Cardiff Blues wing Alex Cuthbert will play his first game since scoring two tries in Wales’ win over England in March on Friday night.
Cuthbert tore his hamstring in the 30-3 Millennium Stadium triumph that earned Wales a second successive title but has returned to full fitness just in time to prepare for his first tour with the British & Irish Lions.
And he couldn’t have picked a better game in which to make his comeback than against an Ulster Rugby side at Ravenhill that will include one of his main rivals for a Test spot in Australia in June and July, Irish wing Tommy Bowe.
They are two of 19 Lions who have been included in the matchday 23s of the RaboDirect PRO12 clubs after the competition provided 24 players to the tour party on Tuesday.
There will be eight Lions on display at the RDS in Dublin for the repeat of last year’s PRO12 Final between Leinster and the Ospreys. The reigning champions will travel to the Irish capital knowing that only victory is likely to be good enough to keep alive their hopes of reaching the play-offs.
Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric will all start in the Ospreys pack, while Ian Evans is among the replacements. Hooker Richard Hibbard is still revering from a strained knee ligament.
Leinster have put Brian O’Driscoll and Cian Healy on the bench, given Irish skipper Jamie Heaslp a breather and included Rob Kearney, Jonathan Sexton and Sean O’Brien in their starting XV.
Paul O’Connell will lead Munster against Zebre in Italy, but the Irish province’s newly selected Lion, scrum half Conor Murray, gets the weekend off.
Glasgow Warriors’ two tourists, Stuart Hogg and Sean Maitland, are on the bench for their club’s trip to Connacht, while the Dragons will start with both back row Lions, Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau, at Edinburgh.
