Gordan Darcy tries to stop Wales' Jonathan Davies scoring a try during Ireland's RBS 6 Nations defeat in Dublin. (Pic: Julien Behal/PA)

Ireland 21
Wales 23

Wales boss Warren Gatland admitted his team “got out of jail” after they claimed a dramatic RBS 6 Nations victory over shell-shocked Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

The visitors triumphed 23-21, courtesy of Leigh Halfpenny’s 80th-minute penalty, which was awarded by English referee Wayne Barnes when Irish flanker Stephen Ferris tip-tackled Ian Evans.

Ferris received a yellow card, as did Wales lock Bradley Davies earlier in the game, although Davies’ tackle on Donacha Ryan was far more serious and looks certain to see him cited and banned.

Wales outscored Ireland 3-2 on tries, and then Halfpenny came up trumps under colossal pressure to send his team on the march towards a possible Six Nations title and Grand Slam.

But Gatland said: “We were reasonably lucky. I thought we were only at about 70 per cent today.

“But to come here and be under pressure and to come back with 14 men shows great character.

“The displeasing thing was a bit of a lack of discipline with the yellow card. We got out of jail, but we’ve won our first game of the tournament away from home.

“We were down at half-time in the World Cup against Samoa, but we kept our patience and finished on top of them. That is what Test match rugby is all about – taking your opportunities.”

Gatland felt Davies was lucky to only get a yellow card, and admitted he fears the worst in terms of a citing.

Wales are already without the services of injured locks Luke Charteris and Alun-Wyn Jones, so any period of suspension for Davies could hit second-row resources hard.

“We’ve got to plan, potentially, for him being cited,” Gatland added.

“I’ve seen a replay, and I won’t deny it wasn’t fantastic. Potentially, we have got to prepare for the worst.

“When you go behind with 15 minutes to go and you have a yellow card, you don’t have a lot of time to get back into the game.

“But this win has given us massive confidence, and we are dangerous when we are playing with belief and confidence. We know there is a lot of improvement in our game.”

Gatland hailed a “world-class” performance by wing George North, who scored one of Wales’ three tries, while he had sympathy for fly-half Rhys Priestland, who missed two easy penalty kicks.

“We shouldn’t have put so much pressure on Rhys with the kicks. He has been out (injured) for a few weeks. It is such a confidence role, but I thought he was excellent in the second half.”

Halfpenny took over kicking duties from Priestland, and he admitted his last-gasp strike as “the hardest kick I’ve had to take in all my life”.

He said: “As soon as it went over the emotion came. Having to deal with the miss against France in the World Cup semi-final, putting that over makes it all worthwhile.”

As for the game itself, Halfpenny added on BBC1: “It was end to end stuff, an exciting game. It was a tough test and all credit to Ireland, they really gave us a tough game.

“The score was back and forth, and I’m just really pleased to get the result for the rest of the campaign.”

Wales captain Sam Warburton, meanwhile, could know in the next 24 hours whether or not he has a realistic chance of being fit for next Sunday’s home game against Scotland.

Warburton went off at half-time nursing a dead leg, and he said: “I will go back and have treatment tonight and tomorrow, and the physios will make the call.

“The game reminded me a bit of the World Cup semi-final (Warburton was sent off). It’s horrible being sat on the bench not being able to influence the game, but I am chuffed to bits.

“I think there is a lot more to come from this team.”

Ireland captain Paul O’Connell believes his team only had themselves to blame after seeing their Six Nations Grand Slam and Triple Crown hopes shredded on the tournament’s opening weekend.

The hosts led 21-15 when Tommy Bowe scored 12 minutes from time – a score that followed hooker Rory Best’s earlier touchdown – but North’s late effort after two Jonathan Davies tries gave Wales a dramatic victory.

“We gave Wales a lot of ball earlier in the game that we shouldn’t have done,” O’Connell said.

“We put ourselves in a position to win the game, and we conceded eight points in the last five minutes.

“We also conceded a lot of momentum in the first-half and gave them a lot of belief. We struggled to get into the game in the first half, and you can’t give a team that length of time with ball in hand.

“Defensively, we will have some work to do. We conceded a lot of ground and yardage at times, but when we attacked, we played with intensity.”

Asked about the late penalty award following Ferris’ tackle, O’Connell added: “Stephen hasn’t said a lot.

“I was right beside it, and I didn’t think there was a problem straightaway, but I haven’t seen it on video. I don’t think that was the winning and losing of the game.”

Ireland now have just a six-day turnaround before facing Six Nations title favourites France in Paris, and O’Connell said: “We have plenty of experience in the group, and we will recover to the best of our ability.

“We need to be patient and trust our defence.”

Ireland coach Declan Kidney said: “Three teams have had their Grand Slams ended this weekend, and three teams are still in. That is the nature of it, but there is a championship still to be won.

“We will take a good look at what we can solve ourselves. We gave Wales some easy field position, and they made inroads.

“We had to defend for 60 per cent-plus of the game, and if you do that then you are going to ask for trouble. There are different aspects of the game I know we can improve on.

“They managed to put the ball wide on us, and we need to scan a bit better than we have been doing. It is just a case now of getting ready for the next match in six days’ time.”

Gatland is contending with injuries among the Welsh pack. (File pic)

Ireland v Wales
ON TV: ESPN 1.30am (AEST)

Wales coach Warren Gatland could field a team containing just eight survivors from the World Cup quarter-final win against Ireland in Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations opener.

Gatland has seen preparations for the Dublin clash badly affected by injuries.

Three members of the pack that helped brush Ireland aside in Wellington four months ago – injured trio Gethin Jenkins, Alun-Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris – will be sidelined for varying time periods during the tournament.

Hookers Matthew Rees (calf strain) and Lloyd Burns (neck) are also absent, while Gatland will confirm tomorrow whether three other players have won their fitness battles.

Gatland delayed his scheduled team announcement by 48 hours after deciding to give centre Jamie Roberts, fly-half Rhys Priestland and flanker Dan Lydiate as much recovery time as possible.

Roberts has not played since suffering a knee injury two days before Christmas, while Scarlets star Priestland went off during a Heineken Cup game in Castres last month and Lydiate has been nursing ankle trouble.

In the final shake-up, it could be that Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Jonathan Davies, Mike Phillips, Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Sam Warburton and Toby Faletau are the only players who reappear on starting duty from Wellington.

Uncapped 21-year-old Ospreys centre Ashley Beck has emerged as a strong contender to replace Roberts, with James Hook the probable replacement for Priestland and Ryan Jones the leading candidate as Lydiate’s deputy.

Keith Earls will wear the number 13 jersey against Wales. The game starts at 1.30am AEST. (File pic)

Keith Earls will step in for an injured Brian O’Driscoll when Ireland face Wales in the first game of this year’s Six Nations campaign, on Monday morning.

Andrew Trimble will fill the left wing spot left vacant by Earls. Jonathan Sexton is preferred at outhalf over a benched Ronan O’Gara.

Conor Murray will make his first Six Nations appearance.

Declan Kidney has made few changes to the side that was knocked out of the Rugby World Cup by Wales in October.

The pack sees Donncha O’Callaghan and skipper Paul O’Connell line out together. Gordon D’Arcy remains inside-centre, Tommy Bowe is on the right wing and Rob Kearney is at full-back.

An uncapped Peter O’Mahony is named among the replacements.

:: Ireland team to face Wales:

R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), K Earls (Munster), G D’Arcy (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster), M Ross (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster, capt), S Ferris (Ulster), S O’Brien (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster).

Replacements: S Cronin (Leinster), T Court (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O’Gara (Munster), F McFadden (Leinster).

Ireland will be hoping for a return to the success of 2009. (File pic)

ESPN has announced it will televise all 15 games of the RBS Six Nations live from February 5 to March 18.

The station will air Ireland’s Six Nations opener against Wales from 1.30am next Monday morning.

Ireland’s game against France will air at 6.30am on February 12, a Sunday.

Ireland’s clash against Italy will be aired at midnight on Sunday, February 26.

Ireland’s penultimate game of the tournament is against Scotland on March 11 (3.30am), with the tournament closer on March 18 against defending champions England at Twickenham (3.45am).

:: RBS Six Nations fixtures on ESPN

Sunday February 5
France v Italy at Stade de France – 1.00am
Scotland v England at Murrayfield – 3.30am

Monday February 6
IRELAND v Wales at Aviva Stadium – 1.30am

Sunday February 12
England at Stadio Olimpico – 2.30am
France v. IRELAND at Stade de France – 6.30am

Monday February 13
Wales v. Scotland at Millennium Stadium – 1.30am

Sunday February 26
IRELAND v. Italy at Aviva Stadium – 12.00am
England v. Wales at Twickenham – 3.30am

Monday February 27
Scotland v. France at Murrayfield – 1.30am

Sunday March 11
Wales v. Italy at Millennium Stadium – 1.00am
IRELAND v. Scotland at Aviva Stadium – 3.30am

Monday March 12
France v. England at Stade de France – 1:30am

Saturday March 17
Italy v. Scotland at Stadio Olimpico – 11.00pm

Sunday March 18
Wales v. France at Millennium Stadium – 1.30am
England v. IRELAND at Twickenham – 3.45am

Leinster's David Kearney has earned a place in Declan Kidney's 32-man squad. (File pic)

Ireland have included five uncapped players among a 32-man squad named ahead of Sunday’s Six Nations opener against Wales.

Wings David Kearney and Simon Zebo are present after scoring a try apiece in the Irish Wolfhounds’ 23-17 defeat by England Saxons on Friday.

Centre Eoin O’Malley, back row Peter O’Mahony and prop Brett Wilkinson also feature.

All five have been promoted from the Wolfhounds’ squad, alongside capped internationals full-back Denis Hurley, lock Dan Tuohy and back rows Chris Henry and Rhys Ruddock.

Scrum-halves Tomas O’Leary and Isaac Boss have failed to make it into the 32, while second row Leo Cullen has also been omitted from the squad.

Ireland coach Declan Kidney names the team to face Wales at lunchtime on Wednesday with the key talking point being who will play at outside centre in place of Brian O’Driscoll.

O’Driscoll has been ruled out of the entire Six Nations after undergoing shoulder surgery, leaving Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Fergus McFadden and Andrew Trimble to compete for the number 13 jersey.

Jonathan Sexton is likely to be preferred ahead of Ronan O’Gara at fly-half while Eoin Reddan and Conor Murray are in contention at scrum-half.

The only other area of debate is in the second row where Donncha O’Callaghan could see his long-term partnership with Paul O’Connell, skipper in O’Driscoll’s absence, broken up.

Ireland squad:
Forwards: R Best (Ulster), T Bowe (Ospreys), T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), S Ferris (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), C Henry (Ulster), S Jennings (Leinster), S O’Brien (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), R Ruddock (Leinster), D Tuohy (Ulster), B Wilkinson (Connacht).

Backs: G D’Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), D Hurley (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster), D Kearney (Leinster), F McFadden (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), R O’Gara (Munster), E O’Malley (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster).

Munster's Simon Zebo was among the Irish try scorers. (File pic)

Saxons 23
Wolfhounds 17

Ireland outscored the Saxons by three tries to two, creating touchdowns for Dave Kearney, Tomas O’Leary and Simon Zebo, but they could not compete with England’s dominance up front.

The Saxons featured six capped internationals and three members of the World Cup squad in Delon Armitage, Matt Banahan and Waldrom – but the emphasis was on youth.

Spencer, who only joined Saracens from Cambridge last summer, continued his remarkable season with an impressive individual display on his representative debut.

England’s senior coaching team were in the stands to witness Worcester prop Matt Mullan lead a demolition job of the Irish pack right from the outset.

George Robson, the Harlequins lock, dominated the lineout and the Wolfhounds could not contain Waldrom’s trademark bullocking runs from the base of an advancing scrum.

England’s forwards flexed their muscles after Mullan had helped win an early penalty.

Burns went for touch on that occasion and England lost control in the shadow of the posts after driving in-field. It was an early warning shot to Ireland.

Ugo Monye’s strong work at the breakdown secured England another penalty and this time Burns went for goal, putting the Saxons ahead after six minutes.

When England’s scrum won another penalty, Burns again went for touch and the Saxons’ built a powerful driving maul after Gaskell’s clean lineout take.

England drove in-field, Paul Doran-Jones broke away to within touching distance of the line and Spencer made the most of some illegal blocking to dart over for the try.

As the 19-year-old shaped to pass, Robson created a gap by holding off Isaac Boss and Spencer stole around the fringes to dive over for a try converted by Burns.

Ireland launched their first attack of note with a break from fly-half Ian Keatley and they should have scored after Zebo, who scored a hat-trick for Munster against Northampton last weekend, was released down the left.

Banahan came racing across and crashed Zebo into touch with a tackle of dubious legality but the Irish wing had two men in support on his inside shoulder.

The Wolfhounds kept the pressure on created the breakthrough with a driving maul before Eoin O’Malley drifted wide to draw Matt Hopper and create a gap for Kearney to score.

The classy Leinster wing was the pick of the Wolfhounds players and there is more than a touch of his brother, the Ireland full-back Rob, in the way he plays.

Burns missed a penalty shot before the interval as Waldrom, in control at the base of a dominant England scrum, began to catch the eye with a series of strong carries.

The Leicester number eight played as if he had a point to prove after being overtaken in the England pecking order by Ben Morgan and Luke Narraway since his role as an unused member of the World Cup squad.

Ireland started well after the interval with a sublime take and counter-attack from Kearney but it was the Saxons who scored first.

Hopper had just come when Burns’ attempted chip in behind the Ireland defence deflected off Neville Spence for Waldrom, who collected the loose ball and charged over the line.

Both sides began to ring the changes and the Wolfhounds introduced O’Leary at scrum-half, who brought an energy to the Irish effort.

O’Leary darted over from the base of a ruck to keep the Wolfhounds in touch, picking off Doran-Jones in the Saxons defensive line to scamper over.

Burns missed one penalty shot to tie up the match before Kearney came flying across to deny Monye as the England wing chased Armitage’s kick.

But Burns kept his nerve to nudge England into a 20-12 lead and then sealed the victory with his third penalty of a satisfying evening for the Saxons.

Ireland kept plugging away and Zebo crossed in added time to bring the Wolfhounds closer than they deserved but the Saxons’ already had their victory.

Paul O'Connell believes the provinces' success will give Ireland a lift.

Lock Paul O’Connell insists Ireland will feed off their provinces’ success in Europe throughout the RBS 6 Nations.

For the first time Leinster, Munster and Ulster have all reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup with Irish representation in the last four guaranteed.

O’Connell has revealed Ireland, who open their Six Nations campaign against Wales on Sunday week, are keen to transfer that progress into the Test arena.

“The provinces winning certainly gives the national team a lift,” said O’Connell.

“We’ll have a group of guys coming in from three teams who have been doing things differently yet have been successful.

“You bring in three different types of experience into a squad and that’s a good thing.

“We’ve been used to winning games away from home and winning pressure games, figuring out ways to get the result. All of that combines and should be good for the Ireland team.

“It certainly puts a spring in your step and you can see the effect the successful campaigns have had on the atmosphere around the squad.

“It’s been good that most of us have been able to move away from that disappointing performances in the World Cup quarter-final against Wales and put a campaign together.

“It gets that performance out of the system for a lot of us.”

The 22-10 loss to Wales in Wellington last October brought an abrupt end to a World Cup that had promised so much.

Ireland produced their worst performance of the tournament and were well beaten by a side that played with greater dynamism and accuracy.

“That defeat certainly focuses the mind,” said Lions skipper O’Connell.

“We just didn’t perform to the best of our ability on the day and that’s what you must do on the big occasions.

“We had a good World Cup in that we played well against Australia and Italy, we just didn’t produce our best against Wales, certainly in that last half hour.

“There were two defensive lapses that gave the game to Wales and that was a big disappointment. Hopefully we can put that right next weekend.

“It’s a really tough rivalry there. A lot of us got to know each other from the 2009 Lions tour.

“There’s an edge to it and there have been some great, physical games.”

Ireland meet Wales and then travel to Paris to face France in a challenging start to the Six Nations. O’Connell admits they must begin with all guns blazing.

“We can’t afford a slow start against Wales. We won’t be able to start by playing anything other than to the best of our potential,” he said.

“We lost to them in the quarter-final because we didn’t play to our potential and paid the price. We need to put in a big performance.

“There will be no warm-up going into it, we must produce it from the start.”

Munster's Simon Zebo evades Northampton Saints' Ryan Lamb. (Pic:David Jones/PA)

Northampton Saints 36
Munster 51

Munster clinched a home Heineken Cup quarter-final spot as they hit last season’s runners-up for a record 51 points.

Simon Zebo raced over for a hat-trick of tries to provide the perfect ending to a week in which he was invited to train with Ireland’s Six Nations squad, and Ronan O’Gara kicked 24 points as the two-times champions saved their best for last.

Having clinched the pool the previous weekend, the game was all about securing a home draw. They did that and more as they overtook reigning champions Leinster to take the top seed position.

Northampton Saints knew they had to win with a bonus point to stand any chance of reaching the Heineken Cup quarter-finals and also had to be aware that if the Scarlets won in Castres, they could pinch a potential Amlin Challenge Cup place.

As for Munster, the only unbeaten team in the tournament after five rounds of pool matches, they needed to grab at least a losing bonus point to ensure they played their quarter-final at their beloved Thomond Park.

So there was all to play for, although Saints went into the game without their England trio of Chris Ashton (not selected), Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes (injured).

The home side came into the game on the back of five successive wins in all competitions and were seeking revenge for having victory snatched from their grasp by an 84th-minute Ronan O’Gara drop goal on matchday one.

They started well and Ryan Lamb rewarded their dominance with two early penalties.

O’Gara was quick to respond, but a penalty try awarded when the Munster pack disintegrated at a scrum in the shadow of their posts allowed Saints to move into a 10-point lead.

Munster looked slightly stunned, but their wealth of experience came to the fore and the metronomic boot of O’Gara gave them some impetus.

Munster had confirmed themselves as pool winners the previous weekend, but there was the tantalising prize of a record unbeaten march through their pool for the first time in their 17 years in the tournament if they could keep their winning run going.

Things were looking good when BJ Botha burrowed his way over from close range for a try and O’Gara’s conversion was followed by a penalty that gave them the lead for the first time in the 37th minute.

But Lamb had the last laugh in the first half with another penalty and it was all square at the break.

The capacity 22,000 crowd were gripped by the action and there was no let up in the intensity when the action resumed.

With their home draw under threat, Munster flexed their muscles and two tries in a breathtaking burst seemed to have put the result beyond doubt. Johne Murphy rounded off some great play in the right corner and then Denis Hurley sent Zebo racing clear a few minutes later.

The 12-point lead was cut by a second penalty try awarded for another total destruction of the Munster scrum from five metres out, but the home side could not cut the gap to anything less than four points.

At 26-31 it was still anyone’s game but even though Lamb matched two more O’Gara penalties, Zebo’s interception try from 60 metres not only sealed the victory but guaranteed a home draw and took Munster ahead of the reigning champions Leinster to the top qualifying spot.

It was the first time this season in Europe that Munster had picked up a bonus point and now they have to break the Heineken Cup hoodoo by becoming the only team to win the trophy by winning nine straight games.

Zebo’s hat-trick try and Ian Keatley’s conversion took the score over 50 points and Scott Armstrong’s last-minute try was hardly any consolation for the shattered Saints.

:: Leinster clinch home draw

Meanwhile, Leinster clinched a home draw in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals courtesy of a three-try triumph over Montpellier at the RDS.

In blustery conditions, Sean O’Brien’s ninth-minute try settled any early nerves and man of the match Rob Kearney used his speed and strength to nab his fourth try of the pool stages.

Montpellier had no points to show for a long spell in the home 22, trailing 20-0 at the break with Fergus McFadden booting the rest of Leinster’s points.

Joe Schmidt’s men went further ahead with a try from Cian Healy and, in a scrappy final half-hour, Martin Bustos Moyano kicked a penalty for the visitors.

The result completed an unbeaten run through the six rounds for the Pool Three winners, who are guaranteed to be one of the top seeds in the knockout phase.

Ulster will be playing away from home after Clermont Auvergne leapfrogged them at the top of Pool Four with a narrow win.

The Irish province were already assured of a place in the last eight as one of the best runners-up following surprise defeats for Harlequins and Toulouse on Friday night.

A win would have seen Ulster top the pool and Morgan Parra and Ruan Pienaar both struck two penalties each as the sides went into the break tied at 6-6.

The pair traded penalties again at a noisy Stade Marcel Michelin before Pienaar put the visitors ahead again after 57 minutes.

But Ulster will be on the road in the quarter-finals for the second year in succession after Ti’i Paulo’s try 15 minutes from time gave Clermont a decisive advantage.

Harlequins’ chances of featuring in the quarter-finals are hanging by the smallest of threads after they were stunned by Pool Six’s bottom side Connacht.

A 9-8 defeat at a wet and windy Sportsground means Quins finished second in the pool, just a point behind four-time champions Toulouse, who suffered a surprise defeat at Gloucester.

Declan Kidney will name 22 to face Wales on Monday week. (File pic)

Luke Fitzgerald has been omitted from Ireland’s 24-man senior squad for the RBS 6 Nations.

Fitzgerald, a big-name absentee from last year’s World Cup, has instead been included in the second-string Wolfhounds squad to face England Saxons on January 28.

The Leinster winger has been rejuvenated since his failure to win a spot among the 30 that departed for New Zealand and had been viewed as a contender to replace Brian O’Driscoll at outside centre.

A combination of a glute problem and minor neck strain forced him to sit out the Heineken Cup victory at Glasgow last weekend, but he is expected to be fit to face Montpellier on Saturday.

Ireland coach Declan Kidney insists those picked for the Wolfhounds remain in Six Nations contention, but Fitzgerald now seems unlikely to be involved in the opener against Wales on February 5.

“The Wolfhounds game gives myself and the other coaches one final chance to give games to players to see possible options before we settle on our match day 22 for the opening game,” said Kidney.

“The game gives us the opportunity to have a closer look in training at some of the younger players rather than bringing in more experienced players, who are very much still in the frame for selection.”

O’Driscoll will miss the entire Six Nations after undergoing shoulder surgery, with Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe or Fergus McFadden competing to deputise.

Ulster’s Darren Cave, who has been in superb form and was viewed as a leading contender to replace Ireland’s skipper, was yesterday ruled out for six weeks because of a foot injury.

Scrum-halves Tomas O’Leary and Isaac Boss have both been confined to the Wolfhounds with Boss the only member of the World Cup squad selected for the second string.

Geordan Murphy, who also travelled to New Zealand, is absent from the 24 but earlier this month stated he was available in the event of an injury crisis.

Apart from the injured O’Driscoll and Denis Leamy, all 22 who slipped to a 22-10 quarter-final defeat by Wales last October are present among the senior squad.

They will be joined during next week’s training camp in Limerick by the uncapped Ian Nagle, Peter O’Mahony, Tiernan O’Halloran, Paddy McAllister, Andrew Conway and Simon Zebo.

The 22 to face Wales at Lansdowne Road will be named on Monday week.

Alongside O’Driscoll, Leamy and Cave, David Wallace, Felix Jones, Jerry Flannery, Eoin Griffen and Niall Ronan were not considered due to injury.

Kidney is looking forward to making a fresh start four months after a World Cup campaign that had promised so much was brought to an abrupt conclusion by Wales.

“It’s a new tournament for us and for everybody involved so irrespective of the highs and lows of the World Cup it’s a fresh and exciting challenge,” said Kidney.

“The tournament begins what is big year for us, with a three-Test tour to New Zealand to come in June and ranking points all important for the 2015 World Cup.

“But for all that, the Six Nations always stands out as high point.”

Squad of 24: R Best (Ulster), T Bowe (Ospreys), T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), L Cullen (Leinster), G D’Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), R Kearney (Leinster), F McFadden (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), S O’Brien (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster), R O’Gara (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster).

Six additional players: I Nagle (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster), T O’Halloran (Connacht), P McAllister (Ulster), A Conway (Leinster), S Zebo (Munster).

Wolfhounds: S Archer (Munster), I Boss (Leinster), G Duffy (Connacht), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), C Henry (Ulster), D Hurley (Munster), D Kearney (Leinster), I Keatley (Munster), R Loughney (Connacht), I Madigan (Leinster), M McCarthy (Connacht), K McLaughlin (Leinster), J Muldoon (Connacht), T O’Leary (Munster), E O’Malley (Leinster), R Ruddock (Leinster), M Sherry (Munster), N Spence (Ulster), D Toner (Leinster), D Touhy (Ulster), D Varley (Munster), B Wilkinson (Connacht).

Leinster's Sean O'Brien takes the ball at a line out against Glasgow. (Pic: Lynne Cameron/PA)

Leinster 23
Glasgow 16

Head coach Joe Schmidt insisted his Leinster side have a long way to go in the defence of their Heineken Cup title after qualifying for the knockout stages with a 23-16 win over Glasgow Warriors at Firhill.

The Dublin side are seeking to become just the second team after Leicester in 2001 and 2002 to successfully defend the European title and today reached the quarter-finals by clinching victory in Pool Three with one match to spare.

Schmidt said: “We were just one of 24 contenders. After next weekend there will be eight contenders.

“We’re delighted to be one of those eight. As far as defending, it’s not just defending the Heineken Cup. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves and go out and win it again.”

Since the opening draw with Montpellier, Leinster have now won four straight games and host the French side in Dublin next Saturday safe in the knowledge that they cannot be overhauled at the top of Pool Three.

Rob Kearney and Isaac Boss scored second-half tries as Leinster finally overcame the Warriors’ stern defence, while Jonathan Sexton kicked one penalty and Fergus McFadden two penalties and two conversions.

Flanker Sean O’Brien was sin-binned four minutes from time, but Leinster’s defence, which had been strong throughout, held firm to seal their progress.

Leinster have not lost in European competition since December 2010 and are seeking victory next weekend to claim a home tie in the last eight.

Schmidt added: “I’m delighted to get the result today. I know there were imperfections in the performance and I know my players have gone on record saying I’m always fussy.

“I don’t really care about the imperfections today. I just think you deserve to be proud of what you did.

“You deserved to get the four points and we’ll come away from this, glue ourselves back together in six days’ time and front up at the RDS in front of a full stadium and try to chase that home quarter-final that we really, really want.”

Ireland fly-half Sexton deferred kicking duties to McFadden due to an ankle knock, but was instrumental nonetheless, his cross-kick fielded by Kearney for a score early in the second half which turned the game in the visitors’ favour.

Schmidt added: “It was every bit as tough as I expected. “We knew the game would be a battle of attrition and that’s pretty much the way it proved.”

The Warriors, who earned a losing bonus point, were always within striking distance, but Leinster’s class told.

Duncan Weir kicked 11 points, while replacement Colin Gregor touched down for a try.

The Warriors play Bath at The Rec next weekend knowing victory is a must if they are to keep their European ambitions alive this season in the second tier Amlin Challenge Cup.

Glasgow head coach Sean Lineen said: “Leinster are not the Heineken Cup champions for nothing.

“I thought we stood toe-to-toe with them for long periods of the game.

“One bit of class from Kearney, try. We had two guys there, but he got the ball. That’s just class.”

On next week’s clash at The Rec, Lineen added: “We’ve got to make sure we go down there with the right mindset because Bath are a very good team.

“It’s out of our control now. There are a couple of things that have to happen in a couple of the other groups for us to be involved in the Amlin.”

:: Munster unconvincing

Munster were far from convincing as a two-try victory over Castres at Thomond Park confirmed them as the first qualifiers for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

Johne Murphy’s eighth-minute try set the Pool One leaders on their way to a 16-7 half-time lead, with Yannick Caballero hitting back for the French outfit.

Although Castres had nothing but pride to play for, their understrength side ensured a frustrating second half for the home faithful until Wian du Preez touched down with 12 minutes to go.

Unforced errors and missed scoring chances made for a poor display from Munster, who will need to up their game at Northampton in round six as they chase a home draw in the last eight.

:: Praise for Connacht

Toulouse captain Thierry Dusautoir was not surprised by how well Connacht battled throughout the Heineken Cup clash between the two at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

The French side had to call on all their reserves to secure a 24-3 win that leaves them at the top of Pool 6.

“Apart from us, no-one had got a bonus point against Connacht so we knew it was going to be really difficult to get the bonus point today,” he admitted afterwards.

“We had a little bit of pressure when we really needed it, but we are really happy with it.

“They are a good team. It is their first time in the Heineken Cup and they play great rugby and we are just happy to have the win.”