RETURN OF LIONS TO HELP LEINSTER ROAR

AFTER a humbling night in Bloemfontein when they were mauled by the Cheetahs, Leinster call on their big guns in the hope that the added fire-power gets them back to winning ways at the RDS.

Joey Carbery, Noel Reid, Dave Kearney and Jordi Murphy are the only survivors from the starting XV that was so soundly beaten last Friday night, as Leo Cullen rolls out four of his Lions and a couple of senior internationals for good measure.

Cullen is fully aware of what his old mate from Leicester Richard Cockerill has to offer and is wary of the visiting Edinburgh team who have won their first two games against Welsh opposition, but then suffered back-toback defeats in rounds three and four.

Cockerill has been forced into making nine changes to his side and the visitors look a little light up front where he is missing some of his bigger names.

With Lions Jack McGrath and Tadhg Furlong back in harness and Devin Toner running the line-out, the setpiece should provide a solid platform for Sean O’Brien to take the game to the Scots and Johnny Sexton to run things behind the scrum.

The out-half captains the team as they look to step up a notch as the season begins to get going.

With Munster next up and Europe on the horizon, it’s time Leinster kicked into gear and with their big guns back they’ll be targeting a fourtry bonus against a team they’d expect to beat.