Leinster confirm Ireland duo to return from injury

As we are now in the fallow week of the 2026 Six Nations, there is time for club action to return across the URC. Leinster take on Cardiff Rugby his Friday night at the Cardiff Arms Park, in what could well mark the long awaited returns of Henshaw and O'Brien from their respective knee and hamstring injuries, in the hopes of being called upon by Andy Farrell for an Ireland squad return.

However, it will not be a straight-forward swap back into the Ireland back-line for Henshaw and O'Brien. Stuart McCloskey is arguably in the form of his life, with blistering midfield breaks, impressive offloads and an undying work rate on the defensive side of the ball.

McCloskey's 'NFL' style pass to assist his province teammate Robert Baloucoune was a stand-out moment of Ireland's comeback win over Italy, before his stunning try-saving tackle on Marcus Smith went viral from last weekend's victory against England. Henshaw will be eager to return to the Ireland midfield, as will Bundee Aki, as the Connacht man's suspension is set to soon come to an end.

Jimmy O'Brien is one of the more versatile members of the Leinster squad, with a canny ability of being deployed across fullback, centre and out on the wings. Such adaptability is highly rated by Andy Farrell, who has been utilising a 6-2 split (forwards-backs) for his replacement bench so far in the Six Nations. Ireland fans have witnessed the likes of Jack Crowley and Ciaran Frawley cover multiple positions from the bench, with O'Brien hoping that his versatility will earn him a place within the squad.

Leinster have also confirmed that France prop Rabah Slimani is back and available for selection. Slimani will be eyeing up a strong return to club form this weekend, in the hopes that he too can make a late push for the 2026 Six Nations squad. The tight-head last featured for France upon their three-match tour of New Zealand last Summer, with the 36-year-old set to compete with Dorian Aldegheri and Regis Montagne for a spot in the Grand Slam hunting side.

1. Versatile centre specialist: Henshaw has played both inside and outside centre for Ireland and Leinster, offering coaches flexibility across the midfield.

2. Prolific try-scorer: Across his international career he’s scored 25+ tries for Ireland, a high return for a centre known as much for defence as attack.

5. Leinster consistency: Since his provincial debut in 2013, he’s made over 150 appearances for Leinster Rugby, anchoring one of Europe’s most successful back lines over a decade.