The Leinster Rugby Team To Face Zebre Has Been Named

Friday, 22 March 2024 14:36

By Hannah Kelly

The squad includes 5 Kildare players: 2 starting and 3 in the replacements

The Leinster Rugby team away to Zebre Parma in Round 12 of the BKT United Rugby Championship has been named.

The game takes place tomorrow at 7.30pm.

The squad includes 5 Kildare players: 2 starting and 3 in the replacements.

Academy duo Naas’s Andrew Osborne and Sallins Diarmuid Mangan will debut from the replacements along with Suncroft’s Sam Prendergast.

Osborne featured in the recent friendlies against Saracens and Bath, and the Naas RFC graduate was part of Ireland U20s Grand Slam-winning team last year.

He is also the younger brother of Leinster back Jamie.

The duo will become the third set of brothers to play together for Leinster this season, following in the footsteps of Ross and Harry Byrne, and Joe and Paddy McCarthy.

Mangan is a product of Newbridge College, and the Sallins native played with Osborne in last year’s Ireland U-20 Six Nations team that won a Grand Slam, and also reached the U-20 Rugby World Cup Final.

Ciarán Frawley returns to the Leinster lineup for the first time since featuring for Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations.

He is joined in the back three by Rob Russell and the debutant Osborne.

In the centre, Liam Turner and Jamie Osborne, while Ross Byne and Luke McGrath are at half-back.

Ed Byrne is joined in the front row by hooker Lee Barron and Thomas Clarkson.

The second row is Ross Molony and Jason Jenkins, while Donadea’s Will Connors, captain Scott Penny and Max Deegan complete the pack.