Guinness PRO12: Dragons v Leinster preview
By Robert Mulhern
Last Updated: 29/01/16 10:15pm
Leinster coach Leo Cullen has made 12 changes from the team beaten 51-10 at Wasps last weekend for Friday's Guinness PRO12 encounter with the Dragons at Rodney Parade.
More than 30 players are unavailable because of international duty and Luke McGrath is named captain for the first time with Zane Kirchner switching from the right wing to full-back.
Fergus McFadden returns from suspension while academy winger Adam Byrne makes his first start on the right just over three years after his only cap to date for the province.
In the centre, Ben Te'o and Garry Ringrose renew their partnership while in the pack Peter Dooley, James Tracy and Michael Bent start in a new-look front row with Dominic Ryan at blindside and No 8 Jordi Murphy retained from last weekend.
Dragons director of rugby Lyn Jones has made four changes to the team that were thumped by Sale Sharks in the Challenge Cup last week.
Full-back Carl Meyer returns to the starting XV after failing a fitness test last weekend and is joined in the back three by wings Ashton Hewitt and Hallam Amos, who was released from the Wales squad.
The centre partnership remains unchanged as Adam Hughes and Adam Warren get the nod, while fly-half Jason Tovey also retains his position alongside scrum-half Sarel Pretorius.
Dragons: 15 Carl Meyer, 14 Ashton Hewitt, 13 Adam Hughes, 12 Adam Warren, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Sarel Pretorius; 1 Boris Stankovich, 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas (c), 3 Brok Harris, 4 Rynard Landman, 5 Matthew Screech, 6 Nick Crosswell, 7 Nic Cudd, 8 Lewis Evans.
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Phil Price, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 Cory Hill, 20 James Benjamin, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Geraint Rhys Jones, 23 Nick Scott.
Leinster: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Garry Ringrose 12 Ben Te'o, 11 Fergus McFadden, 10 Cathal Marsh, 9 Luke McGrath (c); 1 Peter Dooley, 2 James Tracy, 3 Michael Bent, 4 Ross Molony, 5 Hayden Triggs, 6 Dominic Ryan, 7 Dan Leavy, 8 Jordi Murphy.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Oisín Heffernan, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Peadar Timmins, 21 Isaac Boss, 22. Ian Madigan, 23 Noel Reid.