Trinity student Joe McCarthy is set to make his Leinster debut this evening in the United Rugby Championship.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has picked McCarthy after a series of impressive displays for Dublin University in the Energia All-Ireland League over the past few weeks.
The opponents facing McCarthy on his landmark occasion will be Cardiff Rugby, who lie 11th in the league table.
Leinster currently sit in third place, four points behind league leaders Edinburgh, but with a game in hand over the Scottish side.
A win will see them leapfrog Edinburgh and second place Ulster, securing the top spot.
Youthful secondrow McCarthy will play alongside veteran Ireland lock Devin Toner in the Leinster scrum.
In stark contrast to his spritely debuting teammate, the vastly experienced Toner, 35, is Leinster’s most capped player with 271 games under his belt.
Fellow Leinster and Trinity forward Ryan Baird, 22, will not play tonight.
The six-capped Ireland International has been selected in Andy Farrell’s 37-man squad for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.
