The 30-year-old international full-back has been out of action with a hamstring tear since the Leinstermen's Champions Cup match at Wasps in January.

He returns to Leo Cullen's side for the clash in Dublin with the aim of stringing a number of games together, and keeping Leinster at the top of the Guinness PRO12 table.

The Boys in Blue can play a part in dashing the visitors' hopes of a top-four finish, should both they and fourth-placed Scarlets win, but Kearney is focussed solely on his return to the pitch after a series of hamstring injuries.

He said: "I was getting to that stage where it was becoming a little bit chronic. I had three or four in the space of two or three months.

"Once you do it once, straight away you are at a higher risk. The more times you do it, the more at risk you are of getting another one.

"I just had to bite the bullet, take four or five weeks off, just make sure I put myself in the best place possible to give this one time to recover. I just needed to be a little bit more sensible.

"It is tough and it's unbelievably frustrating but what can I do? I cannot in any way control it.

"So you just need to try and make sure that you're training as best as you can. A run of games would be very nice."

Luke Fitzgerald also returns to the side and Cullen picks a new front row of Cian Healey, Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross.

The visitors won the reverse fixture 16-9 in Round 1 of the Guinness PRO12, but have only once done the PRO12 double over their Irish opponents, back in the 2003/04 season.

Edinburgh have to win and hope results go their way in other matches to stand any chance of a semi-final place and, as they currently sit in seventh, have a fight on their hands to claim a Champions Cup spot for next season.

Head coach Alan Solomons realises the task at hand when visiting Leinster and has made four changes to his starting XV.

Chris Dean and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne come in at outside centre and scrum-half respectively, with John Hardie returning at openside and Jamie Ritchie coming in at blindside.

Solomons said: "Leinster top the table and playing them in Dublin will be a huge challenge.
"We are all excited about the game and of the challenge it presents."

At RDS Arena, 7.35pm Live on TG4 and BBC Alba
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 51st competition game)
Assistant Referees: Andy Brace, Leo Colgan (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Tim Lowry (IRFU)
TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU)