Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has named his team to face Connacht at the Sportsground on Friday night (kick-off 7.35pm), with three changes made to the side that defeated Racing 92 in the Champions Cup.
In the front five, John Ryan and Mark Flanagan are promoted from the bench this week, with Ryan joining Dave Kilcoyne, the man-of-the-match against Racing, and Rhys Marshall in the front row as loan signing Flanagan links up with Billy Holland in the engine room once again.
The international back row trio of captain Peter O’Mahony, who is four games away from becoming a Munster centurion, Tommy O’Donnell and CJ Stander complete the pack.
The half-back pairing of Conor Murray and Ian Keatley remains intact, with Tyler Bleyendaal still nursing a neck injury, and the only change to the back-line is a straight swap with Andrew Conway taking over from Darren Sweetnam on the right wing, joining Keith Earls and Simon Zebo in the back-three.
Regarding ongoing injuries, hooker Niall Scannell underwent surgery on Monday for the thumb injury he sustained against Castres Olympique, while Bleyendaal, who was injured in the same game, is continuing to be managed for a neck injury this week.
MUNSTER (v Connacht): Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Rhys Marshall, John Ryan, Mark Flanagan, Billy Holland, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O’Connor, Stephen Archer, Sean McCarthy, Jack O’Donoghue, Duncan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Darren Sweetnam.
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