Henshaw's last stand: Connacht team named for Edinburgh decider

It was confirmed today that Robbie Henshaw will line out for Connacht against Leinster, the team he is joining for next season, in the Guinness PRO12 final in Edinburgh tomorrow (Saturday).

There was disappointment for another Athlone man, however, as Jack Carty was not included in the matchday squad.

Connacht made no changes to the team which memorably overcame Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground last weekend.

Galway man John Muldoon will captain the side in his 275th game for the province, while Ireland international Kieran Marmion starts alongside Henshaw in the backline.

'It's exciting that this is the first time in 31 games that we've been able to name the same match day squad from one week to the next,' said coach Pat Lam.

'These 23 players are the fortunate ones who have earned the opportunity to wear the jersey and represent their team mates and the whole of Connacht in our first final.

'Preparation continues to be our big focus this week. We know how tough it will be against Leinster who have a huge amount of experience in finals rugby. But we know that if we stick to our structures and systems and channel all the emotion and physicality in to our performance, we have a real chance of making history.'

The game, at BT Murrayfield, gets underway at 5.30pm on Saturday and will be televised live on TG4 and Sky Sports.

The Connacht team is as follows:

15 Tiernan O'Halloran
14 Niyi Adeolokun
13 Robbie Henshaw
12 Bundee Aki
11 Matt Healy
10 AJ MacGinty
9 Kieran Marmion

1 Ronan Loughney
2 Tom McCartney
3 Finlay Bealham
4 Ultan Dillane
5 Aly Muldowney
6 Eoin McKeon
7 Jake Heenan
8 John Muldoon (captain)

Replacements:
16 Dave Heffernan
17 JP Cooney
18 Rodney Ah You
19 Andrew Browne
20 Sean O'Brien
21 John Cooney
22 Shane O'Leary
23 Peter Robb