RaboDirect PRO 12

Gordon D’Arcy will try to prove his worth to the Leinster set-up when he returns to the side against Ulster on St Stephen’s Day, while the northern boyos have given debuts to five youngsters for the RDS encounter.

D’Arcy was available for selection for last week’s Heineken Cup game against Bath, when head coach Joe Schmidt opted instead for a midfield pairing of Fergus McFadden and Eoin O’Malley.

The Wexford veteran returns to his familiar No 12 shirt on Monday, when McFadden will be his centre partner – O’Malley possibly pays the price for being bulldozed by Bath’s All Blacks World Cup winner Stephen Donald last weekend.

David Kearney, younger brother of Rob, starts on the right wing as he tries to build on his double-try-scoring antics against Cardiff Blues in Leinster’s last RaboDirect PRO12 game, while Fionn Carr gets a chance to impress on the other side.

Shane Jennings captains the side from the back row, with Leo Auva’a coming into the team at Number 8. There is an all-Ireland international front row of Cian Healy, Sean Cronin and Mike Ross.

Centres Chris Farrell and Michael Allen, full back Peter Nelson, prop Callum Black and flanker Ali Birch have all been handed their senior debuts for Ulster.

And it will effectively be six senior debutants for the province, with out half James McKinney starting a senior game for the first time after making his debut as a replacement against Ospreys earlier this season.

Leinster have advised supporters that the game will be a sell-out, with no tickets available on the day.

Leinster: Luke Fitzgerald; David Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Gordon D'Arcy, Fionn Carr; Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross; Damian Browne, Devin Toner; Kevin McLaughlin, Shane Jennings (capt.), Leo Auva'a.

Ulster: P Nelson; C Cochrane, M Allen, C Farrell, S Danielli; J McKinney, P Marshall; C Black, N Brady (capt.), A Macklin, T Barker, L Stevenson, N McComb, A Birch, R Diack.