Team news: Munster make six changes, Leinster go strong for Aviva clash
MOST CAPPED: Stephen Archer starts at tighthead prop to become Munster’s most-capped player of all-time with 269 Munster appearances.
Munster have made six changes to the side that beat Stormers last weekend for their URC round six clash against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (6.30pm, live on TG4).
Stephen Archer starts at tighthead prop to become Munster’s most-capped player of all-time with 269 Munster appearances while Diarmuid Barron returns to captain the side at hooker with Jean Kleyn making his first appearance of the URC season since winning the World Cup with the Springboks.
Tom Ahern makes his first-ever start in the back row for Munster and two changes to the backline see Simon Zebo and Rory Scannell come into the side. Zebo makes his first appearance of the season and his first start at full-back for Munster since 2018.
Zebo is joined by Calvin Nash and Shane Daly in the back three with Daly making a positional switch to the wing. Scannell and Antoine Frisch start together in midfield with Craig Casey and Jack Crowley in the half-backs. Jeremy Loughman, Barron and Archer pack down in the front row with Kleyn and Tadhg Beirne in the engine room.
Ahern, John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes complete the starting XV and as for the replacements, three Academy players have been called up in the form of Brian Gleeson, Tony Butler and Shay McCarthy.
Scott Buckley, Dave Kilcoyne and John Ryan provide the front-row back-up with Kilcoyne set for his first appearance since returning from the World Cup. Gleeson and Alex Kendellen complete the forward cover.
Conor Murray, Butler and McCarthy are the backline replacements while Peter O'Mahony (shoulder) and Jack O'Donoghue (ankle) are unavailable for selection.
For Leinster, Leo Cullen has called on the bug guns for the Aviva showdown.
Robbie Henshaw and Jack Conan are set for their first appearances of the season, while Tadhg Furlong is set for this first start of the campaign.
Garry Ringrose and James Ryan co-captain the team that includes 15 Ireland internationals, in a lineup that sees five changes from the team that defeated Scarlets last weekend.
In the forwards, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Furlong pack down in the front row for the first time since Ireland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.
Elsewhere, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has named his team to take on Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium in Round 6 of the BKT United Rugby Championship which is also on Saturday evening with kick off set for 7.35pm.
Lock Iain Henderson, captains the side and is joined by Kieran Treadwell in the second row while in a rotated front pack, Eric O’Sullivan, starts at loosehead prop, Tom Stewart is back at hooker, and Tom O’Toole returns to the teamsheet at tighthead prop.
In a youthful back-row, Harry Sheridan starts at blindside flanker, taking on the side he scored his first Ulster try against last season.
H Keenan; J Larmour, G Ringrose (co-captain), R Henshaw, J O’Brien; R Byrne, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong; J McCarthy, J Ryan (co-captain); J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris.
R Kelleher, J Boyle, M Ala’alatoa, R Molony, J Culhane, B Murphy, C Frawley, S Penny.
S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, R Scannell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, D Barron (C), S Archer; J Kleyn, T Beirne; T Ahern, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
S Buckley, D Kilcoyne, J Ryan, B Gleeson, A Kendellen, C Murray, T Butler, S McCarthy.
W Addison; R Baloucoune, J Hume, L Marshall, J Stockdale; B Burns, J Cooney; E O’Sullivan, T Stewart, T O’Toole; K Treadwell, I Henderson (C); H Sheridan, R Crothers, J McNabney.
Z Solomon, S Kitshoff, M Moore, A O’Connor, M Rea, D Shanahan, J Flannery, B Moxham.
