Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has named an unchanged matchday 23 squad for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final against La Rochelle in Marseille.
It is the same matchday squad that comprehensively defeated champions Toulouse in the semi-final on the 14th May at the Aviva Stadium. Recent knocks to starters Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher, and James Lowe, along with replacement Ciaran Frawley all came right in time.
The French side have made four changes ahead of the final. Brice Dulin comes in at full-back with Dillyn Leyds switching to the right wing. Thomas Berjon starts at scrum half in place of the injured Tewara Kerr-Barlow. In the pack, Will Skelton and Matthias Haddad replace Remi Picquette and Victor Vito.
Remi Bourdeau replaces Haddad on the bench on the bench, who is debutising at openside for Vito, an All-Black World Cup winner.
Gary Ringrose will be making his 100th appearance for the Blues, Robbie Henshaw will be making his 50th appearance in the Champions Cup, while Cian Healy will be taking to the turf in what will be his 100th European cap to date.
La Rochelle overcame Leinster in the semi-final’s last year, and coach Ronan O’Gara will be looking to put one over on his old rivals and clinch the cup.
Leinster will be looking to emulate Toulouse’s 5-time winner record and get the five stars across the chest. La Rochelle will be looking to make history themselves and win the competition for the first time.
