Kidney relies on the heavy hitters

European Cup team news: Clearly, Leinster coach Declan Kidney treats the adage of French teams travelling badly with sniffy distain. His line-up for Saturday's European Cup match at Lansdowne Road against Bourgoin ripples with as much international muscle as there is available to him, reports Johnny Watterson.

Rounding up the usual heavy hitters has rarely let him down.

The recent series of internationals and a full a month in harness with Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan has not diminished Kidney's faith that the elite players can successfully return to the provincial set up for the first time since beating Bath 30-11 at home in late October.

The only changes he has made since that second pool game is Argentinian utility back Felipe Contepomi coming into the inside centre position for the injured Gordon D'Arcy, and Guy Easterby starting at scrumhalf for Brian O'Meara.

Easterby, who has spent his fair share of time on the bench, comes in on the strength of strong performances against Connacht and, latterly, for Ireland against the US two weeks ago, while Contepomi is again providing Kidney with a natural talent that can be moulded into several positions.

Contepomi would clearly have been more at peace lining out with his Argentina team-mates against South Africa in Buenos Aires, but that was never on this week once the IRB decided that clubs could hold on to their contracted players.

Kidney said as much yesterday at the team announcement, with hooker Shane Byrne chipping in that any perceived animosities arising from the fractious Irish Test against the Pumas last weekend have been well buried.

"There's no problem with Felipe," said Byrne crisply to suggestions a hangover may linger.

"Felipe played very well last Saturday against Ireland," added Kidney. "Obviously we were not going to hang on to him just for him to come training with us."

The Leinster management have watched Bourgoin in action against Munster's opponents this weekend, Castres, and have been particularly impressed by the physical ability of the French side's pack.

"This is a huge challenge for us. I don't think people know how good a team Bourgoin are," said Kidney.

"They have been very good over the last two years and are a big physical challenge. They have only had one bad phase over two seasons (losing to Treviso 0-34), and this is their last chance to qualify from the group.

"But they are currently second in the French championship. Winning is a habit that they won't want to give up. Just that one 30 minutes. It would be a bit Irish to just look at that and not the whole two years. They pummelled Castres up front. That's all I needed to see," he said.

Girvan Dempsey has the comfort of Irish colleagues Denis Hickie and Shane Horgan on the flanks. If Hickie scores another try, he will, with 14 touchdowns, become Leinster's leading try-scorer in Europe, with the sidelined Gordon D'Arcy currently level with him on 13.

Brian O'Driscoll partners Contepomi in the centre, with David Holwell at 10.

The Ireland pairing of captain Reggie Corrigan and Shane Byrne complete the front row, with Emmett Byrne at tighthead prop, Malcolm O'Kelly and Leo Cullen locking in behind.

Kidney's exciting back row of Eric Miller and openside Shane Jennings is completed by the fit-again Victor Costello at number eight.

Hooker Shane Byrne is also one of the survivors from Leinster's first game in the European Cup against Milan at Stadio Comunale Giuriati back in November 1995.

Joining him in the pack that day were O'Kelly and Costello, all three of whom are now coming up to a full decade of European Cup rugby.

That year Leinster, who had been raised on an amateur diet of interprovincial matches and touring fixtures, reached the semi-final of the competition before losing at Lansdowne Road to Cardiff.

Since then, Byrne has held an outrageously consistently record of turning out for Leinster, and, of the 54 matches the province has played in the competition, he has missed only four.

"It seems a hell of a long time ago. It's just great to be still here," said the 33-year-old hooker, adding that the last few weeks have been tough.

"It is hard sitting in the changing room at Lansdowne Road knowing that there is no time to mentally unwind. You are stiff. You are sore, but it's a cycle every week whether it is an international or provincial game. The week is a run-in to a game," he said.

Only seven teams have played 50 or more games in the competition: Toulouse 65, Munster 63, Llanelli Scarlets 57, Leicester Tigers 54, Leinster 54, Ulster 53 and Cardiff Blues 52.

LEINSTER (v Bourgoin): G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, F Contepomi, D Hickie; D Holwell, G Easterby; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, E Byrne, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, E Miller, S Jennings, V Costello. Replacements (from): R Nebbett, G Hickie, D Blaney, B Gissing, D Dillon, C Potts, A McCullen, B O'Meara, B O'Riordan, G Brown, K Lewis, D Quinlan.