The Collegiate All-Americans will play their opening match against Connacht Academy on Saturday.

It is likely that the Americans will put all their non-starters on the bench for Saturday's game, although with a couple of guys carrying small injuries, that bench won't be appreciably larger than usual - maybe nine subs to go along with 15 starters.

The subs bench will be seven or eight for Leinster.

Seamus Kelly, Nate Brakely, and Ryan Roundy are squad captains, but a game day captain will be named for Saturday.

On Thursday the team practiced against Trinity (Dublin University) in a scrimmage that was not full contact.

Friday the players will go through a captain's run, and later in the day will visit Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells, a 1200-year-old book of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament. After that they will tour Lansdowne Road, the home of Irish rugby.