impressive win over the Sharks last week and an opportunity to beat the once-mighty Ospreys in their own back yard.
Having started the last two games, Newbridge man Jordan Duggan has been named among the replacements for the trip to Wales as he continues to make himself an integral part of the squad out west.
Connacht are captained by Suncroft's Cian Prendergast, but he remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
