THE FUSE

All Black Reiko Ioane returns to start in a much-changed Leinster side for their United Rugby Championship game against Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Leo Cullen is without a host of Ireland internationals and makes 12 changes in total to the side that beat Connacht last weekend, a result that moved them up to third in the URC table.

Only Joshua Kenny, RG Snyman and Charlie Tector retain their places, with Tector switching to fly-half as Luke McGrath comes in to captain the side from scrum-half.

Ciaran Mangan and Andrew Sparrow will make their first starts for Leinster while Ruben Moloney, John McKee and Jerry Cahir come into the side.

Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny and Diarmuid Mangan are also included as Niall Smyth, Gus McCarthy, Will Connors and Fintan Gunne all drop to the bench.

Leinster: A Osborne; J Kenny, R Ioane, C Mangan, R Moloney; C Tector, L McGrath (capt); J Cahir, J McKee, A Sparrow; RG Snyman, B Deeney; M Deegan, S Penny, D Mangan.

Replacements: G McCarthy, A Usanov, N Smyth, C O'Tighearnaigh, J Eriscon, W Connors, F Gunne, H McLaughlin.

Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster has made five changes for their trip to Parma take on Zebre on Saturday.

Darragh Murray, Billy Bohan, and captain Cian Prendergast, who started in last week's defeat to Leinster, all miss out with the latter pair away with Ireland at their Six Nations training camp in Portugal.

They are replaced by Niall Murray, Jordan Duggan and Sean O'Brien.

Jack Aungier comes in for the injured Sam Illo at tight-head prop while Chay Mullins starts in place of Finn Treacy on the left wing.

Oisin McCormack is amongst the replacements as he is named in the matchday squad for the first time this season.

Bundee Aki is not in the squad as he begins a four-game ban for "verbal abuse and disrespect" towards match official.

Connacht: S Gilbert; S Jennings; H West, C Forde; C Mullins, J Ioane; C Blade; J Duggan, D Tierney-Martin, J Aungier; J Murphy, J Joyce; P Boyle, S O'Brien, S Jansen.

Replacements: M Victory, P Dooley, F Barrett, D O'Connor, N Murray, B Murphy, S Naughton, O McCormack.