Squad News:Brian Blaney has been included in the Leinster squad for the province's opening Heineken Cup clash against Gloucester at Lansdowne Road this Saturday.
Blaney was called to an IRFU disciplinary hearing but his case was dismissed yesterday following his altercation with referee Simon McDowell in the recent Leinster-Munster Magners League match.
He is joined in the squad by Ronan McCormack (suspension), Shane
Horgan (shoulder) and Girvan Dempsey (shoulder) who all missed last
weekend's game.
Should Dempsey and Malcolm O'Kelly feature in this week's
game then they would make their 50th Heineken Cup appearances.
Andrew Dunne is also included in the squad for the first time.
Kick-off for the Pool 2 clash is 5.30pm. In excess of 17,500
tickets have been issued for the game which is an all-ticket
affair, cash will not be taken at the turnstiles.
Meanwhile, Denis Hickie was today named Bank of Scotland
Player of the Month for September.
The Leinster winger has made a fast start to the season, scoring three tries last month with his performance against Connacht a particular highlight.
Elsewhere Mark McCall named a 25-man squad ahead of Ulster's Heineken Cup tie against Toulouse Ravenhill (1.35pm) on Saturday.
The squad is boosted by the inclusion of Simon Best who broke his leg in the penultimate game of the 2005-06 season against Llanelli. The injury forced him to miss the Magners League decider game against Ospreys and all the Irish Senior tour to New Zealand and Australia.
Tommy Bowe (hamstring) and Paul Steinmetz (shoulder) also return to the squad following injury. McCall will finalise his starting XV at lunchtime on Friday.
The game is already sold-out.
Leinster squad:
Backs: Chris Whitaker, Cillian Willis, Andrew
Dunne, Christian Warner, Felipe Contepomi, Denis Hickie, Gordon
D'Arcy, Brian O'Driscoll (C), Kieran Lewis, Luke Fitzgerald, Shane
Horgan, Girvan Dempsey
Forwards: Reggie Corrigan, Brian Blaney, Harry
Vermaas, Will Green, Ronan McCormack, Bernard Jackman, Malcolm
O'Kelly, Trevor Hogan, Owen Finegan, Adam Byrnes, Stephen Keogh,
Cameron Jowitt, Keith Gleeson, Jamie Heaslip, Niall Ronan
Ulster squad:
BacksBryn Cunningham; Andrew Maxwell; Tommy Bowe; Scott Young; Andrew Trimble ;Paul Steinmetz; Kevin Maggs; Paddy Wallace; David Humphreys; Isaac Boss; Kieran Campbell
ForwardsJustin Fitzpatrick; Bryan Young; Declan Fitzpatrick; Simon Best; Rory Best; Paul Shields; Justin Harrison, Matt McCullough, Tim Barker; Stephen Ferris, Neil Best; Kieron Dawson, Neil McMillan, Roger Wilson
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