Hooker Adrian Flavin will start with Sean Cronin, one of five Connacht players this week called into the Irish senior squad for the summer tour to Canada and the United States, reverting to the replacements.
Academy player Conor Higgins, a promising 20-year old prop from Shannonbridge in Offaly, is included among the replacements.
Connacht: T Nathan; F Carr, G Duffy, K Matthews, L Bibo; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, R Loughney; M Swift, A Farley; A Browne, R Ofisa, J Muldoon (C).
Replacements: S Cronin, C Higgins, D Gannon, C Rigney, C O'Loughlin, A Dunne, M Deane.
Guinness PRO12
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