Glasgow to face full-strength Leinster

THE challenges keep coming thick and fast for Sean Lineen's buoyant Glasgow Warriors squad. They have barely had a moment to draw breath after their historic back-to-back victories over inter-city rivals Edinburgh during the festive period, yet already they have their sights are trained on another major scalp.

• Brian O'Driscoll will pose a real threat to Glasgow as they bid to follow up their 1872 Cup success over Edinburgh with victory in Ireland. Picture: Getty

This evening they will attempt to become the first Scottish team to win at the RDS in Dublin against a Leinster side which is hot on their heels at the top of the Magners League table.

The match is scheduled to go ahead in front of a 14,000 crowd after a successful pitch inspection yesterday morning, although the playing surface and supporters areas will continue to be monitored today.

Michael Chieka's men trail the Warriors by five points, but they have a game in hand and, significantly, the Australian has shown how seriously he is about recapturing the trophy which was relinquished to arch-rivals Munster last year by fielding the strongest team available to him for this match.

In previous seasons, Leinster have been among the teams guilty of diminishing the value of the Magners League by resting leading players in preparation for European and international challenges ahead. With crucial Heineken Cup showdowns against Brive and London Irish lying in wait over the next fortnight, Chieka must have considered the possibility of taking the likes of Brian O'Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip and Nathan Hines out of the firing line for what promises to be a highly physical clash against a Glasgow side which has playing in recent weeks with the sort of full-blooded commitment which has sometimes bordered on recklessness.

Instead, he has told his top men to go out and fight fire with fire against a side which has not lost in the league since September 25, and he has even been able to bolster his squad with stand-off Johnny Sexton and open-side Shane Jennings returning to the fold after lengthy lay-offs with a hand injury and suspension respectively.

After struggling at times during the opening weeks of the season to get XV players fit enough to train, let alone in any sort of condition to play a professional rugby match, the slow trickle back to full fitness of key figures such as Chris Cusiter, Max Evans, Richie Gray, DTH Van Der Merwe and, most recently, Ruaridh Jackson has been a crucial factor in Glasgow's ability during the last two and a half months to consistently show the sort of form which they only managed in infuriating fits and starts in previous years.

That process continues this week, with Lineen recalling two more long-term absentees in the shape of Scotland international Rob Dewey (shoulder) and flanker James Eddie (ankle), who will both start on the bench; while even the loss of in-form hooker Dougie Hall, who dropped out of the side yesterday with a neck problem, seems to be a cloud with an encouragingly bright silver lining as it hands a rare starting opportunity Fergus Thomson.

The 26-year-old was one of the rising stars of Scottish rugby during the 2006-7 season, when his breakthrough year culminated in his international debut against Ireland in the summer of 2007 followed by selection for that autumn's World Cup.

But, after eighteen frustrating months plagued by injury, he has struggled for game time since returning to full fitness in October, and will be desperate to take full advantage of this unexpected opportunity.

Apart from Hall, and flu victim Richie Vernon, Glasgow are now pretty close to full fitness.

Leinster: G Dempsey, I Nacewa, B O'Driscoll, FMcFadden, R Kearney, J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, S Wright, D Toner, N Hines, K McLaughlin, S Jennings (capt), J Heaslip. Substitutes: B Jackman, M Ross, M O'Kelly, S Keogh, P O'Donohoe, S Berne, S Keogh.

Glasgow: B Stortoni, DTH van der Merwe, M Evans, G Morrison, T Evans, D Parks, C Cusiter; J Welsh, D Hall, M Low, A Kellock (capt), R Gray, K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie. Substitutes: F Thomson, K Tkachuk, D Turner, J Eddie, C Gregor, R Jackson, R Dewey.