Six Kildare men set to feature in URC action this weekend
Tadhg Beirne is once again named in the starting lineup for the fifth week in a row, this time in Munster red. Photo: ©INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon
With the November Internationals now firmly in the rearview mirror, Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster turn their attention back to the BTK United Rugby Championship.
There will be six Kildare men involved this weekend, with two lining out for Leinster, three for Munster and one for Connacht.
Leo Cullen's Leinster are in Wales tonight and having won only two of their opening five games, the defending champions are in desperate need of a win.
Dragons may be the perfect opposition in that regard, with the Welsh side second-from-bottom of the table having lost three of their games and drawn the other two.
Eadestown's Jimmy O'Brien has been named at full back for Leinster and will be hoping to lay down a marker for that 15 jersey.
Initially left out of Andy Farrell's squad for the Quilter Nations Series, O'Brien earned a late call up to the squad, but played only 15 minutes off the bench against Japan.
Full back has been a problematic position this season. Hugo Keenan returned from the British and Irish Lions needing surgery that is expected to keep him out until January at the earliest.
Naas man Jamie Osborne was Keenan's replacement at both provincial and international level, but he suffered a shoulder injury against Japan that means he will be sidelined for "up to four months."
O'Brien was the man to replace Osborne that day, but despite his versatility across the backline he found himself out in the cold for the games against Australia and South Africa.
With James Ryan suspended and injuries to Joe McCarthy and Ryan Baird, Sallins man Diarmuid Mangan is set to win his 20th cap for Leinster tonight in a very inexperienced second row.
Mangan is just as comfortable at blindside flanker as he is at lock, but Leinster are in dire need of him stepping up to the mark in the second row, where the 22-year-old will be alongside 25-year-old Brian Deeny.
Leinster, it must be said, do have the luxury of a returning RG Snyman on the bench.
The main event of the URC this weekend is tomorrow evening in Limerick as top-of-the-table Stormers visit second-place Munster.
On top of that, the game will have a little extra spice coming just seven days after the battle between Ireland and South Africa in Dublin.
All three Kildare men at Clayton McMillan's disposal have been selected to start the game, namely Tadgh Beirne, Jeremy Loughman and Diarmuid Kilgallen.
Beirne will captain the side from the back row in a surprising selection. The The Eadestown star was Ireland’s iron man during the November Series, playing the full 80 minutes on the last three consecutive weeks against Japan, Australia and South Africa.
Beirne's selection on the blindside shows the importance of the game, with Munster in second place by virtue of score difference alone, matching the Stormers' record of played five, won five.
Jeremy Loughman missed out on selection for Ireland during November, but the Athy man remains first-choice loose head for Munster, with Offaly's Mike Milne knocking on the door behind him.
Completing McMillan's Kildare trio is Diarmuid Kilgallen who starts on the wing. With Calvin Nash due back in the coming weeks, Kilgallen needs a big game against the South African side.
Connacht are also hosting South African opposition as they welcome the Sharks to Galway.
Just one point separates the sides, with Connacht in 12th spot on nine points while Sharks are one place behind on eight points, although the visitors have played a game more.
Connacht boss Stuart Lancaster has named Newbridge's Jordan Duggan in the front row - no easy task against South African opposition as we saw last week in the Aviva.
Duggan, like Loughman at Munster, fills a key position at loose head prop, and a strong performance here could help him nail down the number one shirt for his province.
Suncroft's Cian Prendergast is Connacht captain, but has been rested having played a major part for Ireland over the last month of Internationals.
