Leinster's new team young and hungry

Nowhere have the summer winds of change been more keenly felt than in Leinster. There are 11 changes from the team that capitulated to Llanelli in Leinster's anti-climactic and injury-plagued finale last season for tomorrow's Guinness Inteprovincial opener away to Munster.

Brian O'Driscoll, the twice-capped star of Ireland's tour to Australia, makes his Leinster debut tomorrow, as do Gareth Gannon, Bob Casey ("fresh" from a summer in Australia and Argentina) and the newly-arrived Barry Everitt and newly-contracted Liam Toland.

Leinster may feel a little short-changed in terms of international contracts (four as opposed to Ulster's eight) but they field nine internationals in this young, talented line-up.

Girvan Dempsey is one of just four survivors from the Llanelli match - Ciaran Scally, Reggie Corrigan and Shane Byrne are the others - but switches from wing to full back. Trevor Brennan came through a fitness test on his injured shoulder on Wednesday, although may privately be disappointed not to have fulfilled his expressed ambition of captaining Leinster.

Captaincy material does not seem to be thick on the ground in the province - although there's plenty of young talent, especially in the backs. That honour, initially at any rate, goes to Denis Hickie, which is bound to raise a few eyebrows.

After his annus horribilis of the last 12 months, Hickie - like Victor Costello and a few others - has a point or two to prove, and quickly. "In Denis's case, he's worked exceptionally hard," says Leinster coach Mike Ruddock.

"His bench press was an all-time best the other day, 145, which is huge for him and his speed time was the fastest in the squad. He seems to have a lot more confidence about him. He's involved a lot more. He was captain in Wales and he's captain on Saturday, hopefully that will bring the best out of him."

"You can see that there's a steely determination about him at the moment. He's not just on the wing waiting for the ball. I think there's a new Denis Hickie emerging and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't make the World Cup squad. I'm looking forward to watching him playing. He's a superb athlete, he's a smashing rugby player.

"I think he's going to set the world on fire this year and if he makes the World Cup squad, Warren Gatland will see the best of him."

Having nurtured O'Driscoll through three A games last August, Ruddock, like many in Leinster, was licking his lips over the prospect of the gifted Blackrock youngster partnering Shane Horgan. O'Driscoll was thereafter sidelined for Leinster's campaign, and now, no sooner does he come right than Horgan (one of only three ever-presents last season) comes down with injury.

Ruddock smiles ruefully at that, and concedes: "Shane's a big blow to us, there's no doubt about that. We've also lost Brian Carey and that's two significant blows before we start."

Carey has been forced to retire, while Ruddock also confirmed that he has other contracts to fill in light of Simon Culhane's knee injury and Dion O'Cuinneagain's decision to join Ulster.

"I had also been trying to negotiate with Niall Woods for him to join us, at least on an interim basis, but his contractual position with London Irish prevented that."

While acknowledging the relative lack of experience in the squad, Ruddock is genuinely excited by its talent and ability. Overall, he believes it is a good deal stronger that last year's, with a mixture of established players, players returning from England, and new Irish squad members.

Despite losing out in a bid to sign ex-All Black scrum-half Stu Forster, Ruddock still hopes to procure another player of international standard from abroad. "I think then the squad will be very strong."

A key element of Leinster's game will be to utilise their pace out wide, for as Ruddock says "there's no substitute for pace. You can talk about experience but a young pair legs can take you faster than another guy's brain can anticipate."

After an early trip-up in the opener at home to Ulster, Leinster quickly hit their stride last season, winning five games on the spin to take the half-way lead in the interpros while accounting for Llanelli at Stradey Park in their European Cup opener. Alas, they fell away badly to lose six of their last seven; finishing third in the intepros and in their pool in the European Cup.

"It was disappointing but we've reflected on it and I think we've learnt a lot from it. We now know the standards we have to achieve; we now know the depth of talent you need to have. I'm very positive about this season," he says, pointing out that their fitness programmes and personnel are in situ after the upheavals caused by (physical trainer) Liam Hennessy's departure last year. "The problems in the fitness area won't be there this year."

Ruddock himself is in his third year of a three-year contract. "I don't feel under pressure. I actually feel very relaxed, because this is one I really want to enjoy."

His livelihood is on the line, to a degree, this year, but aside from that "you want to set standards. It's easier to relax a bit when you think you're starting to get the quality of the squad you want".

It's a remodelled team, which may take time to gel, and they've a brutishly tough European Cup draw.

Unsurprisingly then, Ruddock is not inclined to create a noose for his own neck by publicly stating targets. "We need a couple of games before things settle down. If we can win on Saturday, and it's going to be difficult, then we can start setting goals we want to achieve."

Base strengths, such as their solid scrum, need to be applied again but you sense that what he most wants is for his team to play positively, and to see his pacey young bucks unleashed.

They could be very interesting to watch.