Two Changes for Munster

Both those changes come in the pack with Academy player Stephen Archer coming into the front row in place of the injured Darragh Hurley and Alan Quinlan adding his considerable experience to the back row ahead of Niall Ronan who is named among the replacements.

Archer replaced Hurley in Murrayfield and although he was named in the extended squad earlier in the week, the injury to the shoulder he sustained there failed to respond to treatment. Hurley was present when Munster trained in Musgrave Park yesterday - in front of an audience of several hundred - but wasconfined to working with the fitness coaches while Archer was put his paces with the squad.

Julien Brugnaut will operate in his favoured loose-head position having started the game against Edinburgh on the opposite side of the front-row. Quinlan, surprisingly omitted from Declan Kidney's international squad announced on Tuesday, comes back into the back-row at the expense of Ronan who is preferred on the Munster bench to Donnacha Ryan who is included in Kidney's squad.

A sub-Academy prop Dave Kilcoyne provides the back up to Archer and Brugnaut. From UL Bohemians, Kilcoyne made a good impression in the recent Munster A victory over Leinster in Clonmel.

Munster: Paul Warwick; Ian Dowling, Lifeimi Mafi, Jean de Villiers, Keith Earls; Ronan O'Gara, Tomas O'Leary; Julien Brugnaut, Denis Fogarty, Stephen Archer; Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell capt; Alan Quinlan, D Wallace, D Leamy. Replacements: Damien Varley, Dave Kilcoyne, Mick O'Driscoll, Niall Ronan, Peter Stringer, Denis Hurley, Felix Jones.