Preview: Leinster v Edinburgh

Brian O'Driscoll partners Gordon D'Arcy in an unchanged Leinster backline which sees Eoin Reddan continue to partner with Shaun Berne.

Brian O'Driscoll partners Gordon D'Arcy at centre in an unchanged Leinster backline which sees Eoin Reddan continue his partnership with Shaun Berne.

In the pack, Dominic Ryan is the only change and the former Gonzaga College wing forward will make his third Leinster appearance in the back-row alongside Kevin McLaughlin and Jamie Heaslip.

Leo Cullen captains the side and Sean O'Brien has been named on an extended replacements bench alongside the likes of Malcolm O'Kelly and Girvan Dempsey, which will be reduced closer to kick off.

Bernard Jackman was not considered for selection due to a knee injury and the Ireland hooker is rated extremely doubtful for Leinster's Magners League run in.

Meanwhile Edinburgh Head Coach Rob Moffat believes Edinburgh are capable of still snatching a Magners League semi-final play-off berthby taknig all five points from the clash.

Moffat has made five changes, one positional, from the team that started Edinburgh's last outing – the loss to Ulster last month.

Returning to the starting XV for the first time since Edinburgh's Heineken Cup trip to Bath in December is international Allister Hogg, while his fellow cap Kyle Traynor is back at prop, Jim Thompson is restored at full-back and Steven Turnbull at lock. Ben Cairns reverts to his regular role at outside centre.

Moffat said: “We know what we have to do this weekend and the teams who finish in the top four and qualify for the play-offs are those who deserve to on their form over the whole season.

“We know we are capable of getting five points from the game in Dublin and that is not said with any disrespect to Leinster who are among the best teams in Europe and who will be hurting at their Heineken defeat last weekend.

“It's said from the fact that when we play to the best of our ability we can beat the best teams in Europe – just as we have against Stade Francais, the Ospreys, Bath and Munster this season.”

Moffat is pleased to welcome back Hogg, the 48-times capped back-row forward, who has been sidelined through injury since last year. “I'm pleased that Hoggy has recovered from his hip surgery and has got some match fitness back through playing for Watsonians in the last few weeks,” Moffat noted.

Edinburgh's qualification for the play-offs depends on them taking five points from the game against Leinster and Cardiff either beating Munster with neither side claiming a bonus point, or Cardiff beating Munster who get a losing bonus point but do not improve their points differential ahead of Edinburgh's.

Form: Leinster beat Edinburgh 21-19 at Murrayfield in round 4, and have never yet managed to achieve a league double over the Scotsmen in the same season. Leinster have already qualified for the Magners League semi-finals, whilst just one further match point would guarantee that this game will be played at home. The Leinstermen have slipped to three successive losses in all competitions, but have won their last 14 Magners League matches at the RDS. Edinburgh's only chance of grabbing a Magners League semi-final spot is to beat Leinster with maximum points and then hope that Cardiff Blues beat Munster WITHOUT either team claiming a bonus point. Edinburgh have lost their last three matches in the Magners League.

The team:

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Isa Nacewa, 10 Shaun Berne, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Dominic Ryan, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Leo Cullen (c), 3 Stan Wright, 2 John Fogarty, 1 Cian Healy,
Replacements (from): Richardt Strauss, Mike Ross, CJ van der Linde, Malcolm O'Kelly, Sean O'Brien, Stephen Keogh, Paul O'Donohoe, Fergus McFadden, Girvan Dempsey.

Edinburgh: 15 Jim Thompson, 14 Tim Visser, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Mark Robertson, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Allister Hogg, 7 Roddy Grant (c), 6 Alan MacDonald, 5 Steven Turnbull, 4 Scott MacLeod, 3 Kyle Traynor, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Kelly, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 Jim Hamilton, 19 Scott Newlands, 20 Mike Blair/David Blair, 21 John Houston, 22 Andrew Turnbull.

Date: Sunday, May 9
Venue: RDS
Kick-off: 18.30 BST
Referee: James Jones