Leinster ring the changes for Lions clash

Ryan will captain Leinster on Saturday [Getty Images] Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has rung the changes for Saturday's United Rugby Championship [URC] against the Lions at Aviva Stadium [17:30 BST]. Cullen has retained just three players whom started last week's European Champions Cup semi-final win over Toulon with one of those, James Ryan, captaining the side in Dublin tomorrow. Ryan is joined by Brian Deeny in the second row, while Thomas Clarkson is called upon again at tighthead prop, while Ed Byrne comes in at loosehead and John McKee is named at hooker.

In the back row, Max Deegan and Will Connors come in along with James Culhane at number eight. A changed half-back partnership will see Sam Prendergast start at out-half with Luke McGrath at scrum-half. In the backs, Rieko Ioane is named once again, but switches from the wing to centre where he will start alongside Jamie Osborne, while Joshua Kenny and Jimmy O'Brien have been named on the wings with Ciarán Frawley at full-back.

Leinster: Frawley; Kenny, Ioane, Osborne, J O'Brien; Prendergast, McGrath; Byrne, McKee, Clarkson, Deeny, Ryan (capt. ), Deegan, Connors, Culhane. Replacements: Sheehan, Porter, Slimani, Mangan, Penny, Gunne, Cooney, Keenan.