Andrew Porter switches to tighthead as Leinster name youthful side for URC opener in Johannesburg

Andrew Porter lines up at tighthead prop for Leinster’s URC season opener against the Lions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, with head coach Leo Cullen finally acting on months of speculation surrounding the Ireland international’s positional switch.

Porter, 30, is no stranger to the right-hand side of the scrum — he spent his first four seasons at Leinster at No.3 before moving to loosehead in 2021/22. His last appearance for the province in the URC came in June against the Stormers, a match he left injured, making Saturday’s return all the more significant.

He anchors an inexperienced front row, with Gus McCarthy starting at hooker and Alex Usanov named at loosehead. Ryan Baird and Conor O’Tighearnaigh form the second-row partnership, while Max Deegan captains the side from the back row alongside opensides Scott Penny and Josh Ericson.

There is also a first start of the season at fly-half for Caspar Gabriel, who partners Fintan Gunne at half-back. Tommy O’Brien and Andrew Osborne bring experience to the back three.

Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber was candid about the scale of the task awaiting his side in South Africa. “The Lions are a good team, and I think everybody would say that,” he said. “If you statistically look at them — especially from an attacking point of view — they had the most offloads, they scored the most tries in the competition, they won the South African conference, and South African teams in general are doing pretty well in the URC.”

Nienaber also pointed to the Lions’ record at Ellis Park as a warning for the visitors. “They’ve been in the last five grand finals, South African teams, so it’s a tough task to come to South Africa. Ellis Park is a ground that they really put their heart and their soul into defending — as they showed when they played against the All Blacks.”

Leinster: Todd Lawlor, Tommy O’Brien, Hugh Cooney, Charlie Tector, Andrew Osborne, Caspar Gabriel, Fintan Gunne, Alex Usanov, Gus McCarthy, Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Max Deegan (capt), Scott Penny, Josh Ericson. Replacements: Stephen Smyth, Peter Dooley, Niall Smyth, Brian Deeney, Dylan McNeice, Oliver Coffey, Harry Byrne, Ciarán Mangan.

Lions: Boeta Chamberlain, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, Boan Venter, PJ Botha, Sebastian de Klerk, Etienne Oosthuizen, Ruan Delport, Siba Mahashe, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horne (capt). Replacements: Morne Brandon, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Hyron Andrews, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Zian Cilliers, Ethan Adams.