GRAHAM ROWNTREE HAS named his first Munster team as head coach, with Gloucester the visitors to Musgrave Park on Friday (kick-off 7:30pm).
New signings Malakai Fekitoa and Chris Moore are included among the replacements and will make their first appearances for the southern province.
Also included in the 31-man matchday squad is highly rated 18-year-old back row Ruadhán Quinn, the first-year academy player who won a Senior Cup with Crescent in March and completed his Leaving Cert earlier this summer.
Quinn’s fellow academy players, Edwin Edogbo and Conor Phillips, are also in line for their first tastes of senior action with Munster, as is academy product Paddy Kelly who has been upgraded to the senior squad this season.
Simon Zebo starts at fullback with Calvin Nash and Shane Daly completing the back three. Ben Healy gets the nod at 10, with Jack Crowley among the replacements.
The side will be captained by Jack O’Donoghue from blindside.
Friday’s fixture will be Gloucester’s since their player, Ed Slater, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in July.
Gloucester have set up a fundraising page for Slater and his family, and donations can be made at this link.
Munster
- 15. Simon Zebo
- 14. Calvin Nash
- 13. Chris Farrell
- 12. Rory Scannell
- 11. Shane Daly
- 10. Ben Healy
- 9. Neil Cronin
- 1. Josh Wycherley
- 2. Diarmuid Barron
- 3. Keynan Knox
- 4. Cian Hurley
- 5. Eoin O’Connor
- 6. Jack O’Donoghue (Captain)
- 7. Alex Kendellen
- 8. Jack O’Sullivan
Replacements:
- 16. Scott Buckley
- 17. Chris Moore
- 18. Roman Salanoa
- 19. James French
- 20. Liam O’Connor
- 21. Edwin Edogbo
- 22. Paddy Kelly
- 23. Ruadhán Quinn
- 24. Daniel Okeke
- 25. Paddy Patterson
- 26. Jack Crowley
- 27. Tony Butler
- 28. Malakai Fekitoa
- 29. Dan Goggin
- 30. Liam Coombes
- 31. Conor Phillips
