Leinster v Stormers Match Preview

Leinster Rugby v DHL Stormers, 5pm, Saturday

League leaders Leinster may be without the bulk of their 24-strong contingent in the Ireland Six Nations squad, but they are able to welcome back a couple of notable individuals.

Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe have not travelled with the rest of the Irish party to the training camp in Portugal in order to get some game-time after lengthy injury lay-offs.

Sheehan captains the team as he makes his first appearance of the season after recovering from knee ligament damage, while Lowe also starts having been sidelined since the autumn internationals with a calf injury.

Another Ireland squad member gets an outing in loosehead Jack Boyle, with fellow prop Rabah Slimani on the other side of the front row ahead of joining up with France for the Six Nations, having been brought back into the fold for the first time since the 2019 World Cup.

Leinster are unbeaten this season, with 13 wins out of 13 in all competitions, but a big test lies ahead given their depleted numbers and the quality of the visitors from Cape Town, who include the likes of Manie Libbok, Evan Roos, Warrick Gelant, Frans Malherbe, Ben-Jason Dixon and Deon Fourie in their ranks.

Scrum-half Luke Grath said: “We’ve a younger group and we understand what is coming our way.

“We know the Stormers will be strong. They’re going to be ready for it and it’s a massive challenge for us. You see how impressive they are with the ball. They scored some great tries against Racing 92 last weekend. Manie Libbok will be a massive threat. He is an unbelievably good footballer, with so much experience from the Springboks squad.”