O’Driscoll fit to face Toulouse

Leinster have been able to name a strong side for their rescheduled European Cup curtain raiser against Toulouse at Donnybrook on Friday.

Coach Matt Williams has made just one change from the team that overran Pontypridd in the final Celtic League game earlier this month, with Bob Casey taking over from Trevor Brennan in the second-row.

There had been concerns over the fitness of the Leinster midfield but Ireland centres Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan have shaken off knocks sustained in last weekend’s defeat at Murrayfield and will be hoping for an improved performance under the Donnybrook floodlights.

Leinster will be aiming to carry their excellent Celtic League form, where they won all seven pool games to top a group which included Ulster and Llanelli, into this season’s European Cup. In the past, a berth in the latter stages of European competition has eluded them.

Friday’s match had been due to take place in Toulouse but was switched to Donnybrook after an explosion in the French city damaged the stadium.

A minute’s silence will be observed before the match in order to pay respects to the victims of last weekend’s blast, a chemical factory accident that has claimed 29 lives.

Meanwhile, Ulster welcome back Jonathan Bell for their trip to Italian club Benetton Treviso at the weekend. Bell has been out of action for nearly a month after sustaining an injury in Ulster’s Celtic League clash with Leinster.

The former Irish centre replaces Adam Larkin in the Ulster midfield.

Ulster have made one further change from their last outing in the Celtic League with Justin Ftizpatrick coming into the front-row in place of Clem Boyd.

Munster will have to do without the services of prop John Hayes, who required 22 stitches in a head wound suffered at Murrayfield, and Alan Quinlan for the visit of Castres to Thomond Park on Saturday afternoon.

Quinlan failed to recover from a knee injury picked up in Caerphilly in time for the game. Martin Cahill covers for Hayes in the front-row with Jim Williams taking Quinlan’s place at flanker.

Munster, beaten by Stade Francais in last year’s semi-finals and losing finalists from 1999, are also missing long-term injury worry Rob Henderson.

Leinsterv Toulouse: G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G D'Arcy, N Spooner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan (Capt), S Byrne, E Byrne, B Casey, M O'Kelly, E Miller, K Gleeson, V Costello

Replacements:P Coyle, G Hickie, B Casey, T Brennan, B Willis, A Gunne, A Magro

Ulsterv Benetton Treviso: P Wallace, J Topping, S Stewart, J Bell, T Howe, D Humphreys, N Doak; J Fitzpatrick, P Shields, S Best, G Longwell, J Davidson, T Mc Whirter, A Ward (Capt), R Nelson

Replacements:M Crick, C Boyd, M Blair, McMullan, K Campbell, R Conastable, B Cunningham

Munsterv Castres: D Crotty; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland; R O'Gara, P Stringer; A Foley, D Wallace, J Williams; M Galwey (Capt), M O'Driscoll; M Cahill, F Sheahan, P Clohessy.

Replacements:M Horan, J Blaney, D O' Callaghan, P O'Connell, M Prendergast, K Keane, J Staunton