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Leinster's Keenan to miss Glasgow URC semi-final

Leinster's Keenan to miss Glasgow URC semi-final

BBC News12 hours ago

Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan will miss Leinster's United Rugby Championship semi-final against Glasgow on Saturday (14:45 BST). Keenan, who was named in the British and Irish Lions squad last month, is not included in Leo Cullen's matchday squad for the Aviva Stadium contest with the holders.The 28-year-old, who produced a player-of-the-match display in last week's quarter-final win over Scarlets, is replaced by Jimmy O'Brien in the 15 shirt.With Jimmy O'Brien switching to full-back, Tommy O'Brien replaces his him on the right wing after missing the Scarlets game through injury. Dan Sheehan returns at hooker, with Ronan Kelleher dropping to the bench, while Scott Penny replaces the injured Josh van der Flier at open-side flanker. In addition to Van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong are also unavailable.Glasgow make two changes from their quarter-final win over the Stormers, with Fin Richardson replacing Murphy Walker at tight-head prop. Adam Hastings starts at fly-half with Tom Jordan moving to inside centre and Stafford McDowall dropping to the bench. Leinster, who finished the regular season top of the table, are chasing a first URC title since 2021. The sides have met twice already this season, with Leinster winning 52-0 in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals and 13-5 in the URC. The winners will face the Bulls or Sharks in the final on 14 June.
Line-ups
Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt)Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciaran FrawleyGlasgow: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, George Hiddleston, Fin Richardson, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco VenterReplacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Stafford McDowall, Jamie DobieReferee: Andrea Piardi (Italy​​)

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Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad

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