Garry Ringrose will get an immediate chance to put his omission from Warren Gatland’s Lions’ squad behind him as he heads west to take out his disappointment on Connacht after being named to start for Leinster.
Cian Healy and James Ryan are rested for the trip and must sit out their own frustrations at their exclusions, while Jonathan Sexton remains absent with concussive issues.
Leinster will still have three Lions in their shirts though.
Surprise call-up Jack Conan, the only forward retained from the European Cup semi-final defeat to La Rochelle last weekend, will be eager to maintain the form that caught the eyes of the Lions’ selectors. Andrew Porter also starts with likely test starter Tadhg Furlong is on the bench.
Hugo Keenan again starts at full back for Cullen, but Cian Kelleher and Dave Kearney come in on the wings as Leinster seek to avoid a hat-trick of defeats for the first time in six years.
Ciarán Frawley and Ringrose are selected in the centre, with Luke McGrath once more captaining the side and again partnered by Ross Byrne.
In the pack there are seven changes in total from last week.
In the front row, Peter Dooley, James Tracy and Andrew Porter are selected, with Ross Molony and Scott Fardy behind them in the second row.
Scott Penny and Josh Murphy start this week with Conan the only forward retained from last week’s pack.
Connacht, seeking a first league double against Leinster since their PRO14 winning season which culminated in victory against their rivals in the final, are seeking to build on their last-gasp win against Ulster last month.
They are boosted by the return of captain Jarrad Butler, who will make his first appearance in nearly two months following suspension and injury although Bundee Aki, another surprise call-up for the Lions, is still suspended.
Denis Buckley comes into the front row for his 198th appearance, while Niall Murray starts in the second row.
Conor Fitzgerald starts at out-half following an impressive cameo off the bench against Ulster, while the man who scored the match-winning try in that game, Peter Sullivan, is also handed a starting berth on the wing.
There’s also a 150th appearance for Connacht’s record try scorer Matt Healy who is named on the opposite wing.
Buckley lines up alongside Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham, while Gavin Thornbury completes the tight five. Butler starts at number eight alongside flankers Eoghan Masterson and Conor Oliver.
Caolin Blade partners Fitzgerald, while Tom Daly and Sean O’Brien play together at centre for the fifth straight game. With Healy and Sullivan on the wings, John Porch completes the side from full-back.
There’s also a welcome return among the replacements for Sammy Arnold, who hasn’t featured for four months since undergoing chest surgery.
Connacht claimed a shock victory over Leinster when these sides met in Dublin in January, while their win against Ulster last time out halted a four-game losing run in all competitions.
However, the Westerners have picked up only one win in Galway since early December and have not beaten Leinster twice in the same season since the 2015-16 campaign.
Leo Cullen’s men were beaten by Munster in the opening round and suffered Heineken Champions Cup semi-final defeat to La Rochelle at the weekend. They have not lost three successive first-team matches since 2015.
Leinster have won their last five away games played against fellow Irish provinces.
“We had a great win last time out in Belfast,” says coach Andy Friend. “But as always this year it’s now about backing that up and getting some consistency going.
“Leinster will travel to The Sportsground wanting to avoid three defeats so that’s a challenge in itself, but we’re also confident we can put in a performance capable of getting a win.
“We’ve got a few players returning from injury which is always good, and Matt Healy hits a significant milestone as well so we’re very pleased with the team we’re able to select.”
Connacht – John Porch; Peter Sullivan, Sean O’Brien, Tom Daly, Matt Healy; Conor Fitzgerald, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Niall Murray, Gavin Thornbury, Eoghan Masterson, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler capt.
Replacements – Jonny Murphy, Matthew Burke, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Cian Prendergast, Abrraham Papali’l, Kieran Marmion, Sammy Arnold, Oran McNulty.
Leinster – Hugo Keenan; Cian Kelleher, Garry Ringrose, Ciarán Frawley, Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath capt; Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Andrew Porter, Ross Molony, Scott Fardy, Josh Murphy, Scott Penny, Jack Conan.
Replacements – Dan Sheehan, Ed Byrne, Tadhg Furlong, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Rowan Osborne, Rory O’Loughlin, Jordan Larmour.
Referee – Frank Murphy (IRFU)
Connacht v Leinster, Sportsground, 7.35pm, TG4, Eir Sport