In the pack, there's a first start for summer signings Stephen Knoop and Shane Jennings while Kevin McLaughlin also comes into the team and is named in the back-row. Leo Cullen captains the side and again lines up alongside Trevor Hogan.
Keith Gleeson, who is line to make his 100th Leinster appearance, has been named on a strong bench which includes the likes of Stephen Keogh. A vacancy has been left at replacement prop which will be confirmed closer to kick off.
Keith Gleeson is set to become the 11th Leinster player to reach the 100-cap mark if he takes to the field against the Cardiff Blues on Friday.
Speaking earlier this week, the Ireland international wing-forward admitted that he will be proud to become the latest player to reach the milestone.
First and foremost I'm both proud and delighted to reach this landmark. To get an opportunity to play for my home province, in the city where I was born, is something that I will always cherish.
A lot of the good times that I have had would relate to the camaraderie with my team-mates, some of whom like Victor Costello, Reggie Corrigan and more recently Denis Hickie have moved on.
We won the inaugural Celtic League title in my first year as a Leinster player in 2001/'02 and since then we've had a lot of success in Europe without taking the next step. I'm not usually one to dwell on the past, but I really enjoyed the season before last coming back, as I was, from a bad injury. We enjoyed some great success by beating both Bath and Toulouse in Europe and came close to winning the league.
That is something that we're trying to put right this year and hopefully all the hard work that we've put in recently will pay off. Michael Cheika has tried to strengthen the squad and there's lots more competition this year. Everyone knows that the back-row is particularly competitive and that's something that I relish because it keeps us all on our toes. You never become complacent and you know that you have to keep on improving.
I'm 31 now and it's around this time of year when I think - 'Phew, I made it through pre-season' and you can then look forward to the season! But as pre-season goes, it was certainly one of the most enjoyable that I've ever had. The games against Bath and Biarritz were competitive and it has enabled us to hit the ground running.
It was good to get the first win of the season against Edinburgh last weekend. What's clear is that there are points and places up for grabs and looking at other results in the Magners League, it looks as though every team is in with a shout of winning the title.
We've another huge test against Cardiff this weekend. They have made a solid start to the season and have great depth in their panel. We haven't had the best of times in Wales in recent years but we did win in Newport against the Dragons towards the end of last year, so that will give us a boost. We know that we'll need to fight tooth and nail to get a result, but we're extremely motivated to improve all facets of our play.
Reaching 100 caps is, to me, something to be very proud of and an achievement in itself. I want to focus on a great season ahead and to winning some silverware with my team.
As a player you're always striving to play the perfect game. That won't be possible, but sometimes you come close and if each time you represent your province you can walk off the field and honestly say you have done your best, then you won't go far wrong."
LEINSTER:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Gary Brown
13: Fergus McFadden
12: Christian Warner
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jonathan Sexton
9: Chris Whitaker
1: Stan Wright
2: Bernard Jackman
3: Stephen Knoop
4: Trevor Hogan
5: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
6: Kevin McLaughlin
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip
REPLACEMENTS:
16: Brian Blaney
17: Cian Healy / Juan Francisco Gomez
18: Cameron Jowitt
19: Stephen Keogh
20: Keith Gleeson
21: Cillian Willis
22: Ross McCarron
63x46.png){kind=logo}