Familiar Look To Leinster Side

The Leinster team to face London Wasps in Saturday’s Heineken Cup Pool 2 showdown at Twickenham (kick-off 5.35pm) has been named.

Luke Fitzgerald will start on the left wing in a strong back-three which includes Leinster’s most capped player in Heineken Cup history Shane Horgan (66 games) and Rob Kearney, who has been named at full-back.

Felipe Contepomi continues his centre partnership with the competition’s joint top try scorer to date this season, Brian O’Driscoll (four tries).

Australian scrum half Chris Whitaker will make his 50th Leinster appearance, partnering Isa Nacewa at half-back.

In the pack, Malcolm O’Kelly links up with skipper Leo Cullen in the second row, with Shane Jennings starting in the back row alongside Rocky Elsom and Jamie Heaslip.

The props will be confirmed an hour before kick-off, while hooker Bernard Jackman is included in the starting line-up after recovering from injury.

Ireland trio Gordon D’Arcy, Girvan Dempsey and Trevor Hogan will hope to be introduced off the replacements bench.

LEINSTER (v London Wasps): Rob Kearney; Shane Horgan, Brian O’Driscoll, Felipe Contepomi, Luke Fitzgerald; Isa Nacewa, Chris Whitaker; Stan Wright/Cian Healy, Bernard Jackman, CJ Van Der Linde/Ollie Le Roux, Leo Cullen (capt), Malcolm O’Kelly, Rocky Elsom, Shane Jennings, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: John Fogarty, Cian Healy/Ollie Le Roux, Trevor Hogan, Sean O’Brien, Chris Keane, Gordon D’Arcy, Girvan Dempsey.