Toulouse v Leinster: Teams
European heavyweights Toulouse and Leinster will line up in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Last Updated: 30/04/10 3:18pm
European heavyweights Toulouse and Leinster will line up in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday.
The three-time champions attempt to dethrone the holders at a capacity-filled Stade de Toulouse, and once again all the action can be seen live on Sky Sports.
Leinster rested most of their team for last weekend's Magners League defeat at Glasgow, but they still have many injuries to contend with.
Fly-half Jonathan Sexton (jaw) has been ruled out, meaning Shaun Berne will take over the playmaking role as well as the goal-kicking.
Full-back Rob Kearney has recovered from injury though, and he will start at full-back in a backline which includes five Ireland internationals.
Strong
Shane Horgan and Isa Nacewa make up the rest of the back three with Brian O'Driscoll partnering Gordon D'Arcy at centre. Eoin Reddan forms a half-back partnership with Berne.
Leo Cullen leads the side and starts in the second row with Scotland's Nathan Hines. Cian Healy starts at loose-head prop in a front row which includes John Fogarty and Stan Wright while Shane Jennings forms an all-Ireland international back-row alongside Kevin McLaughlin and number eight Jamie Heaslip.
CJ van der Linde, Malcolm O'Kelly and Girvan Dempsey are named amongst a strong replacements bench.
Toulouse have a back-line full of French international caps, all fed by All Black legend Byron Kelleher, who has promised fans an open-top bus Haka if Toulouse go all the way this year. As if that wasn't enough, all the replacement backs are French internationals too.
In the pack, newly-appointed Springbok Daan Human props down at loosehead in a pack featuring all international players too, and with three more on the bench.
Toulouse: 15 Clement Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 David Skrela, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Shaun Sowerby, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Romain Millo-Chluski, 3 Benoit Lecouls, 2 William Servat, 1 Daan Human.
Replacements:16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Yohan Montes, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Louis Picamoles , 21 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 22 Yann David , 23 Maxime Medard.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Isa Nacewa, 10 Shaun Berne, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Leo Cullen (capt), 3 Stan Wright, 2 John Fogarty, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Bernard Jackman, 17 CJ Van Der Linde, 18 Mike Ross, 19 Malcolm O'Kelly, 20 Stephen Keogh, 21 Paul O'Donohoe, 22 Eoin O'Malley, 23 Girvan Dempsey.