Six Kildare men set for European rugby action this Saturday
Kildare's Jimmy O’Brien will start at full back for Leinster this Saturday. Photo: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
A total of six Kildare players have been named for this weekend's European club rugby action as the Irish provinces have named their squads for a crucial set of fixtures.
Leinster come into this game top of Pool 3 and as the third ranked team heading into the knockout stages - they will need to improve upon that if they are to earn home advantage all the way to the semi-finals.
Last week's get-out-of-jail win against La Rochelle served to further deplete Leo Cullen's injury-ravaged squad.
Bayonne come into the game with little more than pride on the line having lost all three if their previous games in the pool.
Eadestown's Jimmy O'Brien makes his return from injury to start at full back for Leinster, taking over from the injured Ciaran Frawley.
With a long list of injured full backs at the moment, O'Brien has a chance to impress Andy Farrell ahead of the Ireland head coach naming his Six Nations squad.
O'Brien is the only Kildare man in Leo Cullen's starting XV, however, Suncroft fly half Sam Prendergast has been named among the replacements.
Prendergast was not happy about handing over kicking duties to Harry Byrne in last week's dramatic victory over La Rochelle - and it is easy to see why, as Byrne has been preferred to Prendergast for the trip to Bayonne.
Pool 2 is wide open, with all six teams still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockouts.
Munster come into the game in fourth place following their controversial loss away to Toulon last week, but know that a win here will see them safely through to the Last 16.
Defeat, however, would mean French side Castres would leapfrog Munster and send Clayton McMillan's team either into out of the Champions Cup and into the Challenge Cup - or potentially out of Europe altogether if Gloucester were to also get a result against Toulon.
On his 100th appearance for the province, Eadestown's Tadhg Beirne will lead out Munster for the all-important fixture.
Beirne will captain the side from the back row, while Athy prop Jeremy Loughman has been retained in the front row.
With Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy both injury concerns for the Six Nations, a big performance from Loughman could see him force his way back into international contention.
Like Munster, Connacht were also beaten last week in France in heartbreaking fashion, but know that a win in the final round of pool games will be enough for a place in the knockouts.
Stuart Lancaster's team welcome Montauban to Galway, with the French side already out of contention for a spot in the Last 16 having lost all three of their games in the competition, including an upset last week at home to Georgia's Black Lion.
Suncroft back row Cian Prendergast will once again captain the western province for this hugely important fixture.
The other Kildare man in the starting XV is prop Billy Bohan, making just his third senior appearance for the province.
The former Newbridge College man made his first senior start last week away to Montpellier and has done enough for Stuart Lancaster to keep him in the number one jersey.
