Nearly ready to go at the Aviva now, five minutes until the start of Leinster’s Champions Cup campaign. Will this be the start of their first successful campaign since 2018?
Ireland’s defeat to South Africa was the focal point for wider criticisms of the game at large. However, Gordon D’Arcy writes that the start of the Champions Cup offers a chance for issues to be solved before things reach a crisis point.
[Gordon D’Arcy: Reactionary thinking threatens to force rugby to be something it’s not]
With another top international player entering the Leinster dressing room, Irish hooker Dan Sheehan admits that the players do notice the backlash, but tells Johnny Watterson “if everyone loved us it would be kind of weird.”
[Leinster’s Dan Sheehan: ‘There is that sort of hatred towards us’]
With Munster in action later against English Premiership champions Bath (Kick-off at 8pm), here’s Gerry Thornley’s comprehensive guide to the pool stage of the Champions Cup.
[Champions Cup pool-by-pool guide: What teams will Leinster and Munster face?]
And here’s a closer look at today’s Leinster lineup from Nathan Johns.
[Joe McCarthy returns to Leinster team for Harlequins clash, with Ioane on bench]
With Jordie Barrett departing Leinster, the province have brought in a new All-Black superstar in 28-year-old Reiko Ioane. He is expected to make his debut off the bench tonight, but where will he be playing? Nathan Johns takes a look at where Leinster can use their new man.
[Where does Rieko Ioane fit at Leinster?]
Harlequins come into the match with several notable injuries, and are still licking their wounds from the 62-0 pummeling they received from Leinster in last year’s Champions Cup. John O’Sullivan looks ahead to what we can expect from today’s competition opener.
[Buoyed by All Black arrival, Leinster must view Harlequins clash as chance to hit stride]
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Leinster’s opening game of the 2025/26 Champions Cup against English side Harlequins.
Here’s the lineups for today’s match that gets underway at 5:30pm at the Aviva Stadium.
Leinster: Jimmy O’Brien; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Ciarán Frawley, Jordan Larmour; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; RG Snyman, Joe McCarthy; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Tadhg Furlong, Diarmuid Mangan, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Rieko Ioane.
Harlequins: Cameron Anderson; Cassius Cleaves, Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore, Cadan Murley (capt); Jarrod Evans, Will Porter; Boris Wenger, Jack Walker, Harry Williams; Kieran Treadwell, Stephan Lewies; Zach Carr, Will Evans, Tom Lawday
Replacements: George Turner, Will Hobson, Pedro Delgado, Joe Launchbury, Lucas Schmid, Lucas Friday, Jamie Benson, Bryn Bradley.
